And the best restaurant award goes to… Nando’s? April 12, 2019 A local award meant to recognise business on Preston's high street drew criticism after Nandos' was named the city centre's best restaurant. The Smiles Better Awards, running annually since 2016, are organised by the Preston Business Improvement District (Bid) and sponsored by the NWL Chamber of Commerce. Awards are given following a public vote, which [...]
Wetherspoon shares swing wildly as profit plunges March 22, 2019 Five times the shares failed to make a break above 1,340p stick. Is it sixth time lucky for Wetherspoon? Alongside the usual diatribe against the Brexit process and the tax disparity with supermarkets, pub chain JD Wetherspoon (LSE:JDW) has fallen foul of higher costs, especially with regards to labour. This has impacted the bottom line [...]
Wage costs grow in Britain amid record high employment rates March 18, 2019 Wage costs in the UK grew 1.7 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2018 from the quarter before, compared to an average of 0.5 per cent quarter on quarter growth over the last 10 years. Wage costs per hour worked in Britain – meaning benefits in kind, wages and salaries – were 3.2 per cent higher in the [...]
UK’s biggest travel booking app Trainline considers £1bn flotation March 16, 2019 Rail ticket booking platform, Trainline, is moving toward a £1bn stock market listing that could take place within the next few months. The company is looking at an initial public offering as its preferred option after being approached by private equity firms, according to Sky News. Read more: Patisserie Valerie overstated financial position by £94m, [...]
PageGroup CEO takes leave of absence after skiing accident March 15, 2019 British recruitment company PageGroup has revealed that chief exectuvie Steve Ingham will be out of action for a "number of weeks". Ingham badly suffered a bad back injury while skiing and will not be able to carry out his duties in the short-term. Read more: Wetherspoons profits slide as cost increases kick in The company [...]
Wetherspoons profits take a hit as wage increases kick in March 15, 2019 Wetherspoons has posted a sharp drop in pre-tax profits in its half-year report as increased labour costs took their toll. Read more: Wetherspoons profits slow amid surge in labour costs The figures Revenues increased 7.1 per cent to £889.6m for the 26 weeks to 27 January. Like-for-like sales were up 6.3 per cent over the [...]
Revolution Bars issues profit warning as chain is shaken by ‘challenging’ trading conditions March 1, 2019 Bar chain Revolution’s shares plunged 14 per cent in early morning trading as it issued a profit warning and said it was putting new venues on hold because of a “challenging” market. The company, which runs 79 bars under both the Revolution and Revolucion de Cuba brands, said it had suffered a disappointing opening period in [...]
Focus On Roehampton: Thinking of living in Wandsworth? Consider this leafy spot instead and you could save £100,000 February 22, 2019 The thing about university towns is they’re always full of students. This doesn’t just make them a great property investment for Revolution bars and Wetherspoons, but also for landlords who fear void periods, even if it means occasionally having to get Pot Noodle stains out of the carpet. The University of Roehampton – incidentally, the [...]
Professional headshots can be a minefield – especially if you take them too seriously February 7, 2019 TAKE a look at that picture of me. No tie or jacket. Not even a shirt for that matter. Hair a little on the louche side. Facing the camera squarely. Chin jutting out a bit, if we’re honest. And pixels. Lots of pixels. It’s not a professional photo, either in standard or purpose. But it’s [...]
Wetherspoons maintains full-year guidance despite slowing profits due to labour costs January 23, 2019 JD Wetherspoon said its first-half profits will be lower than expected as rising costs took the fizz out of strong sales growth. The pub chain reported a 7.2 per cent rise in like-for-like sales for the 12 weeks to 20 January, with total sales up 8.3 per cent. Read more: Wetherspoons boss Tim Martin defends column [...]