Worldwide briefing

Essential news from around the world…

Burger King to go

Food and drinks giant Diageo has announced plans for a partial flotation of its Burger King subsidiary on the New York Stock Exchange. The move opens up the possibility of a de-merger or full flotation at a later date.

Aramark retains Boeing contract

Contract caterer Aramark has signed a new 10-year contract to feed 200,000 staff at aircraft maker Boeing across 103 sites in the USA. The deal has a turnover of about $70m a year.

Desert sale

Starwood Hotels & Resorts has completed the sale of the 715-bedroom Desert Inn Hotel and casino in Las Vegas to businessman Steve Wynn for about $270m.

Starbucks does lunch

Coffee bar chain Starbucks plans to have pre-packed sandwiches and salads on offer in up to 400 of its stores in the USA by the end of September. As yet it has no plans to start serving lunch in its coffee bars outside the USA.

Shark's off

Thai Airways has banned shark's fin soup from its in-flight menus. The decision is in response to passengers' concerns about the environment and the dwindling shark population. A recent study found 60,000 Pacific sharks were killed to make shark fin soup every year.

Kempinski focuses on management contracts

German hotel group Kempinski has sold two of its hotels in Germany for DM125m (£39.7m). The Kempinski Hotel Atlantic in Hamburg and the Kempinski Hotel Gravenbach in Frankfurt have been sold to a consortium of private investors but Kempinski will still run the hotels under a 20-year management contract.

More Tulips in Switzerland

Krasnapolsky Hotels' subsidiary Golden Tulip has taken over two hotels in Lucerne, Switzerland. The four-star Hotel Union and the three-star Hotel Kolping, which have 243 bedrooms between them, will undergo extensive refurbishment.