FORGET CANNES: CANARY WHARF’S FILM FESTIVAL IS COMING TO TOWN August 12, 2009 CANARY Wharfers should dust off their finery: there’s a film festival coming to town. OK, so it’s not quite Cannes – there’ll be no red carpet, much to the disappointment of preen-happy financiers, and designer dresses and tuxes are far from obligatory. But the Canary Wharf Film Festival, taking place between 3 and 7 September, [...]
Opulence, ostrich and eggs benedict as West End landmark goes weird August 10, 2009 The Criterion224 Piccadilly W1J 9HP Tel: 020 7930 0488 Cost per person without wine: £43 OUTSIDE the Criterion’s grand entrance it’s like Piccadilly Circus – a grim, heaving mass of tourists and traffic that swarms in every direction. Okay, it is Piccadilly Circus, and as you arrive it’s hard not to feel a bit sorry [...]
BARCLAYS HIRES CLINTON SPINNER PENN FOR POST-CRUNCH COUNSEL August 5, 2009 BARCLAYS has brought in the big guns. Actually, it’s just the one gun, but they don’t come much bigger – Mark Penn, the American political pollster-cum-public relations guru who numbers both the Clintons, former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair and Microsoft boss Bill Gates among his powerful clients. Penn is the worldwide chief executive of [...]
SUMMER SALES FOOTBALL UPDATE August 5, 2009 Drogba signs to Blues until 2012 CHELSEA striker Didier Drogba last night committed his future to the club by signing a new three-year contract. The Ivory Coast international, who joined the Blues from Marseille in 2004, is thought to have agreed a deal worth £100,000 per week. “I love the club, I feel good here [...]
FOCUS ON: CROYDON, GREATER LONDON July 23, 2009 39 RADCLIFFE ROAD, CROYDON, CR0 5QJPrice: £765,000If you’re a cricket lover glued to the television at the moment, then this smart four-bedroom period house backing on to the exclusive Whitgift Foundation’s cricket grounds is exactly what you are looking for. It comes with four bedrooms and has been refurbished to the highest standard by the [...]
In a bubbly mood July 22, 2009 BAB – short for “bonuses are back” – has replaced “doh” as the word on the City’s streets, following revelations that bankers raked in end-of-year payouts like the credit crunch was all just a bad dream. But whatever the reality for those outside the gilded top offices of the Square Mile and Canary Wharf, there [...]
City’s most successful accountant still has plenty of fire in his belly July 20, 2009 IT IS EASY to tell when you are nearing , Deloitte boss John Connolly’s office because an awful lot of people you bump into in the firm’s corridors begin to ask about his welfare. “Is John in?” asks one, a tad nervously. “What mood is he in today?” asks another. There is a feeling of [...]
Swann still confident despite Aussie fightback July 19, 2009 SPINNER Graeme Swann insists England remain favourites to clinch the second Test at Lord’s today, while preventing Australia from blasting their way into the record books. Chasing a first Ashes victory at Lord’s in 75 years, the hosts moved into cruise control after reducing the Australians to 128-5 at one stage – still 403 short [...]
Property will bounce back, says LandSecs July 15, 2009 LAND SECURITIES, the UK’s largest property developer, yesterday signalled that the worst of the property slump was over and said it was gearing up for recovery. After months in the investment wilderness, the firm said it was preparing to join a growing legion of opportunistic buyers keen to exploit a sharp 45 per cent fall in [...]
THREE OTHER HIGH-END ITALIANS July 13, 2009 L’ANIMAClassy, chic, and with excellent food, this is one of the best new openings in the City in the past year, and one of the few Square Mile restaurants that you might want to visit with friends, as well as contacts. 1 Snowden Street EC2A 2DQ, tel: 020 7422 7000, www.lanima.co.uk. LOCANDA LOCATELLIAn oldie, but [...]