Kingfisher sales hit by weak UK July 21, 2011 Kingfisher, Europe’s biggest home improvement retailer, posted a small fall in underlying second-quarter sales as a hit to its British business from the closing down sale of a rival outweighed solid growth in France. The group, which runs market leader B&Q in Britain as well as the Castorama and Brico Depot chains in France and [...]
The apps every foodie needs July 20, 2011 PIZZA EXPRESS Lanched a month ago, the high street chain’s new app could herald a no less than a change in the way we dine out. As well as expected functions like showing you the menu, telling you where your nearest Pizza Express can be found and enabling you to book a table, the app [...]
BOOKS: CHILDREN’S SUMMER READS July 20, 2011 PICTURE the scene: it’s quiet, the wind is playing with your hair, the birds are tweeting and you’re on your second margarita. This is not you and your partner alone on holiday: no, it’s the whole family sitting in peaceful, engrossed silence devouring your respective books. If this scene appeals, here are some suggestions for [...]
Top summer openings to keep you sated July 20, 2011 RECENT summertime openings are aiming to reinvigorate after-work drinking with masterful mixology, which is exemplified in Bishopsgate’s newest installation, The Drift at Heron Tower, from the same team behind The Folly and The Anthologist. Set over two massive floors with a sprawling bar on each and a secluded cabana overlooking Europe’s largest aquarium, The Drift [...]
Mortgage lending drops July 20, 2011 Gross mortgage lending fell three per cent on the year in June but was 16 per cent up on the month, the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) said. The CML said gross mortgage lending totalled £12.6bn in June, the highest monthly total in almost a year. It said lending in the first half of this [...]
Vacancy rate falls at Land Securities July 19, 2011 LAND Securities, the UK’s largest real estate investment trust by value, said vacancy rates fell in the past quarter as it confirmed it was stepping up its development activity as stronger retailers look to take new floor space. The firm said yesterday it had cut its vacancy rate to 3.9 per cent at the end [...]
Mercedes’ ultimate ticket to ride July 19, 2011 SOME days are good, some days are great. And no doubt about it: being driven around Goodwood in a Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG gullwing supercar by former F1 world champion Jody Scheckter is a great experience. Scheckter, now an organic farmer at Laverstoke Park Farm, says he’s not been on a race track in years. I [...]
CAR TALK July 19, 2011 PEUGEOT’S NEW FLAGSHIP Peugeot has shown its new flagship 508 RXH diesel-electric crossover ahead of its world premiere at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September. The four-wheel drive estate is powered by a 2.0-litre HYbrid4 drive unit which produces 200bhp and can be run in 100 per cent electric mode. Emissions are just 109g/km of [...]
Keeping the flag flying for boozers July 18, 2011 The Surprise 6 Christchurch Terrace, W3 4AJ Tel: 020 7351 6954 www.geronimo-inns.co.uk/thesurprise FOOD SERVICE ATMOSPHERE Cost per person without wine: £23 THE Surprise (named after a warship) is a pub in Chelsea and the latest project from Geronimo Inns, the company with a slew of beautiful gastropubs across London. So good is Geronimo at turning [...]
Episode 19: A visit from the parents sees Dad in a less than supportive mood July 18, 2011 MY mother hobbles into our living room, a walking stick in each hand. Breathless, she asks, “How is she darling?” Before I can answer my father bursts into the room, laden with bags. “I hope you’re pleased with yourself David. She should be at home, resting. Not…” “Lawrence, please. We’re here to see Emma.” “No, [...]