Latest news with #Vimto
Time Out
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
Little Nan's Bar
Remember when Pat Butcher came back from the dead? The homecoming of Little Nan's Bar to Deptford – it originally opened in 2013 and was forced to close in 2014 – feels just as euphoric. The 'EastEnders' analogy will make sense to those who experienced the pure joy of visiting the bar in pop-up form, as it roamed around London waiting to find a way back to Deptford. It's a retro living room parody in a railway arch at Deptford Market Yard, with leopard print, china and Pat references aplenty. The little nan in question belongs to Tristan Scutt, who refers to himself as the grandson of this operation. He set up the bar in honour of his late grandmother (who made it to 104), and has been very clear that while it's all vintage, there's nothing 'shabby chic'. Instead, it's full-throttle '80s front room fetishism, with cocktail menus hidden inside Charles and Diana memorabilia books, mocktails served in leopard-print mugs, soap stars in photo frames and cat-covered cushions galore. You can order cocktails by the teapot, or go solo and get a cocktail umbrella in the bargain. The drinks are on the sweeter, sillier end of the scale, my Chief Girl of Deptford being a bubbly mix of gin, prosecco, lemon and Morello cherry syrup, which tasted a bit like a boozy cherry Vimto. Snacks are true Brits – from a cracking fish-finger sarnie to hoops on toast if you're into nostalgia. They even stuck sparklers in our portion of hipster fries (dusted with paprika). If you're trying to make sense of it all, you're missing the point. Little Nan's is about fun, from the novelty toilet (I'll save that surprise) to the storming disco soundtrack. In that joyous, totes emosh 'Enders scene, Pat's spectre says to Peggy, 'I think I look smashing.' Little Nan, you look smashing, too.
Telegraph
29-04-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Consider refreshing your portfolio with this tariff-dodging drinks specialist
Questor is The Telegraph's stock-picking column, helping you decode the markets and offering insights on where to invest. Nobody but nobody knows what is coming next in the Trump-trade-and-tariffs drama. Not even the president himself, judging by how he has offered a 90-day delay in the imposition of reciprocal tariffs, crafted exemptions for technology hardware products and noted that the final duties levied on Chinese goods could be lower than suggested. Talk of trade deals seems to boost share prices, while concerns over more policy confusion support gold and silver instead – and there can be no clearer argument for a balanced, diversified portfolio than that. Within the equity portion, the least comfortable place to be is probably that of a company which sources heavily from Asia and sells extensively into the US. Merseyside-headquartered Nichols ticks neither box and its financial solidity, lofty margins and healthy cash flow all mean its shares can continue to provide valuable portfolio ballast, not to mention welcome dividends. Last week's update from the soft drinks specialist, whose key brands include Vimto, Slush Puppie and Levi Roots, offered three items of good news. First, it revealed that trading for the first three months of 2025 had met expectations. Andrew Milne, its chief executive, also left guidance for full-year revenues and profits unchanged, as growth in the UK packaged drinks and 'out of home' segments more than offset weakness in the international packaged arm, where a shift to a concentrate model in West Africa compounded the unavoidable near-term impact upon demand of Ramadan. Second, Mr Milne revealed an increase in the net cash pile. Last year's final dividend of 17.1p a share will be paid on May 1, to take our tally of payments to 276.5p a share. The company's net cash balance sheet and cash flow mean there should be more to come for patient shareholders. Finally, management's initial assessment of the Trump tariffs is that less than 2pc of sales may be affected. Our support over the past seven years has not yielded a capital gain, even if the income offsets the paper loss, but the fault here is ours, not that of the company. We simply paid too high an earnings multiple at the point of entry, and the combination of Covid 19 and supply chain stress, plus the usual rough-and-tumble of competition and higher interest rates, left the rating exposed on the downside. Even if 20pc-plus profit margins and returns on capital help to justify that valuation, the prevailing forward multiple of 20 times forward earnings is still not really bargain-basement territory, either. Investors must therefore coolly assess whether Nichols can meet the medium-term financial goals laid out at last year's analysts' meeting. If so, pre-tax income could reach £45m and earnings per share exceed 90p, for which investors would currently be paying less than 14 times earnings. Such a rating would look tempting and at least tariffs may not prove an unwelcome, additional obstacle. Questor says: hold Ticker: NICL:AIM Share price: £12.20 Update: S&U This month's full-year results show a third straight drop in annual profits and a second consecutive reduction in the total dividend at specialist lender S&U, thanks to the combination of an increase in loan impairments, higher interest rates and regulatory pressure. That all leaves the shares no higher than they were in 2013 and they may not do much until a court case and a regulatory inquiry that both relate to the wider car loan industry are complete, but we do at least have S&U's valuation on our side, in the shape of a healthy dividend yield and a discount to net asset value (Nav). Consumers, lenders, regulators and politicians are waiting for a decision from the Supreme Court on an appeal from two companies, which wish to prove they did not mis-sell car finance to the detriment of consumers between 2007 and 2021. S&U's Advantage Finance arm is also a specialist in car loans. It has suffered a dip in lending and collections and an increase in arrears and impairments, as consumers await the regulatory and legal findings. Property finance arm Aspen Bridging is taking up some of the slack and analysts do believe that group pre-tax profits will bounce back in the year to January 2026, but the share price suggests that investors are waiting to see it before they believe it. The stock trades on a forward price-to-earnings ratio of less than eight and offers a dividend yield of 7.8pc, according to consensus analysts' forecasts. Moreover, the stock market capitalisation of £177m stands well below the company's Nav of £238m, to suggest a lot of bad news is already in the share price. Ticker: SUS Share price: £14.35
Campaign ME
15-04-2025
- Business
- Campaign ME
Who ranked as the top advertisers in KSA for march 2025?
In March, Vimto, Mobily, and Zain emerged as the top advertisers in Saudi Arabia (KSA), each recording significant increases in Ad Awareness, according to YouGov BrandIndex. YouGov Brand Index tracks data on thousands of brands daily. A brand's Ad Awareness score is based on the question: 'Which of the following consumer brands have you seen an advertisement for in the past two weeks?' This metric reflects the percentage of consumers who recall seeing an advertisement for a brand within that timeframe. The data is drawn from surveys of adults aged 18 and over living in Saudi Arabia, conducted between February 26 and March 25, 2025. Scores are calculated using a four-week moving average, with changes determined by the difference between each brand's highest and lowest daily scores during the period. Vimto, Mobily, and Zain posted the largest gains in Ad Awareness in the Kingdom from February to March 2025. Vimto led the way, with its Ad Awareness score rising from 22.9 per cent on February 28 to 31.3 per cent on March 19, marking an 8.4 percentage point increase. This notable boost is likely tied to Vimto's deep-rooted connection with the Ramadan season, when it becomes a household staple across the region. This boost is likely tied to Vimto's longstanding association with the Ramadan season – becoming a household staple for the holy month across the region. Mobily followed closely, gaining 7.3 per cent points – from 27.2 per cent on February 26 to 34.5 per cent on March 23. The brand's increased visibility may be attributed to its prominent presence at LEAP 2025, a major technology event held in Riyadh from February 9 to 12. During the event, Mobily showcased cutting-edge digital solutions aimed at enhancing quality of life and driving smart city innovation, aligning with Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030. Zain rounded out the top three with a 6.8 point increase in Ad Awareness, rising from 18.8 per cent on March 7 to 25.6 per cent on March 25. The uplift is likely linked to Zain's March 4 announcement of completing a major digital transformation initiative in collaboration with Netcracker Technology, reinforcing its image as a tech-forward telecom provider. To conclude the data highlights how seasonal timing, event presence, and major announcements can influence consumer recall in Saudi Arabia.
New York Times
14-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Settled Wolves side offers a glimpse of a happy post-Cunha future
No doubt Vitor Pereira answered the calls of Wolverhampton Wanderers supporters last night and got the drinks in to celebrate another big step towards Premier League safety. And why not? The last time Wolves achieved what they managed yesterday, their current head coach would have been sitting outside the taberna in his hometown of Espinho with the Portuguese equivalent of a bag of crisps and a bottle of Vimto. Advertisement Pereira was three years old when Wolves last recorded four successive victories in the top flight, back in January 1972. They matched that run yesterday by beating Tottenham Hotspur 4-2 in a breathless encounter. Even Nuno Espirito Santo did not muster as concentrated a run of Premier League victories as his countryman, who has managed it thanks to another Wolves rarity, with the club naming an unchanged starting line-up for five successive games for the first time in more than five years. If the 56-year-old's success in saving Wolves from the threat of relegation — safety could be confirmed mathematically as early as next weekend — can be attributed to one thing above all others, it is the consistency he has brought to the team. By the end of a reign that had brought its own high points but which unravelled spectacularly in its final months, Gary O'Neil appeared to be making changes for their own sake, trying out endless combinations, tactics and plans in a desperate effort to escape the sporting death spiral that was dragging his side towards the Championship. Pereira, who was a surprise choice to replace O'Neil when Wolves' patience finally snapped in December, has been the coaching antidote to the overcomplication that blighted the sad, final weeks of O'Neil at Molineux. Even before this sequence of unchanged personnel — which is unmatched since a run of five games under Nuno in December 2019 — Pereira had brought a level of tactical and emotional consistency that was missing during the dying days of O'Neil's reign. Since Pereira arrived to take charge with his side stuck in the bottom three, Wolves have played a consistent system with players in consistent roles, which they now understand instinctively. And the four-game winning run, which has formed part of a five-game unbeaten sequence, offers an encouraging glimpse of what life might be like next season without Matheus Cunha. The Brazil international is never far from the thoughts of Wolves fans, and just in case they were in danger of not discussing him in the build-up to yesterday's win, he sent out a cryptic social media post, which he deleted but not before it put him back at the centre of attention. Advertisement If that was the intention, it worked perfectly. If it was not, then it was pretty careless. And his angry Instagram reaction to fans' social media accounts picking up on his words spoke of a man who cannot live with the attention but cannot live without it. 'He is a special player,' said Pereira in his post-match press conference. 'But like everybody, like me, he needs the energy of love. He needs to feel he is important, that the people recognise his work for the team.' Which felt like a polite way of saying the same thing. Cunha's response to being left on the bench after a four-game suspension was creditable. He played as a second-half substitute, worked hard, scored with a fine finish at a time when Wolves needed a goal to steady their nerves, and then largely took a backseat in the post-match celebrations, even pushing goalscoring hero Jorgen Strand Larsen towards the South Bank at Molineux to take the acclaim. As for Larsen, he has been the biggest individual beneficiary of Cunha's absence and Pereira's consistent selections, becoming the first Wolves player since Henri Camara 21 years ago to net in four consecutive Premier League games. As the attacking focal point of a Cunha-less line-up, the Norwegian has found form in a team geared up to play to his strengths. And if the Brazilian is gone next season — as is widely expected and as Pereira appears to want to remove any distractions — there is clear encouragement that the team can function well as an attacking unit without him. The summer remains huge for Pereira and Wolves, with a host of fellow attackers likely to join Cunha and captain Nelson Semedo out of the door. But after five games in which their attacking talisman played just 20 minutes and Wolves collected 13 points, the prospect of managing without him looks a good deal less daunting than it did a month ago. Advertisement Fifty-three years ago – when Pereira was three years old, none of his current players were born, Instagram had not been conceived, and another centre-forward who combined the stature of Strand Larsen with some of the temperament of Cunha was leading the line for Wolves – was when they last won four games in a row at the top level. Derek Dougan scored 24 goals that season as Wolves finished ninth in the First Division and reached their only European final. They lost that game 2-1 to Tottenham. Yesterday's victory will have a much smaller place in Wolves history, but it offered more moments of hope to a coach whose consistency has changed the mood at Molineux.
CairoScene
10-04-2025
- Entertainment
- CairoScene
The Green Day of Zagazig: Vemto Builds a Dream From the Rooftop Up
A teenage band with messy hair, eyeliner, and giant hearts, Vemto is building a punk scene in Egypt's quietest corners. What Vemto is doing isn't just punk—it's punk in a place where punk shouldn'tWhen I met Vemto, I felt like I'd stepped into one of those '90s coming-of-age movies. You know the scene: you sneak into the older brother's room, and are immediately overwhelmed by the smell of hair gel and walls plastered with Nirvana and Green Day posters. Except here, the 'older brothers' in question are three teenage boys from Zagazig who welcome you in like an old friend and offer you a seat beside their amp. Vemto is made up of Mahmoud, Fares and Tohamy, a trio of 16 and 17-year-olds who look like they've walked straight off the set of 'Ten Things I Hate About You' if it had been recorded on a rooftop in Egypt. Despite the first impression some may have after seeing their messy hair and eyeliner, they're truly the kindest, most grounded kids I've met, handing me their skateboard to mess around with during their photoshoot and teaching me their own made-up punk handshake that I still can't quite get right. 'We are Vemto the band, we're 16 years old—well, not all of us, some just turned 17—and this is our interview with SceneNoise,' Mahmoud grins into the mic. It's chaotic, charming and completely them. Punk Starts in the Quietest Places Before there was a band, there were three boys trying to make sense of boredom, bullying, and that teenage restlessness that has nowhere to go in small towns. 'We were really hated in school,' Mahmoud tells me. 'So we decided to annoy people even more by making music.' The name 'Vemto' itself is an inside joke. 'Fares and I were arguing on a call,' Mahmoud says, half-laughing. 'I said Vimto was the best drink ever. He started swearing at me. I was like, cool—guess that's our band name now.' It stuck. Because of course it did. First Songs, First Stages Like most teenage bands, they started with covers. After a brief back-and-forth about which was their actual first, they land on 'Marigold' by Nirvana. 'That's the one,' Fares nods. The influence is clear—not just in the music, but in the way they carry themselves. A bit slouched, a bit sarcastic, but always present. Their first original track, 'مكحله عينها', was born out of impulse. 'We played it on a rooftop party,' Mahmoud says. 'It wasn't even supposed to be a gig—just 30 of our friends. But people loved it. We recorded it on a phone at first, then our manager Cherine Amr helped us clean it up. Put it on TikTok—and boom.' Now that rooftop has become their headquarters. 'We used to rehearse at a friend's house,' Tohamy says, 'but he kicked us out of the band and the house. So we built our own space on the roof. Got egg cartons for soundproofing. Spray-painted the walls.' The room there is punk-chaos incarnate: stacked cassettes, empty Vimto cans, a filthy old mattress, spray paint on everything, and this one dodgy fan that threatens to fall at any moment. It shouldn't work—but it does. It feels like home. Even the neighbours, who once complained about the noise, have grown used to it. 'They actually kind of like us now,' Fares smirks. Zagazig's Only Band (For Now) In a town where the most live music you'll hear is probably a wedding DJ, Vemto is something of a phenomenon. 'We're the only band in Zagazig,' Mahmoud shrugs. 'It's cool, but also… kinda lonely.' That solitude doesn't stop them—it fuels them. 'People have started dressing like us,' Fares says. 'More eyeliner. More hair dye. Some kids want to start bands now exist. No venues. No gear. No infrastructure. Just energy and heart and noise. And maybe that's why it hits different. No School, No Rules, Just Songs When the question of school is brought up, Mahmoud laughs. 'Ask them,' he says. 'I dropped out.' Fares and Tohamy are still technically students, but music is the real curriculum. 'We don't study,' Fares admits. 'We just play.' So far, it's been working. Ziad Zaza reached out. Sherine and Massar Egbari sent love and support. In the middle of all the chaos, they're finding recognition—not for being polished, but for being real. The Future's a Rooftop Away When asked what's next, Mahmoud responds, 'Maybe a tour? Banha, Mansoura… cities no punk band's been to before.' Their dream collab? 'MTM,' Mahmoud says. Fares nods. 'Or Green Day,' he grins, pointing to their faded band tees. And five years from now? 'Same rooftop. Same mattress. Same dodgy fan,' Mahmoud says. 'Waiting to perform at a party the next day.' The magic of Vemto isn't in the noise they make—it's in the space they create. A space where being loud, weird, kind, and passionate isn't just allowed—it's the whole point. A space that, for a moment, made me feel like a teenager again—skating across a dusty roof on a borrowed board, learning a punk handshake, and listening to someone play a song they just wrote. And maybe that's what punk's really about.
