Exclusive: London-based Peckwater Brands swallows competitor to become largest virtual food brand in Europe January 24, 2023 Peckwater Brands has acquired its chief competitor eatclever, making it the largest provider of virtual food outlets in Europe. The acquisition has seen Peckwater scooping brands like taste&soul, KoChi and Chicos from its health food-focused competitor, expanding its reach into Germany, Austria and Switzerland in the process. The terms and price of the deal are [...]
Shotgun Wedding film review: Jennifer Lopez comedy is a tonal mess January 23, 2023 ★★☆☆☆ Jenny From The Block plays Darcy in Shotgun Wedding. Soon to be marrying her fiancée Tom (Josh Duhamel) at a destination island wedding. Family tension, attractive exes and cold feet are in the mix, but then the wedding party is taken hostage. The couple must put their new marriage to the test if they [...]
Babylon’s director should have known better and not let this movie fall into self indulgence January 23, 2023 Movies about movies tend to do well around Oscar season, and no one knows that better than Damien Chazelle. While La La Land famously didn’t win Best Picture in 2017, it did win six Oscars out of fourteen nominations, including Best Director. In Babylon, he returns to Hollywood but looks through a different lens. Starting [...]
Doctor Who and Sherlock writers’ new show The Unfriend is unfunny and tedious – review January 23, 2023 ★★☆☆☆ Round up the audience at press night for Steven Moffat’s first London show and you’d have a pretty good BAFTA Awards attendee list. David Tennant, Jim Broadbent, Celia Imrie, Peter Capaldi and Sheila Hancock drift past me on the way in. “I got a BAFTA nom this morning,” one guest casually tells the guy [...]
Spotify’s revenue slow down will lead to 600 job losses, as tech giant becomes the latest to cull staff January 23, 2023 Spotify will be cutting its global workforce by nearly six per cent with around 600 people expected to lose their jobs. The music streaming platform has joined fellow tech giants including Amazon, Google, Meta and Twitter in laying off staff, with tens-of-thousands of workers being laid off in recent weeks. Last November Meta, the owner [...]
Chapel Down shows English wine still has its fizz with bumper results January 23, 2023 The world is waking up to sparkling wine from England, new results from flagship brand Chapel Down suggest. A new trading update from the Kent-based wine producer reports a 164 per cent increase in exports, indicating a growing market for English sparkling wine overseas. Domestic revenues paint a similarly rosy picture, with off-trade sparkling wine [...]
The Leica M11 camera is like a reunion with an old friend January 23, 2023 Anticipation, such a bittersweet sensation. The delicious excitement that gets the juice buds flowing. Will the moment, live up to expectations and linger on the lips forever? Or leave a nasty taste in the mouth? Do you part, never to speak of this again? Let’s find out. Suffice to say, I’ve been looking forward to this [...]
The Alps, 1920s style: aboard the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express on its inaugural trip to ski resorts January 23, 2023 We discover that “The Train,” as society types call the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, is the ultimate 1920s immersive theatre experience The train is careering through the darkened outskirts of Paris when oysters are placed at my table to pair with my last glug of champagne. I’m eating from an embroidered armchair more accurately described as a [...]
KERB: How London street food giant behind Seven Dials Market aims to make Berlin taste better January 23, 2023 The London street food favourite behind Seven Dials Market, KERB, is expanding via a venue in Berlin’s famous Potsdamer Platz. German foodies will be able to indulge their palates across a two-story street food market which is set to open in the Sony Centre by next year. The market will showcase 12 independent food vendors [...]
Cocktail of costs: How inflation is expected to squeeze spirit-maker Diageo’s sales and profit despite Christmas boost January 20, 2023 Spirits giant Diageo is expected to report a slowdown in sales and profits next week as consumer spending steadies. However, analysts have predicted that the Johnnie Walker and Baileys maker could deliver a resilient showing when it reveals its half-year update to shareholders on Thursday, January 26. A consensus of analysts have predicted that the [...]