Amanda Andrews: City Diary
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Sony BMG is most pleased with its new office space in Derry Street, Kensington. Not only do employees benefit from the great location and the bright, sweeping vistas, but sources at Sony BMG say that they have a view directly into the office of Guy Hands at the rival EMI's headquarters on neighbouring Wright's Lane. Mr Hands has not yet discovered his snooping rivals, but may I advise he invest in some blinds.
Sony BMG has decided to have open plan offices, a move that will affect even the group's most senior executives. This right-on approach, however, appears not to have impressed all members of staff. It is rumoured that Simon Cowell, famous for his high-waisted trousers and roles on X Factor and Britain's Got Talent, will be the only one to have his own office. Surely Mr Cowell, worth an estimated £112million, does not think that he is too important to mix with his Sony BMG colleagues?
— Charles Dunstone insists that he is not interested in money.“I have a healthy disrespect for money,” said the self-made multimillionaire, who announced this week that Best Buy had bought a 50 per cent stake in Carphone Warehouse's retail distribution business for £1.1 billion. He is at No 83 on the Sunday Times Rich List, with a fortune of £904million. Surely money has helped to fund his passion for sailing? Mr Dunstone is the proud owner of two yachts.
— Since Terminal 5 opened, there is nothing express about the Heathrow Express from Paddington. Reaching Terminal 4 now involves taking the Notexpress to Heathrow Central, then change to Heathrow Connect. The journey can take up to 45 minutes - ten minutes waiting at T4, five minutes on the train, 11 minutes waiting at Heathrow Central, 20 minutes to Paddington. Given that tickets cost £29 return, famously the most expensive rail route in the world, isn't it about time BAA cut the price?
— Sir Terry Leahy laughed off recent events which saw Tesco embroiled in a legal wrangle with Guardian Media Group. “After recent stories about us, you may have wondered if I would send my lawyer instead,” he joked yesterday at a Newspaper Society lunch.
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