The City Magazine November 2011 by Runwild Media Group

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contents

interview ...............................london’s future feature .......................................luxury spending human resources............................. references

feature 10 Jack the Lad S teven Milton talks to Australian A-lister Hugh Jackman and discovers a funny family man beneath the Hollywood star exterior

15 The Reworking of World Order? Richard Brown examines the increase in luxury spending in the East and the impact on Western economies

remembrance day

This month, in honour of Remembrance Day, St. Paul’s Cathedral is playing host to a special poppy art installation, commemorating those who died

collection

s viewers prove every Sunday, Whispering Gallery, the poppies will form an image tuning in to Downton Abbey of three child soldiers in order to draw attention to in their millions, there seems the involvement of children during warfare. no danger of us forgetting the Artist Ted Harrison states: “At the time of year magnitude or devastation of World when we rightly recall British soldiers, sailors and War One. With ongoing conflict in Afghanistan, airmen who have given their lives for their country, we are constantly reminded of the sacrifices of this work is a reminder of the many children who young soldiers as they continue to fight for their have also, throughout history, died as members Queen and country in the 21st century. of the armed forces… I hope something of the calibre St. Paul’s Cathedral is preparing for nationwide motoring innocence of these children is conveyed along with remembrance with a special installation; more a sense of innocence betrayed.” The installation is than 5,000 poppies are being scattered under its part of the St. Paul’s Cathedral Arts Project which dome on 11 November. When viewed from the explores the meeting between art and faith. n

26 Larger Than Life

A nnabel Harrison meets CEO of Hublot, Jean-Claude Biver, to discuss the young brand’s rise to worldwide success

comment 46 Safeguarding London’s Future

S tuart Fraser, Chairman of the Policy and Resources Committee at The City of London Corporation, explains how London can maintain its reputation

WHEN LESS The baby of the new Audi A6 Avant range is the one to go for and it’s best to ignore the options list, advises Matthew Carter

IS MORE

mong the fleets of test cars run by the press offices of all the various companies, there’s no such thing as a standard car. All of them have desirable options added to boost their appeal and the journalist is, often, ignorant which bits cost extra. Audi, on the other hand, is quite upfront about the gizmos and goodies they stick on their press cars. They even leave a sheet in the car listing everything that’s been added. Take the Audi A6 Avant 3.0 TDI Quattro. The basic price of this car is 50 quid short of £41,000, yet the one I drove had a list of extras as long as your arm. Together they added a further £38,605 to the cost of the car - virtually double. It had everything. Panoramic roof (£1,370), check; massage front seats (£1,600), check; Bang & Olufsen sound system (£6,300 – yes really), check; and so on and so forth. Significantly, it also had £2,500 worth of 20-inch alloy wheels which look great but ruin the ride comfort; to be honest, while one or two of the options are worth the money, I’d save the cash and buy a A5 Coupé with the change. In fact, I’d save even more and head down the range to

the 2.0-litre TDI SE Avant, a snip at £32,000. For that, you get leather, sat nav, dynamic suspension (best left in normal mode), parking sensors front and rear and Bluetooth. Add, say, £3,000 worth of extras – DAB radio, electrically adjustable heated front seats and a couple of other bits – and you’ve got a fine car, arguably the best of the range. Audis are strange. Some, which ought to be exciting, don’t quite live up to expectations, while others that you might expect to be a tad dull are the exact opposite, and that’s the case with the A6 Avant, or estate. The new Avant might look broadly similar to the car it’s replacing, but it’s all new. It’s bigger, for one thing, with a longer wheelbase and more interior space. Greater use of aluminium parts, meanwhile, means it’s up to 70 kilograms lighter than the old one which helps to make it feel livelier. It also benefits from the technology that’s been crammed into the A8 and A7. This means you can have (if you pay extra) a head-up display projecting the car’s speed onto the screen in your line of vision (works well) or an automatic boot-opening function triggered by waggling your foot under

the back of the car (didn’t seem to work at all). You can even turn the interior of the car into a mobile wi-fi zone and display Google Earth images on the sat nav screen. If you ignore all that stuff, you’re left with an elegant, honest car that delivers more than you’d expect. The interior is typically Audi; classy and beautifully made with top class materials. Especially neat is the way the sat nav screen slides away when not in use to leave a clean, uncluttered dash. The extra length in the wheelbase translates into more passenger room and while the load area might not be the widest around, it’s still usefully large (though if you want a removal van there’s nothing to touch the Mercedes E-class). Perhaps the best thing about the Audi, though, is the way it drives. The baby of the range might be powered by a mere 2.0-litre turbodiesel but it does deliver a healthy 177hp and when that is put into the lightweight shell it seems livelier still. Audi reckons it will top almost 140 mph and reach 60 mph from rest in under nine seconds, and that’s not bad going for a large family estate. Better news comes at the pumps with an official combined figure

of more than 56mpg allied to emissions of 132g/km, low enough to reduce company car tax percentage to 19 per cent. Stop/Start technology is also standard, helping to lower emissions IN BRIEF and running costs. The standard sixspeed gearbox is slick and easy to use CaR: and even the steering is agile and eager, Aston Martin Cygnet in fact, more so than the larger diesel’s PRICE: steering, which feels a little dead. £32,115 Whichever way you look at it, the ENgINE: 2.0TDI SE – not the more expensive S-line 1,330 cc 4-cylinder petrol version which has lowered suspension and PowER: bigger wheels – is a perfect example of 97 hp ‘less is more’. Not that Audi is worried. DRIvE: When challenged about the absurdity of Front-wheel drive the version which had doubled in price, CVT transmission the man from Audi shrugged his shoulders PERFoRmaNCE: and said: “People seem happy to spend 106 mph max. that much on options… and we’re happy 0–62 mph in 11.6 seconds that they do.” n

interview

48 The Return of Luxury

collection

S ujata Bhatia, Vice President, Europe and Asia, for American Express Business Insights, shares trends in luxury spending across the world

64 When Less Is More M atthew Carter explains why the Audi A6 Avant is the one to choose

concierge 74 One Fine Day Lucie Dodds demonstrates how best to do gentlemanly glamour on the luxurious Orient Express

LIFE

THAN THAN THAN

LARGER

LIFE

Annabel Harrison meets Jean-Claude Biver, CEO of Hublot, to discuss the meteoric rise of the relatively young company, via chronographs and cheese-making

©Fred Merz/rezo.ch

calibre

hear Jean-Claude Biver before I see him, upon entering the Monaco Yacht Club; a booming voice emanates from behind a cluster of Chinese journalists. As the Hublot CEO holds court, it is clear, firstly, that he has secured the attention of everyone in earshot and secondly, that he has a colourful, enthusiastic personality. This is repeatedly reinforced: after the launch of Hublot’s newest watch that afternoon, Biver excuses himself from the evening’s festivities with this explanation; “I have 100 cows and I have to be at the head of them to bring them 16 kilometres home tomorrow. Every boat has a captain and,” he adds gleefully, “my cows have only one captain... which is me!” Every year, Biver produces approximately five tonnes of cheese at his farm in the Swiss Alps. He refuses payment, offering it only to his friends and family and to particular restaurants of his choosing; “I will be the master of my cheese until the last piece.” It is a declaration that

could well be rewritten with ‘watches’ replacing ‘cheese’, because Biver applies the same energy, focus and commitment to his main role as to this unusual sideline venture. His life, as would be expected of a man with a career trajectory such as Biver’s, has revolved around watches and by the time he joined Hublot in 2004, he was already very well-known in the industry. After graduating with a business degree, he spent time in the Vallée de Joux absorbing the culture of watchmaking and was offered a year of ‘all-rounder’ training at Audemars Piguet. Biver then became product manager at Omega and left after a year in 1981 to rejuvenate the legendary but flagging Blancpain brand with Jacques Piguet. An undoubtedly significant part of Biver’s success was that, in his early career, he never stayed at one brand for too long, which allowed him to absorb a host of different brand strategies in a short amount of time. After the sale of Blancpain, Biver joined the board of directors of Swatch Group, where he was charged with turning around Swatch’s

regulars 9 editor’s letter

93 interiors

connoisseur

23 watches & jewellery

105 travel

108 Winter Wonderlands From Iceland to Vermont, Olivia Sharpe

61 sport

115 food & drink

74 fashion

118 out & about

89 health & fitness

121 property

presents our pick of the top five cold breaks this winter

TP_CityMag_TP-RG_210x297_TP_CityMag_TP-RG_1Oct11 19.09.11 11:24 Page1

The Fusion between Ceramic, 18K Red Gold and Rubber.

For a list of Hublot stockists in the UK, please telephone 0207 343 7200 or e-mail info@timeproducts.co.uk Hublot TV on: www.hublot.com

contributors...

RUNWILD M

Editor-in-Chief Lesley Ellwood

Editorial Director Kate Harrison

Editor

Annabel Harrison

Fashion Editor 1. Chelsey Baker is a business advisor and life

coach, she has been featured extensively in the national media as a leading entrepreneur and runs her own consultancy firm Success Media. Chelsey is a freelance journalist and motivational speaker.

2. David Kuo is one of the UK’s leading

Lucie Dodds

Motoring Editor Matthew Carter

Assistant Editors Richard Brown Gabrielle Lane

commentators on money matters. He is a director at The Motley Fool as well as providing daily insight and financial news for BBC London’s Breakfast Show.

Editorial Assistant

3. Matthew Carter is a London-based freelance journalist who’s been writing about cars for most of his working life. A former editor of Autocar magazine, he is a serial car owner.

Hiren Chandarana

4. Martin Bamford is one of the youngest and most successful financial planners in the UK. He runs his own firm of financial advisers – Informed Choice – and regularly contributes to various financial publications.

5. Carol Cordrey is an art critic and editor

with popular columns in many magazines. Each year she organises sponsored art competitions offering attractive prize money and judged by distiguished artists.

6. Clare Murray is founder and managing partner of specialist law firm, CM Murray LLP. Clare and her colleagues advise a wide range of companies, professional firms and senior individuals on employment, partnership and business immigration law issues.

Olivia Sharpe

Head of Design Senior Designer Dalton Butler

Designer

Ashley Lewis

Production Manager Fiona Fenwick

Production

Hugo Wheatley

Senior Project Manager Ella Kilgarriff

Head of Finance Elton Hopkins

Managing Director Eren Ellwood

16 Heron Quay, Canary Wharf London E14 4JB T: 020 7987 4320 F: 020 7005 0045 www.runwildmedia.com

Safeguarding London’s Future See p. 46 www.shutterstock.com © r.nagy

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Runwild Media Ltd. cannot accept responsibility for unsolicited submissions, manuscripts and photographs. While every care is taken, prices and details are subject to change and Runwild Media Ltd. take no responsibility for omissions or errors. We reserve the right to publish and edit any letters. All rights reserved. Subscriptions: A free online subscription service is available for The City. Visit the subscriptions page on our website. www.subscribe.runwildmedia.com

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November

from the editor...

ou find no man, at all intellectual, who is willing to leave London. No, sir, when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life...” This quotation from English author Samuel Johnson is very well-known and particularly pertinent in terms of our status in the world of business. London has served as the world’s pre-eminent business centre since the beginning of the 19th century and today the city remains top of Global Financial Centres Index, ranking ahead of New York, Hong Kong and Singapore. Richard Brown met Stuart Fraser, Chairman of the Policy and Resources Committee at The City of London Corporation, to find out how we can keep it there (p. 46). While London goes from strength to strength, the lens of the luxury industry is trained on the East. We explore how the rise of China’s middle classes, and their insatiable appetite for luxury, has had an enormous impact on the global economy and on high-end brands worldwide (p. 15). Forbes magazine recently reported a total of 146 billionaires in China this year - up 14 per cent from 2010 and second only to the United States. Sujata Bhatia, Vice President, Europe and Asia, for American Express Business Insights, also shares trends that she is seeing in luxury spending across the world (p. 48). A watch brand that has been particularly wellreceived in China is Hublot; in recent years it has demonstrated a meteoric rise to success because the population has become very “watchconscious”, according to CEO Jean-Claude Biver and growth has been “phenomenal”. I discovered,

via chronographs and cheese-making, that the watches and the personality of Biver are both larger than life (p. 26). I expect many of you are familiar with the cartoon character Wolverine and its film star embodiment Hugh Jackman, as seen in the X-Men franchise. Steven Milton discovers that although the Hollywood A-lister has the looks, talent and charm of some of his contemporaries, he’s a true family man at heart (p. 10). As the weather becomes colder, thoughts turn to winter breaks and exciting escapes where the snow is pure white and the skies are bright blue. Annabel Goldie-Morrison skis up a storm in Châtel, France (p. 106) while Olivia Sharpe suggests some alternative winter wonderlands (p. 108). Venture outside Europe for skiing, try whale watching in Norway or visit Iceland for the picturesque geysers and glaciers. As Christmas gets ever closer, next month we bring you the ultimate luxury gift guide. I would like to end with some lines from the Ode of Remembrance, in honour of Remembrance Day on 11 November. “They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old. Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them.”

Annabel Harrison Editor

JACK

THE LAD Astoundingly handsome, polite and smart, with a laid-back Aussie manner that seems to have served him better than fellow Antipodeans Gibson and Crowe, Hugh Jackman’s entire being screams ‘movie star’. But, as Steven Milton discovers, he’s really a family man at heart

Miguel Campos / Shutterstock.com

rom the megawatt grin, and designer laughter lines etched across his tanned face, to his criminally flawless record with the tabloids, the actor enjoys a secured foothold on Tinseltown’s A-list, raking in an eight-figure salary for every movie and recently usurping Tom Hanks as the ‘nicest guy in Hollywood’ – evidence enough that nice guys don’t always come last. Success came relatively late to the born and raised Sydney-sider, judging by today’s youth-obsessed standards at least. Barely scraping through drama school in Melbourne, the aspiring actor eked out a living through a series of supporting theatre roles and failed pilots, meeting with several rounds of rejection in the US before fellow expatriate Russell Crowe’s fiery temperament and salary demands inadvertently started Jackman’s wheel of fortune rolling. The star of Gladiator walked away from the iconic role of Wolverine in X-Men and several actors were subsequently screen-tested, including Scottish actor Dougray Scott, who also turned down the part. Producers then decided to take a chance on the unknown Jackman. As it turned out, it was a wise move, with the Aussie hunk proving a popular, and commercial, overnight success. The father of two, married to actress Deborah Lee Furness, has since gone on to reprise his role in three further X-Men movies and is currently in preparation mode for a fourth outing in The Wolverine. Further box office successes include Van Helsing, The Prestige and epic drama Australia – another Crowe hand-medown. But even a reported salary of $20 million doesn’t mask the critical acclaim that Jackman desperately seeks, although he confesses that he may never achieve it, thanks to those higher on the A-list pecking order. “I’m a ‘glass half full’ kind of guy,” he explains, speaking exclusively to me in an airless suite in London’s famous Claridges Hotel. “So don’t get me wrong, I am incredibly grateful for my lot. But would I like to be in something like The King’s Speech? Absolutely. Of course, I’d like the best roles out there, the ones that get the Oscars and other awards, but as an actor, the victory is that I’m working. “Sometimes, as an actor, you look at the choices you get and realise that you’re far from the top of the tree. I don’t get the choices that Brad Pitt or George Clooney or Will Smith get. I don’t get offered The King’s Speech. That’s the truth. But I get a hell of a lot more choices than when I was starting out. And overwhelmingly, I’m grateful. I’m not sitting there, thinking, ‘Why is Brad Pitt getting that role?’ Okay, maybe I have had that thought for one second in the past but I got over it quite quickly. It’s out of my control.”

interview

feature

feature interview

Be that as it may, Jackman may finally get the industry acclaim he so obviously desires after signing up to play Jean Valjean in the long-awaited big screen adaptation of Les Misérables, directed by, no less, The King’s Speech director, Tom Hooper. “I knew in my heart that I could play this role. So I made sure I got an audition with Tom, just to prove to him that I could do it. And even after the audition, I rang him, basically saying, ‘Look, I don’t know if you want me or not, but I want this so bad’.” Hooper was already blown away by Jackman’s performance and passion for the role, so the pair – along with Russell Crowe, Geoffrey Rush and rumoured cast additions Anne Hathaway and Emma Watson – will begin principal shooting in London early next month. Such success only exacerbates the problem that Jackman and family are, to a major degree in the UK, homeless. Holing up in one of London’s lavish penthouse suites doesn’t really cut it with the 42-year-old; instead he hopes to find something a little more permanent on these shores. “It’s getting to the point where I need somewhere over here because there’s so much time spent in the UK. And I’d love to have a place here because it’s a fantastic country, and London is a fantastic city. I used to have a pad near Victoria but I sold that a few years ago. I think it’s time to put some roots down again.” Currently embarking on a worldwide promotional tour for new movie Real Steel, Jackman admits he initially shied away from a script that saw him play a trainer to a boxing robot. “I’m a big fan of sports, particularly of underdog movies like Rocky or Chariots of Fire,” he tells us. “But when I read it, ‘robot boxing’ just didn’t sound right for me… “However, I looked at it again and was really drawn into the elements of humanity and strength in it. And ultimately it’s an interesting, fun and exciting movie that I think the whole family can love and get something from. At a screening a couple of weeks back, I brought all my relatives in to see it. At the end, my mother-in-law turned to me and said, ‘You know what, that was the first of your movies I’ve properly enjoyed’. I mean, if that isn’t validation for your work, from your mother-in-law no less, I don’t know what is!” While one family member is offering her seal of approval, Hugh admits not all his brood share the same sentiment. “My 11-year-old son Oscar is just so embarrassed by everything I do. And I don’t know if it’s just typical pre-teen attitude of ‘Oh my God, this is my dad, it’s so embarrassing’ or if there’s a little bit of ‘I just want you to be my dad; I don’t want other people clapping and cheering for you’. He’s never been good at that, he’s never liked people coming up to me in the street, although he now can handle it if they’re young, goodlooking girls. But he hates paparazzi and is always asking me to quit acting.” Shouldn’t there be a certain cachet when your dad is Wolverine? “He never talks to me about it. I’ve never let him see the X-Men movies. I feel it’s a little undermining. I’m trying to get him to not kill his sister and there’s his father slicing heads off on screen! But on a beach once I did hear him chatting to a girl. His opening gambit was, ‘My dad’s Wolverine.’ As chat-up lines go, that should be rather effective…” n

I did hear my 11-year-old son chatting to a girl on a beach once. His opening gambit was; “my dad’s Wolverine”. As chat-up lines go, that should be rather effective

Mayfair

the heart of

c o c kta i l b a r | lo u n g e | r e s ta u r a n t | c h e f â&#x20AC;&#x2122; s d i n i n g r o o m | a r t g a l l e r y | l a c a v e 1 0 l a n c a s h i r e c o u r t n e w b o n d s t r e e t lo n d o n w 1 s 1 e y + 4 4 ( 0 ) 2 0 7 5 1 8 9 3 8 8 w w w. m e w s o f m ay fa i r . c o m

economy

feature

The Remaking

of World Order?

As the spending power of China’s booming middle class continues to grow, so does the country’s appetite for luxury. The country’s extraordinary growth is good news for both the world economy and high-end brands, writes Richard Brown

otheby’s auction house, Hong Kong, October 2010. An anonymous Chinese phone bidder pays $696,000 for three bottles of 1869 Château Lafite Rothschild, making them the most expensive wines ever sold. Was this the spontaneous action of an eccentric oligarch or a case in point of a trend far more profound? The evidence, overwhelmingly, would suggest the latter. The same auction house raised a total of $14.3 million

from just two wine auctions last year, almost double the amount raised by the top eight wine sales held in London. In fact, fuelled by China’s new-found, seemingly insatiable thirst for everything luxury, Hong Kong is now the world’s secondlargest centre for wine auctions; having surpassed London, it’s behind only New York. If consumption continues at the same speed – the Chinese purchased more than 126 million cases in 2009 – the country will overtake the United States as the world’s largest consumer of wine by 2015.

If China hadn’t provided a new source of growth for the global economy, the world might easily have slipped into depression Of course, it’s not just wine that has found favour amongst China’s multiplying middle classes: their luxury wish-lists now include everything from handbags and health food to overseas property and foreign education. Even Tibetan Mastiffs have become an essential must-have; earlier this year a coal baron paid $1.6 million for one puppy, while in 2009 a Chinese woman paid $600,000 for another of the same breed. The trend continues for everything from LCD televisions to Apple’s iPhones. The increase in China’s spending power over the last few decades has been truly monumental; the country now has more billionaires than any other country except the United States, the number of its millionaires has increased to more than 400,000 and of the world’s 20 richest self-made

women, more than half are Chinese, including the top three. Couple these statistics with the fact that between 1981 and 2005 (according to China’s own official reports), an estimated 600 million Chinese people moved out of poverty, raising the number of the country’s middle class households to 55 million, and you can see how China is well on course to overtake the U.S. as the world’s largest economy. Predictions on when that will happen vary. The New York Times says it will do so by 2030; Goldman Sachs anticipates 2027; The Economist believes it could happen as early as 2019. What is not being questioned are these facts: for nearly 30 years China has been the world’s fastest-growing major economy; it’s the largest exporter and second largest importer of goods on the planet; and currently it accounts for more than 13 per cent of the world’s total GDP (a figure that rose an astonishing 6.2 per cent in the last decade). The prospect of a power shift to the East may at first have struck fear into the hearts of Western captains of industry; in a globalised world, a country with a population of more than 1.3 billion, who have historically worked longer hours for less money and whose urban disposable income

economy

feature

Antique Map of Asia by Ortelius, circa 1570 ©Steve Estvanik

has in 30 years increased from 343RMB to 13,785RMB (£301 to £1,241) per head, has the power to redefine capital and labour markets across the world. However, there are other ways of interpreting this economic shift. Firstly, it’s fair to assume that the recession of 2007 to 2009 could have been much worse had it not been for China’s rapid expansion in the first decade of the new millennium. As it was, by buying capital equipment and consumer goods from Japan, South Korea and other neighbouring countries, China lifted much of East Asia out of financial crisis whilst simultaneously aiding the States by importing hundreds of billions of dollars worth of the country’s goods ($92 billion in 2010). The country’s exports also exploded – by almost 490 per cent between 2000 and 2007 – as did the level of its foreign investment, from $12.3 billion in 2005 to $56.5 billion in 2009. If China hadn’t provided a new source of growth for the global economy, the world might easily have slipped into depression. Next is to consider the unprecedented market opportunity that China’s rising middle classes offer to a plethora of luxury brands. Having increased its stores in China from six in 2006 to 39 by 2011, China now accounts for 18 per cent of Gucci’s global sales. For Louis Vuitton, which has three stores in Shanghai alone, that figure is 15 per cent. For luxury goods group Richemont it is 22; for Bulgari, 14; for Hermes, 11. Sales of Tiffany & Co.’s products in China rose 45 per cent in the second quarter of this year, while next year the country is expected to top the U.S. as Rolls-Royce’s number one market. The list of luxury brands making good in China goes on: Jimmy Choo plans to open 50 stores there in the next five years, Rolex has set up in Shanghai and Aquascutum now has a total of 59 residences on the mainland. While the country’s economy continues to enjoy near double-digit growth and its status-conscious middle class continue to flaunt its newfound wealth, it’s a trend that shows no signs of slowing. Anyone in doubt need only take a walk down Beijing’s Wangfujing Street. Reminiscent of Oxford Street the day after Boxing Day, it has become one of the country’s most famous shopping districts, its one million daily visitors bound by a collective consciousness for everything luxury. Stroll down the pedestrianised road and you’d be forgiven for thinking that Gucci and Ray-Ban had teamed up for a clearance sale; the former’s signature handbags adorn what seems like every other shoulder, while the latter’s iconic wayfarers are sported in almost equal numbers. Across the Yellow Sea in South Korea, Louis Vuitton’s handbags have become such a phenomenon that they are now nicknamed the ‘three second bags’; that’s the amount of time you’ll go between seeing one from the next. LV’s presence in mainland China may not yet have reached those kinds of levels but in Hong Kong and Beijing, like searching

for stars in the night’s sky, it has become a case of the more you look, the more you see. The same can be said for the signature staples from British brands Burberry and Mulberry. Earlier this year China became the largest manufacturing nation by output in the world, ending America’s 110year stint at the top of the table. If current trends continue, the world’s distribution of economic product and manufacturing output is expected to resemble that of 1800 – when China was producing a third of the world’s GDP – before the middle of this century. For the Chinese, their 200-year economic ‘blip’ will be over. For brands in the west, the Land of the Rising Sun will have become their most important market. n

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current affairs

feature

The Core of Apple: Steve Jobs’ right-hand men Following the death of Steve Jobs, Olivia Sharpe looks at the key men behind the scenes who have helped Apple to become the world’s most valuable company

Annette Shaff / Shutterstock.com

sk Apple’s new iPhone 4S to tell your partner that you are running late for dinner and it will write a text, send it and then inform you that it has done so. Ask it if you need to take a coat to work and it will find out the local temperature, read the predicted weather forecast and provide you with an audible answer. Even 11 years into the 21st century, that’s still a pretty nifty piece of kit. Then again, Apple has been astounding the world with its gamechanging innovations ever since it launched the Macintosh back in 1984. When the company’s captain Steve Jobs passed away last month, the news was greeted by a global outpouring of grief, generated a furore of media coverage and prompted tributes of praise from some of the planet’s most important figures. During his life, Jobs led a team of creative engineers that changed the world. In his death he was lauded as a modern day mastermind, the Sir Isaac Newton of his time. His company is now the world’s most valuable, an achievement widely credited to the genius of Jobs. Of course, empires aren’t built by the endeavours of just one man and, while Apple may have been a ship steered with Jobs at its helm, there have been a number of key individuals who have helped to keep the wind in the company’s sails.

feature current affairs

Though Edwin H. Land may have never worked for Apple, and in fact he and Jobs are thought to have only met twice, the inventor of the Polaroid instant camera was a man on whose career Jobs openly modelled his own. Having dropped out of college, both would rely on an unparalleled determinism, a meticulous eye for detail and an audacious level of self-confidence to cultivate companies that would change the world. When Land presented the first instant camera in 1947, his invention became an instant phenomenon, capturing the minds of its prospective market in a similar way to how the iPod would do more than 50 years later. To Jobs, Land’s unapologetic attitude to perfectionism made him a national treasure. “I don’t understand why people like that can’t be held up as models,” he said in a 1985 interview. “This is the most incredible thing to be - not an astronaut, not a football player - but this.” If nothing else, Land can be credited as the inspiration behind Apple’s dramatic, big screen product launches, the type of theatrical showcases that the Polaroid Corporation co-founder would put on for his shareholders whenever it introduced a new product half a century earlier. Although Land was a key inspiration for Jobs, Apple’s CEO also required hands-on assistance in creating his global corporation. Accompanying him on his road to success in the early days were fellow innovators Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne; it was the trio’s collaborative efforts which led to the founding of Apple in 1976. In 1971, fate drew together a 21-year-old Steve Wozniak and an adolescent Steve Jobs and the pair quickly developed a close relationship which would prove to be monumental in both of their lives. At the time, Wozniak was a computer hacker, and a brilliant one at that. Jobs managed to persuade his new-found friend to assemble his first computer and sell it. The ‘Wonderful Wizard of Oz’, as Jobs is today affectionately known, utilized this engineering and programming whiz kid to create the Apple I and Apple II computers; by himself, Wozniak designed the hardware, circuit board designs and operating system for the Apple I in the mid-1970s. Although Jobs was undoubtedly the leader of the operation, utilizing his own essential business magnate skills and imagination, his ship would have almost certainly sunk without Wozniak’s technological innovations. Similarly, without Ronald Wayne, Jobs would have been hard-pressed to fully achieve his revolutionary concept. Apple’s creative outlook is communicated through the company’s brand strategies, including the iconic Apple logo. Take this away and Apple’s worldwide status may never have revolved around such an iconic emblem. Wayne was solely responsible for having drawn the first Apple logo, as well as for writing the three men’s original partnership agreement and authoring the Apple I manual. Wayne, like Jobs and Wozniak, was a pivotal cog in the Apple machine.

During the 1980s, Jobs notoriously swiped leading businessman John Sculley from Coca-Cola by asking him whether he would prefer to “sell sugar water for the rest of your life or come with me and change the world?” Sculley and Jobs, or the ‘dynamic duo’ as famously referred to in the 1983 issue of Business Week, were seen by the press as the dream team, known for being so in tune with each other’s thoughts and their shared vision that they completed each other’s sentences. Sculley was announced as the CEO of Apple in 1983. Sculley, in addition, promoted Apple’s reputation in the public at the time; with his business background and considerable recent success, Sculley was a necessary component in providing an image of greater reliability and stability which Jobs, with his occasionally erratic behaviour, could not have so effectively done. Despite their controversial fallout, followed by Sculley’s eventual forced resignation in 1993, his ten-year reign as the company’s figurehead highlights how fundamental Sculley was to the company during these pivotal years. While Apple had always been a contender within the technology industry, it wasn’t until 2001 and the launch of the iPod that the company would truly begin its prodigious ascension to the top of the high-tech table. The uncomplicated functionality, clean lines and simple aesthetics of that product proved a unanimous hit with customers in a market neglected by other manufacturers. And, although it was Jobs who acted as the face of Apple as it commenced its journey to becoming the world’s most valuable firm, it was the endeavours of a little-known, Essex-born Jonathon Ive CBE that would cement Apple as an undisputed industry leader. Ive had already revolutionized computer design with the iMac when he was given the task of engineering a pocketsized hard drive that would play thousands of songs. The result of that brief was the iPod. Proving his worth as Apple’s Senior Vice President of Industrial Design, Ive progressed to become the leading conceptual mind behind the MacBook, iPhone and iPad. His designs led to the The Sunday Times naming him one of Britain’s most influential expatriates, while the The Daily Telegraph rated him the most influential Briton in America. It’s hard to imagine Jobs’ legacy being what it is without Ive’s creative flair for mixing form with function. In 2006 Macworld writer Dan Moren suggested that Ive would be an excellent candidate for CEO of Apple when the time came for Steve Jobs to step down. Unfortunately, as a result of Jobs’ deteriorating health, that time came prematurely. Instead of Ive it was Tim Cook, Apple’s previous Chief Operating Officer, who filled the vacant position. On doing so, he sent an email to his employees promising that “Apple is not going to change.” It’s a promise that millions will hope is fulfilled. n

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16/09/2011 13:30

interview men’s luxury jewellery

jean-claude biverred & black ..................................east meets west ........................

...............................................

Meet the Maisons

I This month, SalonQP cordially invites you to the 2011 SalonQP event, where you can discover the inside story of fine watch-making

f you’ve longed to learn how the intricate internal mechanics of the world’s most complicated watches work, or to meet the faces behind your favourite brands, then keep 10-12 November free. On these dates, the fittingly art-filled confines of the Saatchi Gallery is playing host to the 2011 SalonQP. The horological equivalent of an international motor show, SalonQP showcases the very best in the world of luxury watches, housing a huge selection of rare timepieces and new models, as well as holding debates and lectures by QP contributors, watchmakers, designers and auction experts.

The carpets of the Saatchi Gallery are welcoming representatives not only from venerable maisons such as Cartier, Vacheron Constantin and Girard-Perregaux but also from more modern marques, including Bremont, De Bethune and MB&F. Adding an interactive element to the event is Jaeger-LeCoultre, hosting watch-making master classes, while Bulgari’s mirrored kaleidoscope promises to provide a unique insight into the intricate workings of a complicated timepiece movement. n SalonQP, The Saatchi Gallery, 10-12 November

watches

collection

Editor’s Picks from…

watch

news

Only Watch 2011 Annual charity auction Only Watch was established to support research into Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

Midnight GMT Tourbillon Harry Winston sold for £140,000

The Oscars of the watch world Representatives of the world’s most acclaimed watchmakers are descending upon Switzerland this month for the 11th Geneva Watchmaking Grand Prix. Established to salute the excellence of worldwide horological production, the awards recognise the finest creations and most important operators in the watchmaking sector. A jury of industry professionals, experts and collectors will identify the best watches in seven

categories: Men’s Watch, Ladies’ Watch, Design Watch, Jewellery and Artistic Crafts Watch, Complicated Watch, Sports Watch and La Petite Aiguille (the small hand) Watch. The most prestigious prize, the “Aiguille d’Or” Grand Prix, will then be awarded to the best overall watch from all categories, a distinction last year bestowed upon Greubel Forsey’s Double Tourbillion 300 Edition Historique.

3939, Patek Philippe sold for £1,200,000

One to Watch This month, Lyndon Jarvis, Manager at Watches of Switzerland in The Royal Exchange, selects his favourite watch from the newest models

“Enabling you to check the time in 24 time zones while displaying local time by means of large central hour, minute and seconds hands, Jaeger-LeCoultre’s beautiful new Master Geographic is the perfect traveller’s watch” Master Geographic, £15,100 Jaeger-LeCoultre watches of switzerland, 22 The Royal Exchange

Masterpiece Maurice Lacroix sold for £9,600

LIFE LARGER

LARGER

LIFE

THAN

Annabel Harrison meets Jean-Claude Biver, CEO of Hublot, to discuss the meteoric rise of the relatively young company, via chronographs and cheese-making

©Fred Merz/rezo.ch

interview

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collection interview

Images courtesy of HUBLOT

Omega brand, considered to be a “national joke”. In the ensuing ten years at Omega, Biver almost tripled sales and proved himself an excellent strategist in the field of marketing and secured critical product placement, most notably in the James Bond franchise. At the end of 2003, Biver decided to take a year’s sabbatical but rapidly changed his mind in order to take control of Hublot Geneva, a small but high-profile business. Straightaway, he chose to highlight the brand’s philosophy, the Art of Fusion, and to emphasise “the fusion of tradition and future”; after all, Hublot had pioneered the first fusion of materials in a watch in 1980, combining gold and natural rubber. Testament to his way of getting things done, within a year Biver had launched a revolutionary, contemporary watch: the Big Bang. Revealed at BaselWorld 2005, it was an immediate success and, indeed, still is. The Big Bang collections employ a hi-tech, jet-set aesthetic. Big and bold, tough and modern, the materials used include titanium, carbon fibre, tungsten and all kinds of lightweight metals. Winning a range of awards, including Best Design at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève, this tour de force proved a game-changer, commanding attention and spear-heading Hublot’s revival. Sometimes a company’s success is attributed to the vision of many but the same cannot be said of Hublot; its rapid growth seems to have been driven by the force of Biver’s own ideas, energy, experience and knowledge. This growth was both financial and physical; turnover increased in four years from 25 million to more than 200 million Swiss francs and, in physical terms, 700 points of sale were established across the world. Added to these were 35 exclusive Hublot boutiques (the first opening in February 2007), an Hublot high-tech manufacture on the banks of Lake Geneva in Nyon and a new factory there, which will allow the company to produce its own movements on-site. However, Biver’s vision has given Hublot something which is much harder to pin down and intangibly valuable; brand awareness and the ‘Art of Fusion’ USP. Through innovations such as the Big Bang, King Power, Classic Fusion and Masterpiece collections, this fusion thread unifies the brand’s offerings, combining unusual materials – zirconium, tantalum, tungsten or nomex – with more traditional materials like gold, platinum, steel and diamonds. Biver also recognised, earlier than most, that football was watched by an audience that could afford his watches and as such, he secured sponsorship deals for Hublot, as Official Timekeeper, with Manchester United in 2008, with UEFA for Euro 2008 and with FIFA, an historic first, for the next two football World Cups, just after having been chosen as the Official Watch of Formula 1TM. This offered Hublot exceptional visibility on a global scale. When I asked Biver why he chose this path of sporting sponsorship, his answer was simple: “Because it’s important to my customers. We are trying to follow our customer; if my customer plays polo, I want him to meet me. If he goes to a football game, I want to meet him. I want my customer to believe that Hublot belongs to his world.” His marketing strategy is to go where potential customers can be found

and this, married with his remarkable communication skills and Hublot’s modern, distinctive creations, was how Hublot struck gold. This is what made it so appealing to LVMH when the luxury goods powerhouse bought Hublot in 2008 for an undisclosed sum; LVMH buys brands, not products, and Biver had created a very profitable, dynamic brand in just four years. For the 10th anniversary of the Monaco Classic Week, Hublot created a Classic Fusion Chronograph Yacht Club de Monaco, a sport-chic model in titanium and navy blue. With characteristically vehement enthusiasm, Biver declared: “It’s the best! It’s the one I like the most. It would be a shame if the last series wasn’t as good than the one before but here this is not the case.” Hublot has a natural link with the Yacht Club, having been appointed its official timekeeper in 2005, and, speaking at the launch of this limited edition chronograph, Biver explained why there is a clear synergy: “Hublot and Monaco have a lot of things in common. We have glamour and luxury. We have art, tradition and culture. And today, there is no future if you don’t have tradition.” As ever, the watch industry’s favourite buzzwords are tradition and innovation and every brand, whether 20 or 200 years old, aspires to imbue its watches with these two juxtaposing qualities. Biver explains that, in holding regattas both for modern and classic boats, the Monaco Yacht Club demonstrates that it is possible to find harmony between tradition and modernity: “the Yacht Club shows us how you can bring tradition into the 21st century.” So a brand must acknowledge the watch industry’s history, however (relatively) young the brand might be? Biver agrees; “You don’t need, necessarily, the history in your brand but the people who manage your brand must understand, respect and interpret history.” While Biver undoubtedly does respect the history, he is firmly anchored in the present and simultaneously looking to the future. I ask how he has seen the watch industry change during his career. Biver has several, expansive answers to this. Firstly, people are buying watches not just as time-telling devices, but as tools for communication, to express “style, emotions and status”. Secondly, watches have become bigger and more visible; of course, “if it’s a communication tool you need to be able to see it”. Next, “expensive watches today are exclusively traditional watches, in the sense that they have traditional movements. An expensive watch with a quartz movement doesn’t exist anymore.” Finally, he points out, women are buying more watches “because they believe it’s like a piece of jewellery” and, rather than comprising lots of individual brands, the industry has become more concentrated; the brands all belong to one group or another. Biver clearly knows his stuff. “Young, dynamic and successful, he trusts himself, has self-confidence and loves watches”. This is the typical Hublot customer, according to Biver. Unsurprisingly enough, apart from the age, it’s a depiction that quite accurately describes the Hublot CEO too. n Hublot watches are available at Marcus, 170 New Bond Street

12 The Courtyard, Royal Exchange, EC3V 3LR TEL: +44 (0) 20 3405 1437 EMAIL: bachet.london@bachet.fr www.bachet.fr

A STELLAR Last month, Vertu unveiled its latest smartphone, Constellation. Annabel Harrison finds out why this luxury mobile phone should be at the top of your Christmas wish list

One touch of the sapphire screen give s you acce ss to a world of e xclusive e xperiences

his time last year, Vertu launched its first smartphone – the Constellation Quest, eight years after Vertu’s Signature came to market. Signature held the distinction of being the first luxury phone to feature a dedicated lifestyle assistance button; handily, VertuConcierge connects users to a team of luxury experts with the requisite knowledge, experience and contacts. By the time the Constellation Quest arrived, the first Concierge request on one was made in Singapore, where a bouquet of flowers was ordered and delivered on behalf of a client. Romantic, easy and modern, all in one go. So what could be better than this? A Vertu smartphone with a touch screen? Indeed, and this is exactly what Vertu has created, striking the much sought-after balance between the best of craftsmanship and advanced technology. As Perry Oosting, President of Vertu explains, “Vertu has applied its values of an authentic, tailored, luxury experience to the latest smartphone, creating a touch-screen handset that is as functional as it is beautiful.” Oosting also sets out how VertuConcierge has developed a great deal since its launch. Accessed via a dedicated key on the handset, this allows users to feel almost as though they are special agents on a secret mission, also offering a choice between an email or a call for assistance. Jet-setters or business people travelling on a daily basis between different time zones might have concerns that Concierge couldn’t keep up with this; worry not, because global experts are based in city hubs around the world and ready to help 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Vertu City Brief is handy for frequent fliers, covering 200 key city destinations worldwide, showcasing the finest restaurants, hidden gems and the latest places to be seen on arrival in a new city.

luxury goods

collection

VERTU.COM

Touch What about if you’re fluent in three different languages? The experts can go one better, able to help in eight widely spoken languages. Ask for recommendations for the best restaurants in San Francisco; request a last-minute ticket to a show at Sydney Opera House; arrange for a beautiful gift to be delivered to your mother-in-law after forgetting her birthday; or fulfil a lifetime dream of diving with sharks. If you’re one of those impatient types, a Concierge Live app displays a real-time status update of requests to guarantee peace of mind. Tap into the global network of private members’ lifestyle and business clubs, which has been created just for customers’ complementary use. For wine connoisseurs, direct access is given to wine and spirit merchant Berry Brothers & Rudd, providing a personal sommelier at the touch of a button. I particularly like the ‘Identify a Bottle’ feature, which allows you to photograph any wine bottle label and send it directly to the Berry Brothers & Rudd’s fine wine team, who can reply with tasting notes. For those interested in the tech side of things, Constellation comes complete with quad band GSM, penta band WCDMA and HSDPA coverage, as well as hi-speed WLAN and user memory of 32GB. The handset features a 3.5” nHD brilliant, high contrast AMOLED display and a 3.5mm audio/video socket for larger viewing of films, images, presentations and emails. Other technical specifications include Bluetooth with A2DP, an FM radio, free global maps and navigation by Assisted GPS with Accelerometer and Digital Compass. Constellation also offers access to personal, business and Vertu email and Office attachment viewers. If you’re more concerned about what’s on the outside than the inside, let’s consider the design.Each Constellation is handmade by a single craftsman, who signs the inside of the handset. Highperformance materials are used, such as a single piece of flawless multi-touch sapphire crystal for the screen, an eight megapixel camera with an intricate ruby surround on the shutter key, polished ceramic pillow, surgical grade stainless steel with satin and polished finish, and highest quality leather on the back plate of the phone. What are you waiting for? This is the ultimate Christmas gift. n Vertu 38 Old Bond Street www.vertu.com Constellation Black Alligator with Diamonds, £6,950

L I F E B E A U T I F U L LY A R R A N G E D

4 JUBILEE PLACE, CANARY WHARF, LONDON, E14 5NY

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EAST

meets

WEST Jewellery trends look towards the Orient this season with bold statements, long beaded necklaces, Japanese art, jade and coral

5 9

10 1 Rosarietto 24-carat gold-plated jade necklace, £315, Rosantica, www.NET-A-PORTER.com 2 18-carat red gold Amadeo Convertible 7-Day Tourbillon Dragon and Phoenix, POA, Bovet www.bovet.com 3 Beaded necklace, £315, Chan Luu at Fenwicks, 63 New Bond Street 4 Jade gold-plated drop earrings, £305, Yves Saint Laurent, 32-33 Old Bond Street 5 Lucky 18-carat rose and yellow gold cuff, £5,220, Carolina Bucci, www.NET-A-PORTER.com 6 Theodora jade and oxidized brass necklace, £415, Dannijo, www.NET-A-PORTER.com 7 Sterling silver coral drop earrings, £470, Kara Ross at Harrods, 87-135 Brompton Road, Knightsbridge 8 L.U.C XP Urushi 18-carat rose gold watch with peacock dial, £14,030, Chopard 12 New Bond Street 9 22-carat gold-plated crystal ring, £145, Kenneth Jay Lane, www.NET-A-PORTER.com 10 Cherry quartz teardrop earrings, £140, Astley Clarke, www.astleyclarke.com

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RED and BLACK

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Put your money on both this season by selecting accessories in two colours that never go out of style

Big Bang 48 mm Red Magic, POA, Hublot at Marcus, 170 New Bond Street 2 21 Blackjack, £110,000, Christophe Claret, www.christopheclaret.com 3 Black Buffalo Leather iPhone Case with silver colibri, £240, John Hardy at Harrods 4 Véloce LeDIX Watch Cell Phone, £193,000, Celsius X VI II at Harrods 5 Millemiglia writing instruments, POA Cuervo y Sobrinos www.cuervoysobrinos.com 6 Red Crystal Skull Cufflinks, £89, Paul Smith, 7 The Courtyard, The Royal Exchange 7 Driving Gloves in red leather, £386, Versace at Selfridges and Harrods 8 Garnet Intrecciato VN Wallet in red leather, £245, Bottega Veneta, 33 Sloane Street 9 Black Widow Mr Race, £41,000, Ladoire at Kronometry 1999, 106 New Bond Street 10 Tourmaline Intrecciato Nappa Belt, £300, Bottega Veneta, as before

P L E A S E E N J OY O U R C H A M PA G N E R E S P O N S I B LY DRINKAWARE .CO.UK

jewellery

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Our favourite three…

jewellery

news

statement cuffs

Cutting Edge

Our favourite piece this month is the Oiseaux de Paradis ring from luxury jewellers Van Cleef and Arpels

Since ancient times, the bird has been viewed in Middle Eastern and Asian cultures as a symbol of the divine; Van Cleef and Arpels’ exquisite Oiseaux de Paradis between-the-fingers ring, set with white gold and diamonds, is a little piece of jewelled heaven.

Limelight 18 carat cuff watch paved with diamonds, piaget, £154 www.piaget.co.uk

Oiseaux de Paradis ring white gold and diamonds, £26,500 Van Cleef and Arpels, 9 New Bond Street

Sun Drop Diamond A touch of the spectacular has descended from the skies into the earthly world of jewellery; the highlight of Sotheby’s Magnificent Jewels auction, taking place on 15 November in Geneva, is the remarkable Sun Drop Diamond. The 110.03 carat yellow diamond has been graded Fancy Vivid Yellow by the Gemological Institute of America, the highest colour grading possible for a yellow diamond. This makes the exceptional, record-breaking stone the largest known pear-shaped, fancy vivid yellow diamond in the world. The stunning rare gem was exhibited earlier this year at London’s Natural History Museum and its worth has been estimated between $11 and 15 million.

Kali Sterling Silver Strap Cuff John Hardy, £650 www.johnhardy.com

Amelia Swarovski crystal spike cuff Philippe Audibert, £865 www.NET-A-PORTER.com

BROADGATEpromotion

BROADGaTE events Warm up this winter with some energetic laps of the Broadgate Ice Rink, stock up on festive treats at the seasonal Farmers’ Market or Street Kitchen and take part in Centrepoint’s annual Sleep Out

BROADGATE ICE RINK

FARMERS’ MARKET

Capture the magic of winter with a trip to the Broadgate Ice Rink

Autumn is the season when Broadgate Farmers’ Market really comes into its own. November is the perfect time for apples and Fiveways Fruit Farm will have plenty of them – different varieties every week – while, thanks to the British game season being underway, pigeons, partridges, pheasants, teal and mallard will be found in abundance. Speak to Layer Marney Farm and Bank Farm, both of whom organise on-farm shoots. The oyster season is also in full flow and shellfish divers Matt and Steve of Handpicked Shellfish Co. will be bringing their Dorset oysters to market. As temperatures drop, what better way to warm up than with a hot steak sandwich from Galileo Farm, a Downland Pork Farm hog roast, or some hand-made gnocchi made by artisan pasta-maker Giovanni

with colleagues or friends. Conveniently located next to Liverpool Street station, the rink is open from now until 12 February 2012 and there’s no need to pre-book. Surrounded by a variety of bars, restaurants and sandwich shops, skaters can find instant comfort and refreshment when they come off the ice. Delightfully magical, skating in the great outdoors is energetic, heaps of fun and blissfully captures the winter spirit. Take a whirl with one of two qualified coaches and watch out for some special guests on the ice. CENTREPOINT’S SLEEP OUT Sleep Out, run by the UK’s leading youth homelessness charity, will see 650 Sleepers bed down on cardboard in Broadgate’s Exchange Square on Thursday 10 November to raise £250,000. While the charity’s flagship annual event aims to raise awareness of youth homelessness, it also plans to be a fun and entertaining night. 3 Mobile Catering Squadron RAF Wittering has agreed to set up a field kitchen and to provide warming food on the night. Centrepoint’s head of fundraising John Raynham said: ‘Sleeping out in the middle of November is not an easy thing to do, so having 3MC Sqn on board is wonderful news. Sleep Out gives a glimpse into homelessness but we don’t pretend it offers the same reality and dangers. It’s to raise money and awareness of the issue 80,000 young people face every year.’ Mark Evans, Broadgate Estate director, said: ‘We are delighted to support Centrepoint in this venture - not only will we provide the space but we will also supply security and a vast quantity of cardboard’. Sleepers, including staff from Herbert Smith, can look forward to evening entertainment and a bedtime story from panto pro Christopher Biggins. To sign up for the event, visit www.centrepoint.org.uk/sleepout. If you can’t make it on the night, text a donation to 70700; write CPSO11, followed by a £ sign and the amount of your donation (e.g. CPSO11 £50).

Carleschi? Remember, you can get breakfast too, as it opens at 8am. STREET KITCHEN Street Kitchen will continue through the autumn in its refurbished Airstream, providing gourmet food for City workers on the go. Simple and healthy bistro style dishes have evolved to take the colder weather into account, using 100 per cent UK ingredients sourced directly from farms. Follow on twitter @streetkitchen to keep updated on daily menu changes or download the free iPhone app for menu updates, locations and supplier information.

coming up • Farmers Market - Thursday 24 November and December 8 / 22 • Street Kitchen • Broadgate Ice Rink • Icap Charity Day Visit www.broadgateinfo.net for more information about any of these events.

Over 18 years ICAP Charity Day has raised US $138 million for charities across the globe and changed the lives of thousands of people. This year on Wednesday 7th December we look forward to our customers, staff, suppliers and of course the charities and their patrons working together for the big global ICAP Charity Day.

For instant mobile access scan this tag

www.icapcharityday.com EDUCA, Mexico. Gota de Leche, A.C., is one of 47 schools in EDUCA´s network. EDUCA´s schools and programmes provide low income children with meals, medical and psychological care, formal education and other services; which are vital for their future and to improve their quality of life. EDUCA are one of over 200 charities benefiting from ICAP Charity Day 2010.

© ICAP plc 2011. ICAP® and other service marks and logos are service marks of ICAP plc and/or one of its groups of companies. All rights reserved. Entities within the ICAP group are registered as applicable. ICAP would like to sincerely thank the publication for donating the free media space for this advertisement.

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12/10/2011 14:44

winterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S t s o m

d e t wan

thursday 1 December faShion ShowS

Reiss, jubilee place | Reiss WomensWeaR, cabot place

12noon - 2.30pm & 5pm - 8pm

excluSive DiScountS 9am - 8pm

gooDie bagS* from 5pm

*in Jubilee Place from 5pm, terms and conditions apply, see website for details.

SHOPPING

Winter’s

Most Wanted

% 20Draped velvet mini dress, £160, Karen Millen, Jubilee Place

Canary Wharf’s annual festive shopping event returns on Thursday 1 December and provides the perfect opportunity to snap up that party dress or festive gift, make use of fantastic in-store discounts and enjoy an evening of entertainment, fashion shows and giveaways.*

20%

% 20Benwick black coat, £545,

L.K. Bennett, Jubilee Place

Sequined Blue T-shirt, £105, Karen Millen, Jubilee Place

% 20Crystal click bangle, £90,

Jaeger London, Cabot Place

0% 2Zipped purple gloves, £75,

Aspinal of London, Cabot Place

0% 2Lamont purple suede boots, £315, L.K. Bennett, Jubilee Place

% 20Midnight in Manhattan clutch, £350, Aspinal of London, Cabot Place

% 20Whirl Silver Glitter Platform Court shoes, £90, Dune, Cabot Place

* Correct at time of print. Terms and conditions apply. Retailers reserve the right to amend their offers. More discounts will be announced. Check www.canarywharf.com for further updates.

SHOPPING

Jan Bra, £79, Thong Suspender, £65

Cherie Bra, £110, Thong £39

Winter

Azelea Bra, £79, Thong, £39

Warmers

Myla presents its beautiful Autumn/Winter collection, available in their boutique at Canary Wharf in Cabot Place. The collection includes sumptuous satins, stunning silk and exquisite lace and pearl detailing, often following the high-fashion trend for bright and bold jewel tones. Why not treat yourself or your partner to a seductive early Christmas present by browsing the exquisite collections in store now? Or give in to the striking fashion trend of A/W11 and introduce some rich jewellery-inspired, bright colours into your lingerie wardrobe? Indulge your senses in the colour-pop perfection of Myla’s collection, the ideal way to brighten up the autumn days ahead. Dress up your sophisticated side in luxurious Cherie Black; unleash your inner siren in seductive Gail; revel in the high-fashion unique design of Jan Midnight; or be the ultimate bedroom goddess in radiant Azalea Emerald.

Myla Cabot Place 020 7715 5374

Gail Bra, £150, Brazillian Thong, £100

SHOPPING

British Slubby Herringbone £360

Merino Wool roll-neck £130

Herringbone Overcoat £499

Boys areBack in Town

The

Jaeger London Menswear Cabot Place Canary Wharf

Boasting new lines based on dynamic and charismatic styleicons Mick Jagger, Sir Michael Caine and Terence Stamp, Jaeger menswear swaggers into Canary Wharf, with a new menswear store opening later this year in Cabot Place. Taking inspiration from David Bailey’s monochromatic ‘Pin Up’ photographs and his muses, the collection epitomises the confidence and self-assurance of the three men, whilst retaining their individual style. Sir Michael’s 60s Cockney charm was aided by the elegant, elongated silhouette of his coats and suits. Terence Stamp exuded an

Moleskin Jeans £115

Reversible Leather Belt £75

air of refined consideration, underpinned by sharp tailoring that spoke volumes about confidence and status. Meanwhile Mick Jagger’s eccentric and personal take on Mod style punctuated casual simplicity with utilitarian classics, marking him out as an all-time style-icon. Jaeger seeks to incorporate all of these attributes and attitudes into this season’s range; dynamic and suave, it marries the past and the present, updating the 60s designs for a modern man. Canary Wharf can expect to get a little more stylish.

arts&events

Christmasis Coming... With November comes comedy, fashion, ice skating and art; visit Canary Wharf to get your festive fill of the best that winter has to offer

CANARY WHARF COMEDY CLUB

Andrew Maxwell

Featuring Andrew Maxwell Jimmy McGhie, Sara Pascoe, Charlie Baker & Mike Bubbins* Energy and intelligence are the order of the day as Comedy Club returns for November with the charismatic charm of Charlie Baker, Jimmy McGhie fresh from his Artificial Intelligence Edinburgh Festival show, the sharp social commentary of likeable Londoner Andrew Maxwell and the original stand up of comedy writer favourite Sara Pascoe. Finally you can discover the hilarious results of Mike Bubbins’ years of failed relationships, humiliation, bitterness, impatience and hypochondria.

Tuesday 8 November 7.15pm (doors 6.30pm) East Wintergarden, 43 Bank Street, Canary Wharf, E14 Tickets £12 Booking information: In advance: ticketweb.co.uk or 0844 847 2268 (Booking fee applies) In person: On the door, subject to availability * Line up correct at time of publication Unreserved seating. Full pay bar and food available. Sara Pascoe

Note: Only items purchased at the East Wintergarden may be consumed on the premises.

FASHIONING THE FUTURE Canary Wharf celebrates sustainable fashion in all its forms at the ‘Fashioning the Future’ Exhibition. This showcase is the leading international platform for innovation in sustainable design and the only student competition of its kind. Designed and coordinated by the Centre for Sustainable Fashion at London College of Fashion, finalists will be judged by a stellar panel including supermodel Erin O’Connor, Chairman of the British Fashion Council Harold Tillman and eco pioneer Jo Wood. Winners will be announced at a glittering ceremony hosted by Caryn Franklin on Thursday 10 November, before the exhibition opens to the public on Friday 11 November.

Friday 11 November - Sunday 13 November Friday & Saturday 10am - 6pm, Sunday 12-4pm East Wintergarden, 43 Bank Street, Canary Wharf, E14 FREE

window galleries The Art, Design & Lightbox Window Galleries, located in Canada Place Shopping Mall, showcase up-and-coming artists, designers and craftspeople.

CANARY WHARF ICE RINK The Canary Wharf Ice Rink returns for its seventh year and promises to be as enchanting and full of festive fun as ever. Nestled in Canada Square Park, skaters can glide under the gleaming towers and twinkling trees full of fairy lights. Skate hire and lessons are available so no matter what your level of experience you can enjoy the Ice Rink this year. Once you have finished skating you could take a well-earned rest in one of the rinkside bars and restaurants and take care of all your Christmas shopping in the shopping malls. With more than 200 shops, bars and restaurants, you are bound to find what you are looking for and more besides.

Saturday 12 November – Sunday 19 February Daily Canada Square Park, Canary Wharf, E14 Tickets from £10 (£7.50 under 12’s) Booking information: In advance: ticketmaster.co.uk or 0844 847 1556 / Groups 0844 847 1546 (Booking fee applies) In person: Rinkside Box Office from 12 November

Joseph Falconer

Until 25 November

Joseph graduated from Central Saint Martin’s College of Art in 2010 and since then his work has been selected for exhibition by acclaimed broadcaster Matthew Collings. The paintings shown here are inspired by current affairs and recent events in the Middle East.

joefalconer.com

Alex Ramsay

Until 25 November Alex Ramsay designs and makes contemporary silverware: double skinned silver objects are handpierced to create intricate, layered and cut away patterns that explore and reference those in the glass. Alex was a finalist in The Balvenie Master of Crafts Awards 2011.

alexramsay.co.uk

Coming Soon: Winter’s Most Wanted Canary Wharf’s annual festive shopping event provides the perfect opportunity to snap up that party dress or festive gift, make use of fantastic in-store discounts and enjoy an evening of entertainment, fashion shows and giveaways. The ever popular Canary Wharf Shopping goodie bag returns and will be distributed in Jubilee Place from 5pm.*

Thursday 1 December 9am - 8pm Throughout Shopping Malls FREE * Terms and conditions apply

Sunju Lee

Until 4 January Sunju addresses the way in which we interpret constructed space through living in it. In her work she reads how a place reflects its rich array of facets in contrast to other places and people through the process of collating events and reconstructing the place.

sunjulee.com For more information visit canarywharf.com

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Remembrance Day

This month, in honour of Remembrance Day, St. Paul’s Cathedral is playing host to a special poppy art installation, commemorating those who died

s viewers prove every Sunday, tuning in to Downton Abbey in their millions, there seems no danger of us forgetting the magnitude or devastation of World War One. With ongoing conflict in Afghanistan, we are constantly reminded of the sacrifices of young soldiers as they continue to fight for their Queen and country in the 21st century. St. Paul’s Cathedral is preparing for nationwide remembrance with a special installation; more than 5,000 poppies are being scattered under its dome on 11 November. When viewed from the

Whispering Gallery, the poppies will form an image of three child soldiers in order to draw attention to the involvement of children during warfare. Artist Ted Harrison states: “At the time of year when we rightly recall British soldiers, sailors and airmen who have given their lives for their country, this work is a reminder of the many children who have also, throughout history, died as members of the armed forces… I hope something of the innocence of these children is conveyed along with a sense of innocence betrayed.” The installation is part of the St. Paul’s Cathedral Arts Project which explores the meeting between art and faith. n

Safeguarding London’’s Future London has served as the world’s pre-eminent business centre since the beginning of the 19th century. Today the city remains top of Global Financial Centres Index, ranking ahead of New York, Hong Kong and Singapore. Richard Brown meets Stuart Fraser, Chairman of the Policy and Resources Committee at the City of London Corporation, to find out how he plans to keep London in the top spot

t must be a daunting prospect, waking up at the helm of England’s oldest local authority each morning. Even more daunting when it’s your job to ensure that that authority remains not just Britain’s, but the world’s, foremost financial centre. Fortunately, Stuart Fraser is a man better equipped to deal with the task than most. Having entered the City as a trainee stockbroker in 1963, Fraser spent the next 30 years moving through a succession of investment-related disciplines – foreign exchange, money broking, international equities, investment research and fund management – before he joined the City of London Corporation as a Common Councilman in 1993. In his current role, Fraser is responsible for setting the strategic priorities and policies of the City of London, as well as representing the authority in both Westminster and Brussels. How did your time at the London Stock Exchange prepare you for your current role? I understand how markets work; I understand many of the things that have been happening, the crisis in 2008 and the issues facing us at the moment, probably better than most of the politicians who are supposed to be dealing with it. I can talk to CEOs of major financial houses and I know their businesses inside out, how they operate and the roles that bankers, investment banks and brokers play. What issues do you believe pose the biggest threats to London as the world’s pre-eminent financial capital? At the moment, the Euro crisis, although there are emerging tensions elsewhere – with the States and with China, for example. But to worry about the future of the City of London in the current climate is probably a pointless

exercise; what will determine its future will be what results from the current crisis and how it all pans out. I’ve just come out of a finance meeting and a fund manager at one of the big companies told me the Euro is going to go, the whole lot; back to 17 currencies in, I think he said, six months. How will that affect businesses in London? Fortunately we have our own currency but the sheer shock and complexity, if the Euro did collapse, isn’t worth thinking about. Given the amount of ongoing contracts that are in part denominated in Euros, what are you going to deliver against? 17 different currencies all wrapped up in one big basket? What will you do to the financial contracts out there in Euros if the Euro didn’t exist? As everyone has said, it would be a disaster and it would take years to recover. Will anything change if the Euro does survive? There will have to be closer federalism in certain levels within Europe, at least in terms of the 17 members of the Eurozone. You will see more Eurocentric regulation which essentially says; “we agree each other’s debts under the terms X, Y and Z.” The demarcation between the Eurozone and those in Europe who are outside the Euro will become starker and that could lead to protectionism. How do current financial uncertainties compare with crises of the past? In the past we compartmentalised because of the inability to communicate. When I first started, you booked a call to America and you’d wait for the operator to come back and say “you are now connected.” If you had a problem in the UK it was confined to the UK. Now, because we are so connected, problems spread like a virus from one country to

interview

the next and are more difficult to control and understand because you don’t know what the problem actually is. What are the biggest changes you’ve witnessed in the way people do business since you started working in London? There are a lot of things that happened back then over the shake of a hand that, if they were done today, would land people in prison. It was a private club, one with very restrictive membership supplied by about eight public schools. It has evolved. Episodes like the 1973/ 74 crash and the 1982 crisis changed things; they decimated old firms and the way business was done. It’s also much more cosmopolitan. Nothing happened in the City after 6pm in the old days; everyone wanted to disappear to the West End. With business districts expanding worldwide, how do you ensure London continues to appeal to global companies? Apart from Hong Kong, which is relatively small, the other emerging centres are a long way from being fully globalised. Our major competitor is New York and it’s likely to remain that way for a long time – the agglomeration of talent, and to have all of your business contacts within a very small area, is replicated nowhere else in the world other than New York. You can lose parts of business, like hedge funds to Switzerland, but the whole body isn’t suddenly going to evaporate and go somewhere else. Do London’s historical buildings and ancient street layout hinder its expansion as a financial district in the 21st century? Yes. Substantial parts of the city are covered by height limitations. We have St. Paul’s, the Tower of London, the river, 600 listed buildings and 23 conservation areas, as well as a host of other things. The tall buildings are built only where we can build them without breaching guidelines. I do agree with you though [that London’s historical wealth is one of its appealing features.] This is a very nice

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place to work. It’s better than New York. We pay a lot of attention to areas like parks and gardens, keeping the streets clean, that sort of thing. There is no doubt that the history adds to the mystery of the City and provides a depth which you wouldn’t find in another financial city. How important is it to increase London’s airport capacity and how viable is ‘Boris Island’ [a proposed 24-hour airport to be built on an artificial island in the Thames estuary]? I have no problem with Boris Island but it’s 40 years away. My issue is with the now. When Hong Kong decides it needs to expand, it builds four runways and sticks them in the sea. The world won’t sit around and wait for us; we will lose business. We could build Boris Island then move Heathrow or even close it completely; if you build it big enough, why not? I’ve always made it plain that the runway capacity is the issue. At the moment, Heathrow is absolutely vital to the city’s continual international development. How do you envisage London will look in 50 years time? I honestly don’t know. We’ve been able to deal through conference calls for many years now but people still need to congregate together to do business or at least see people between conference calls. The need for people to congregate is a human instinct and I think that’s why cities will remain. What do you find the most frustrating aspect of your job? European politics. Under the previous administration, taxes were being slapped on all sorts of things. Now we’ve got a better degree of political stability. I’m not really a politician; I didn’t grow up with a desire to get involved in party politics. What has been the highlight of your career so far? Lots of things have been fantastic but one doesn’t really stand out. I’m not very reflective; I’m one of those people who hopes that the future will be full of even more highlights. n

The return of Sujata Bhatia, Vice President, Europe and Asia, for American Express Business Insights, shares trends that she is seeing in luxury spending across the world

uring the height of the economic downturn in late 2008 to 2009, luxury spending across the world fell in all major categories – fashion, jewellery, hotels, travel and fine dining. Europeans spent 15 per cent less on luxury goods in 2009 compared to 2008, while Americans reduced their spending by 12 per cent over the same period. The picture was even elsewhere; Australian and Japanese consumers reduced their spending on luxury by 17 per cent. However, 2010 saw a rebound in luxury spending across all regions, with rises in spending by Australian and Japanese consumers of seven per cent, and Americans by nine per cent. The exception in this revival was Europe, where the recovery lagged until the first quarter of this year, when Europeans recorded an impressive 17 per cent growth, compared with the same period last year. Europe’s rebound completed a worldwide revival in luxury spending. Much of the growth in 2009 and 2010

Luxury came from the fine dining sector, which appeared to be the most “recessionproof” of the luxury categories. Luxury fashion also recovered well; despite beginning to slow earlier than other categories, it came back both early and strongly. The lagging industries have been travel and hotels; there isn’t a single market in which spending in the luxury hotel sector is back to pre-recession levels, although it has been encouraging to see business travellers increase their spend on luxury hotels, and there is evidence to show that not only are the numbers of travellers – both business and leisure – increasing, but the amount these travellers are spending on hotel rooms is also going up. This analysis points to the resilience of the luxury market, despite the continued economic uncertainty. Looking at the data, it would be easy to assume that those consumers who have historically spent on luxury goods are feeling

comfortable about their personal economic outlook and are returning to their traditional spending patterns. However, this is not the case. Since the downturn, we have identified an entirely new category of luxury consumer – one who had not made a single luxury purchase in 2007, but who has done so since the downturn: the Luxury Newcomer. In identifying the Luxury Newcomer, we believe we have distinguished an entirely new group. These aren’t people who stopped spending on luxury and are now returning; this is an entirely new group of luxury consumers. While they are not yet making up the majority of spending in any luxury market across the world, their contribution to the overall spend in luxury makes them significant. Taking luxury fashion as an example, our data has shown that Newcomers have had the strongest impact in the USA, where they make up 36 per cent of spending, followed by India and France, where they contribute to 33 and 31 per cent of spending on luxury fashion respectively. This is a group who

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Left to right: Vivienne Westwood handbag; Nicholas Kirkwood stiletto; ivory Globetrotter ‘Safari’ luggage; Stephen Webster ‘Murder She Wrote’ poison apple ring; Gucci handbags; Bulgari Bali Resort; Ruinart Blanc de Blancs champagne

have emerged en masse, contributing almost the same monetary amounts as the most active luxury shopper, suggesting that they’re a group that luxury brands would do well to keep an eye on. Newcomers don’t look or transact like the traditional luxury consumer. They tend to be younger and less affluent, but clearly have a strong sense of confidence in their spending power. They also prioritise their spending differently, with electronics and luxury rising to the top of their list. In the UK, these Newcomers make up 15 per cent of all luxury spending. All generations are represented in the Newcomer class, but there is one that really stands out. Generation X (roughly those aged 29–46) is a surprising force in this luxury resurgence, increasing its spending power and emerging as a major player in the luxury market. No one would challenge the fact that there are tens of millions more people in the ‘Baby Boomer’ generation than those in Generation X, but the latter’s taste for luxury has started much earlier than their older counterparts. Looking at luxury spending by generation, we have seen a similar contribution by Generation X as we have by the Luxury Newcomers. The UK and Japan lead other countries in the amount Generation X-ers have spent on luxury fashion, making up 44 per cent and 40 per cent of total fashion spending respectively. In fact, in the UK, Generation X contributes almost the same level of spending as

their Baby Boomer counterparts at 48 per cent. Our analysis has shown that while the traditional, older luxury shopper essentially returned to their favourite brands and normal spending patterns after 2009, Generation X is far more experimental in the brands it chooses, and its luxury spending patterns aren’t yet set. When we look at our data more closely, we can see that Generation X luxury shoppers are made up of more men than in previous generations and, in many luxury fashion markets around the world, Generation X is gaining share of the luxury market at the expense of both Baby Boomers and Seniors. Generation X is, of course, not merely buying what its predecessors have bought. With a taste for travel, Generation X ventures to places that were likely off limits to its parents’ generation. China, Thailand and Brazil are common destinations for Generation X travellers, while Boomers prefer Italy, Japan and Switzerland. Across different countries, the Generation X-ers are also increasing their spend much faster than the Baby Boomers in industries such as home furnishings and electronics. As far as luxury fashion retailers are concerned, their competition may not be coming from another fashion brand: it’s very likely to be a smart phone, or a designer chair – and it’s probably being bought online. In the UK, Generation X’s spend on luxury electronics has been growing 75 per cent faster than Baby Boomers’.

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While the recent trends for luxury spending can be viewed with cautious optimism, the first half of 2011 has shown we shouldn’t be too quick to declare that the outlook is rosy. In analyses conducted by American Express Business Insights ahead of Fashion Weeks in New York, London and Paris, those making up the top five per cent of spend on apparel and accessories have slowed their spending globally. In Britain, these so-called “fashion enthusiasts” have slowed their year-on-year spending on luxury fashion, a possible sign that the luxury resurgence is easing. However, the spending habits of the Luxury Newcomers as well as Generation Y consumers should not be ignored. Although Generation Y represents a minority of the enthusiast consumers, in the first half of 2011 in Britain, it devoted more than 30 per cent more of its overall spending to luxury fashion than Generation X, Baby Boomers and Seniors. These consumers, who are younger and less affluent than the traditional luxury buyers, but with fewer financial commitments and a new-found appetite for luxury, seem to be spending their way through the doom and gloom. Luxury, for some at least, is back. n American Express Business Insights, the data analytics and consulting arm of American Express, provides businesses with in-depth, actionable insights into consumer and business spending by using data from 90 million card members in more than 125 markets.

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Giving References Clare Murray spells out the key issues that employers must bear in mind

Name; job title; length of service; disclaimer… after ten years’ dedicated service, summarising an individual’s experience in a few lines can seem somewhat cold. It is, however, little wonder that employers these days are hesitant to depart from standard form references. Potential legal complaints arising in the context of reference giving include, by way of example, breach of contract, negligent misstatement, deceit, malicious falsehood and defamation. A recent case, McKie v Swindon College (2011), has highlighted again the risks that former employers face in respect of references, this time in the context of negligent misstatement. The High Court found the College to be liable for fallacious and untrue comments when it sent an email (which was not intended to be a reference) to Mr McKie’s new employer that subsequently resulted in his dismissal. Swindon College was found to owe a duty of care to its former employee and it was held that the connection between the negligent email and resultant dismissal was sufficiently close, notwithstanding that six years had passed since McKie had left Swindon College’s employment. In providing a reference, an employer owes a duty of care not only to the subject of the reference but also to the recipient. Whilst there is no legal obligation to provide references, employers may find themselves on the wrong side of a discrimination, victimisation or breach of implied trust and confidence claim if they are not consistent in the way in which they deal with reference requests. For example, if an individual

with a protected characteristic such as race or sex is able to show that others not sharing that characteristic are routinely given references where he/she was not, the individual may point to race/sex as the reason for that non-provision. An exception to the general rule that employers do not have to provide references exists in the context of FSA-regulated persons: special rules necessitate that prospective employers must seek detailed information from former employers to ensure that any prospective employee recruited to undertake a controlled function is ‘fit and proper’; this will include a detailed assessment of the individual’s honesty, integrity and reputation. Employers should ensure that all references are true, accurate and fair; are not inconsistent with the real reason for an individual’s dismissal; and do not include statements of opinion, unless these can be objectively justified (particularly in the context of suitability for a new job). In addition, special care should be taken to comply with the Data Protection Act 1998, in particular when providing sensitive personal data belonging to the employee (for example, medical records). By training staff about the risks associated with providing references and putting a detailed policy in place (and applying this consistently), employers can go a long way to protecting themselves against legal liabilities. And remember, if anything beyond very basic factual information is to be provided in a reference, make sure this is accompanied by a disclaimer. n

Clare Murray is Managing Partner at specialist employment and partnership law firm CM Murray LLP. She can be contacted at clare.murray@cm-murray.com or 020 7718 0090. The contents of this column are for general purposes only. Specialist legal advice should be taken regarding specific circumstances.

personal finance

How to afford a Cartier Dr. David Kuo explains why we’re still interested in luxury brands, even though the Western world is tiptoeing on the edge of another recession

Aston Martin is reckoned to be the coolest brand in the UK. The luxury carmaker pipped the computer giant Apple to the post for the second year running, according to the latest CoolBrands survey. The truth is that billionaires do not stop spending millions on football clubs and expensive boats even in the depths of a recession. While the highearning part of the population may suffer a bit, there are always enough rich people to sustain the niche market for luxury goods. Additionally, luxury goods are sold all over the world, so makers of posh things are never reliant on the economy of any one country. In other words, there are always rich people somewhere in the world who are willing to splash the cash. According to Lars Tvede, the author of Supertrends, luxury has a fantastic future as millions of new consumers from emerging markets develop a taste for the finer things in life, despite the global recession. In other words, while the mass affluent of the West were the main buyers of luxury items after the War, there is every reason to assume that the next crop of mass-affluent buyers will come from the emerging markets. Put another way, luxury will always be luxury because it is luxury. The only difference is who can afford to buy it, and right now, the growth market is in Shanghai, Mumbai and Dubai. But what exactly is a luxury item? Interestingly, we all know one when we see one. As soon as we set eyes on a Cartier watch or a Porsche, we immediately identify that they ooze luxury, but what is it that makes a Cartier different from an equally accurate digital watch from a market stall? The

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simple answer is that it is an expensive, beautiful alternative to other more mundane goods that perform the same function. Consider mobile phones. Why would anyone want to own an Apple iPhone when alternative phones are a dime a dozen? The key is exclusivity. What the consumers of these luxury goods are buying is not just a product – they are also buying exclusivity. The upshot is that luxury goods makers create this image of superiority with clever marketing. Note how Mulberry has achieved this by ensuring that its handbags are identified with celebrities such as Kate Moss and Alexa Chung. Note also how Superdry is regularly linked with David Beckham and Leonardo DiCaprio. By ensuring that the rich and famous are associated with their expensive products, luxury goods makers emit a clear signal that their goods are not for everyone. Instead, they are only for the initiated. The truth is, luxury goods makers live by their brands, which is why they are fiercely defensive of their marques. Consequently, the existence of counterfeit goods and knockoffs can seriously damage a luxury goods company. The issue is not that the company loses many sales - far from it; after all, those who buy fake goods are unlikely to buy the originals. The problem is that knockoffs damage the exclusivity of the brand. So what does the future hold for luxury brands? According to Lars Tvede, the luxury industry has blossomed in the past decades. He cites the example of the exceptional growth of Louis Vuitton, from two shops selling suitcases to a business empire valued at $21 billion. LVMH, whose stable of brands include Donna Karan and TAG Heuer, is not alone; it may be hard to believe but Ferrari was once a small manufacturer of sports cars. For investors, luxury brands possess a unique quality that makes them stand out in both good times and bad, namely pricing power. Economists call this “conspicuous consumption”, which is music to the ears of luxury goods makers. I call it showing off and a good way of capitalising on show-offs is to invest in companies that cater to them. After all, making money from the rich can be the first step to being rich yourself. n

Dr David Kuo, Director at popular financial website The Motley Fool www.Fool.co.uk

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Communicating Clearly? Chelsey Baker discusses the art of good communication and how to convey your message most effectively The single most important manifestation of humanity, which marks us out from the rest of the animal kingdom, is the biological complexity of the human brain. However, our thoughts, instincts and ideas would amount to nothing without some means of conveying them to each another. As such, we are compulsive communicators, using both speech and the written word as our dominant means of communication. It’s therefore surprising that such a fundamental skill can be so open to misunderstanding. The purpose of communication is to convey your message to others plainly but doing so involves effort from both the sender and the receiver. In the workplace, a large proportion of our time is spent taking, giving or acting upon instructions and yet a lack of effective communication is a common problem. Within senior management, poor interpersonal skills are one of the most frequently cited reasons for employees transferring or even leaving a company. Unnecessary difficulties will invariably arise whenever poor communication leads to ambiguity or mistakes. It follows that your messages should be clear, concise and complete in order to accurately convey your thoughts. Get it right and you will seem informed, professional and intelligent. Such considerations are doubly applicable when one considers cyberspace and, in particular, the mediums of email and voicemail. The casual approach to these forms of correspondence often suggests ill-considered or muddled thinking. Even though technology has transformed communication, the rules of etiquette have not changed. Avoid any remarks that might be considered vulgar, insensitive, repetitive or verbose, and never write or say anything that you wouldn’t want your boss, clients, customers, partner, family or friends to hear. One major drawback in the rise of social media sites is the resultant loss of careers and relationships caused by injudicious comments made in public forums. You must always distinguish between fact and opinion and avoid comments that could be viewed as contentious.

Always respect other people’s privacy but anticipate that you may not be afforded the same courtesy in return. Unfortunately, this is the only safe way to proceed as, in cyberspace, all correspondence becomes permanently archived and available for inspection. It is a public domain and hence not subject to “free speech” protection. Understand the difference between being informal and seeming careless or unprofessional. There is always a place for informality and the use of abbreviations or acronyms can make us appear more approachable and relaxed. However, if used without thought, we can end up looking juvenile and disorganized; misspelled words or grammatical errors, together with rambling, irrelevant detail, is an anathema to clear, concise communication. People rarely understand long-winded messages that do not get to the point and may reject them on sight. Short, punchy messages are always preferable and a useful technique is to begin any important message with a brief summary, followed by the details of any action required, then any other pertinent information. To be an effective communicator, first master the art of listening and develop the skills needed to create a good rapport. Strive to create a greater awareness of your own voice in order to speak more confidently and with a more expressive tone. Study professional communicators, including news readers or narrators, for clues and cues and endeavour to develop your own speaking style. Body language is the hidden key component to good communication. Eye contact and body language must be used to convey your integrity and can help you to appear more confident, authoritative and in control. Communicating clearly and succinctly should be the most important and essential skill you possess. It goes without saying that ineptitude in this area will lead to misunderstanding, wasted effort and missed opportunities. Therefore we should analyse our existing communication skills, identify any weaknesses and strive to enhance our competence, remembering that interpersonal skills are considerable factors in achieving success. n

personal finance

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Why Savings Still Matter Martin Bamford instructs us to resist the urge to spend impulsively and instead to save prudently The outlook for interest rates in the UK remains incredibly low. By the time the Bank of England announces its interest rate decision each month, most economists and commentators have already decided that rates will remain on hold. Now that the economy appears to be slowing even further, the speculation is less about when interest rates will go up but whether they might go even lower. Those of us with mortgages are probably rejoicing this prolonged period of low interest rates: it should, in theory, be lowering the monthly cost of mortgages, making more money available to spend and boosting economic prospects; your country needs you to spend the money you were previously allocating to mortgage payments on consumer electronics and other goods from the high street. In reality, it doesn’t appear to be working out quite like that; interest rates on mortgage products might have fallen, although often not by as much as the Bank Rate has dropped, and the popularity of fixed rate deals means that many with mortgages have not benefited from falling interest rates. Even when mortgage payments have fallen, it does not necessarily mean borrowers are out spending their spare cash each month. Uncertainty in the job market is one reason why some people are cautious about spending their cash; stubbornly high price inflation has pushed up the cost of other goods and services we consume, so any savings on mortgage payments are being offset, to some extent, by higher fuel and food prices. The flip side of lower interest rates is the impact these have on savers. Some groups have been vocal, since interest rates fell, about the consequences of lower interest rates for elderly people. Those in retirement often use the interest on cash savings to supplement their income in later life. Seeing your interest income fall so dramatically, while price inflation is high, can have a dramatic impact on your household budget. Recent figures from the Bank of England suggest that

savers have missed out on more than £43 billion of interest payments over the past two and a half years, when interest rates were first cut. The same figures show that borrowers have benefited by around £51 billion, so the £8 billion gap should in theory be of benefit to the economy. But despite such low interest rates, savings remain the foundation of every sensible financial plan. It can be hard to find the motivation to allocate your money to cash savings when the reward for doing so is close to derisory, yet cash remains the best home for your assets in a variety of circumstances. What we saw during the summer, which coincided with historically low interest rates, was an extremely volatile set of investment markets. As a result, many savers are not prepared to expose their money to the stock markets or other investment markets in order to get the prospect for better returns. Leaving money in cash in the current ‘low interest rate, high inflation’ environment is a sure fire way to see the ‘real’ capital value (that is, the purchasing power of the money) eroded over time. Even a couple of years of this happening can have a dramatic impact on the real value of cash savings. Cash does however offer a stable home for your money. The capital value will not fall in absolute terms, which is vital when you have a relatively short term financial objective. If you are uncomfortable with the possibility of the stock markets going down as well as up, cash is the only sensible option. It also provides a valuable safety net, often referred to as an emergency fund, should things go wrong financially. With the UK economy still in uncertain territory, knowing that you can afford to pay the bills for three to six months in the event that you lose your job is reassuring. Now might be a unique opportunity to build an emergency fund of cash savings relatively quickly. It isn’t as gratifying as spending your surplus cash on the high street, particularly with interest rates so low, but it can make a big contribution towards financial security and peace of mind. n

Martin Bamford is a chartered financial planner at Informed Choice (www.icl-ifa.co.uk) and author of several best-selling personal finance books.

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Thrilling tENNIS Audi a6 avant ........................... ..PORSCHE CHALLENGE . ..........................................

Photography: Jeff Brown of Superyacht Media

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SAILING IN STYLE

Sleek, stylish and luxurious, the Zefira yacht was the seventh Dubois design to be built by Fitzroy Yachts in New Zealand

ounded in 1977, Dubois Naval Architects is at the centre of modern yacht design. Although constructing beautiful vessels is the main aim, the company also strives to create great pieces of engineering, resulting in the perfect union between form and function. Launched in 2010, this 49.7 metre fast-cruising sloop is constructed of aluminium with a bulb keel. Unique, innovative and graceful, the Zefira was built with Italian owners who are passionate about sailing and artistic design specifically in mind. The deck leads straight into the glass of the

superstructure in order to accentuate the smooth appearance. The main requirement for the exterior was to create a feeling of being very close to the water and this was done by having a clear, open space. In terms of the interior, comfort is an essential quality for all Dubois designs. Styled by Ressi Tessier, a large communal space allows it to be a sociable area while still retaining warmth through the dĂŠcor. Zefira was awarded Best Sailing Yacht 45m+ at the World Superyacht Awards, presented by Boat International Media in May, and received Sailing Yacht of the Year. n

MAN & MACHINE The Top Gear Live London Gala is celebrating the 40th anniversary of Steve McQueen’s epic motion picture Le Mans, in association with Paramount Home Entertainment

If there was ever a film that motoring dreams are made of, it’s Le Mans. Perhaps the most iconic and certainly one of the most beloved car films in cinematic history, this Steve McQueen epic brought the adrenaline-charged, yet glamorous, world of motorsport to the masses. Filmed largely live and first-hand at the Le Mans race, the driving is raw, exciting and real. This legendary piece of cinematography (which featured no less than 26 high performance race cars, 41 stunt drivers and some 350,000 French speaking extras) is a real racing fanatic’s film, seamlessly incorporating the delicate balance of exhilarating atmosphere with the carefully honed skills of the drivers. Filmed in 1970 using cutting-edge techniques, the movie featured the sublime Porsche 917 and the magnificent Ferrari 512, and is remembered for its fast and furious live footage. So what better setting to celebrate the 40th anniversary of one of the greatest races on earth, than the Top Gear Live London Gala, in association with Paramount Home Entertainment? The evening festivities are certain to deliver an unforgettable look back into its creation, release and iconic cult status. For one night only, VIP guests will be joined by Chad McQueen (son of the late Steve McQueen) alongside stunt-

40th ANNIVERSARY BLU-RAY EDITION The high-octane, throttle-revving classic Le Mans has been digitally re-mastered and is now available on Blu-ray Disc from Paramount Home Entertainment, in honour of its 40th anniversary. This special edition includes a beautifully transferred feature, a making of the movie special and original theatrical trailer. Hollywood legend Steve McQueen stars in this exhilarating racing adventure, featuring a breathtaking recreation of one of the toughest endurance tests on earth, France’s annual 24 Hours of Le Mans car race. 45 international racing stars join Steve McQueen in the 1971 picture, demonstrating the power of legendary Porsche 917s and Ferrari 512s. Filmed on location in France, the film’s exceptional cinematography provides a spectacular glimpse into the world’s most extraordinary cars and the personalities of the people drawn to the circuit. Le Mans is also available to own on Paramount Home Entertainment DVD

driver and racing legends Derek Bell and David Piper, as they reminisce about the making of the film. Both Bell and Piper were stunt drivers on Le Mans and risked their lives more than once, sustaining major injuries as they dedicated themselves to McQueen’s mission to create the best, most realistic film about motorsport. The race sequences in the film were filmed at high-speed using techniques that had never before been used; the result is a feast for the senses and a startlingly realistic representation of the frenzied excitement that surrounded the drivers. In fact, to ensure the film was as realistic as possible, McQueen even entered a car into the race in order to capture footage for the film. At one stage they even had a chance of winning, but additional stops to change film and work on the cameras meant that unfortunately they were not a real contender. The Gala night will be a ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ opportunity to get close to these stunt-driving stars of one of the most iconic car racing films ever produced. In addition, David Piper’s stunning original 1969 Porsche 917 will also feature at the Le Mans celebration. Derek Bell not only appears in the exclusive gala festivities but also features throughout the Top Gear Live event on it purpose built indoor track. As part of the celebrations, which are hosted by Ed Foster of Motor Sport Magazine, guests will be granted a rare insight into this unforgettable film as they watch restored film footage, view stills and become privy to behind-thescenes material, whilst sharing in the memories of those who were there. Each of the special guests will discuss their involvement in the film, the personal sacrifices they made, and what it was like really working with Le Mans hero, Steve McQueen. A unique event, the Top Gear Live London Gala is part of Top Gear Live; a production which offers a variation on more traditional motor shows, bringing the jovial yet passionate and knowledgeable spirit of the popular television programme to the live events arena. Starring favourite presenters, Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond, the event features an indoor track, exhibition and Live Action Arena. Top Gear Live London Gala 24 November 2011 Top Gear Live runs from 11-13 November at NEC Birmingham and 24-27 November at ExCeL London. For more information about the show or to book VIP Tickets call the VIP Team on 0207 370 8341 or visit www.topgearlive.co.uk

“Le Mans is available to own on Paramount Home Entertainment DVD or Blu-ray disc” © 1971 Cinema Center Films and Solar Productions. All Rights Reserved. TM, (R) & Copyright (c) 2011 by Paramount Pictures. All Rights Reserved. Personality Rights of STEVE MCQUEEN are used with permission of Chadwick McQueen and The Terry McQueen Testamentary Trust. Represented exclusively by GreenLight.

CITYpromotion

THE GALA EVENT

2pm: Top Gear Live opens for the first time at London’s ExCeL 2:20-3:50pm: VIP Guests take in a track session from the exclusive VIP Trackside Enclosure. Chris Evans features as Star in Reasonably Priced Car Live 4pm: Gala Evening Champagne Reception, commences in ExCeL’s Platinum Suite, followed by a three-course meal Join Chad, David and Derek as they celebrate 40 6pm: years of the film Le Mans and reminisce about working with Steve McQueen, hosted by Ed Foster from Motor Sport Magazine Guests enjoy the London premiere of the Live Action 7:30pm: Arena featuring Clarkson, Hammond and May followed by a backstage tour Tickets for the Gala event are £425 + VAT per person for further information call the VIP Team on 0207 370 8341

www.topgearlive.co.uk

Find out more about the movie at www.topgearlive.co.uk/lemans

autosportsltd.com

HELP US MARK THE LAUNCH OF THE ALL-NEW TOP GEAR LIVE EVENT AT LONDON EXCEL WITH AN ALL-STAR GALA DINNER ON THURSDAY 24 NOVEMBER

JOIN US TO CELEBRATE THE 40TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE LEGENDARY RACING FILM, LE MANS, AT THE TOP GEAR LIVE GALA EVENING, THURSDAY 24TH NOVEMBER. ENJOY A SUPERB THREE-COURSE DINNER IN THE COMPANY OF SOME OF THE STARS AND CARS FROM THE MOVIE, TOGETHER WITH STEVE MCQUEEN’S SON, CHAD MCQUEEN. SPACES ARE STRICTLY LIMITED, CONTACT US TO BOOK YOUR TABLE

Find out more

Stephanie Fox | call 020 7370 8341 | email stephanie.fox@clarionevents.com

Personality Rights of STEVE MCQUEEN are used with permission of Chadwick McQueen and The Terry McQueen Testamentary Trust. Represented exclusively by GreenLight.

RunWild_TGL_Le Mans.indd 2

13/10/2011 15:30

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New York Marathon If taking a well-deserved holiday to New York, lend your support and sympathy to the runners of the ING New York City Marathon. Taking place on 6 November, the event attracts more than 100,000 applicants annually. The race brings together many world-class professional athletes, not only for the $600,000 in prize money but also for the chance to excel in front of two million spectators and 315 million worldwide television viewers. Entrants run through the streets of New York’s five boroughs: Staten Island, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx and Manhattan.

Home

www.nycmarathon.org

Hennessy Winter Festival day festival promises to keep spectators on the edge of their seats. Choose from a wide selection of top class hospitality packages and experience the excitement of the races in style and luxury. 24-26 November www.racecoursehospitality.net

AWAY

The National Hunt returns to Newbury from 24 to 26 November in what many people consider the highlight of the racing year. Certain to attract some of the biggest crowds of the season and featuring one of Britain’s most prestigious jump races, the Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup, this three

Prestige Ticketing A new report commissioned by Prestige Ticketing Limited, the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games’ official on-site hospitality provider, predicts that companies investing in corporate hospitality at the Games will most likely earn a return on investment exceeding 12 per cent, which is valued at an estimated £1.6 billion for the companies involved. 2.2 million Olympic tickets are promised to international sports fans, NOCs, sponsors and international federations. However, it is also estimated that around 6.6 million tickets will go on sale to the British public; so, if you were unlucky first time round, you are still in for a chance to attend this monumental sporting event. www.prestigeticketing.london2012.com

the fast and the furious Sebastian Vettel made F1 history in October when he became only the ninth driver to win back-toback world titles. Following Vettel’s coronation as 2011 F1 king, the season draws to a close this month with the final Grand Prix taking place in Brazil on 27 November. Two weeks before that,

Sporting Soundbite

the season’s penultimate race takes drivers to Abu Dhabi for the Etihad Airways Grand Prix. Make the most of the end of the season by booking your tickets for a two day or weekend pass now. Abu Dhabi - 13 November, Brazil - 27 November www.formula1.com

The Olympics remain the most compelling search for excellence that exists in sport, and maybe in life itself. Dawn Fraser, Australian swimmer, 3-time Olympic Games gold medallist

Let me

entertain you

Later this month, the world’s best tennis players of old will face off once more at the AEGON Masters. Lee Brooks speaks to the legendary court jester Mansour Bahrami ahead of the sporting event

hen tennis players retire, it’s often because a younger, fitter, hungrier generation of opponents has emerged and their chances to challenge for silverware are severely reduced. The talent for entertaining, and the desire to do so, remains, however, so rather than putting their feet up and signing up for their free bus pass, the likes of John McEnroe, Ivan Lendl, Pete Sampras and Mansour Bahrami have refused to down tools. Instead, they’ve joined another series called the ATP Champions Tour, which brings together the legends of tennis. Throughout the year, players compete in a series of events, playing best of three set matches in a ‘round robin’ format before the top two play in the final. The season then culminates with the AEGON Masters at the iconic

Royal Albert Hall. This year is the 15th time our capital has hosted the event and once again, expect a combination of competitive singles matches. However, it’s the light-hearted, crowd-pleasing doubles matches, featuring self-professed oncourt jester Bahrami as the star attraction, which really make the tournament stand out. Unable to afford his own racket, Bahrami, now 54, taught himself to play tennis with a frying pan and made the Iranian Davis Cup team, despite never having been coached. After failing to make his mark on the professional tour, he is now a regular on the seniors’ tour, spending 40 weeks of the year playing various tournaments and exhibitions, showing his vast array of trick shots. From catching a lob in the pocket of his shorts or playing a drop shot, which bounces back over the due to excessive spin, to hitting clean winners

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THE YOUNGSTERS A week before the AEGON Masters takes place, the men’s tour sees the culmination of their gruelling season with the ATP World Tour finals at The O2 Arena. The world’s top eight players face off in a gladiatorial tennis battle of will. This season, Novak Djokovic has been a revelation, winning the Australian Open, Wimbledon and US Open to inch to within touching distance of confirming the year-end world number one ranking. Former world number one and 14-time Grand Slam champion Pete Sampras described Djokovic’s season as “one of the best achievements in all of sports”. Despite Djokovic falling one win short of McEnroe’s record-setting 42-match winning streak earlier this season, McEnroe also believes the world number one’s record tops his achievement. “Given that there’s more competition, more athleticism and deeper fields now, I’d say his record is even more impressive than mine,” he said. Former world leaders Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, along with Britain’s Andy Murray, join forces with Djokovic to make this season one of the most competitive ever. With just one major tournament left on this year’s calendar, the trio will be keen to end their years on a high and set themselves up for an attempt at breaking the Serbian’s dominance next season. “The standard is amazingly strong at the moment and the players are great,” said Bahrami, who admitted to watching plenty of tennis and checking the results every day. “One thing is for sure, they are not funny but we want great players and not clowns on the court – that’s my job! If you want to succeed and be number one in the world you have to be focused and play serious tennis.” Visit www.barclaysatpworldtourfinals.com for more information

with his back facing the court, Bahrami has an endless supply of shots with which to entertain the crowds. “I learnt all my trick shots playing and seeing how people reacted to what I did,” said Bahrami. “I started doing trick shots even when I was as young as ten. “Now I do it a lot more easily easier and much better but most of them just happen one time in a match and if people laugh I try to do it again the next time. I’m not sure which is my favourite, but I like the one when I’m running back to get a ball and I hit it behind, not through my legs, but beside my right leg. That one is the most difficult.” While Bahrami wouldn’t be drawn on naming a favourite doubles partner, he did single out Peter McNamara, who won 19 ATP doubles titles, as his favourite opponent. “I love to play against Macca [McNamara]”, confessed Bahrami. “I can’t do what I do very well without him on the other side. I love him and he is a great friend. It is always my favourite to be on the court with him. But regarding the people I play with, I am happy to play with all of the guys.” Bahrami has been a regular fixture at the Royal Albert Hall since the event was first hosted in 1997 and he can think of few venues where he would rather play. “The atmosphere in the Albert Hall is unique and the people are really close to you,” he said. “It is a great venue and I love that we play in the day and at night. The crowd is always full

of energy and because the Hall was built for music, the noise gives it an amazing atmosphere. The venue is one of the most special venues we get to play in.” Also in the doubles, Goran Ivanisevic, Pat Rafter and Tim Henman will reunite alongside McEnroe to mark the 10th anniversary of an epic Wimbledon. British fans will remember the heartache when an unfortunate rain break destroyed Henman’s best chance of reaching a coveted Wimbledon final, as a rejuvenated Ivanisevic fought back to beat the Brit before overcoming Rafter in a thrilling five-set humdinger. In the singles, McEnroe leads an all-star cast, which also includes Pat Cash, Mark Philippoussis, Pat Cash, Tim Henman and Goran Ivanisevic, as the American returns to the London venue for the first time in three years. The 52-year-old has won the title four times in his career and believes he’s fitter now that than eight years ago when he last won the event. “The London tournament has always been one of my favourite events of the year,” he said. “The crowds are really fantastic, the atmosphere is great and the Royal Albert Hall is one of the most spectacular arenas I’ve ever played in. I still love to compete and I always play to win, so I am training hard to be able to bring my best tennis back to London.” n Visit www.aegonmasterstennis.com for more information

WHEN LESS The baby of the new Audi A6 Avant range is the one to go for and it’s best to ignore the options list, advises Matthew Carter

IS MORE the 2.0-litre TDI SE Avant, a snip at £32,000. For that, you get leather, sat nav, dynamic suspension (best left in normal mode), parking sensors front and rear and Bluetooth. Add, say, £3,000 worth of extras – DAB radio, electrically adjustable heated front seats and a couple of other bits – and you’ve got a fine car, arguably the best of the range. Audis are strange. Some, which ought to be exciting, don’t quite live up to expectations, while others that you might expect to be a tad dull are the exact opposite, and that’s the case with the A6 Avant, or estate. The new Avant might look broadly similar to the car it’s replacing, but it’s all new. It’s bigger, for one thing, with a longer wheelbase and more interior space. Greater use of aluminium parts, meanwhile, means it’s up to 70 kilograms lighter than the old one which helps to make it feel livelier. It also benefits from the technology that’s been crammed into the A8 and A7. This means you can have (if you pay extra) a head-up display projecting the car’s speed onto the screen in your line of vision (works well) or an automatic boot-opening function triggered by waggling your foot under

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of more than 56mpg allied to emissions of 132g/km, low enough to reduce company car tax percentage to 19 per cent. Stop/Start technology is also standard, helping to lower emissions and running costs. The standard six-speed gearbox is slick IN BRIEF and easy to use and even the steering is agile and eager, in fact, more so than Car: the larger diesel’s steering, which feels a Audi A6 Avant 2.0 TDI SE little dead. Price: Whichever way you look at it, the £32,100 (plus options) 2.0TDI SE – not the more expensive S-line Engine: version which has lowered suspension and 1,968 cc 4-cylinder diesel bigger wheels – is a perfect example of Power: ‘less is more’. Not that Audi is worried. 177 hp When challenged about the absurdity of Drive: the version which had doubled in price, Front-wheel drive the man from Audi shrugged his shoulders Performance: and said: “People seem happy to spend 138 mph max that much on options… and we’re happy 0-62 mph in 9.0secs that they do.” n

All Eyes On...

Canary Wharf and The City Magazines’ competition winners Barclays Wealth and Citigroup

the Arctic prize

As the summer drew to a close, the Porsche Showroom at Canary Wharf invited 12 teams to the Porsche Experience Centre at Silverstone to compete for the ultimate driving experience: a trip to Camp4 at Porsche’s Arctic Driving Centre in Finland. Richard Brown was there to witness all the fast-paced action

t doesn’t take much for the business rivalries that simmer beneath London’s finance sector to rise to the surface. Especially when there are reputations of sporting supremacy at stake and a trip to an Arctic Driving Centre up for grabs. And so it was proven when 12 groups of four descended on Porsche’s Silverstonebased Experience Centre at the end of September for the 2011 Canary Wharf Challenge. Swapping the boardroom for the inside of a Porsche and Blackberry handsets for a

state-of-the-art handling circuit, each team had their eyes firmly fixed on the five-day first prize trip to Finland. Competitors representing HSBC, UBS, SocGen,Vinson & Elkins, Barclays Capital and Clifford Chance were all in attendance, as were Canary Wharf and The City magazines’ competition winners from Barclays Wealth and Citigroup. All that stood between the teams and the glistening arctic ice was a series of track-based challenges designed to push both their driving ability and mental agility to the extreme.

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2011 Power of 4 Challenge winners Clifford Chance

UBS’s Team Catalunya leaving the track

Each team member was to be assessed by a speciallytrained Porsche expert and awarded points based on their ability to control their vehicle in a range of wet, dry and off-road conditions. As well as simulated ice and snow driving, competitors would tackle low friction surfaces and a demanding handling circuit. At 10am, 48 drivers took to the tracks, ready to tackle the unique opportunity of exploring the five vehicles comprising Porsche’s entire latest model range. Following a lesson in economy, driving in a Panamera S Hybrid, team members faced an off-road course in a Cayenne Diesel, a low friction driving circle in a 911 GT3 RS and a waterdoused ‘Kick Plate’ in a Panamera Turbo S. Their nerves were finally tested on the challenging handling circuit behind the wheel of a Caymen S and Boxster Spyder. For UBS’s Fraz Khawaja of Team Catalunya the handling circuit proved the most exhilarating. “I drove two Porsches for a good number of laps at the speed I could handle the car while gaining helpful feedback from the expert instructor,” said Fraz. “I was very happy that I managed to improve my driving skills in such short time. All I needed now is a track to drive on!” It was the Cayman S that stole the show for Vinson & Elkins lawyer Francois Feuillat of Team Hungaroring: “The mid-engined Porsche was awesome; it stuck to the road like a go-kart and was tremendously fun to drive.” After a day that featured more slides, slips and spins than an episode of Dancing on Ice, it was Team Valencia from Clifford Chance that secured its place on the plane to Porsche’s Camp4 Arctic Driving Centre, beating team SocGen into second place. “The event was a huge success.” said Alistair Sommerville, the showroom’s Sales and Marketing manager. “Everyone enjoyed themselves immensely and the competition was intense. Thank you to everyone at Porsche Cars GB and the Porsche Experience Centre who helped to organise the day, and congratulations to our worthy winners.” n Team Clifford Chance will attend the four day driving experience at Porsche’s Camp4 Arctic Driving Centre in February. If you missed out this year, Porsche Canary Wharf hopes to see you, your clients and colleagues taking part in The Power of 4 Challenge in 2012. Images courtesy of Jaime Leme www.airimages.org/jaime_leme

calibre motoring

MEET

THE NEW BOSS Matthew Carter’s opinion on BMW’s new 3-series? Same as the old boss

he days of startlingly different BMWs are long gone. The latest 3-series – which will be the biggest seller in the BMW range and arrives here next February – looks like, well, a 3-series. OK, it’s more grown up than before and benefits from some styling cues seen on the 5- and 6-series machines, such as the wider grille and ‘slanted eyes’ headlamps, but it couldn’t be mistaken for anything other than 3. Evolutionary styling apart, however, the new car is a real step up from the current model. It’s longer, which at last means there’s a bit of leg-room in the rear, and the track is wider for enhanced handling. But despite being bigger it’s lighter than before. New engines, with emphasis on efficiency as much as on performance, promise a stirring drive with excellent economy and lower emissions, and there’s a new eight-speed automatic option that contrives to be as frugal as the manual equivalent. Auto Stop/Start is standard across the range and there’s a new Driver Experience Control switch which, as well as the now familiar Comfort, Sport and Sport + options, has an ECO PRO button. If you want to save the planet, switch to ECO mode and the throttle response is muted; even the air conditioner is reprogrammed to use less fuel. To go the whole way, you’ll need to wait until later in the year when the first hybrid 3-series is launched. As it combines a 306hp six cylinder turbocharged petrol engine with a 40kW electric motor, lack of performance will not be a concern. The range will start at £24,100. n

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Christmas dinner?

Just add silver... Dessert knife & fork and silver dinner plate (both 1900s) Victorian berry spoon, 1930s napkin ring

SILVER VAULTS THE LONDON

The home of silver shopping The Cookâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Kitchen: Culinary Silverware & Gifts for Epicures. Christmas 2011 Selling Exhibition

www.thesilvervaults.com

Londonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest range of fine antique and modern silver for the home Chancery Lane, London WC2A 1QS

Jukebox Jury The latest generation of multi-zone, WiFi and 3D-ready music and movie jukeboxes for the home swap vinyl and cardboard cover art for MP3s and iPad apps

emember the jukebox? They’ve come a long way since the dawn of digital; a bunch of new whole house systems can now store your complete collection of digital music and movies – or anything on the Internet – and send it wirelessly to any room in your house. Home entertainment – and entertaining at home – has never been so much fun. Some of these multi-room jukeboxes are controlled by touchscreen remotes and most have iPhone and iPad apps to let you scroll through cover art and compile playlists on your own device. Others fetch videos from YouTube, stream from Spotify or grab holiday photos from Flickr. Most systems are constructed thus: your discs – be they CD, DVD and/

or Blu-ray – are ripped to a central media server, which then sprays that content to multiple ‘zones’ in your house. Each zone has to have what’s termed a ‘slave’ unit, which you also need to buy, and usually you’ll need to add your own speakers or TV to these units too. Once you’ve done that, each room can be supplied with music or movies from your collection (or fetched from other sources) simultaneously – while content can even ‘follow’ you around the home. So it’s possible to change rooms halfway though a film or have a particular CD or playlist ‘sent’ from the study to the bathroom. We have hand-picked the best multi-room media servers that deal both in audio and video – or both – to help you to create the ultimate entertainment system in your home. n

Whole-house hints Sound or vision: Do you need multi-room music or movies? Or both?

Third way: If you have 3D Blu-ray discs, find a system that can handle 3D – not all can.

Zoning out: Think about how many rooms you want to entertain in – you’ll need equipment for each one.

App’y shopper: Download the iPad app but get a ‘proper’ remote too for shared households – phones aren’t always at home.

Turn on: Some systems require your PC or Mac to be constantly switched-on.

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Music Miner Sonos is a modular audio-only system that mines for music stored both on a PC in the house and from online sources (principally Spotify and Last.fm), and it gets better with every Play:5 (£349) slave unit that’s added. Crucially, each Play:5 is also armed with a stereo speaker, making this the most minimalist, fuss-free system around. We’ve used the Sonos extensively and have to say that once the wireless Play:5 units are in a ‘zone’ it’s the iPhone/ iPad/Android phone app that brings the smiles; simply pick a zone from the app and play any song or playlist on your computer anywhere in your house. You can even have different music playing in each zone, control the sound settings and volume in all zones and compile playlists as you go. A less powerful, smaller Play:3 (£259) is also available. Sonos Play:5 From £349 www.sonos.com

Depth Charge

Ace of Base

Clad in a slinky black brushed aluminum chassis, this multi-room system is about as comprehensive as it gets: 300 Blu-ray or 1,500 DVD movies can be ripped to a massive 12 terabyte server – and that includes 3D. Also able to handle music, photos and online media, the Solo 2 3D (£3,780) is the engine room – attach up to four Mozaex Blu-ray players (£1,550) to simultaneously play any media at any time in up to five rooms. Fitted with a super-fast Intel i3 processor, the components within the Solo 2 3D are top class, though 3D fans should know that the system is only compatible with 3D TVs and 3D Blu-ray players from Panasonic, Sony and Samsung.

What we love most about this system is its integration with Spotify. As well as storing your complete CD collection, albums from Spotify can be browsed, played and even ‘pinned’ permanently to the screen. It’s a great feature for music fans, and the way the cover art from albums, movies and even material from web sources (like Last.fm, YouTube, Flickr or BBC News) can be flicked through onscreen is almost Apple-esque. It’s also scalable; the 3D-ready Base3D Media Server can be used in a single room or easily expanded by adding Link devices to create HD video-zones anywhere in a home.

Mozaex Solo 2 3D From £3,780 www.mozaex.com

DF Solutions BASE media server and Link client £1,999 and £1,299 www.dfsolutions.co.uk

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stylish studies one fine day . ...................................... tenpilates

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The Enchanted Palace

Top designers have transformed Kensington Palace into a magical fashion wonderland, a spellbinding fusion of ancient history and contemporary fashion

esigners were challenged to create an inspiring visual story about the lives and culture of people who had once lived in the Palace. Iconic British designer Dame Vivienne Westwood, with her witty interpretation of historical dress evident in her early fashion collections, was commissioned to create a dress for a “rebellious princess”, inspired by the spirited Princess Charlotte, and Aminaka Wilmont made a “dress of tears” for Queen Mary II’s bedchamber, based on the tradition of collecting tears during times of

mourning. William Tempest, whose designs have notably been worn by Harry Potter star Emma Watson and X Factor winner Leona Lewis, produced an origami and trompe l’oeil-effect dress inspired by a young Queen Victoria. The Enchanted Palace now features a series of innovative light installations by Chris Levine and Jane Darke, illuminating the enthralling tales of the building. Do not miss out on this last opportunity to participate in this unforgettable spectacle, finishing in January 2012. n www.hrp.org.uk/kensingtonpalace

One

Fine Day Photographer:

Jon Cottam Fashion Editor:

Lucie Dodds

White shirt, from £140, black double-breasted waistcoat, £350, both Spencer Hart, 020 7494 0000, www.spencerhart.com

Blue velvet jacket, £2,060, white dress shirt, £294, black bowtie, £143, black satin trousers, £600, all Tom Ford at Harrods, Knightsbridge, 020 7730 1234, www.tomford.com

Black satin evening suit, £1,195, black navy knitted bow-tie, £85, white dress shirt, £195, dress shirt studs, £300, navy cashmere coat, £1,995, silk square, £55, all Dunhill, 0845 4580779, www.dunhill.com

White round collar dress shirt, £100, black and satin lapel double-breasted dinner jacket, £320, classic formal trousers, £175, all Hackett, 19 Eastcheap, EC3 www.hackett.com. Houndstooth check silk pocket square, £35, Thomas Pink 89 Jermyn Street, SW1, 020 7498 3882, www.thomaspink.com Black leather and suede Pierre Triptych shoes, £940, Berluti 43 Conduit Street, W1, 020 7437 1740

Black velvet jacket, £1045, black shirt, £185, black bow-tie, £88, all Dolce & Gabanna at Matches, www.matchesfashion.com

Shot on location onboard British Pullman by Orient Express 0845 077 22 22, www.orient-express.com Thanks to Emma and Anna

Grooming: Paula Mann at Models1Creative using Paul Mitchell Luxury Haircare Products and Clinique

Photography Assistant: Adam Goodison

Post Production: Peach Perfect

All That Glitters Dancing the line between jewellery and watches, Bulgari presents the Intarsio watch from the Mediterranean Eden collection. With influences from classical history, the white gold case features pearls and brilliant cut diamonds fitted into a clever pivoting cover. The face is set on mother of pearl, housing a customised quartz movement piece. A satin wristband is held in place with a 12.5 gram gold clasp. Whether worn as a timepiece or as an accessory, this watch seamlessly combines function and fashion.

The One Long established as one of the world’s finest jewellers, Tiffany & Co. introduces the stunning Soleste diamond ring in platinum. The ring features a 0.5-carat brilliant cut diamond, surrounded by two rows of bed-set diamonds, which also wrap around the platinum band. An absolutely showstopping piece, this ring is the ultimate Christmas surprise.

Intarsio watch from the Mediterranean Eden collection, £22,500

Soleste Ring in platinum, £3,250

Bulgari 15 The Courtyard 020 7283 4580

Tiffany & Co. 9 The Courtyard 0800 2000 1122

Perfect

Presents

Christmas is on the horizon and for many of us, the festive season should start with gift-buying for our nearest and dearest, not to mention colleagues and distant relatives. Visit the Royal Exchange in November to beat the crowds and snap up the perfect presents

He’s Electric

Red Alert

Featuring face wash, aftershave, moisturiser and lip balm, this gift encompasses all the essentials of male skincare. A perfect present for a man who is always on the go, this innovative collection is enriched with olibanum frankincense, Chinese bai ji orchid and skin nourishing vitamins to soothe and restore moisture. It’s simply irresistible.

Created in Hertfordshire where Smythson first started binding diaries in 1895, the Soho Ruby Viana combines traditional quality with modern design. Bound in a deep red lizard skin print leather, the diary features a convenient weekly layout and is held closed by an elegant golden clasp. More than just a day planner, this diary makes a bold statement and will be easy to spot, no matter how busy the day.

Electro (For Him), £65 Molton Brown 27 Royal Exchange 020 7621 0021

Soho Ruby Viana 2012 Diary with slide, £220 Smythson 7 Royal Exchange 020 7621 1037

Karma in a Bottle In collaboration with the iconic contemporary sculptor Jeff Koons, Kiehl’s has developed a limited edition Crème de Corps holiday collection entitled Balloon Flower. All proceeds, up to $200,000, will go to the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children, a nonprofit organisation. In addition to supporting a great cause, this luxurious moisturiser will relieve even the driest of skin, providing rich hydration with beta carotene, squalane and natural oils. Treat yourself or a loved one this Christmas, for good karma and even better skin.

In Good Taste Perhaps the most timeless of accessories, a pearl necklace is a universal symbol of good taste and a gift that is guaranteed to please this Christmas. This gorgeous South Sea and Tahitian cultured pearl necklace presents a modern take on more traditional pearl jewellery, creating a striking contrast of colours and fastened with an elegant diamond set clasp.

Holiday 2011 Crème de Corps 250ml, £27

South Sea and Tahitian Cultured Pearl Necklace with diamond clasp, £5,995

Kiehl’s 14–15 Royal Exchange 020 7283 6661

Searle & Co. 1 Royal Exchange 020 7626 2456

Spice Route With bold and beautifully illustrated packaging inspired by quirky London homes, the renowned perfume house, Penhaligon’s, introduces its Holiday 2011 collection. Discover the signature Malabah candle, complete with a set of easy-to-use matches, and take the festive season with you wherever you go. Opening with hints of lemon, earl grey, and coriander, the exotic scent develops through ginger and cardamom before finally resting on a warm, musky note. Malabah Classic Candle & Matches, £40 Penhaligon’s 4 Royal Exchange 020 7623 3131

What a Cracker Get into the festive spirit with these beautifully wrapped Christmas Crackers from Jo Malone. Although it may seem a shame to break into the beautiful packaging, the treasures inside include grapefruit cologne, lime, basil and mandarin body wash and a luxurious pomegranate noir body crème. Pamper your senses with this fresh and invigorating medley, and rediscover your playful side.

Christmas Cracker with Grapefruit Cologne (9ml), Lime Basil & Mandarin Body & Hand Wash (15ml) and Pomegranate Noir Body Crème (15ml), £28 Jo Malone 24 Royal Exchange 0870 192 5131

Agent Provocateur || Artisan Fine Art || Bachet || Boodles || Bulgari || Church’s || Crockett & Jones || De Beers Gucci || HeRMes || Jo Malone || Kiehls || L’Occitane || Loro Piana || Lulu Guinness || Milleperle Molton Brown Montblanc || Omega || Paul A. Young Fine Chocolates || Paul Smith || Penhaligon’s Pretty Ballerinas || Royal Exchange Jewellers || Searle & Co || Smoker’s Paradise || Smythson || Tateossian Theo Fennell || Tiffany & Co || Vilebrequin || Watches of Switzerland

Royal Exchange, Bank, City of London, EC3V 3LR

www.theroyalexchange.co.uk

fashion

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get the look: leather & lace Luxe yet laidback designer brand Theory, known for its chic cuts, scored an incredible reaction to its S/S11 Theyskens’ Theory collection when it was shown in New York in September; try out the leather playsuit with opaque tights and ankle or knee high boots for a day to evening look. Joseph’s leather leggings and Oscar de la Renta’s lace blouse also pair up perfectly to nail both trends in one fell swoop.

women’s fashion

news

www.theory.com

DESIGNER SNOW A white Christmas is always exciting but especially so when it appears in the slinky, gift-wrapped form of some of our favourite designer staples. In honour of the snowy season, Selfridges has commissioned an exclusive range of pieces in a snowy hue, including an iconic Burberry coat, the Mulberry Alexa, glitter-encrusted stilettos from Dune and a beautiful Vivienne Westwood teddy bear brooch, all of which would make gorgeous gifts. The items are available exclusively in store now.

Quote of the month:

I don’t design clothes; I design dreams.

www.selfridges.com

Ralph Lauren

As the annual winter coat season begins, we stumbled across this Carven cape wool blend coat. The oversized storm flaps and turn-up cuffs give it a fashionable edge but there’s no denying that the camel tone and flattering tie-waist make it a style classic. www.cochinechine.com

www.themerchant24.com

MUST-HAVE ITEM:

Website:

TREND: Fetish

Keep this address safe! The website allows visitors to browse the rails of London’s designer consignment store The Merchant, where high fashion pieces are available for around a third of their original price. Expect to find vintage dresses, Stella McCartney sequin blazers, Hermès Birkins and Jimmy Choos in immaculate condition.

One of the least daunting ways to work this season’s trend for all things avant garde is with some bold footwear. Ipilya’s A/W11 collection incorporates sparkling black PVC, flourishes of ruby red faux fur and sky-high heels. These shoes were made for walking. www.ipilya.com

Not just another day at the office WELCOME TO TOWN HALL HOTEL & APARTMENTS

T O W N H A L L H O T E L & A PA R T M E N T S

Patriot Square, London, e2 9nf

+44 0460 +44 (0)20 (0)20 7871 7621 8783

www.townhallhotel.com

T O W N H A L L H O T E L & A PA R T M E N T S ABTA0210_TOWNHALL.indd 1

Patriot Square, London, e2 9nf

15/1/10 09:49:00

fashion

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3 of the best...

men’s fashion

news

Body-warmers Keep warm this winter, whether in the cold winds of the capital or the bracing air of the ski slopes. Outdoor wear is stylish as well as practical this autumn, with quilted gilets to suit all personal styles.

Down-filled gilet Burberry, £395, www.MRPORTER.com

Suit the City On the pitch, professional rugby players don’t need to worry about making a fashion statement in their assigned sporting kits. Off the pitch, however, players can have difficulty finding suits to fit their hefty builds. One of the UK’s leading made-to-measure suit companies, Suit the City, has joined forces with Gloucester Rugby to kit

out some of Britain’s finest players. Captain Mike Tindall and two fellow England players were measured up and fitted by co-founder Sallie Belton. The company offers an exclusive personal service, providing tailored suits and separates, using the best of British and European fabrics. www.suitthecity.com

Get the Look: Hiking • • •

Leather lace-up boots, Quoddy, £260, www.MRPORTER.com Cadogen backpack, Paul Smith, £350, Paul Smith Arctic rabbit-trimmed hat, Woolrich, £85, www.MRPORTER.com

Down wax jacket Barbour, £179, www.harrods.com

Boulder down-filled padded gilet J Crew, £130, www.MRPORTER.com

luxuryl o n d o n From decadent diamonds to leather that will last a lifetime, visit The Burlington Arcade for the ultimate luxury shopping experience

Arcad e

Britain’s oldest shopping arcade in the heart of Mayfair, a landmark prestigious shopping destination providing exquisite luxury.

BEADLE

The knowledgeable uniformed guards of the Burlington Arcade, the Beadles, have been a feature of the luxurious promenade since it opened in 1819, when they were employed by Lord Cavendish to keep behaviour in order. Under the watch of the Head Beadle, each one has the power to eject any visitor who dares to flout the rules.

S pa rk l e & Sh ine

As the great Elizabeth Taylor once said, “Big girls need big diamonds”. The Burlington Arcade, and surrounding area, houses some of the finest jewellery shops in the world and is therefore the ideal place to buy your own sensational stones – big or small – to treasure forever.

Arm Candy

The right handbag can be one of the wisest investments you’ll ever make. Thomas Lyte has the ultimate bag for ladies; silklined and in ultra-soft leather, this neat camel-coloured clutch is a classic staple that will go with everything, lasting for years to come.

Lo ndon’s Best Kept Secr et Joe’s high profile celebrity client list has made him one of the most sought-after hairdressers in London.

KIR ROYALE

exquisite jewel s

Sophie Anderton models vintage jewellery for Susannah Lovis. A treasure trove of London’s rarest and collectable jewels can be found at Burlington Arcade.

Lu x u r i ous Leather

Real luxury leather is about more than just fashion; it’s about quality design and long-lasting function that will survive for years to come. Products on offer in the Arcade are designed to the highest standard possible, so you can treasure them forever.

Stop for a classic cocktail at the nearby 5th View, a stunning art deco bar on the fifth floor of Waterstones – the largest book store in Europe. Relax and take in some of the most impressive views of the city, including The Royal Academy, Fortnum and Mason and St James’s gardens.

Ca s h m e r e

The softest fabric imaginable, Cashmere is the ultimate weapon in battling the London weather in style and was a big feature on the A/W 11 catwalks. Burlington Arcade houses some of the top names in this chicest of knits, including N. Peal, John Smedley and Ballantyne cashmere at Berk, and House of Cashmere – that’s winter all wrapped up!

Sweet Treats

The chic French macaroons from Ladurée make the perfect sweet treat for anyone old or young. The cute pastel tones evoke a playful air of indulgence and make the perfect dinner party gift.

A selection of bags from Pickett, Church’s and Vilebrequin

N. Peal

Heaven Scent

Christian Dior once said that a women’s perfume says more about her than her handwriting. Whether you prefer the seductive scent of amber, a fresh burst of jasmine, or a hint of sweet vanilla, visit Penhaligon’s, one of England’s most established perfumers, to ensure you find your perfect fragrance.

Bespoke Tai lor i n g

T ime l ess

Rolex watches will keep you punctual for afternoon tea at Claridge’s or mark the minutes of a sunset over the Thames. Burlington jeweller David Duggan showcases a stunning selection of quality vintage timepieces.

Nearby Savile Row, known as the “golden mile of tailoring”, has become synonymous with great craftsmanship and iconic tailoring, drawing well-dressed men from all over the world looking for classic bespoke suits.

Fancy Footwork

Step out in style with traditionally handcrafted shoes from master-shoemakers Crockett and Jones.

For more information visit

www.burlington-arcade.co.uk

Things are looking BRIGHTER

smilepod.co.uk

Look brilliant, feel brilliant!

At our walk-in studios, our friendly dental professionals will clean, whiten and can straighten teeth to create that brilliant, beautiful smile you’ve always dreamed about. It’s quick, convenient and you don’t need a referral. Call 0207 836 6866 or book online today.

COVENT GARDEN • BANK • CANARY WHARF

health & fitness

concierge

health & fitness

news From cars to bicycles First they brought us the F1 Cooper and Classic Mini Cooper and now the Cooper Car Company has unveiled the Cooper Oporto Ladies bicycle. Reflecting the company’s tradition of elegancy, simplicity and high quality, the Oporto features a frame built from Reynolds lugged double-butted tubing, a Brooks leather saddle and Sturmey Archer 5-speed internal hub gears. The bike comes with chrome mudguards and rear carrier rack as standard and is finished in Spring White with Oporto decals. The Oporto retails at £949 and is available at all Evans stores. www.cooperbikes.com

Perfect your technique Christmas, and all the indulgences that come with the festive season, will be here before you know it. To help you keep trim before the inescapable excess, we asked Olympic rowing coach and training guru Terry O’Neill for advice about how to achieve the perfect rowing technique. “The best technique for the indoor rower is the same one that you see on the TV at the Olympics, World Championships or in the Boat Race,” Terry

explains. “Lean back slightly, legs flat, handle drawn to the body. Make sure your forearms are horizontal and your arms are relaxed. For the most effective results, always rock forward from the hips.” For a series of pictures and videos with World Champion rower Tom Kay showing you how it’s done, check out the Concept2 website.

All Natural Energy

Classes start from £12.50

In search of an early morning lift or post-lunch pick-me-up, most of us turn to coffee or Red Bull. Now there is a healthy, organic alternative. The blend of 100 per cent natural ingredients, inside Scheckter’s OrganicEnergy, releases energy over a longer period of time, creating a sustainable energy lift that avoids the short boost and sudden ‘crash’ of other substitutes. Extracts from organic raw green coffee beans and organic guarana give the physical and mental boost of caffeine, ginseng helps to relieve stress and gingko biloba boosts mental focus. Scheckter’s OrganicEnergy is available from Waitrose, Holland & Barrett and at health food stores nationwide and costs £1.45 for a 250ml can.

www.tenpilates.com

www.schecktersorganic.com

Dynamic Pilates The All Black rugby team uses the exercises to correct imbalances and avoid injuries and if Pilates is good enough for them, we think it’s good enough for us. If you ever considered Pilates to be just for women, then acquaint yourself with Dynamic Pilates; an enhanced full-body workout designed to give visible results, fast. Like traditional Pilates, Dynamic Pilates strengthens and engages the core, waist and lower back muscles. Unlike traditional Pilates, the sessions deliver an innovative, intense workout that provides cardiovascular conditioning benefits and builds lean, bulked muscles. TenPilates, the home of Dynamic Pilates, has studios in Notting Hill, Chiswick, Mayfair and St James’s.

visit www.concept2.co.uk/technique or Email training@concept2.co.uk for information

concierge health & fitness comment

“Beauty is Power,

A Smile is its Sword.” Annabel Harrison visits Smilepod in Bank in the City. The results? Immaculate teeth and determination to revisit.

n addition to great hair and athletic figures, most of us aspire to brilliant smiles and clean, white, straight teeth, in the style of Hollywood A-listers and most American professionals. However, although a study for the British Orthodontic Society reported that 45 per cent of British adults are unhappy with their teeth, only half of us have seen a dentist in the last 12 months. So why don’t we go? Perhaps the nearest practice is too far away, you need a dentist referral first, it takes ages to book, you’re apprehensive or you just haven’t bothered? I suspect many of you would answer yes to at least one of these reasons. Enter Smilepod, which eliminates every single one of those concerns with an ethos of making high-quality professional dental care accessible on the high street for the first time, in the form of walk-in hygiene studios. Smilepod is geared towards ensuring customers have brighter, healthy smiles, offering teeth cleaning, stain removal, oral hygiene, whitening and even InvisalignR, the invisible straightening treatment that’s perfect for busy business people. So, reservation one? Distance. But Smilepod has studios in the heart of Canary Wharf’s shopping malls, Bank in the City and Covent Garden so there’s no excuse in terms of travel difficulties. Reservation two; referrals. Although there are 22,000 dentists in the UK, there are only 4,000 hygienists; access to them is restricted and only possible through a dentist referral. Because every Smilepod hygiene treatment is undertaken by a qualified dentist, you don’t need to wait for a referral – just walk in. Booking is incredibly easy; call up or book appointments online with a ‘real time’ 24/7 booking system, in work-friendly slots from 8am until 7pm. If you’re apprehensive about dentists, don’t be. Smilepod doesn’t feel like a dentist practice, with modern design and unexpectedly vibrant colours. The treatment ‘pods’ have cream walls and purple accents, with quotations painted on the wall, and the dentist chair is exceptionally comfy and music is playing. I opt for the most popular treatment; the High Gloss Diamond PolishTM (£85). All the prices, incidentally, are clearly displayed in reception and on the website, eliminating awkward ‘how much is going to cost?’ moments. Prices start from just £35 for the Smile on the RunTM treatment. My dentist is friendly, polite and thorough, working her way through a list of questions. Do I smoke? Do I drink coffee? What toothbrush do I use? When I answer manual, she suggests the Sonicare electric toothbrush as it removes

more plaque, which in turn results in less staining. I’m set at ease by her repeated assurances to “let me know if there’s any discomfort”. Amazingly, she can tell that I’m right-handed by how I clean my teeth and urges me to be more thorough on the right side. An ultrasonic scaler removes deposits of plaque with a special tip which vibrates at a high rate to flush out bacteria and deposits from below the gum with water. As the tip glides over the tooth surface, I’m told it’s much more effective at removing hard build-up and calcium deposits than hand scaling alone, smoothing out bumps and divots in the surface to prevent further build-up. Hand scaling then removes any small pieces that have remained during the ultrasonic treatments and doesn’t hurt in the slightest. This is followed by an Air Flow, a fine jet of calcium carbonate powder, smooth, soft and gentle to the tooth and allowing for efficient and faster stain removal. Finally the diamond polishing paste with minute particles of diamond results in a silky smooth finish. I’m sold. Forget waiting until Christmas when I’m in the same place as my family dentist. Smilepod made my dental hygiene experience user-friendly, cost effective and even, dare I say it, enjoyable. A recent survey of Smilepod customers found that they felt traditional dental visits to be “expensive, anxious, a chore and stressful” while they found their visit to Smilepod “professional, convenient, friendly and quick”. I agree with the latter. n For more information about Smilepod in Canary Wharf, Bank in the City or Covent Garden, visit www.smilepod.co.uk, call 020 7836 6866 or email reception@smilepod.co.uk to book

Gold Medal Fitness for Busy People

There aren’t many of us who can win a Gold Medal aged 20, and return to the same sport aged 40 aiming to win another next year. But that’s exactly what Greg Searle is attempting. So what is different this time around? Well, the British Rowing system has changed a lot, but the most significant change is that Greg now has a family and finds that he loses fitness faster than 20 years ago. There is a simple solution though, a Concept2 indoor rower in the spare room at home. It provides him with the perfect quick training session so he is away from his family less

while still getting a great all body workout. Not everyone has to have the same level of commitment that Greg has (he snuck away from the celebrations on Christmas Day 2009 to do a 5000m test in the spare bedroom!). For us mere mortals, just 20 minutes three times a week promises improved energy, better fitness, and probably a trimmer waistline. For those willing to put in a little more effort…the opportunities are limitless…as Greg is hoping!

To find out more about the Concept2 Indoor Rower and how it would improve your health & fitness visit our website at concept2.co.uk where you can download the Free training guide, or create your own interactive training programme. If you would like to talk to one of our knowledgeable staff please call 0115 945 5522 today or you could check out what Greg Searle is up to on concept2.co.uk/greg ROWING

Concept2 Limited Vermont House Nottingham NG11 7HQ | 0115 945 5522 | info@concept2.co.uk | www.concept2.co.uk

interiors

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interiors

news

PALE AND INTERESTING The new Astral collection by Barbara Barry for Tufenkian is an interesting and fresh take on neutral décor. Having worked with the artisan carpet brand for more than15 years, Barbara has a great understanding of what works well in the home. The latest collection includes rugs woven with fine silk and wool to enhance texture and ensure they attract the eye. The champagne-hued Effervescence rug is a real favourite of ours. www.tufenkian.com

WINTER ESSENTIALS This month we discovered By Nord, a quirky interiors label which aims to capture the beauty of Scandinavian nature. Nowhere is this inspiration more evident than in the striking cushion collection where splashes of volcanic colour and winter landscapes make for some truly atmospheric accessories. We can see these in a city bachelor pad just as much as in a cosy winter retreat.

TOAST TO LAGERFELD They might not be Chanel 2.55 bags but these glasses from Karl Lagerfeld for Orrefors are as stylish, unique and iconic as you’d expect from the director of the French fashion house. Wine, water, liqueur and champagne glasses make up

www.selfridges.com

the range, along with monogrammed coasters and vases. Notice the use of monochrome and sleek shapes which we’ve come to expect from Lagerfeld. Karl’s drink of choice? Diet Coke. www.harrods.com

MODERN TOUCHES BoConcept isn’t just a first port of call for modern furniture design; it also stocks a great range of edgy accessories, as shown by the latest collection. Industrial style lamps, coloured vases, wire-crafted baskets and reworked patchwork cushions are amongst the drop, all ideal items for injecting new life into your home this season. www.boconcept.co.uk

the trend Settle down with a good book in an attractive and cosy study space, styled with leather armchairs, dark woods and a gentleman’s finest collectables

Stamford Wing Chair, £785, Chesterfields www.chesterfields1780.com

Bookshelf Wallpaper Inventor Library Multi £119.90, Shack, www.shackinteriors.co.uk

Botanist Cushion, £75, Amara www.amara.co.uk

Acanthus Amber Cushion, £99 Amara, www.amara.co.uk

interiors

concierge

Leather Expedition Globe, £192.50 Just Globes, www.justglobes.co.uk

Whisky Box with Crystal Glasses and Decanter £2,500, www.gift-library.com Grand Tripod Candlestick, POA Christopher Guy, www.christopherguy.com

Collected Memories Mirror, £628 Anthropologie, www.anthropologie.eu

Wycliffe Ottoman, POA, Mulberry Home www.mulberryhome.com

Indochine Desk, £1,935, The Conran Shop www.conranshop.co.uk

concierge interiors

Lobster Bespoke Standard Lampshade, £225 Beauvamp, www.notonthehighstreet.com

Chatsworth House Cocktail Ottoman, POA Ralph Lauren Home, www.ralphlaurenhome.com

Domino Poker Set, £4,033, Gift Library www.gift-library.com

Betty Joel Cocktail cabinet, POA, Mid Century Online, www.mid-centuryonline.com

Portobello Diary, £210, Smythson www.smythson.com

King’s Diary, £160, Smythson www.smythson.com

www.boconcept.co.uk

Extendable dining table £1795. Dining chair from £349

Order in time for Christmas

MAKE ROOM FOR SOMEONE SPECIAL The festive season will soon be here so it’s time to start thinking about those all important dinner parties. Find a wide range of dining furniture that will fit your needs, taste and budget. Explore all the options at BoConcept Tottenham Court Road or online at boconcept.co.uk.

BoConcept TCR · 158 Tottenham Court Road · London W1T 7NH · 0207 388 2447

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Smarter

My home is than yours Discover how easy it is to commission a cable-free and cutting-edge house, featuring all the latest gadgetry and technological innovations. Jamie Carter picks out some inspirational examples of bespoke smart homes

an your iPhone dim the lights, adjust the heating and play a movie? With huge flatscreen televisions becoming ever thinner and home cinema rooms now de rigueur, interior designers are increasingly integrating multi-room entertainment systems that can master a homeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s every function. How about a television that rises from the end of your bed? Or a wall of smoked glass panels that part like curtains to reveal a TV? A favourite of film buffs is the

installation of a projector that drops down from a panel in the ceiling to project the latest 3D movie onto a screen that rises from the floor, while itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hard to beat a velvetcovered, but perforated, wall that completely hides a bank of powerful surround sound speakers. So-called custom installations were born around the idea of private, exclusive cinemas operated by a touchscreen remote that controls a projector, amplifier and even motorised blackout curtains. And while a home cinema or

interiors

‘media room’ (the latter describing family-friendly games or multi-function room) is almost always some part of the plan in modern smart homes, there’s an increasing concentration on whole house control. Yes, the modern bespoke home is wired for sound but a whole lot more can be done. It’s common to find touchscreens subtly mounted on the walls of a kitchen, lounge or wine cellar that can control a home’s ambient temperature, lighting and security functions. Systems exist with sensors which can be programmed to recognise your car as it parks outside and light a path through the house, following your usual habits. Others adjust a home’s heating and lighting, gradually drawing or opening curtains (motorised, naturally) to maximise natural light while saving as much energy as possible. It’s clever stuff, but is a smart home for everyone? In the luxury new build market, the wiring for a smart home is now an essential part of the sale; don’t buy a new home that doesn’t at least have extensive data cabling throughout, even if it doesn’t actually have ‘smart’ functions. You’d think it would all be wireless but while WiFi is clean and convenient, it’s not nearly as reliable – and if your home’s security and AV (audiovisual) system are tied into a custom installation, the

concierge comment

wired option is by far the best. That’s not always possible, and for anyone living in historic or period buildings, creating a retrofit smart home can be a touch harder and more expensive. You could, of course, do it yourself. A credit card and a drive to a retail park will secure you as big a television as you want, a 3D Blu-ray player and a sound system to be proud of, but who’s going to install it? Though anyone with a modicum of knowledge about AV can set it all up, achieving a clutter-free and cable-free installation that gels with your interior design is difficult. Anyone after an automated home – with smartphone control, perhaps – has only one option. A good custom installer can access exclusive behind-the-scenes products and solutions that allow an iPhone to switch off the lights upstairs, monitor a security camera or flick to cover over a swimming pool, and these experts can design, build and install a smart home just the way you want it. While it’s hard to beat recommendations from friends, custom installers are often small teams so can be tied-up for months at a time. Head to www.cedia.co.uk – CEDIA is the industry body for the custom install industry – for advice on installers in your area and check out our pick of some of the smartest homes around.

concierge interiors comment

The Luxury Home Cinema How can a luxurious house full of the latest technological wizardry be complete without its own home cinema? Figueras knows what it’s talking about in terms of cinema seats, having installed more than 150,000 for film giants Warner Brothers. Its newest seats have automatic backrests and footrests, which are individually controlled by pushbuttons so you can achieve optimum visibility and maximum comfort at the touch of a button. For those who are safety conscious, both return automatically to their original position to leave a cleared path between rows in case of emergency. So snuggle up, pop the popcorn and enjoy the film. Cost: POA Installer: Figueras

The Loft Cinema

The Super-smart Home

A state-of-the-art, compact home cinema in a semi-detached home’s triangular loft might seem a good idea but what about the neighbours? The solution: a stud-wall shell filled with recycled car tyres and glue, along with a floating floor, which contains the sound from Klipsch speakers and four incredible subwoofers. “I can sit in the cinema with the sound turned right up and you can only just hear a faint rumble in the bedroom directly below,” says the owner. “And the neighbours are still speaking to me!” At 109 decibels, that’s a lofty achievement.

Architecturally as modern as it gets, this holiday home in France is often empty, so security is a major part of the final design. A whole house control system covers lighting, multi-zone audio, video, security and control of all electronic devices across all four floors. Touchscreens, hidden in doorways and windows, occupy each room while underground is a gym, pool, Turkish bath, home cinema, library, games room and part-wine cellar, part-bar. That’s all protected by biometric access, while the owner can monitor security on the internet. With that haul, who could blame him?

Cost: £40,000 - £100,000 Installer: FAB Audio Visual

Cost: £100,000+ Installer: Henri Intégrateur Domotique, Villa des Amis

The Media Room A typical first step in transforming a house into a smart home is a simple media room. This living space retains its sharp interior design aesthetic and isn’t dominated by technology, yet it’s packed with the latest gizmos; a recessed 42-inch plasma, two Sky+HD boxes, a Blu-ray player and an iPod music system are joined-up by a Crestron Prodigy universal remote, while special in-wall surround sound speakers by Amina have been installed and painted over so that they have become invisible. “We’re very happy with the final installation,” said the homeowner. “The system is straightforward, logical to use and fits perfectly into the surroundings.” n Cost: £15,000 Installer: Dawsons Group

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RUSSIA’’’S ‘WINDOW TO THE WEST’

If you’re looking for a weekend away with a difference, head to historic, bohemian St. Petersburg for the perfect combination of culture, tradition and nightlife

t. Petersburg differs from its easterly counterparts because of its desire to look towards European modern consumerism and imagination with art galleries, clubs and delectable dining. However, if it’s Russian history that interests you, there is a plethora of cultural attractions to enjoy. Visit the stunning Catherine Palace, filled with 18th century paintings and ornate rooms, including the well-known Amber Room; this was stolen by Nazi troops during World War Two but has now been recreated by Russian craftsmen. If it is the country’s religious traditions that

intrigue you, a trip to The Church of Our Saviour on Spilled Blood, a beautiful gold-draped church on the Griboedova Canal, is a must. In the evening, dress up in your finest cocktail attire and attend a performance of the famous Kirov Ballet at the Mariinsky Theatre. To experience the ultimate in luxury, stay at the elegant Alexander House Hotel, conveniently located centrally in St. Petersburg. Wonderfully lavish features include a beautiful bar, library, lounge with fireplace, courtyard garden and a traditional Russian banya sauna to make short-term guests feel as at home as possible in their new surroundings. n

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travel

connoisseur

travel

news

Saddle Up Visitors to south-west Switzerland’s Gstaad Saanenland slopes can now add winter horse riding and air-boarding to the list of outdoor activities available in the area. Thrill-seekers can take their chances navigating the new dedicated airboard trial, while avid equestrians can saddle up and set out for horse riding in the unspoilt landscape or take lessons in the indoor paddock. Accompanied hacks can last from one and a half to six hours and a sign-posted winter bridle path is open to riders setting out on their own. www.gstaad.ch

Snow and Spa Enjoy both ski and spa time on a winter sojourn to the Grand Hotel Kronenhof, Pontresina. Guests can hit the 350 kilometres of Engadin-St Moritz ski runs, safe in the knowledge that rest and relaxation await, on return to the Kronenhof Spa. Indeed, with swimming and hydrotherapy pools looking out over snow-capped peaks, saunas, flotation rooms and Kneipp baths, switching off and soothing tired muscles should be a doddle.

Be pampered to perfection during your stay thanks to a new host of treatments and packages that have been launched in time for the 2011/12 ski season. The anti-inflammatory effects of the new Mud Therapy package, which involves a 50 minute full body massage with mud and marmot milk, should be a godsend after a day spent traversing the Swiss mountain terrain. www.kronenhof.com

Art District Cool The first Asian branch of the award-winning boutique brand, Grace Hotels, has opened in the Chinese capital. Grace Beijing sits in the thriving cultural 798 Art District, at the heart of the famous fashion and design centre. Inside, 30 luxury rooms and suites mix both traditional and contemporary design influences as Ming Dynasty inspired décor is combined with clean-lines, contemporary furniture and artwork to ensure a unique finish. Fresh, local fish and seafood feature strongly on the Yi House restaurant menu while, in the evening, the hotel’s sophisticated Bar 798 is the place to pull up a stool and work your way through the extensive cocktail list.

winter warmth Since June, BA Cityflyer has been running four weekly flights to Faro in Portugal and three to Malaga. Both routes will operate year-round and you’ll be pleasantly surprised by mild temperatures during the winter as the climate is very stable.

Website of the month www.jacadatravel.com This brilliant site specialises in inspiring luxury tours to Latin America. When it comes to designing bespoke getaways, be it for an unforgettable honeymoon, a family-friendly adventure or an annual holiday, Jacada Travel plans every aspect of your trip, from organising private tours led by exceptional local guides, to booking hasslefree transfers to remote locations.

Brought to you in association with Small Luxury Hotels of the World, an unsurpassable collection of over 500 hotels spanning 70 countries, which offer an infinite variety of experiences.

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Dreaming of

a white Christmas

Annabel Goldie-Morrison visits the newly built Maison Blanche et Verte in Ch창tel, France, for skiing, scenery, eating and sleeping. This is a place worthy of a fairytale family Christmas

travel

ith more than 650 kilometres of interlinked skiing, the Portes du Soleil ski area includes the well-known French resorts of Morzine, Avoriaz and Les Gets and the Swiss resorts of Champéry, Morgins and Torgon. Less well-known is the little town of Châtel, where you can enjoy quiet, rural surroundings while being only minutes from the extensive Portes du Soleil network. Châtel is a picturesque farming village, a rarity amongst the many purpose-built French resorts. It’s only 90 minutes drive from Geneva airport, equally suitable for a week of skiing or just a quick weekend away. It’s also possible to drive to Châtel from London in one day. For non-skiers, Châtel has a farmer’s market every Wednesday and there’s great shopping in various villages and towns nearby. Alternative snowy activities include cross-country skiing and snow-shoeing. Cheese lovers should pay a visit to one of the farms in Châtel producing the delicious Abondance cheese – you can meet the cows and the farmer, and try-and-buy some of the produce. The newly built Maison Blanche et Verte sits in one of the best spots in Châtel, with almost 360-degree views overlooking the town and the slopes beyond. The nearest ski lift is only a two-minute walk away or the chalet staff can whisk you to one of the other lifts in the area. The interior design is by Jimmy MacDonald, who runs Tent London – the interior design show – and it is simple but luxurious. The predominant materials are wood, stone and glass, complemented by big statement pieces – Conran sofas, wooden tables and Eames dining chairs, all set off by mood-enhancing designer lighting. The six bedrooms are minimalist but cosy, in warm greys and white. The White Company linen and extremely comfortable mattresses are a pleasure to sink into after a day on the slopes. Each room has an en-suite bathroom in grey tile and glass with a walk-in shower or bath. Stay in touch with the world with in-room wi-fi and plasma TVs. Thoughtfully, the bedrooms are in a separate wing to the living and entertaining block, so the night owls and early birds can happily co-exist without disturbing each other. The chalet is equipped with everything you could need, whether you’re hell-bent on fitness and exertion, or dead set on relaxing to the max. There’s a 20-foot indoor pool with

connoisseur

swim jet, surrounded by floor-to-ceiling windows which, on warm days, can open up onto the garden. There’s also a sauna, massage room with sunken bath and a fully equipped gym. For children, there’s a playroom full of toys and beanbags, while, for teenagers (and adults), there’s a lounge on the mezzanine level with plasma TV, Wii and Xbox. In the basement there’s a fully equipped cinema with proper cinema seats, surround sound and a snack bar, with a comprehensive selection of new release DVDs and both classic and modern favourites. Meals at Maison Blanche et Verte are an event in themselves – the chef has no limit on his food budget and it really shows. He can call in whatever is fresh, seasonal and the best quality, buying locally whenever possible. Breakfast sets you up for a day on the slopes; choose from a continental selection of pastries, cereal, yoghurt and fruit, plus a cooked speciality each day. Particular favourites were the Eggs Benedict and Cêpe Omelettes. Gourmet dinners are preceded by champagne and canapés, before launching into three fabulous courses and rounding these off with cheese. The menu is flexible, with a leaning towards light, delicately flavoured international cuisine rather than heavy Alpine fare. We enjoyed fantastic steak, Moroccan lamb, Thai green curry, lobster risotto... all delicious. The owner of the chalet is a wine aficionado and guests can take full advantage of this. There are excellent house wines, as well as an impressive à la carte wine list, showcasing the best of fine Burgundies and Italian wines. Even better, they’re all available at little more than shop prices, a welcome break from the ridiculous mark-ups in hotels. As well as the chef, there’s a host, a driver and waiting staff to look after you and ensure your every need is met. For the duration of your stay, Maison Blanche et Verte becomes your home, and whether you are sitting down for dinner in the open-plan living room, relaxing in the cinema room or waking up in one of the comfy bedrooms, the views of the valley and village are all your own too. The Portes du Soleil ski area is great for intermediate skiers and families alike. There are plenty of blues and reds, and some fantastic off-piste areas too; in a week, even the most seasoned skier wouldn’t be able to ski the entire, extensive network of pistes. For those wanting a bit more of a challenge, there is the world-famous ‘Swiss Wall’ to test your nerve. The cross-border ski area links 12 resorts, 200 ski lifts and 650 kilometres of pistes. The surroundings are unspoilt, the lifts keep a low profile amidst snowbound forests and pistes wind their way through snow meadows and spruces. Snowfall is good from mid-November to the end of April, with an average of eight metres of powder every year. Take a ski safari from resort to resort, valley to valley, and even country to country, before heading back to Maison Blanche et Verte, having worked up an appetite for dinner. Just a couple of chairlifts from Châtel, a must for lunch on the piste is Les Lindarets, a small ski-in, ski-out hamlet also known as the Village of the Goats, because of the mountain goats who wander freely through. There are a couple of superb restaurants here, so sit back, order a cêpe fondue and soak up the mountain scenery. n

Châtel is 90 minutes drive from Geneva airport, equally suitable for a week of skiing or just a quick weekend away

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Winter

Wonderlands

From Finland to Iceland and geysers to glaciers... Olivia Sharpe discovers winter breaks worth booking before everyone else follows suit

espite an unusually warm start to October, the winter season is finally here. If the slushy snow and unpredictable weather of the UK leave you yearning for true alpine adventures and stylish skiing, not to mention Father Christmas, take your pick from our top winter escapes.

Whale-Watching Wonderland “We ourselves see in all rivers and oceans. It is the image of the ungraspable phantom of life; and this is the key to it all.” If, like Ishmael in Moby Dick, you are on a quest to experience nature at its most awe-inspiring, a whalewatching trip to Norway is perfect for you. In order to give yourself the best chance of sighting one of these magnificent mammals, visit the Lofoten Islands, an archipelago north of the Arctic Circle, where the deep waters almost guarantee you this rare opportunity. Late October to mid-January is the best time to go, as this is when the whales follow shoals of Atlantic herring. Whilst there, also experience the atmosphere and the excitement of the fishing area; every winter, hundreds of

people travel to see who catches the most, and the largest, Arctic cod in the World Championship of Fishing.

A Fairytale Christmas What better place to spend your Christmas than close to the lair of the king of this magical holiday? Finnish Lapland, close to the Arctic region and ‘home’ to Santa Claus, boasts some of the country’s heaviest snowfalls, making it an ideal location for cross country skiers and for those who wish to participate in other energetic winter activities, including snowshoe hiking, husky safari, ice fishing and snowmobile safaris. Luxury travel agency Zicasso designs exclusive vacation tours to Salla, an area which lies close to the Russian border; families can choose between star-rated packages, ranging from one to five, and Zicasso personally organises your itinerary, including flights and catering. The holiday commences with a festive trip to the local reindeer farm, where you will be kitted out with essential cold weather clothing. Prices start from £680 for children and £1,115 for adults. www.zicasso.com

travel

Geysers and Glaciers Although many people associate a trip to Iceland with experiencing the breathtaking Northern Lights, Iceland is home to many other sensational sights that make this ice-coated fantasy land well worth a visit. Reykjavik, which holds the titles for being both the country’s oldest settlement and the most northernly capital in the world, is now a modern and vibrant city with a wide selection of restaurants, nightclubs and discos. For those interested in culture as well as cuisine, you can also see the world’s oldest parliament. You can’t go to Iceland without trying the rejuvenating geothermal water at the Blue Lagoon. Drive around the fertile lowlands of southern Iceland and visit one of Iceland’s most magnificent waterfalls, Gullfoss, the erupting hot springs in the Geysir Area and the Þingvellir National Park. Premier travel service company, Luxury Adventures, provides excellent package tours around Iceland, enabling you to see the most worthwhile and spectacular spots – waterfalls, black sandy beaches, mountains and strange lava formations in areas ranging from the South Coast and Vatnajokull area, Landmannalaugar and Thórsmörk. www.lux.is

Skiing in Style If you’re tired of the conventional European ski season, try something new and exciting this winter with an unforgettable and action-packed trip abroad either to the United States or Canada.

Stowe Mountain Lodge, Vermont Cherish the beauty of the bridges, lakes, rambling

connoisseur

woodlands and majestic peaks of Stowe Mountain Resort, located on Mt. Mansfield, Vermont’s highest peak. Stowe Mountain’s recent improvements include a new intermountain lift, new trials and new high-speed detachable quads, among others, and these reinforce the resort’s reputation for offering one of the best mountain experiences in this area. After a physically strenuous but exhilarating day on the slopes, pampering is essential. From guest rooms and suites to condos and cabin rentals, spectacular Stowe Mountain Lodge provides guests with state-of-the-art facilities and the ultimate in luxury, including floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the breathtaking mountain scenery, marble bathrooms, private balcony, wireless internet access and iPod docking station. www.stowemountainlodge.com

Villa Marvic Le Massif, Quebec region, Canada One hour from Quebec city, Villa Marvic Le Massif is the ideal location for visiting the Charlevoix region and to ski on the three nearby ski resorts. It has six bedrooms, with en-suite bathrooms, and sleeps a maximum of 14 people. Make the most of the three different lounges, seven fireplaces and the abundance of facilities, including a pool room, billiard room, spa, sauna, steam room and wi-fi internet. A private concierge will be on hand to take care of any requirements that you might have, from in-chalet massages and yoga sessions to helicopter lifts, private flights over the region or even the opportunity of skiing with an Olympic champion. A personal maid, chef or caterers can also be provided if requested by guests. n www.skiinluxury.com

Left to right: Skiing, Canada Whale-watching, Norway Husky-sledding, Finland Lapland Lodge The Blue Lagoon, Iceland

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www.slh.com our job is to make you forget about yours.

12/10/2011 17:10

A world away Take the time to drive those extra miles and youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll find yourself in the wonderful surrounds of West Charleton Grange in South Devon, a truly magical escape from the chaotic city, says Emma Mills

travel

outh Devon might be a good four hour drive down the motorway but there is a reason for that. This gorgeous area, bursting with natural beauty, quaint villages, rolling hills and miles and miles of peace and quiet, offers a whole different pace and quality of life. “We do have a lot of people who come down from the city and find the peace and quiet unnerving at first,” laughs Hazel Bustin, who runs the luxury cottages we’re staying in with her husband John. “We always say that there’s a reason it takes a bit longer to get here but that it’s so worth it.” She’s completely right and West Charleton Grange itself provides a perfect base to explore this wonderful area. The Grange has six cottages in total, all nestled into the steep hillside with views across the valley. Every cottage is furnished to the highest standard, with plush carpets, large, generously fitted kitchens, private outdoor terraces and large bedrooms. West Wing House is the star turn here, a large house with a big private terrace, high ceilinged sitting room and a Victorian roll top bath. Twysden and Tickell Cottages afford some of the loveliest views, with special sunny spots in the sitting rooms, complete with floor to ceiling windows and wicker armchairs. We’re staying in Pypard Cottage, a sweet two bedroom house with a lovely large kitchen and a great terrace that provides perfect views across the lawn and over to the hills beyond. The grounds at the Grange are extensive and well thought out: stepped terraces, seating areas and a built-in barbeque space offer lovely places to sit in the sun; Wendy houses, cubby holes and climbing frames keep little ones busy for hours; and the heated indoor pool, tennis court, options for canoeing and

even an onsite personal trainer means those looking to leave feeling fitter and healthier have plenty of options. You can also arrange for a personal massage therapist to do treatments in your cottage – essential weekend escapism. We arrive later than we would like on a Friday evening and it’s a wonderful relief finally to be here. The cottage is warm and welcoming, a bottle of wine awaiting us on the kitchen table, along with a pre-ordered platter of fresh seafood, and their introductory hamper of fresh fish pie, teabags, fresh coffee, milk, scones, clotted cream, jam, organic bread, eggs, bacon and sausages. We grab a cold bottle of wine and head to the terrace to catch the last rays of sunshine and take in the peace and fresh country air. Horse graze quietly in the fields opposite, we dine on lobster, fresh crab and giant prawns and we can feel the city stress just ebbing away. After a long, indulgent sleep we rise the next morning to a beautiful day and head to the stunning indoor pool for a pre-breakfast swim, before enjoying toast, jam and coffee for breakfast in the sunshine. Then it’s a gentle walk throughout the farmland and down to the estuary, before ending up at The Millbrook Inn in South Pool for lunch. The final morning, after another decadent lie-in, with the sun making us wish we were staying a third day, we have a divine breakfast of Devonshire bacon, sausages and local farm eggs on the terrace in the sunshine before bidding the Grange goodbye and heading for Dartmouth, a sweet costal town just a short 15 minute drive from the Grange on a stunning coastal road. We’re eating at Mitch Tonks’ restaurant, the Seahorse, renowned for its seafood, and for perhaps the 100th time this weekend, we’re not disappointed. The Seahorse is a delight

connoisseur

inside, Parisian bistro meets London wine bar meets coastal café – mustard yellow and dark wood don’t seem a natural choice for a seafood restaurant, but here they really work. We order langoustines and grilled peppers to start our meal, followed by classic fish soup and Dartmouth crab with new season asparagus – the soup is rich and tasty, while the crab and asparagus is a perfect summery dish. We both have fish again for our main course and my local sea bass fillet with hollandaise sauce is perfect in its simplicity – bold and flavoursome, the buttery potatoes and breaded parsnips it comes with are a revelation. The other half’s Dover sole comes completely whole and looks enormous, but he finds it fairly easy to polish off this excellently cooked and delicate dish, the sole just melting in the mouth. We wash this fantastic food down with a deliciously light carafe of Chablis and finish our meal with the most sumptuous rhubarb fool we’ve ever eaten. Finally it is time to leave, although as we walk through this little town, it feels hard to do so. South Devon might feel far away but that’s its charm. We know we’ll be back. n

ADDRESS BOOK West Charleton Grange West Charleton, Kingsbridge Devon, TQ7 2AD 01548 531 779 www.westcharletongrange.com

Seahorse 5 South Embankment Dartmouth, TQ6 9BH 01803 835 147 www.seahorserestaurant.co.uk

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for small & large groups from £24.95 • Dining inclusive food & drink packages to • All suit all needs & budgets air conditioned & central location • Fully private hire available for up to • Full 800 people

Phil or Isla: 020 7287 1000 • Call • E: salesuk@planethollywoodintl.com

57-60 HAYMARKET SW1Y 4QX planethollywoodlondon.com Discount on corporate/group bookings when quoting CITYMAG Terms and Conditions apply & all menus are subject to change and availability.

food & drink

connoisseur

Pick of the Best...

food & drink

news

Wine Bars

The Wine Gallery The Wine Gallery focuses on providing an informative yet informal and relaxed atmosphere, giving patrons the opportunity to try premium wines without extortionate price tags. There is a hand-picked range of more than 400 wines and a buffet lunch of salads, top-quality pâtés, pies, quiches, cooked and cured meats and excellent French cheeses imported from Boulogne.

Planet of the Grapes

Bread Street Kitchen Just opened in the One New Change development, Bread Street Kitchen is the latest venture from Gordon Ramsay Holdings. A more relaxed and informal ambience in contrast to Ramsay’s on Royal Hospital Road, the setting of BSK consists of a large warehouse-style

space. The restaurant has its very own Raw Bar serving oysters, saltwater prawns and carpaccio of octopus. There is a wood stone option also available for those less ardent fans of shellfish, with tamarind chicken wings and suckling pig also being featured on the menu.

Potentially having the greatest wine bar name in the whole of the United Kingdom, Planet of the Grapes, Bow Lane, offers a range of more than 300 wines, including wines by the glass. The aim is to provide good quality wine that people will be happy to purchase at a reasonable price. A simple flat rate of £10 is charged to drink at the bar, saving patrons from big mark-ups.

The Cellar

Bacchus for Boundary London Prescot and Conrad have announced a new Head Chef, Peter Wendon, for their restaurant Boundary and Albion in Shoreditch. The restaurant’s menu ranges from classic, traditional and regional French cuisine, with a large selection of fruits de mer, alongside quintessentially French classics such as escargot à la bourguignonne, cuisses de grenouille, foie gras, Dover sole and game. Weekend lunch menus, Spécialité du Weekend, embrace simple dishes such as oeufs Benedicte and croque monsieur.

A modern, elegant bar with dark red lampshades and brown leather booths to enhance the cosy and warm atmosphere will greet you when you descend the stairs of 25 Moorgate. Separated into grape and region, there is a wide selection of excellent wines on offer. An ideal place to visit if you consider yourself to be a connoisseur.

Website of the month: www.designwine.co.uk

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restaurants

bars

American

Italian

Hawksmoor

157 Commercial Street, E1 020 7247 7392

Lena

66 Great Eastern Street, EC2A 020 7739 5714

5-6 Carey Lane, EC2V 020 7600 2720

British

Refettorio

Varnishers Yard Regents Quarter, N1 9FD 020 7841 7331

Canteen

19 New Bridge Street, EC4V 020 7438 8052

Beach Blanket Babylon

9 Norwich Street, EC4A 020 7831 1622 or 020 7831 1677

2 Crispin Place, E1 08456 861 122

Volupté

19-23 Bethnal Green Road, E1 020 7749 3540

Oriental

Bar Pepito

The Big Chill Bar

Dray Walk, E1 020 7392 9180 Bonds

14 New London Street, EC3R 020 7264 1910

Royal China Club

40-42 Baker Street, W1U 020 7486 3898

5 Threadneedle Street, EC2R 020 7657 8088

GREENS

14 Cornhill, EC3V 020 7220 6300

Saki

4 West Smithfield, EC1A 020 7489 7033

59 West Smithfield, EC1A 020 7796 0600

French

Mexican

Gilt London

Cellar Gascon

Cicada

Green & Red

5 Threadneedle Street, EC2R 020 7657 8088

51 Bethnal Green Road, E1 020 7749 9670

132-136 St John Street, EC1V 020 7608 1550

Coq D’Argent

Middle Eastern

Andaz Hotel, Liverpool Street, EC2M 020 7618 7215

Bonds

No.1 Poultry, EC2R 020 7395 5000 Les Trois Garcons

1 Club Row, E1 020 7613 1924 Sauterelle

Royal Exchange, EC3V 020 7618 2483

Gastropub Duke of Cambridge

30 St Peter’s Street, N1 020 7359 3066 The Peasant

240 St. John Street, EC1V 020 7336 7726

Greek Mezedopolio

14 Hoxton Market, N1 020 7739 8212

Kenza

10 Devonshire Square, EC2M 020 7929 5533

Modern European

CATCH & Champagne Bar

The Gherkin Bar & Restaurant

Levels 39 & 40, 30 St Mary Axe, EC3A 020 7071 5009 Grand Café & Bar

Magdalen Restaurant

The Courtyard, Royal Exchange, EC3V 020 7618 2480

One Lombard Street

5 Abchurch Yard, EC4N 020 7623 2355

Rhodes Twenty Four

233 Shoreditch High Street, E1 020 7247 8989

152 Tooley Street, SE1 020 7403 1342

1 Lombard Street, EC3V 020 7929 6611 Tower 42 Old Broad Street, EC2N 020 7877 7703

Smiths of Smithfield

67-77 Charterhouse Street, EC1M 020 7251 7950

Spanish Camino

3 Varnishers Yard, N1 020 7841 7331 Moro

34-36 Exmouth Street, EC1R 020 7833 8336

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Balls Brothers

Harry’s Bar

Light Bar

Match EC1

45-47 Clerkenwell Road, EC1M 020 7250 4002 Ortega

27 Leadenhall Market, EC3V 020 7623 1818 Vertigo 42

Tower 42, 25 Old Broad St, EC2N 020 7877 7842 The Worship

Triton Court, 14 Finsbury Square, EC2A 020 7330 0920

food & drink

connoisseur

Manna from heaven Rebecca Ross discovers the rapture of fine dining in Galvin at La Chapelle

ying rather innocuously next to its younger and shinier neighbours, a bottle of 1961 Hermitage La Chapelle wine appears almost in danger of being overlooked. Yet it seems to exude an air of mystery and dignity (if you believe such things are possible for an inanimate object) to the extent that it becomes a hidden treasure of the wine-fridge and, at £19,500 a pop, this is a treasure of great value. So it is with Galvin at La Chapelle, named after this iconic vineyard, which sits demurely amid the gleaming towers of Bishopsgate. Walking in from the concrete and chrome of the City, La Chapelle is a delight for the senses. Situated in a Grade II listed building, the design is both classic and contemporary, and in a city where every inch of space is utilised to the max, it is a relief to find some room to breathe. The highbeamed ceiling, stone pillars and arched windows lend the space a cathedral-like quality, finished with a touch of muted grandeur that is as immaculate as it is impressive. It also boasts a magical outside space, Le Jardin, which is perfect for champagne-sipping in the summer and cigar smoking in the winter, as well as a stylish bar for more informal dining and live piano music. Whether you’re looking for somewhere for a power lunch or a proposal, La Chapelle is a place where special things happen and 100 per cent worth the bill. This is the third London restaurant opened by Galvin brothers Chris and Jeff and the most recent to win a Michelin star. With a menu populated with volutés, escabèches, assiettes and soufflés, the Provençal inspiration more than makes its mark while the use of seasonal British ingredients keeps the menu fresh and exciting. Whatever cross-Channel balance they have struck, it works. La Chapelle masters both the theatre and artistry of fine dining, as the food is presented with a tasteful flourish in dishes that look almost too good to eat. But then you eat and it is exquisite. Combining flavours that are delicate yet surprising, La Chapelle’s food wins you over by seduction rather than bombardment. To start, I had ordered the delicious yellow fin tuna with aubergine caviar and coriander, meaty but undercut with chutney-like flavours, and after finishing this, I stole rather more than is polite from my companion’s plate. His crab lasagne, drizzled with lemongrass butter, literally melted in your mouth, and produced a facial expression that you imagine only exists on food adverts. To accompany the food we drank a boisterous red, as directed by the sommelier. He, like all the waiting staff,

was incredibly knowledgeable and friendly and there was a real glint of joy in his eyes as he imparted his encyclopaedic knowledge about the effect of the volcanic soil on the Pinot Noir vineyards that supplied our wine. The main courses arrived and looked like pieces of art that had accidentally ended up on a plate. My roast loin of venison, with organic beetroot, globe artichoke and yellow chanterelles, again quietly exploded with waves of flavour. It seems the French, or Michelin-starred French restaurants at least, are not fans of carbohydrates, as potatoes, pasta and rice were noticeably absent. But as Mary Poppins once said, ‘Enough is as good as a feast’, and when the feast is this good, I can live without some mash. With a perfect amount of space left for dessert, the final course arrived. The soufflé of English blackberries was one of the best sweets I had enjoyed in some time, so light and fluffy, but then I tried the tarte tatin. It is difficult to articulate quite how delectable this concoction of apples, sugar, butter and, presumably, ambrosial nectar was. With La Chapelle, it seems the Galvin brothers have devised a perfect recipe for the fine dining experience, using the ingredients of traditional inspiration, flavoured with innovation, every detail infused with consideration and finally presented with panache in a stunning setting. It is an experience to savour. n La Chapelle, 35 Spital Square, E1, 020 7299 0400

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out about

The Conditions of Winter The Erarta Galleries in Mayfair is now exhibiting an impressive collection of recent paintings by Rinat Voligamsi entitled The Conditions of Winter. The historical visual accounts depict often disturbing scenes of Russian military life in harsh winter settings. As highlighted in this picture, Voligamsi’s portrayal of the soldier’s existence is contrastingly comical, darkly beautiful and unsettling. The underlying theme of each composition is the power and authority of the modern nation, particularly the Russian state. For lovers of both art and history, this exhibition achieves the perfect mix. 12 October–19 November www.artlyst.com

We English... On first appearance, Simon Roberts’ collection of photographic images, portraying everything that one would associate with Englishness, could be viewed as satirical, with stereotypical depictions of English people sunning themselves on a cloudy day at Blackpool beach and visitors at Ascot watching a race from behind a heap of rubbish. However, on closer inspection, the focus of the work is primarily the landscape and several of the images are broad, handsome vistas, thereby removing the potentially mocking element. Simon Roberts will be giving a keynote lecture at Whitechapel Gallery as part of East London’s Photomonth. 14 October–19 November www.flowersgalleries.com

Dickens and London The Museum of London will soon be paying tribute to one of the nation’s favourite authors in the celebration of the 200th birthday of Charles Dickens. This will be the first major UK exhibition of the prolific journalist and novelist in more than 40 years, with paintings, photographs, costume and objects all being showcased in order to explore the major themes of his works. Rarely seen manuscripts including Bleak House and David Copperfield, written in the author’s own hand, will provide clues to his creative genius. The great social questions of the 19th century, including wealth and poverty, prostitution, childhood mortality and philanthropy, will be examined. 9 December 2011–10 June 2012 www.musuemoflondon.org.uk

out & about

connoisseur

The Snowman Experience the magical, spellbinding and enchanting story of The Snowman at Sadler’s Wells Theatre, back once again for its 14th run. The stage show, based on Raymond Briggs’ famous and beloved children’s book, follows the story of a young boy’s snowman that comes to life on Christmas Eve and the two set off on a night-time adventure.

Watch in awe as the Snowman flies through the night sky above you, achieved by Ruari Murchison’s splendid set design. The performance features Howard Blake’s Walking in the Air, performed by a live orchestra and choreographed by Bill Alexander. 30 November 2011–8 January 2012 www.sadlerswells.com

Taste of Christmas Experience a delectable Christmas lunch early by attending the Taste of Christmas, returning once again to ExCel this year. High-quality food and drink is provided by artisan producers for all foodies looking to indulge this festive season. Seasonal menus will be on offer from some of London’s top restaurants, along with beer and chocolate tastings. Invaluable insight from top chefs including Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Gary Rhodes and Michael Roux Jr will be provided. Ticket prices are from £17.50. 2–4 December www.tasteofchristmas.com

All That Jazz Jazz lovers, get excited, as it’s almost time for the muchanticipated London Jazz Festival. This established festival sees performances from the McCoy Tyner Trio and a new silent film about Louis Armstrong accompanied by an ensemble and Guildhall School musicians performing with Pete Hurt and Jason Rebello respectively. Events also take place at the Rich Miz, just outside of the City. 11–20 November www.londonjazzfestival.org.uk

Nutcracker! Acclaimed by The Observer as “the undisputed king of dance theatre”, Matthew Bourne returns to Sadler’s Wells with his stunning Nutcracker! production, celebrating its 20th anniversary. Experience the enjoyment and hilarity of Bourne’s trademark wit, pathos and fantasy as the audience follows Clara’s bittersweet journey from a bleak Christmas Eve at Dr. Dross’ Orphanage through an ice-skating winter wonderland to the delectable Sweetieland candy kingdom. With only a seven week run, make sure you book tickets early so that all your family can enjoy this spectacular and magical event. 6 December 2011–22 January 2012 www.matthewbournesnutcracker.com

MY EAST LONDON Myeastlondon.com keeps you up to date with exactly what’s happening in East London. After a much anticipated launch, the site is already the number one authority on the area, providing a comprehensive directory of mustvisit places, shops and restaurants and the latest news, developments and up-to-the-minute listings. Teaming up with the most influential companies in the area, myeastlondon.com is a central hub of information for the upcoming London 2012 Olympics. Visit the site to find out what’s happening in your East London. www.myeastlondon.com

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Captivate Your Senses The first internationally-acclaimed Chuan Spa in Europe is now open at The Langham, London. Rediscover your source with luxurious treatments inspired by the philosophy of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

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15/3/11 13:35:46

LONDON Homes&

PROPERTY Showcasing the finest homes in your area

C o v e r i n g CANARY WHARF, D OC K L AN D S , WA P P ING & T h e C i t y

LUXURY LIFESTYLE Glamorous new apartments

Overseas Influx Expats coming home

LONDON Homes&

PROPERTY Editorial Director Kate Harrison

Editor

Emma Mills

Assistant Editor Gabrielle Lane

Head of Design Hiren Chandarana

Brand Consistency Laddawan Juhong

Designer

Ashley Lewis

Production Manager

november

Welcome note...

elcome to the November issue of London Homes & Property, where the city continues to attract prime London property hunters, including the eager buyer who snapped up E1’s most glamorous address (p. 154).

However, we’ve also found some other stunning homes not too far away at the Pan Peninsula development for those looking for their own very special apartment (p. 156) and are hearing that changes at the City of London Corporation will make the management of new constructions quicker and easier than ever, which is sure to yield some great new property schemes (p. 124). Happy Hunting!

Fiona Fenwick

Production Daniel Harris

Senior Property Manager Samantha Ratcliffe

Finance Manager Elton Hopkins

Managing Director Eren Ellwood

RUNWILD M

16 Heron Quay, Canary Wharf London E14 4JB T: 020 7987 4320 F: 020 7005 0045 info@londonhomesandproperty.com www.londonhomesandproperty.com Runwild Media Group cannot accept responsibility for unsolicited submissions, manuscripts and photographs. While every care is taken, prices and details are subject to change and Runwild Media Group take no responsibility for omissions or errors. We reserve the right to publish and edit any letters. All rights reserved.

LONDON HOmes&

PROPERTY ShowcaSing the fineSt homeS in your area

c o v e r i n g c a n a ry w h a r f, D o c K L a n D S , wa P P i n g & t h e c i t y

luXurY lIFestYle

Glamorous new apartments

Overseas Influx eXpats comInG home

contents 124

156 living local

124 Area News 149 State of the Market

new homes

154 Property Latest 156 Development Focus 162 Mortgage Update

living local

areanews By Richard Brown

Iconic City Buildings Reach Historic Milestone King Henry IV was on the throne at the time and Britain was about to witness one of the bloodiest battles in its history; the year was 1411 and while two Scottish clans were doing battle over territories in Aberdeenshire, down in London the foundations of two architectural masterpieces were being laid. They were Guildhall off Gresham Street and Leadenhall Market at Gracechurch Street, each of which celebrates its 600th birthday this year. Now home to the City of London Corporation, the Guildhall has been the centre of City government since the Middle Ages and remains the only secular stone structure dating from before the Great Fire of 1666 that is still standing in the City. Leadenhall, conversely, was gifted to the City in 1411 by the famous Lord Mayor Richard ‘Dick’ Whittington. Its market was enlarged to provide a site for selling poultry, grain, and dairy products

Transport latest… If you take the bus to work, be aware that bus diversions will be introduced on parts of Bishopsgate, Gracechurch Street and Threadneedle Street from now until the end of February 2012. The diversions will allow essential work to be undertaken by UK Power Networks on power supplies for four new developments in the area. But routes 8, 26, 35, 47, 48, 149, 242, 344, 388, N8, N26 and N35 will all face redirections. You can call London Buses customer services on 0845 300 7000.

and later wool, leather and cutlery. Skip forward six centuries and it remains one of the City’s five principal shopping centres (its earlier stone structure having been replaced by wrought iron and glass by Sir Horace Jones during the 19th century). To celebrate their milestone birthdays, the Guildhall will launch City Treasures in December, a book showcasing some of the books, artefacts and archives the City holds, including its copy of Magna Carta, while Leadenhall Market will host the Winter Festival Week from 14 November.

The City gets two new sheriffs Following their election earlier in the year, October saw two new sheriffs of London take office at the Guildhall. Supporting the Lord Mayor in promoting and sustaining the Square Mile will be alderman Alan Yarrow and Wendy Mead CC. After a high-profile career in the finance industry, alderman Alan Yarrow was elected alderman for the Ward of Bridge and Bridge Without in 2007. Wendy Mead CC, began her service to the City of London twenty years ago when she commenced her chairmanship of the Save Bart’s Campaign.

Did you know? From 1440 to 1830 the gravel site under what is now Wapping Pier was the traditional place for the execution of pirates.

Improved service for developers A major reorganisation of the departmental structure of the City of London Corporation came into effect last month when the City Planning and Transportation Department and the District Surveyors, were integrated into a new Department of the Built Environment. With the aim of providing a better level of service, the new department hopes to allow for better co-ordination and streamlining of the project management of both street works and construction sites throughout the City.

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Knight Frank

Gaynes Park Mansion, Epping, Essex

Set within 10 acres of landscaped gardens and woodlands Gaynes Park is a unique Grade II listed 19th Century Gothic Victorian mansion which has been refurbished and converted into seven luxury two and three bedroom high specification apartments. Each apartment offers share of freehold, porter/concierge, access to leisure facilities including a tennis court and private parking.

Prices starting at ÂŁ1,750,000 (CNW110171)

KnightFrank.co.uk/Canary-Wharf canarywharf@knightfrank.com 020 7512 9966

Knight Frank

Port East Apartments, Canary Wharf, E14

Berkeley Tower, Canary Wharf, E14

A wonderfully refurbished two bedroom penthouse apartment situated in one of Canary Wharf’s most sought after developments. Boasting wonderful warehouse features including solid oak flooring, wooden beams and exposed brick work. Share of Freehold

A generously proportioned three bedroom, three bathroom apartment. Located on the 14th floor of Berkeley Tower, the apartment offers wonderful far reaching river views from the reception, dining area and master bedroom. Leasehold

£1,200,000

£1,350,000

KnightFrank.co.uk/Canary-Wharf 020 7512 9966 canarywharf@knightfrank.com

New Atlas Wharf, Canary Wharf, E14 Located on the top two floors of a well maintained portered development, this spacious and well proportioned two bedroom duplex apartment benefits from two separate areas of outside space and wonderful river and Canary Wharf views. Share of Freehold

Langbourne Place, Isle of Dogs E14 A well presented three double bedroom apartment situated in one of Canary Wharf’s best riverside develpments. The apartment boasts three reception areas on the upper level with a large private terrace offering fantastic Canary Wharf views. Leasehold

£795,000

£1,000,000

KnightFrank.co.uk/Canary-Wharf 020 7512 9966 canarywharf@knightfrank.com

Knight Frank

Pan Paninsula, London E14

Victoria Wharf, Narrow Street, E14

Master bedroom with en suite bathroom, second bedroom, second bathroom, kitchen, balcony with fantastic views of London, all spread over 686 sq ft of space. Furnished to a very high standard. Leisure facilities, 24 hour concierge and parking.

Two bedroom, two bathroom 1st floor apartment located on the river. Reception room with two balconies, separate kitchen, fantastic river views, porter and parking. Close proximity to Limehouse Rail and Westferry DLR stations (0.3 and 0.4 miles respectivly).

£700 per week

£525 per week

KnightFrank.co.uk 020 7512 9955 cwharf@knightfrank.com

Landmark East Tower, London E14

New Providence Wharf, Fairmont Avenue, E14

Two bedroom apartment featuring floor to ceiling windows with excellent views of The River Thames, Canary Wharf and The o2 Dome. The block is conveniently located approximately 0.4 miles from Canary Wharf tube station and includes concierge and a gym.

Spacious one bedroom, one bathroom apartment offering an impressive reception area and living space featuring a balcony with views of Canary Wharf. Kitchen with hi-spec appliances, leisures facilities, 24 hour concierge. 0.5 miles from Canary Wharf Tube.

£595 per week

£385 per week

KnightFrank.co.uk 020 7512 9955 cwharf@knightfrank.com

Knight Frank Dundee Court, Wapping, E1W

Stylish two bedroom apartment Stylish two double bedroom two bathroom apartment set on the 4th floor of this smart portered development on Wapping High Street. This bright south facing apartment has a lovely dual aspect reception room with river views, modern open plan fitted kitchen, double bedrooms, two bathrooms with showers (one en-suite), hard wooden floors, interior designed furniture pack and a large parking space for two cars. ÂŁ540 per week