Appetite for expansion outside of London hammers profits at sushi and Asian-inspired food chain Itsu August 14, 2016 Profits at healthy eating chain Itsu dived 73 per cent last year as the company developed a taste for expansion outside of London. The sushi and Asian-inspired food group reported a 22 per cent increase in sales to £82.6m in the year ended 31 December 2015, according to accounts filed at Companies House. However, profits slid [...]
End of an era for British journalism as “sanitised” Fleet Street loses its last newspaper journalists August 5, 2016 Today marks the end of an era for British journalism, with the last two Fleet Street-based reporters working their last day in what was once the home of the industry. Gavin Sherriff and Darryl Smith are to leave Fleet Street today as the Dundee-based Sunday Post closes its London bureau. This is the building the [...]
Pret a Manger has just opened its first veggie pop-up in Soho June 1, 2016 The City's top lunch spot, Pret a Manger, has had a green makeover today as it opened the doors at its Little Veggie Pop-Up on Broadwick Street in Soho. The pop-up offers 45 new vegetarian and vegans recipes for the menu, including open rye sandwiches, courgetti and cauliflower rice "plant pots" and savoury yoghurt bowls – as well [...]
Coffee nation: The UK’s caffeine addiction revealed as coffee chains take over May 19, 2016 Over-caffeinated Brits are fuelling a boom in coffee shops, according to new data from CBRE. Over the past 17 years, there has been a massive 20-fold increase in coffee chain outlets, from just 215 in 1998 to 4,234 in 2015. And the coffee shop trend shows no sign of abating, with an increase of six per [...]
Five things we learned about the way we eat now from Pret a Manger’s annual results April 19, 2016 There's no better barometer of the nation's eating habits and hottest foodie trends than Pret a Manger's yearly results. Last year, it was all about pulled pork and quinoa. This year, we're ditching the carbs and eating a hell of a lot of avocado… 1. Avocado king We knew avocado was having its moment (thanks, largely, to Instagram), but now [...]
Five million avocados later: Sales rise at Pret a Manger April 19, 2016 Apparently we're a nation of carb-free avocado loving sandwich eaters. The figures Sales at the City's favourite lunch stop were up 13.9 per cent to £676.2m in 2015, or 7.5 per cent on a like-for-like basis, according to the company's annual results. US like-for-like sales alone grew 13.8 per cent. That helped earnings before interest, taxation, [...]
Five Guys is the UK’s favourite fast food joint (sorry Nandos) March 21, 2016 Sorry, Nando's. Once we clasped your chickeny goodness close to our cholesterol-enlarged heart, but now you've been edged out by another fast food joint. We're a fickle – and also extremely hungry – bunch. Five Guys, the US burger chain that launched in the UK less than three years ago, has edged out its South African competitor [...]
Starbucks, Costa, KFC and Caffe Nero top list of worst offenders as research finds up to 25 teaspoons of sugar in hot drinks from coffee outlets February 17, 2016 Start your day with a coffee from one of the major chains? You could be drinking up to 25 teaspoons of sugar in one drink, according to new research. Campaign group Action on Sugar has studied hot drinks made by big name outlets including Starbucks, Costa and Caffe Nero and found that single drinks can [...]
Winter sun put on ice for holidaymakers as December is named as the month with the longest flight delays December 20, 2015 Those hoping for a little bit of winter sunshine might find themselves basking in the glow of the airport's Pret a Manger for longer than they'd bargained for, as research out today has found that December is the worst month for long flight delays. A study by Which? discovered that 3.5m passenger flights were delayed by [...]
Private equity house KKR to buy scientific testing specialists LGC from London investment firm Bridgepoint December 8, 2015 American private equity firm KKR has agreed to buy life sciences firm LGC from London-based investment group Bridgepoint for an undisclosed sum. LGC said under KKR’s ownership it plans to “continue the rapid development of the business” with a particular focus on the US and Asia. The company specialises in scientific testing, including DNA testing [...]