City diners get a chance to invest in a taste of the Orient

People & Business

City restaurant goers are about to be given a taste of "Asian fusion" courtesy of the Oriental Group, the Sri Siam, Sri Thai and Imperial City restaurant group which is coming to the stock market.

Michael Paterson, the former stockbroker who runs the group together with Hock Ann Chua, plans to open three more restaurants in the Square Mile. One will be a Pacific Rim restaurant which will combine Chinese, Thai and Malaysian food. But the group also has big plans for "Asian Fusion" which is Western food spiced up for the sterner palate. With Ken Hom, the top chef, designing the menus, this is unlikely to be chicken and chips with chillies and rice. But you have been warned.

London's Regent Street could be home to a new flagship store, according to whispers in mail order circles. Talbots, the US retail and mail order group, already has five UK stores and is looking for up to 20, including a centrepiece in London. The company's senior executives are in town this week sizing up potential locations, with Regent Street topping the list.

Arnold B Zetcher, Talbots president and chief executive officer, said: "We've thought of Bond Street and a couple of other locations but the top end of Regent Street looks interesting."

The company is also hoping to add its womenswear stores to Kensington High Street and two or three other sites. Its stores in Guildford and Kingston-upon-Thames are performing well though the Sheffield and Manchester branches have yet to fire on all cylinders.

John Towers, the former Rover chief executive who resigned following the takeover by BMW, has landed yet another boardroom post - his third this month. He has been appointed chief executive of Concentric, the West Midlands-based engineering group with effect from 1 October. He takes over from Robert Bruce, who is returning to the United States.

Earlier this month Mr Towers became a non-executive of B Elliott, the engineering group and the investment advisory board of Hambros European Ventures.

Professional business women are to have their own magazine. ProfessionElle is being launched tomorrow by the former IBM executive Hilarie Owen.

A kind of Marie Claire meets Fortune, the magazine is aimed at women who run their own businesses or are working up the corporate ladder in small or large firms. It will focus on inspirational role models as well as news and features. Cover story in the opening issue is the Crunchie Flying Circus, whatever that is.

Ms Owen has developed a mailing list of 80,000 for the first bi-monthly issue but hopes to sell the magazine on the newsstands soon.

"I just felt there was a need for a magazine for professional women. It won't trivialise things. Our message is `Find your own potential and fulfil it'."

Eurodollar, the car rental group, has renewed its sponsorship deal with Chelsea football club.

The non-cash deal sees the Chelsea players receive free cars (the manager, Ruud Gullit, chose an Audi) while Eurodollar takes advertising hoardings around the ground.

The sponsorship is more than just business for Eurodollar's managing director John Leigh. A fanatical Chelsea supporter, he takes the hospitality very seriously in the Eurodollar executive box.

"If people attend, they are there to watch Chelsea as far as he is concerned," says a spokeswoman. "He doesn't try to sell them anything."