JD Wetherspoon boss launches another attack on VAT March 14, 2014 The chief executive of high street pub chain JD Wetherspoon has again condemned the tax advantages supermarkets get over pubs. In a statement as part of the company’s interim financial results, Tim Martin said: The biggest danger to the pub industry is the continuing tax disparity between supermarkets and pubs. Thanks mainly to the work [...]
What you need to know before the open March 14, 2014 Talks between US and Russia will be taking place in London today, ahead of the much-contended referendum in Crimea on Sunday. Concerns over the fortunes and future of the region continue to eat into investor confidence, with European markets expected lower across the board today. Asian markets suffered in Friday trading from the anxiety-induced risk [...]
ONS warns zero hours contracts figures mislead March 10, 2014 STATISTICS showing a dramatic increase in zero-hours contracts in the UK were claimed to be misleading by the government office that published them. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) yesterday urged caution on reading its report that 583,000 UK workers were on zero-hour contracts – more than double the original 250,000 estimate from last year [...]
London Report: Carney to face questions over Bank oversight March 10, 2014 MARK CARNEY faces probably his toughest questioning so far as Bank of England governor tomorrow when lawmakers will seize on a foreign exchange scandal to press their demands for tighter oversight of the central bank. Carney will face the Treasury Select Committee over claims the Bank’s governance system is outdated. Last week the Bank suspended [...]
Fancy a brew? Annabel Palmer talks craft beer with Draft House’s Charlie McVeigh March 10, 2014 Draft House founder Charlie McVeigh talks about the perils of the hospitality industry, and how he’s taking advantage of Britain’s real ale renaissance A CRAFT beer revolution has taken hold in Britain. Consumption of independently-brewed beer rose by 22.3m pints to 415m pints in 2012, according to the Society of Independent Brewers. And figures suggest [...]
Restaurant review: Hispania, Bank March 6, 2014 RESTAURANT HISPANIA72-74 Lombard Street, EC3V 9AYTel: 0207 621 0338 FOOD Four StarsVALUE Four StarsATMOSPHERE Four Stars Cost for two with wine: £110 COMBINING the words “Spanish” and “bank” in recent years has been enough to leave a bad taste in the mouth. Yet despite the somewhat portentous association, a group of brave Asturians have taken [...]
Best of the Brokers for 03 March 2014 March 2, 2014 To appear in Best of the Brokers, email your research to notes@cityam.com J MENZIES Panmure Gordon has a “buy” rating and 840p target ahead of the logistics firm’s full year results tomorrow. The broker expects a 4.4 per cent fall in pre-tax profits to £53.1m, due to falling magazine volumes, while the aviation business looks [...]
Best of the Brokers for 06 February 2014 February 5, 2014 To appear in Best of the Brokers, email your research to notes@cityam.com JD WETHERSPOON Barclays has upgraded the pub chain to “overweight” with a target of 880p. The broker thinks Wetherspoons is being overlooked due to a price to earnings ratio that is below the long-term average for the firm, but thinks the shares could [...]
Any Other Business – 28/01 January 27, 2014 GREAT British purveyor of wheaty goodness, Hovis, hit the headlines yesterday having had a large hunk of it sold off. But do you know where the name comes from? In 1890, the man behind the bread, Richard Smith, launched a competition to find a name and Hovis, which derives from “hominis vis” or “strength of [...]
How to grow a business from a bean January 26, 2014 Annabel Palmer talks student life and staple diets with James Eder, founder of marketing firm The Beans Group IN THE age-old debate over whether entrepreneurship is innate or can be taught, James Eder – founder of The Beans Group – makes a strong case for the former. At 13, he and his brother Michael created [...]