Uncommon profit in Parliament

A KIOSK 6ft by 3ft buried deep in the corridors of the House of Commons made a profit equivalent to pounds 3,040 a square foot last year from selling Parliament's Portcullis brand liquor, chocolates, cigarettes and souvenirs.

Actual sales by Joseph and Fidel, the Spanish staff, to MPs, staff and the odd visitor amounted to a more modest pounds 652,087, producing a gross profit of pounds 237,179.

But per square foot of floor space their acumen beats that of even Marks & Spencer's star store at Marble Arch, London, included in the Guinness Book of Records for its turnover of pounds 1,600 a square foot.

The kiosk, the only branch of the Commons refreshment department that makes money, is so successful that a second is planned for Westminster Hall, opening up the opportunity for thousands more visitors to buy everything from the favourite 'After Ten' chocolate mints to cased boxes of whisky tumblers.