49 Tony and Gary Hibberd
John O'Connell and Tim Allen Style in the City (new entry) The Style in the City boys beat Inventive Leisure to the idea of making their own flavoured vodka. The vodka focus was one reason why the companies came close to a merger a few years ago. Now Style in the City must be pleased it decided to stay independent, as it goes from strength to strength. Its chain of bars, which includes several Babushkas, Bed in Smithfield, and Nylon in the City, are set to turn over around £16m this year. Its latest venture is a bar and restaurant in Notting Hill in partnership with celebrity chef John Torode. The Nylon bar hosted the celebrity docu-soap The Club and its Babushka bar in Islington has been the setting for Channel Five's Live withChristian 0'Connell. But perhaps it is the company's innovative partnership with Laurel Pub Company that has created the most interest in the industry. The company has taken on four former Dome sites, which it runs on a 50/50 profit share with Laurel. Its bars are definitely money-spinners. Nylon took £55,000 in a single day during the World Cup last year although, admittedly England were playing Argentina.
