Taylor St Baristas launches £750,000 crowdfunding campaign to expand wholesale arm and cafe partnerships: Taylor St Baristas has returned to crowdfunding platform Crowdcube in a bid to raise £750,000 as it expands its wholesale arm and cafe partnerships, Propel has learned. Founded in 2006 by siblings Nick, Andrew and Laura Tolley, Taylor St Baristas has opened more than 60 cafes through partnerships. Now having raised more than £1.8m in its previous Crowdcube campaign, the company has returned to the platform to support its strategy. It is offering 6.38% equity in return for the investment, giving the company a pre-money valuation of £11m. The campaign is currently in “stealth mode”, meaning it’s only open to select investors rather than the public. The Tolley siblings also founded the Harris + Hoole coffee chain with Tesco, selling their share to the supermarket company in 2016. Harris + Hoole has subsequently been bought by Caffe Nero. The pitch states: “As the market shifts, Taylor St aims to lead the charge by partnering with global companies. The first is a global partnership with Sodexo, which by cups sold is one of the world’s largest coffee retailers, selling circa one billion hot beverages annually. Over Read More

Patisserie Valerie’s new owner says business back on track as it laid bare state of company at takeover: Patisserie Valerie’s new owner has said the business is back on track as it laid bare the state of the company it bought in January. Matt Scaife, a partner at Dublin-based private equity firm Causeway Capital Partners, which bought Patisserie Valerie out of administration for £5m, described the shock at finding broken ovens, unpaid suppliers, and a leak in the roof at a key bakery site. Patisserie Valerie shocked investors last year when it revealed a multimillion-pound black hole in its accounts that soon sank the business. Scaife told The Guardian: “As soon as we arrived the extent of the under-investment became increasingly apparent. There were ovens that had been broken for several months, and there was a leak in the bakery roof. Suppliers were often left unpaid, while new ones were sought. When someone decides to stop using butter in the puff pastry – in a patisserie - you know that something serious has happened." Six months on from the buyout the “new” Patisserie Valerie is looking much brighter, Scaife said, with plans to replace the outlets’ salmon and brown colour Read More

  Burger King UK looks to ramp up expansion: Burger King UK, the Bridgepoint-backed chain, is looking to open at least 90 sites during the next three years. The Alasdair Murdoch-led group, which currently operates more than 500 sites, has appointed agent Lunson Mitchenall to aid its expansion plans. Lunson Mitchenall ’s occupier representation team will work with a group of joint agents to expand the UK business and its franchise partnerships. The fast food chain aims to open at least 30 outlets per year for the next three years. Sites are being sought ranging from 1,600 to 3,000 square feet in high footfall areas that don’t currently have a Burger King presence. Locations on the target list include transport interchanges, drive-thrus, retail parks, high-street locations and shopping centre food courts. Lunson Mitchenall will be responsible for sourcing outlets in East Anglia, the south east, south west and South Wales. Burger King UK property director Marc Balding said: “These are exciting times for the Burger King brand in the UK at present and I look forward to Lunson Mitchenall continuing to advise Burger King UK on our expansion.” Lunson Mitchenall director Matt Maynard added: “It is a really interesting time Read More

Tokyo Industries looks to exit four sites in ‘smaller UK towns’ as it focuses on international projects: Tokyo Industries, the bar and nightclub operator led by Aaron Mellor, is looking to exit four sites in “smaller UK towns” as the company focuses on international projects, Propel has learned. The company is seeking operators for its Tokyo venues in Bradford, Huddersfield, Lincoln and Oldham. Mellor told Propel: “Tokyo Huddersfield was one our first venues, in 2005. It is set in an incredible 1820s courthouse and has done amazing business for us but it’s time to change the offer. DJ-led talent alone in a town like Huddersfield can’t really work in terms of fees versus market capacity. We had also become heavily student dependant so a summer closure felt right. It’s a massive venue, built over a number of rooms and floors, and that needs volume to drive it – the local market is looking for something more commercial. As we become more excited on international projects, it seems the right time to move away from the smaller towns we operate in and look to lease on these original sites in Huddersfield, Lincoln, Bradford and Oldham. While the sites aren’t being formally Read More

Foxlow to close remaining sites: Foxlow, the neighbourhood restaurant from the founders of high-end steak brand Hawksmoor, is to shut its two remaining sites. Co-owner Will Beckett said the venues in Balham and Clerkenwell would close on Friday, 28 June as the company focuses on Hawksmoor. The group closed Soho Foxlow in April and sold the lease following the closure of Foxlows in Chiswick and Stoke Newington last year. Beckett, who owns both businesses with Hugh Gott, said: “After a fantastic six years we have made the decision to close the two remaining Foxlow restaurants. Once Soho closed, we started to receive further offers. We decided to sell Foxlow Clerkenwell and simultaneously close the Balham restaurant, which seems better to us than continuing to trade and leaving staff, suppliers and customers in a period of uncertainty. We’ll now focus on making sure those people are looked after in the right way. In the end we couldn’t see a future where Foxlow grew as a business. With Foxlow closed we will be able to focus exclusively on Hawksmoor, which continues to be extremely successful, and we are very proud it continues to thrive and grow. Many of the people who worked Read More

  Tonkotsu secures new investment as it eyes next phase of growth: Tonkotsu, the Emma Reynolds and Ken Yamada-founded ramen restaurant group, is planning further expansion after securing new investment from YFM Equity Partners, Propel has learned. YFM, which also backs healthy eating brand Friska, is investing £5m in the ten-strong Tonkotsu for a minority stake in the business. Reynolds and Yamada, who founded Tonkotsu in Soho in 2012, will continue to be involved in the business. At the same time, Propel understands entrepreneur and Dragons’ Den star Sarah Willingham, formerly of PizzaExpress and Bombay Bicycle Club, will become chairman of the business, which is led by managing director Stephen Evans and operates nine restaurants in London and one in Selfridges Birmingham, with two more due to open later this year in Peckham and Shoreditch. The company, which hopes to add a further three sites next year, is believed to have generated full-year turnover close to £7m. The company appointed advisers in October as it looked to secure new investment to fund its next stage of growth. The group appointed Grant Thornton and Will Baxter, of Dow Schofield Watts’ London office, to oversee the funding process. Propel revealed earlier this year Read More

Collins watching Arcadia situation closely as Loungers continues to build pipeline: Nick Collins, chief executive of cafe bar brand Loungers, has told Propel he’s keeping a close eye on the situation at Arcadia as his company continues to build its pipeline. Speaking on the back of Loungers’ full-year trading update, Collins said the pipeline for 2020 was “looking good”, while he was eyeing opportunities on an almost daily basis for the Lounges and Cosy Club brands, which now total 148 sites. Arcadia, owned by Sir Philip Green, is looking to shut 48 stores across brands such as Topshop and Miss Selfridge under seven different company voluntary arrangements (CVAs) as it bids to avoid administration. A proposed vote on the CVAs has been adjourned for a week while discussions continue with a “few landlords” and Collins said he was watching developments “with interest”. He added: “We are where we would expect to be in terms of the pipeline. We’re watching the Arcadia process closely. Given we mostly convert A1 sites to A3, there are certainly properties that might provide more opportunity for us, as may other CVAs that arise. We’re going through those opportunities and we’re in a good position to Read More

Flat Iron seeks further restaurant opening before August as it reports turnover boost: Flat Iron, the “single steak” dining concept backed by private equity firm Piper, is seeking a further opening before August while its mature sites are delivering “very strong” sales. Flat Iron said its two most recent restaurant openings – in London’s Caledonian Road and Tooley Street – were both trading ahead of expectations. The company, which has seven sites in the capital, has also made significant investment in its operations team to support growth. The announcement comes as Flat Iron reported turnover increased 23.6% to £14,476,916 for the year ending 26 August 2018, compared with £11,715,100 the year before despite not opening any sites. Adjusted Ebitda was down slightly to £1,303,054 compared with £1,352,083 the year before, according to accounts filed at Companies House. Gross profit margin fell to 31.4%, compared with 33.5% the previous year. In their report accompanying the accounts, the directors stated: “As noted in last year’s report, having witnessed other restaurant operators struggling in the sector the directors decided to slow the opening of sites to monitor the increased availability of prime locations being offered to the company. This, together with construction delays Read More

O’Riordan becomes Caravan chairman: Jane O’Riordan, former group strategy director at Nando’s, has joined London-based restaurant, bar and coffee-roasting concept Caravan as chairman, Propel has learned. Earlier this year, O’Riordan became chairman of Caribbean restaurant chain Turtle Bay and also of Flight Club. O’Riordan has extensive knowledge of the leisure and hospitality space. She was managing director of Yellowwoods Associates (formerly Capricorn Associates) – a private equity and venture capital advisory firm involved in the strategic development of companies such as Nando’s and PizzaExpress. She was also director of strategy on the main board of Nando’s and is currently a member of the advisory board of Piper, the private equity company that backed Turtle Bay in 2013. O’Riordan also founded Antipodean-style cycling cafe and restaurant concept The Dynamo in Putney, south west London. Active Partners-backed Caravan operates five London sites – in King’s Cross, the City, Exmouth Market, Bankside and Fitzrovia. In February, co-founder Laura Harper-Hinton labelled trading at those sites as “fantastic”, with like-for-like sales up about 10%. Caravan founders Harper-Hinton, Miles Kirby and Chris Ammermann will launch a venture at The Pavilion in Chelsea this autumn featuring a new name, menu and design. Provenance Inns returns to pre-tax Read More

Coco di Mama experiencing ‘strong’ like-for-like growth, plans at least six sites in next 12 months: Azzurri Group-owned quick service Italian concept Coco di Mama is currently seeing "strong" like-for-like growth and aims to open another six sites in the next 12 months, Propel has learned. The announcement comes as Coco di Mama prepares to open its 22nd site, in Bishopsgate in the City of London, on Wednesday (5 June), with another outlet opening in Southbank next month. Head of brand Sara McCraight said the company had strong expansion plans, with growth remaining focused on London for the moment. She added: “We are currently seeing strong like-for-like sales growth and looking at various options in terms of our expansion as we continue to grow our brand awareness. We’re aiming for at least another six new sites over the next year.” Coco di Mama is best known for its made-to-order pasta that is customisable. The brand also serves Italian-inspired breakfast, salads, sandwiches and Allpress speciality coffee. The design of the Bishopsgate store features Milan-inspired modern interiors and features a hand-painted art wall by a local artist. Coco di Mama has chosen Bishopsgate for its latest site because it is a “high-energy Read More

Coppa Club reports 8.9% growth in like-for-likes for second quarter as it ramps up expansion: Coppa Club, the Hugh Osmond-backed concept, has reported an 8.9% growth in like-for-like sales in its second quarter as it ramps up expansion. The period covering January to March was boosted by the launch of summer igloos at Coppa Club Tower Bridge, which led to a 75% increase in pre-booking sales during the opening weekend compared with the same period last year. The brand, which operates five sites in London and the south east, is set to open its next venue in Berkshire in July as part of the £12m refurbishment of Osmond’s Thames-side venue The Swan at Streatley. The venue will be the biggest club to date, with a riverside terrace, library, lounges, gym and 47 bedrooms. As reported by Propel last week, another Coppa Club will launch in Brighton in August. Various Eateries group chief executive Sue Walter said: “Despite the challenges and uncertainty in our sector there remains one constant – people want to feel a sense of belonging and connection. We work hard to understand and integrate into our communities. This, along with our focus on delivering the best possible guest Read More

Pret to make Belgian debut: Pret A Manger, the JAB Holdings-owned chain, is to make its debut in Belgium. Pret has partnered with SNCB/NMBS, which is the national railway company of Belgium, and UK-based transport hub foodservice specialist SSP Group to open sites in two Brussels railway stations. The outlets at Brussels Midi and Brussels Central will open this year offering Pret’s traditional menu. Michael Haley, partnerships managing director at Pret, said: “We are delighted our first shops in Belgium will open soon. Our partnership with SSP began in France several years ago and we’re looking forward to working with it to open our first shops in Brussels.” Gérard d’Onofrio, managing director of SSP France and Benelux, added: “We are thrilled to partner with SNCB/NMBS and Pret to introduce an innovative new food and drink concept to Brussels. We’re looking forward to working with Pret to provide passengers at busy train stations in the city with Pret’s organic coffee and freshly prepared baguettes, salads and hot food.” Last week, Pret agreed a deal to buy circa 90-strong rival EAT, which was placed on the market earlier this year. Pret said in response to growing consumer demand for more vegetarian and Read More

TRG launches Indian delivery concept: The Restaurant Group (TRG), the Wagamama and Frankie & Benny’s operator, has launched a new delivery brand called Pyjama Hotel, Propel has learned. Propel understands TRG has taken space at the Foodstars unit in Battersea to produce the new Indian-style concept, which can be ordered through Just Eat or UberEats. Pyjama Hotel is describes itself as offering “a festival of Indian flavours, bringing colourful, vibrant, Indian favourites and new dishes to your door”. Propel understands TRG is also working on a further concept, which has the working title Jumping Pans. TRG already operates a number of virtual brands out of its Frankie & Benny’s and Chiquito estates, including Burger Burger and Kick Ass Burrito. Wagamama also operates out of the Deliveroo Editions site in Battersea. Earlier this year, it was revealed City Storage Systems, the delivery company run by former Uber boss Travis Kalanick, had acquired London “dark kitchens” company Foodstars last year. Foodstars, which was founded in Bethnal Green in 2015, now operates kitchen spaces across London, which it leases to restaurants focusing on selling food through delivery apps. Westbourne Leisure reports turnover and profit boost: West Midlands-based pub, restaurant and hotel operator Westbourne Read More

Patrick Dardis – Young’s has at least £70m available for acquisitions: Patrick Dardis, chief executive of London pub retailer Young’s, has told Propel the company has at least £70m available for acquisitions and can raise more if required. The funds will be available in July and Dardis said the company, which bought 15-strong Redcomb Pubs at the start of the year for £34m, was eyeing “various opportunities” ranging from companies with a “couple of sites” to “slightly larger” businesses. Speaking following Young’s full-year results, Dardis said: “We have got plenty of firepower to do deals and if something came up that needed a bit more money, we could raise those funds if needed. A lot of these opportunities are coming up from people approaching us rather than the other way round, and I think that says a lot about our reputation.” As well as potential deals and reopening previously acquired sites, Dardis said the company had a number of major capital projects planned, including a £4.6m investment in the Dog & Fox in Wimbledon, south west London. Dardis added Young’s also planned to revamp the Redcomb sites – “probably half this year and the other half next year” – meaning Read More

Jamie Oliver’s UK restaurant business ‘lost more in one year than it ever made in profit’: Jamie Oliver’s UK restaurant business lost £29m in one year – £5m more than it ever made in profit. The findings by the Daily Mail led to a high-street expert claiming the business “should have hit the panic alarm years ago”. The £29m loss in 2017 came to light after it emerged banks and suppliers could pursue Oliver personally for debts built up after he provided guarantees following a restructure two years ago. Oliver put his UK restaurant business into administration on Tuesday (21 May), which resulted in 22 of the 25 sites being shut and 1,000 staff made redundant. The latest accounts for Oliver’s main restaurant business, Jamie’s Italian, show the company made a loss of more than £29m on a turnover of £100m in 2017. However, in all its seven years in the black – 2009 to 2015 – the firm netted only £24m. In fact, despite turning over more than three quarters of a billion pounds between 2008 and 2017, Jamie’s Italian made a net loss of £15m during the period. Oliver’s Fifteen restaurant in Hoxton was operated by a different Read More

Coffeesmiths Collective appoints Willson-Rymer as chairman: Coffeesmiths Collective, the parent company of Department of Coffee and Social Affairs (DoCaSA), has appointed Darcy Willson-Rymer, former managing director of Starbucks UK and Ireland and current chief executive of convenience store chain Costcutter, as non-executive chairman, Propel has learned. Willson-Rymer, who spent more than four years as head of Starbucks UK and Ireland, was previously chief executive of Clinton Cards. Professor Stefan Allesch-Taylor, group chairman of Coffeesmiths Collective, said: “With his extensive experience in the coffee and retail sectors coupled with a passion for coffee, Darcy understands the opportunity the sector represents. Having Darcy as non-executive chairman of Coffeesmiths Collective, our rapidly growing UK retail business, means we’ll benefit from his expertise and guidance at this exciting time in our business’ development.” Willson-Rymer said: “The consumer love affair with coffee continues to grow. I see that every day from our retailers at Costcutter and I’m excited by the considerable opportunity for Coffeesmiths Collective to service the growing trend for speciality coffee shops. I look forward to working with the board at Coffeesmiths Collective as we look to build the business further in the UK and beyond.” Coffeesmiths Collective has made a number of Read More

Byron appoints Sophie Michell as food and drink director: Better burger brand Byron has appointed chef and food writer Sophie Michell as food and drink director. In her new role, Michell will use her extensive experience to develop all of Byron’s food and drink recipes, driving the brand’s menus in an “exciting new direction”. She joins Byron, which is backed by private equity firm Three Hills Capital, having worked in professional kitchens for more than 20 years, including executive chef of Belgraves Hotel and Home House. Michell is also part of the team behind Gorgeous Kitchen at Heathrow Terminal 2. Michell has also forged a career as a food writer and television presenter, publishing eight cookbooks and hosting television shows such as Cook Yourself Thin. Byron chief executive Simon Wilkinson said: “Sophie’s appointment is the first key strategic initiative in our overall plan to position the brand to be the best in what is a rapidly changing market. Sophie has forged an impressive career and we’re delighted she will join Byron as food director. Sophie’s expertise, passion and enthusiasm for food will put new ideas and energy into Byron’s recipes and menus as we drive the brand forward.” Michell added: Read More

Established sector operators ramp up virtual brands roll-out: The Restaurant Group (TRG) and Casual Dining Group (CDG) have both made significant inroads into the virtual delivery sector, including the launch of a couple of brands. At the same time, PizzaExpress has launched a dedicated PizzaExpress Vegan delivery option out of a number of its sites across the country. CDG has already rolled out virtual brand Blazing Bird across about 40 of its Las Iguanas sites and has quietly launched a further brand – Bang Bang Burritos – out of a similar number of restaurants. The James Spragg-led company also operates virtual brands Stack & Grill and Chef & Rooster out of some of its Cafe Rouge sites, and Mac N Shack out of some of its Bella Italia restaurants. At the same time TRG, which launched virtual brands Burger Burger and Kick Ass Burrito last year through its Frankie & Benny’s and Chiquito concepts respectively, has added a further two virtual brands to its portfolio. Through Chiquito it now offers the Cornstar Tacos virtual brand in circa 40 sites, while the new Birdbox brand, which focuses on chicken and burgers, is available through Frankie & Benny’s. Wasabi ‘trading strongly’ so Read More

Administrators’ investigations into Burning Night provide ‘foundation for action against third parties’: Administrators of bar company Burning Night Group have revealed their ongoing investigations have “provided the foundation for actions against third parties that could lead to recoveries for the benefit of the estate”. In their progress report Andrew Mackenzie and Julian Pitts, of Begbies Traynor, said the administration process was “complex”, while a “significant number of matters needed to be dealt with”. The report stated: “We have a duty to examine the conduct of the company and its directors to identify what assets are available to realise for the benefit of the creditors, including any actions against directors or other parties, such as challenging transactions at undervalue or preferences. Detailed forensic investigations have been carried out (and are ongoing) into the conduct of the company, its directors and other connected third parties. This has included examining the company’s books and records in our possession, both electronic and hard copy, information provided by third parties, creditors and the company’s advisors. Our in-house forensic team has carried out detailed investigations and forensic analysis of the company’s records, including bank statement analysis and forensic review of the company’s accounting systems. Considerable investigative Read More

Industry leaders secure debut site for quick service chicken brand Chiktopia:Chiktopia, the better chicken concept led by former Ole & Steen UK operations director Alastair Gordon and backed by a group of senior industry figures, has secured its debut site. The concept will open at the new multimillion-pound leisure extension at Intu Lakeside, Essex, in July. The 120-cover site will serve fried and grilled chicken burgers and tenders, skinny fries, salads, wraps, vegan and vegetarian options and thick dairy shakes. Gordon told Propel the team would be concentrating on the Lakeside site this year to make sure the offer was "absolutely right" before looking at potential expansion. He said: "We think we have a compelling offer with an excellent price point that I think will surprise a lot of people, but the rest of this year will be about spending the time working out what works and what doesn't. We've been in this game long enough to know we can't just start a mass roll-out. When you look at our competitors – Nando’s, KFC and McDonald's – they are flourishing in the current market, so we think this is a great time to be launching.” Chiktopia’s advisers include Dan Einzig, Read More

The Restaurant Group to open first Food & Fuel site since acquisition: The Restaurant Group (TRG) will open its first Food & Fuel site since it acquired the 11-strong business last year in a circa £15m deal. The company is transforming its Cafe Rouge site in Strand On The Green, Chiswick, ahead of relaunching it in July as The Steam Packet. The Cafe Rouge venue closed on 17 March having been at the location since 2005. Previously the site was occupied by Dome restaurant and the venue will revert to its former guise in the 1870s as the Steam Packet pub. Food & Fuel also operates The Roebuck in Chiswick High Road. Meanwhile, TRG-owned pub business Brunning & Price will open the Plough & Harrow in the Malvern Hills and The Roe Deer near Kidderminster this summer. At its full-year trading update last week, TRG said its six single-site Brunning & Price acquisitions were trading well and it expects to open at least seven venues in 2019. It added: “We have now refurbished three of the Ribble Valley sites and these are delivering a sales uplift in excess of 30% post-refurbishment. The Food & Fuel sites are trading in line Read More

Capdesia sees ‘amazing potential’ in Wasabi, eyes franchising: London-based private equity firm Capdesia, which late last week acquired a minority stake in Wasabi, has told Propel its sees “amazing potential” for the sushi and bento brand in the UK and internationally. Capdesia invested in the 60-strong business last week, with co-investment coming from Sushiro Global Holdings, Japan’s largest publicly-listed sushi chain operator, and Regis Group, a leading US and UK asset manager. Ashton Crosby, co-founder and managing director of Capdesia, told Propel the immediate focus would be to make the business even more robust, with new processes set to implemented. He said the new investors were convinced there were a “significant amount of opportunities for the business, both in the UK and overseas”. He said: “With a price point just north of McDonald’s, strong customer loyalty and a healthy product, the potential for expansion is enormous.” Propel understands Capdesia will look to complement the existing management team led by founder Dong Hyun Kim and has already appointed Randeep Bansal, who was previously head of estates at Pret A Manger, as Wasabi’s new property director. Propel understands the company will also look to hire someone in franchising when it starts to explore Read More

Strong sales across board driving Wetherspoon like-for-like growth: JD Wetherspoon chairman Tim Martin has told Propel strong sales across the board are helping drive its like-for-like growth. Like-for-like sales increased 7.6% and total sales were up 8.4% in the 13 weeks to 28 April 2019. Year to date, like-for-like sales have increased 6.8% and total sales have risen 7.6%. Martin said: “Gin, craft beer, coffee, ale and soft drinks have all been strong. The ‘old favourites’ such as fish and chips are doing well but so are smashed avocado muffins and vegetarian meals. We try to keep price rises as modest as possible.” Martin said the company has now spent about a quarter of a billion pounds on freehold reversions in the past six or seven years, with £70.9m in the current financial year. He added: “It increases financial risk through exposure to banks but makes modest savings on rent versus interest. I believe further spending on that front for the rest of the year will be modest.” Wetherspoon is set to open five pubs in the current year and Martin hopes the rate will eventually step up again as the company reorganises its estate having previously over-expanded in some Read More

Last-minute restaurant deals app Wriggle returns to Seedrs in bid to raise £600,000: Last-minute restaurant deals app Wriggle has returned to crowdfunding platform Seedrs in a bid to raise £600,000 for its next stage of growth. The company, which was launched in Bristol in 2014 by Rob Hall, acts as a restaurant discovery tool and offers users same-day discounts to fill excess capacity. It is offering 10.45% equity in return for the investment, giving the company a pre-money valuation of £5,140,320. At time of going to press, the campaign was already 85% funded after 155 investors pledged £510,555. The pitch states: “Wriggle is a market-leading eat-out transactional platform in three cities – Bristol, Brighton and Cardiff – with a model currently generating more than 20,000 transactions per month (March 2019). After keeping things tight and proving our model, Wriggle is ready to scale up and attack our vision of creating a national consumer champion, supporting the best eat-out establishments across the country. This round of investment is to achieve three things. Firstly, geographic growth with launches in new cities across the UK. Secondly, to grow revenue within existing cities. We have only just begun in existing markets and will continue Read More

Corbin & King lines up second Wolesley site, gets go-head for Soho seafood restaurant: London-based restaurant group Corbin & King is set to open a second Wolesley restaurant in the city. The company is planning to open the venue in a former House of Fraser store near London Bridge. The 98,000 square foot building in King William Street has been bought by US private equity firm Ares Management, which plans to convert the ground floor of the building to a restaurant, which will be the second London location of the Wolseley. The upper floors of the nine-storey building will be refurbished as offices, reports Biznow. Meanwhile, Corbin & King has also been granted permission for a proposed seafood restaurant in Soho. Westminster Council has given the go-ahead for the company’s plans at 1-8 Bateman’s Buildings, which will also incorporate 55 Greek Street. According to the planning documents, Corbin & King is proposing a 241-cover restaurant, with 44 additional covers on an outdoor terrace; a ground floor bar and dining room, and another, “more formal” dining room above, together with a private dining room. Last week, Corbin & King opened Soutine in St John’s Wood for its ninth venue in the Read More

BrewDog updates on bars pipeline, rolls out hot-desking initiative, crowdfunding campaign passes £2m: Scottish brewer and retailer BrewDog has updated on its bar pipeline while it has begun rolling out its hot-desking concept, DeskDog. The company has also seen its latest Equity for Punks crowdfunding campaign pass the £2m mark. BrewDog’s next bar will open in Market Street, Inverurie, on Friday, 17 May. On the same day it will unveil the new-look taproom for Hawkes Cider at its home in Druids Street, London. BrewDog invested in the cider producer last year. BrewDog’s next European site will open in Hamburg in June followed by its second French bar, in Nice. Meanwhile, its second brewpub – in Oxford Road, Manchester – is set to be its third opening of the month. BrewDog is also planning refurbishments for its two Leeds sites as well as venues in Japan, Brussels and Oslo. Renovations are also set to take place at two Draft House pubs – Tower Bridge and Columbia Road. Meanwhile, having trialled DeskDog at four sites, the company has rolled it out to about 30 venues, including Barcelona, Bristol, Oxford and York. Remote workers can pay £7 for access to Wi-Fi, unlimited coffee and Read More

Whitbread plans hub by Premier Inn trials in regional cities, UK growth focusing on returns rather than speed: Whitbread chief executive Alison Brittain has said the company is planning trials of its hub by Premier Inn format in regional cities and is focusing UK growth on “returns rather than speed”. The company has only opened hub by Premier Inns in London and Edinburgh so far, with ten sites across the two capitals. However, in a presentation to investors and analysts Brittain said the company would bring the format to other locations, with Bath, Manchester and Oxford among places identified as suitable. She said it was part of Whitbread’s plans to expand hub by Premier Inn as well as its new ZIP format, which gives the company a potential runway for growth in the UK beyond the 10,000 bedrooms announced at the capital markets day in February. Brittain said the debut ZIP site, which launched in Cardiff in February, was showing “promising signs” and was proving particularly popular on Saturday nights. She added: “We have got very clear line of sight in terms of growth and I don’t think we are reaching saturation point. In Germany we would like to accelerate Read More

Doughnut Time to hit dozen with latest London launches as it eyes further sites:Australian chain Doughnut Time has launched its latest London site, in Finsbury Avenue Square. The brand is catering to busy workers in the City from its food truck, Beverly. Doughnut Time will follow this by opening its 12th site in the capital, in Upper Street, Islington, on Saturday (4 May) as it looks to open more permanent sites as well as pop-ups. Owner Tom Anderson said: “Our London-wide roll-out continues at pace. We’re delighted to bring our food truck Beverly to City workers in Finsbury Avenue Square and can’t wait to bring all the hype and hysteria around Doughnut Time to the great people of Islington too. We now have a dozen stores and agreements in place to open many more in the coming months. We’re continually looking for additional permanent sites as well as pop-up locations across the capital.” Doughnut Time is known for its pop culture-inspired doughnuts such as the Bueno Mars and Snicki Minaj. Damian Griffith founded Doughnut Time in 2015. It operates 23 sites in Australia. The company also operates the world’s first doughnut academy above its flagship Soho store. Paul looks at Read More

Olivier Blanc to launch ‘eco’ street kitchen concept in Wandsworth next month:Olivier Blanc, son of Raymond Blanc, is to launch an “eco” street kitchen concept in Wandsworth, south west London, in partnership with chef and food sustainability consultant Pascal Gerrard. StreetCube will open in the piazza of the Southside Centre next month. The concept will serve sustainable food to go while being committed to reducing CO2 levels, eliminating plastic waste and developing a food system that’s “regenerative, sustainable and healthier for people and the planet”. StreetCube kitchens will be placed in high-footfall locations in the UK, allowing chefs to open quickly on affordable, easy-in/out licences ranging from six months to more than five years and avoiding “crippling rents and premiums that force more than 95% of restaurants to close within the first year”. Blanc said: “We want to bridge the gap between cooking from a gazebo and struggling to open an A3 premises, which few independent chefs can afford. We want to facilitate and support better creativity, individuality and character for young independent chefs who can experiment and try new ideas in sustainable gastronomy.” Gerrard added: “We also want to make sure people have access to more affordable, organic, locally Read More

Adnams reports trading in pubs ahead of last year: Suffolk brewer and retailer Adnams has said trading in its pubs in the first quarter of 2019 has been ahead of last year. The company, which operates circa 45 managed and tenanted pubs in and around East Anglia, also said a new system aimed at countering cost and margin pressures in its drinks business had now “gone live”. It added the project, along with “continuing economic and political uncertainty” would have an impact on its first-half results. At its annual general meeting, the company stated: “In the first quarter of 2019 our beer volumes were ahead of the equivalent quarter of 2018 although the margin pressure we have reported in recent periods has continued. Our low-alcohol Ghost Ship (0.5% ABV) has made an excellent start in a fast-growing market and has very good prospects. Spirits volumes were down on 2018 as, despite strong market growth, our gins have faced increasing competition from a rapidly rising number of producers and a fast-expanding range of flavoured drinks. Our shops and pubs have traded well in the first quarter and are ahead of last year despite a smaller estate. We were pleased to launch Read More

YO! begins concessions trial with David Lloyd Clubs: YO! Sushi, the Richard Hodgson-led group, is to extend the concessions side of its operation after launching a trial within health and leisure business David Lloyd Clubs, Propel has learned. The group, which is currently in the midst of a two-site concessions trial with Tesco, has launched units in five David Lloyd sites in the UK – Beckenham, Cheadle, Hatfield, Milton Keynes and Leeds. The company told Propel the trial was “going exceptionally well”, with gym-goers appreciating the “high-quality fresh and healthy Japanese food we are providing”. The trial is part of the company’s focus on developing opportunities with retailers and health clubs. Late last year, YO! agreed a deal with Tesco to pilot YO! To Go counters at two UK stores – in Surrey and Bournemouth. Earlier this week, YO! announced it was to eliminate the conveyor belt from some of its restaurants in an attempt to broaden its appeal. It will establish its first restaurant without the kaiten belt snaking around the premises at Westfield shopping centre in east London. It will also remove the belt at its Manchester Piccadilly station site. Hodgson said the change was “probably the biggest Read More

Caravan team to launch new concept in Chelsea: The team behind London-based restaurant, bar and coffee-roasting concept Caravan is to launch a new venture in Chelsea’s Duke of York Square. Founders Laura Harper-Hinton, Miles Kirby and Chris Ammermann will launch the venture at The Pavilion this autumn, complete with new name, menu and design. Active Partners-backed Caravan currently operates five London sites – in King’s Cross, the City, Exmouth Market, Bankside and Fitzrovia. In February, Harper-Hinton told Propel current trading at those sites was “fantastic”, with like-for-like sales up about 10%. For the year to 30 June 2018, the company saw like-for-likes grow 1.3% against a “challenging backdrop of strong sales in the previous year” and disruptive weather. Total sales in the year grew 31.7%, from £7,186,391 to £9,435,682. The company took a small step back in terms of Ebitda year-on-year, down from £284,281 to £173,751, due to a one-off investment in additional head office capability and the “ongoing backdrop of cost increases affecting the businesses in our sector”. Speaking in February regarding potential expansion, Harper-Hinton said: “We are looking at a couple of things. We’re keen to keep growing but at a sensible pace while making sure we’re picking Read More

The Restaurant Group appoints new people and finance directors: The Restaurant Group (TRG) has appointed Bridget Hutchinson, formerly of Whitbread, Bill’s and Prezzo, as its new people director, Propel has learned. Hutchinson joins the Wagamama and Frankie & Benny’s operator after brief stints as interim people director at both Bill’s and Prezzo. Previous to that, she was interim head of HR shared services at Sainsbury’s and at Whitbread. TRG has also appointed Matt Crumpler as its new finance director. Crumpler only joined the business as financial controller in January, before being promoted at the start of this month. He was previously financial controller at Virgin Active for more than five years and before that a senior group reporting manager at Whitbread for more than two years. TRG is currently seeking a new chief executive, after announcing earlier this year current boss Andy McCue was to leave the business. One new name linked to the search process is former Spirit Pub Company chief operating officer Alan Morgan, who will leave the Rank Group later this summer. The listed casino and bingo operator confirmed the departure of Morgan as managing director of its UK retail business earlier this month. Morgan tendered his Read More

TRG boss sees remuneration fall after missing out on bonus: The Restaurant Group chief executive Andy McCue saw his remuneration drop in 2018 after missing out on his annual bonus, the company’s annual report has revealed. McCue, who announced in February he would step down for personal reasons, was paid a total of £729,500 for the year ending 31 December 2018, compared with £1,116,000 the previous year. This consisted of £515,500 salary, £113,000 in taxable benefits and £101,000 pension. In relation to bonus, the remuneration committee set adjusted profit before tax targets and like-for-like sales targets, which were not met, and stretching employee engagement targets, which were met in part. However, for any bonus potential to be paid the threshold of £57m adjusted profit before tax had to be achieved and, since this wasn’t reached, there was no bonus paid. McCue’s salary was raised 1.98% on 1 January 2019 to £525,500, while the average increase for managerial employees across the group was 2.1%. Meanwhile, Kirk Davis received total remuneration of £394,000 in his first full year in office, which consisted of £320,000 salary, £10,000 in taxable benefits and £64,000 pension. Davis has received a 2% salary increase to £362,100. For Read More

Bill’s reports like-for-likes up 12.2% in March as it rolls out next wave of new-look sites: Bill’s Restaurants, owned by Richard Caring, has reported like-for-like sales rose 12.2% in March as the company rolls out the next wave of new-look sites across its estate and eyes new sites. Bill’s has already converted 13 restaurants to the upgraded format and the company said these were all “significantly outperforming” the rest of the estate in like-for-like sales. A further 11 upgraded restaurants will open in the second quarter of this year, starting in Leeds. Bill’s founder Bill Collison, who is overseeing the new-look roll-out, said: “My aim is to create a welcoming and vibrant environment that transcends all dining times but, importantly, provides a trusted space customers feel comfortable in to have an evening meal.” Executive chairman David Campbell added: “The past six months have seen strong growth for Bill’s as we renewed our focus on healthy and indulgent seasonal food. The interior of the restaurants is also integral to our customer experience so with the new-look sites outperforming the rest of the estate, we are keen to expand the programme. We are also looking at some exciting new locations.” Collison founded Read More

TRG Concessions launches all-day grab-and-go concept for Eurostar passengers at St Pancras: The Restaurant Group (TRG) Concessions has opened a new all-day grab-and-go kitchen and bar concept, at the Eurostar terminal at St Pancras International in London. The company has launched The Station Pantry in a 1,416 square foot unit in the departure lounge, which has been developed with "Eurostar’s passengers and current food trends in mind". The Station Pantry is "premium, fast and fresh", offering speciality coffee, craft beer on tap and ample vegan and vegetarian food options. There is also a digital food and drink pre-ordering facility available to passengers via the Eurostar website and app. TRG Concessions managing director Nick Ayerst said: “We are delighted to add a new brand to our portfolio that will resonate with Eurostar’s passengers and provide great 'take on board' and sit-down meal options in the busy departure lounge.” Jonathan Fletcher, head of procurement and property at Eurostar, added: “We are thrilled to see our ongoing partnership with TRG Concessions bring a fresh dining and bar concept to the Eurostar lounge.” East Coast Concepts considers appeal after Neighourhood site in Manchester has licence revoked: East Coast Concepts is considering an appeal after Read More

Beannchor Group reports turnover passes £25m: Northern Ireland hospitality company Beannchor Group has reported turnover increased 9% to £25,811,900 for the year ending 30 June 2018, compared with £23,682,580 the previous year. Operating profit almost doubled to £11,196,442, compared with £5,670,818 the year before. Pre-tax profit was down to £2,054,680 compared with £3,183,296 the previous year, according to accounts filed at Companies House. In their report accompanying the accounts, the directors stated: “Competition in the market place remains strong. That said, turnover increased by £2,129,320 (9%) in the year following the opening of a hotel in October 2017 and the acquisition of a number of licensed establishments. The directors consider the results for the year to be satisfactory. The external commercial environment is expected to remain competitive. While the directors expect a difficult trading year ahead they will continue to seek every opportunity to increase turnover and operating profit where possible.” Beannchor Group owns pubs, hotels and restaurants across Northern Ireland including National Grande Cafe/sixty6 and The Dirty Onion as well as eight Little Wing Pizzeria sites. Hubbox begins eastern promise after securing Portsmouth site: Hubbox, the Richard Boon-led restaurant business, is to make a first move out of its Read More

Azzurri Group appoints new finance directors for ASK and Zizzi: Azzurri Group, the Bridgepoint-backed operator, has appointed new finance directors for its two casual dining brands, ASK Italian and Zizzi, Propel has learned. Karen Sweetman has joined Zizzi as finance director from Navitas, having previously worked at Homebase as head of trading finance and business accounting services. The appointment follows the recent promotion of Chris Webb to finance director of ASK Italian. Azzurri chief executive Stephen Holmes told Propel: “Karen’s appointment reflects the brand’s ongoing success in the UK as well as its continued expansion into Ireland and, most recently, China. Chris has worked for Azzurri Group for seven years and his appointment as finance director is a reflection of ASK’s leading position in the Italian casual dining sector and its ability to develop talent through to senior positions within the business.” Both roles continue to report into Lindsay Dunsmuir, Azzurri Group chief financial officer. Dunsmuir joined Azzurri last year from Maplin replacing Jim Pickworth, who had been with Azzurri for 11 years. Pickworth subsequently joined New World Trading Company as its chief financial officer. Operators secured for new Westfield London food court: The first tranche of operators, including Pizza Read More

Coaching Inn Group reports turnover and Ebitda boost: Coaching inn operator The Coaching Inn Group has reported a 24% increase in sales as turnover hit £24.7m for the 52 weeks to 31 March 2019. The company saw turnover reach £24.7m, up from £20.0m in the previous year. Like-for-like sales were up 8.3% during the period, with weekly net sales averaging £32,200 per site across the estate. While audited accounts have yet to be produced, the company is forecasting a 52% increase in underlying Ebitda to £3.2m, up from £2.1m in 2018, as well as an increase in site Ebitda to £5.7m – an annualised average of more than £385,000 per site – as the business grew to 15 sites after acquiring the Swan Hotel in Stafford at the end of June, bringing the estate to 431 bedrooms in total. The company also announced plans for further investment in its estate with more than £750,000 to be spent in the next three months on refurbishment projects at the Feathers Hotel in Ledbury and the Talbot Hotel in Oundle. Chief executive Kevin Charity said: “It has been another excellent year for the company and we have achieved a great deal over the Read More

Wagamama appoints new chief marketing officer: Wagamama, The Restaurant Group-owned business, has appointed Ross Farquhar as its new chief marketing officer, Propel has learned. Farquhar was previously managing partner at Grey London, looking after key accounts such as Lucozade Ribena Suntory and acting as the European business lead for Proctor & Gamble. He also spent more than six years at the creative agency as managing partner. Farquhar will report into Emma Woods, who stepped up to chief executive of Wagamama at the turn of the year on completion of its acquisition by The Restaurant Group. In September, Woods’ former role of chief growth officer was taken by Caroline Cromar, Pret A Manger’s former brand director. Earlier this month, Wagamama reported turnover increased 13.2% to £81.6m in quarter three to 3 February 2019, with 9.1% UK like-for-like sales growth and 10% US like-for-like sales growth. Grind closes crowdfunding campaign after hitting £3.5m capped target: Coffee and cocktail brand Grind has closed its campaign on crowdfunding platform Crowdcube after hitting its capped £3.5m target. The company’s initial target of £1.35m was smashed within 24 hours of the campaign going public. Grind was offering 6.12% of its equity for the £1.35m investment, giving Read More

True financial position of Patisserie Valerie prior to administration still not determined: The true financial position of Patisserie Valerie prior to its collapse into administration has still to be determined, according to a new document. A progress report by its administrators, KPMG, said analysis by a team of forensic accountants had concluded the accounts had been overstated by about £94m – more than twice the previous estimate of £40m. But the true financial position is still not fully known, according to a notice of the statement of affairs, which has just been filed at Companies House. In his statement of concurrence, former chairman Luke Johnson said: “Serious accounting irregularities were discovered in the company’s and group’s accounts in October/November 2018. These resulted in the corruption of the group’s accounting record and possible significant accounting misstatements in its past audited financial statements, including thousands of historic erroneous bookkeeping entries. According to the forensic accountants investigating the matter, the misstatement of the company’s accounts was extensive, involving significant manipulation of the balance sheet and profit and loss accounts. As a result it is my understanding it hasn’t been possible to complete the statement of affairs for the company to the normal required Read More

Deep Blue Restaurants expects further expansion in 2019, turnover up 59.5%:Fish and chip brand Deep Blue Restaurants has taken its UK portfolio to 35 sites and expects further expansion this year. The company has added sites in Paulsgrove in Hampshire; Bridlington, Catterick and Helmsley, all in Yorkshire; and Barnard Castle in County Durham to the estate over the past 12 months. The group said its acquisition pipeline remained strong while the rebranding programme relating to the eight outlets that don’t carry the Deep Blue brand would continue in 2019, funded by cash flow. The announcement comes as Deep Blue Restaurants reported sales increased 54.5% to £11,649,226 for the year ending 25 September 2018, compared with £7,541,402 the year before. Ebitda, including central costs, rose 68.9% to £908,384, compared with £537,598 the previous year following the acquisition of ten stores during the period and the disposal of its Harrogate outlet. Site Ebitda was up to £1,919,938 compared with £1,381,789 the year before, while like-for-like sales grew 2.2%. Gross margin reduced to 67.3% compared with 68.5% the previous year due to the “continued effects of food inflation and reduction in the value of sterling”. Due to a combination of £4.19m debt conversion Read More

New-York based hotdog concept Nathan’s Famous lines up UK sites: New-York based hotdog concept Nathan’s Famous is heading to the UK. Sites have been lined up in Bournemouth and Southampton with RBA Restaurants UK, which has a registered address in Christchurch, leading the roll-out in Britain. RBA Restaurants UK has applied to Bournemouth Council to move into the former Heroes karaoke bar in Jaycee House in Old Christchurch Road, reports the Daily Echo. In its planning statement, RBA Restaurants UK said an outlet was also proposed in Southampton. The application stated: “The vibrancy and the popularity of the area has encouraged the American restaurant chain Nathan’s Famous to venture into the UK. It is a worldwide company founded in Brooklyn, New York, in 1916. The original Nathan’s Famous hotdog stand has opened every day and still operates in Coney Island.” That stall was founded by Polish immigrant Nathan Handwerker and launched with a Fourth of July hotdog eating contest that survives to this day. Splendid Restaurants transforms two former Jack & Alice sites into new concept Coluco: Splendid Restaurants is transforming two former Jack & Alice sites into cafe bar concept Coluco. The company has launched the format in Tring, Read More

Pret A Manger rolls out free filtered water fountains to 250 UK stores: Pret A Manger, the JAB Holdings-owned group, has further rolled out filtered water fountains to its UK stores in a bid to help customers cut their use of plastic bottles. The move means 250 of Pret’s UK stores now offer free filtered water through the initiative. All the stores are listed on the Refill app and anyone can “fill up for free”, regardless of whether they make a purchase at Pret. There are plans to install 35 more units this year, which would make free filtered water available in more than 95% of Pret stores. In the 90 sites where it wasn’t operationally possible to install fountains, free filtered water is available behind the counter for people to want to refill their water bottles. Laura Gutowski, Pret A Manger director of strategy and sustainability, said: “We have installed filtered water fountains in all our shops with enough space front of house. The fountains are easy to spot and we want everyone – not just Pret customers – to feel able to come in and fill up for free without hesitation. If each of our water stations is Read More

Le Pain Quotidien to give entire service charge to staff: Belgian restaurant and boulangerie brand Le Pain Quotidien is ending its practice of pocketing some of the service charge left by customers for its staff. Currently, all bills have a 12.5% service charge added as standard – but 40p in every £1 of this is kept by the company. That rate was cut from 60p in the £1 in November. From next month, the whole service charge will be distributed in a “fair” way among staff in Le Pain Quotidien’s 30 UK sites in and around London. The government has promised to pass laws to end the practice of restaurants keeping tips – but these have yet to materialise. Dave Turnbull, Unite regional officer, told The Mail on Sunday: “It’s good [Le Pain Quotidien] has at last woken up to the need to be fair and transparent on tips and service charge. We very much hope other companies will follow Le Pain Quotidien’s lead.” A Le Pain Quotidien spokeswoman said: “We have been working with an independent management company to distribute the service charge in total in a fair and equitable way for all participants.” Young joins Wadworth as operations Read More

YO! seeks to consolidate restaurant estate: YO! Sushi, the Mayfair Equity Partners-backed group, has placed a package of six UK sites on the market as it looks to consolidate its restaurant estate and further pivot towards becoming a multi-channel, multi-platform business. Propel has learned the Richard Hodgson-led group has appointed property advisor GCW to market its sites in Aberdeen Bon Accord, Bath, Chelmsford, Glasgow Fort, Oxford and in the Whiteley Shopping Centre, Hampshire. The company, which operates circa 70 sites in the UK, has already closed the sites in Aberdeen, Bath and Oxford. During the past 18 months the company has moved to diversify its business model by acquiring Bento Sushi, one of the largest sushi brands in North America, and leading wholesaler Taiko to meet growing demand for sushi via restaurants, kiosks and supermarkets. A YO! Sushi spokesman said: “As is normal with a large and established brand, we continually review our estate to make sure we have the best proposition in the right site and right location. In line with the wider company strategy to focus on building a multi-brand, multi-platform business, we have decided to consolidate parts of the current restaurant estate, including these six restaurants.” Late Read More

YFM in advanced talks to back Tonkotsu: Leeds-based investment firm YFM Equity Partners is in talks to back Tonkotsu, the Emma Reynolds and Ken Yamada-founded ramen concept, Propel has learned. It is understood YFM, which also backs Friska, Bagel Nash and leisure brand Go Outdoors, is in advanced talks to take a stake in ten-strong Tonkotsu and back its ongoing expansion. Tonkotsu, which is led by Stephen Evans, former development director of Gourmet Burger Kitchen, appointed advisers in October as it looked to secure new investment to fund its next stage of growth. The group appointed Grant Thornton and Dow Schofield Watts to oversee the funding process. London-based Tonkotsu, which was founded by Reynolds and Yamada in Soho in 2012, is believed to have generated full-year turnover close to £7m. The business opened its latest site, at Dicken’s Yard, Ealing, in November. Tonkotsu also operates two concessions at Selfridges in Birmingham and London’s Oxford Street. It is thought to be close to opening a further site in Peckham, while a further opening for this year has been mooted for Shoreditch. YFM acquired a minority stake in healthy eating brand Friska for £3m in summer 2017 to support its expansion plans. Read More

Department for Coffee and Social Affairs takes on Nordic Bakery business:Department for Coffee and Social Affairs (DoCaSA), the fast-growing coffee chain and wholesaling group, has further strengthened its presence in central London by acquiring the Nordic Bakery business, Propel has learned. Scandinavian baker and coffee shop Nordic Bakery was sold out of administration last year for £40,000 to one of the company’s directors, Markku Launonen. It has disposed of three sites – in Covent Garden, New Cavendish Street and Dorset Street – but continued to trade from its flagship site in Golden Square, Soho. DoCaSA has now taken on the business from Launonen and will run the Golden Square site. The company’s parent company, Coffeesmith Collective, recently took a majority stake in Brighton-based, seven-strong Small Batch Coffee, which was previously backed by sector investor Luke Johnson. During the past few months it has also acquired Baker & Spice, the Patisserie Holdings brand; Bea’s of Bloomsbury; Tap Coffee; mobile coffee brand Café 2 U; and two Bristol-based independent coffee shops. The company has also acquired the Urban Tea Rooms business, which has sites in London’s Kingly Street and St James’s Market. At the same time, it has taken stakes in Bristol-based Read More

TRG enters supermarket concessions sector: The Restaurant Group (TRG) has become the latest operator to expand into the supermarket concessions sector with the trial of Lebanese and salad bar counter concepts with Sainsbury’s. The trial includes the launch of salad bar concept Grains and Greens in Sainsbury’s stores in Merton, south west London; Heyford Hill, Oxford; and Springfield, Chelmsford. At the same time Lebanese concept Mezze Box is being trialled at two of the retailer’s London stores, in Clapham High Street and Richmond. TRG follows YO! Sushi, Patisserie Valerie, Wasabi, Crussh and Azzurri Group-owned Zizzi in trialling counter concessions in UK supermarkets. As revealed by Propel last week, Zizzi recently ended its partnership with Sainsbury’s in which it piloted an in-store concession. The company launched the trial at the supermarket’s store in Balham, south London, at the end of 2017. Azzurri chief executive Steve Holmes told Propel: “We were testing to see if a ‘hot food to eat imminently’ occasion through this channel was a growth one as customers are increasingly looking to replicate restaurant experiences at home, as we see in the rapid growth of Deliveroo. Unfortunately, it seems customers are still very much in ‘grocery mode’ while shopping Read More

West Berkshire Brewery launches £3.5m fund-raise for next stage of growth:West Berkshire Brewery, the David Bruce-chaired group, is looking to raise up to £3.5m to aid further growth of its brewing and pub operations, Propel has learned. The fund-raise is understood to be the last chance to invest in the business under the Enterprise Investment Scheme. The funding will be used to support working capital demands, drive profitability through existing operations and additional capital expenditure where necessary, and pub acquisitions. Forecast revenues for the company for the year to the end of March 2019 are £6.6m, up 97% on the prior year, with the company targeting full-year turnover of more than £13m to the end of March 2020 with Ebitda of circa £1.3m. The company currently operates three pubs under its own vehicle – The Depot in Holloway; The Grapes in Oxford; and the Taproom & Kitchen at its brewery development – plus two London pubs, The Old Suffolk Punch in Hammersmith and The Oxford Tavern in Kentish Town under its Downing Pubs joint venture Maverick Pubs. Earlier this year, the group acquired The Grapes in Oxford’s George Street from City Pub Group. Last year, the company appointed long-time finance Read More

Zia Lucia founders plan pasta concept: The founders of the Zia Lucia pizza format plan to launch a pasta concept in Islington, north London. The pasta restaurant, Berto, will feature an open kitchen, 40-plus covers and a large counter. It is set to open in May close to the group’s Zia Lucia site in Holloway Road. Zia Lucia, which is Italian for “Auntie Lucia”, is the brainchild of Claudio Vescovo and Gianluca D’Angelo and launched in Holloway Road in 2016. It has since opened sites in Brook Green and Boxpark Wembley. It’s thought a fourth Zia Lucia site is set to open this summer, with Aldgate a mooted destination. The group is understood to have plans to open five restaurants in London during the next four years. Zia Lucia offers wood-fired pizza, with bases made from 48-hour fermented dough. The menu also features Italian-style starters, seasonal specials, salads and desserts. The drinks menu focuses on spritzers, negronis, bottled beer from Italy and local brewers, and wine and prosecco sourced from small Italian producers. VQ trials takeaway and delivery concept: VQ Restaurants, the extended-hours restaurant concept, is trialling a takeaway and delivery concept in Clapham, south west London, which it will Read More

Herman ze German to open first UK site outside London, in Birmingham next month: Sausage specialist Herman ze German is to open its first UK site outside London and fifth in total, in Birmingham next month. The 42-cover, 700 square foot site will launch in Grand Central on Monday, 1 April offering the brand’s authentic German sausages sourced from the Black Forest. The Herman ze German menu includes currywurst and schnitzel with a choice of toppings alongside German beer such as Fruh, Kolsch, Erdinger and Schneiderweisse. Herman Ze German co-founders Azadeh Falakshahi and Florian Frey said: “With its line-up of leading retailers and restaurateurs and location near New Street Station, Grand Central was the obvious choice for our first site outside London.” Iain Mitchell, UK commercial director at Grand Central landlord Hammerson, added: “Herman Ze German will be a great addition to Grand Central’s already strong restaurant line-up. The fact the brand has chosen Grand Central and Birmingham for its first site outside London is a real vote of confidence in the city.” Herman ze German’s London sites are in Charing Cross, Fitzrovia, Soho and White City.   Humble Grape passes £560,000 milestone in crowdfunding campaign to accelerate growth: Humble Read More

Teddy Sagi weighs up Supper bid: Billionaire Teddy Sagi, who owns Camden Market in north London, is looking at a potential route into the delivery arena with an outright purchase or substantial investment in premium London delivery service Supper. Propel has learned talks are in the early stages. Camden Market has more than 200 food and beverage offerings and would therefore benefit from a partnership with a delivery company. Supper has gained a loyal following with its premium delivery service and currently works with a wide range of restaurants across London. Since its creation in 2015 by Peter Georgiou, Supper’s fleet of scooters and directly employed drivers has “set it apart” from sector heavyweights Deliveroo and UberEats. In June last year, Supper sold a substantial stake to PK Wang, the driving force behind Yi Fang, which has more than 600 stores worldwide and other Taiwanese brands coming to the UK. Sagi was born in Tel Aviv and has a range of business interests. He is founder of online gaming software company Playtech, which is listed on London’s main stock exchange. Sagi began divesting and diversifying his portfolio in 2016 and his stake in Playtech has reduced through several transactions, with Read More

Tortilla begins planning for next stage of growth: Tortilla, the Quilvest-backed restaurant group, has begun the process of planning the next stage of its growth, with the appointment of advisors to aid in setting out a roadmap for the business over the next 12 to 18 months, which may lead to a sale. The 36-strong company, which Quilvest has backed since 2012, has begun working with advisors at Spayne Lindsay, to determine the best strategy for its long-term future. It is understood discussions on what those options should be are at a very early stage and talk of a sales process starting is believed to be, for now, wide of the mark. It is understood the company is keen to see more clarity around Brexit before pursuing a formal process. The company, which is led by Richard Morris, is currently one of the standout performers in the sector, with like-for-likes up 6% over the course of 2018, with trading understood to have continued to be strong since the turn of the year. Last month, Morris told Propel he believed there’s scope to add to the number of sites the company currently operates. Morris said the business planned to open six Read More

Patisserie Valerie's new owner trialling earlier opening as it looks to capitalise on breakfast trade: Patisserie Valerie's new owner is trialling earlier opening hours as it looks to capitalise on breakfast trade. Matt Scaife, a partner at Irish private equity firm Causeway Capital, told Propel it had begun opening earlier at a handful of sites in London. He said: "Patisserie Valerie is known for its lunchtime and afternoon trade in particular but people like to grab a pastry and a coffee at breakfast and we see a real opportunity in that area as we look to improve the take-out offer." Scaife said the immediate priority was improving the customer proposition, which would involve investing in the 96 sites in the estate, and which Causeway Capital was prepared to fund. He said a programme of refurbishment would begin shortly as soon as discussions with landlords were concluded with a target completion by the end of the year, which is by when he hoped the business would be generating enough cash to be put back in the business. Scaife said there was also some "taste testing" going on in the central production kitchen as it looked to introduce new products, particularly in Read More

Jonathan Neame – still plenty of room for growth in Kent heartland: Jonathan Neame, chief executive of brewer and retailer Shepherd Neame, has told Propel there is still plenty of room for growth in its Kent heartland. About two-thirds of its 322 pubs are in the county but Neame said the economic development it has planned means there are good opportunities for the company. He added that the group continued to look at “high-quality acquisitions” on a site-by-site basis but didn’t rule out a group deal. Meanwhile, the company also continues to explore potential growth in London, where it has about 40 sites. Shepherd Neame secured a new and extended £107.5m financing structure in October to “support the business for the long term and take advantage of opportunities that may arise over the next few years”. Speaking following the company’s interim results, Neame said: “Because we are investing in big capital projects and building the estate for the long-term, we are really looking at high-quality single-site acquisitions. Kent is our heartland and we continue to see opportunities there but last year we secured a pub in Farnham, Surrey, so we are pushing out a little bit. We’re also looking at Read More

Restaurateur David Moore branches out into pub sector with acquisition of central London site: David Moore, owner of Michelin-starred restaurant Pied-à-Terre, has entered the pub sector after acquiring The Devereux, just off the Strand. The former Greene King-owned pub closed in early 2017, although the grade II-listed building in Devereux Court dates to 1676 when it housed the Grecian Coffee House. It was remodelled as a pub in 1843. Moore plans to restore the property in collaboration with business partner Tony Bennett – they have taken a new 20-year lease at the property. The site covers about 3,000 square feet over ground, basement and first floors with A3/A4 planning consent. Moore has been an eminent figure in the hospitality industry for more than 30 years and said he had been searching for the right project in the pub sector since meeting Bennett 14 years ago. He added: “I have always loved the idea of owning a traditional pub with a proper publican at the wheel. Having been an iconic London pub since the 19th century, Tony and I feel obliged to honour the history and tradition of The Devereux. Above all, we just want to run a ‘proper pub’ with Read More

Tom Crowley – Giraffe and Ed’s CVA ‘only way to protect company’: Boparan Restaurant Group (BRG) chief executive Tom Crowley has said a company voluntary arrangement (CVA) for its Giraffe and Ed’s Easy Diner brands is the “only way to protect the company”. BRG has confirmed its intention to enter into a CVA for the two brands, as exclusively revealed by Propel on Monday (4 March). If the CVA is agreed, 27 of the 87 Giraffe and Ed’s Easy Diner sites will shut. BRG, which had appointed KPMG to review options for the two businesses, said sales had improved at the chains since they were acquired in 2016 but several sites remained unprofitable. Crowley said: “The CVA is the only option to protect the company. The combination of increasing costs and oversupply of restaurants in the sector and a softening of consumer demand have all contributed to the challenges both these brands face.” BRG acquired the then 54-strong Giraffe business from Tesco in summer 2016 in a deal valued at circa £13m. Later that same year, the company paid almost £10m to acquire 30 Ed’s Easy Diner sites in a pre-pack administration agreement. The company brought the brands together in Read More

Full-year turnover up at Brasserie Bar Co: Brasserie Bar Co, the operator of White Brasserie and Brasserie Blanc, saw annual turnover increase by 15.8% to £54m for the year ending 1 July 2018, with restaurant Ebitda reaching £7.3m. The company said despite well documented industry uncertainties its performance was in line with the previous year “reflecting the strength of the brands and the management team”. Between Brasserie Blanc and the White Brasserie Co the company served nearly 1.9 million meals – up by more than 250,000 on 2017 – a result it said was “built on a robust, quality-led and stable business”. The Mark Derry-led business, which currently operates 19 Brasserie Blancs and 17 White Brasseries, said its strategy to focus on White Brasserie pubs and Brasserie Blanc hotel locations had taken shape and represented a move away from the “congested high street and a focus on more captive audiences within local communities”. The company, which had previously been in the mix to acquire Peach Pub Company, said this approach had been key in enabling it to buck current market trends. Two new pubs were added to the White Brasserie portfolio in December 2017 and February 2018, in Thame and Read More

Whitbread to bring Bar + Block to Northern Ireland as brand hits double figures:Whitbread is to bring its Bar + Block steakhouse brand to Northern Ireland as part of a double opening in April. The launch in Belfast on Wednesday, 24 April and another in Bristol the day before will see the brand hit double figures, with an 11th site scheduled to open in Reading later this year. The all-day, casual dining concept places an emphasis on high-quality steaks at affordable prices. The Belfast and Bristol sites will feature contemporary interiors by Harrison Design, including the brand’s trademark open kitchen and copper feature bar as well as decorative finishing touches such as the Bar + Block neon cow. Whitbread Restaurants chief marketing officer Nathalie Pomroy said: “We are delighted to open our first site in Northern Ireland and celebrate Bar + Block venues reaching double digits. This is a great milestone for the brand and we look forward to further growth throughout the year.” Stonegate begins Be At One conversions: Stonegate Pub Company is to start expansion of its Be At One brand by converting three former Novus sites in central London in the next month. The company, which acquired Read More

Thunderbird Fried Chicken opens maiden permanent site, in Brixton: Thunderbird Fried Chicken, the wings and fried chicken concept founded by former Nascar driver Matt Harris, has opened its first permanent site, in Brixton, south London. The company received investment from private equity firm TriSpan in January through its dedicated restaurant fund Rising Stars, enabling it to launch the restaurant in Brixton Village. The 42-cover venue is split over two floors and offers a takeaway service. The stripped-back, electric blue interiors are inspired by Harris’ racing days. All chicken can be purchased as part of a box or bucket deal, while halloumi replaces chicken for a selection of Veggie Buns. Drinks include American milkshakes, Brixton beer and soft drinks. Thunderbird Fried Chicken gained a cult following at London Union street food locations Dinerama in Shoreditch and Giant Robot in Canary Wharf. Harris said: “I’m eternally grateful to everyone who has tasted my chicken and taken a chance on me. To open my first permanent site in one of London’s most exciting food destinations is an amazing opportunity.” The TriSpan investment saw Marcel Khan, who played a key role in the launch and expansion of US better burger brand Five Guys in Read More

Deliveroo to double business team as it hits 10,000-company milestone, expands hotel partnerships programme: Deliveroo has said the team behind its business service will double in size this year. Deliveroo said companies were increasingly seeing food delivery as an important offering to attract and retain staff alongside traditional perks such as gym memberships and health insurance. More than 10,000 companies have signed up for the Deliveroo for Business service in 14 markets worldwide. Deliveroo said it would also expand its hotel partnerships programme this year, in which guests order room service exclusively through Deliveroo for Business. The company said analysis of Deliveroo for Business orders revealed distinct food trends among different industries, with lawyers the most selective eaters while consultants liked to order protein-heavy food such as lean meat and modern Greek cuisine. Meanwhile the UK’s technology workforce, which makes up more than one-third of all Deliveroo For Business orders, opt for Japanese food, particularly sushi, ramen and noodle dishes. Data also revealed more than three-fifths (63%) of orders are for workers staying late at the office, with 7pm the most popular time to select a meal. Deliveroo UK managing director Dan Warne said: “Deliveroo for Business has grown as Read More

The Halal Guys – plenty of scope for UK growth beyond initial 20-site agreement ‘given opportunities in market’: The restaurant operator behind the launch of US street food brand The Halal Guys in the UK has told Propel there is plenty of scope for growth beyond its initial 20-site agreement “given the opportunities in the market”. ITICO F+B partner Jan van Delden said the plan was to grow small clusters of restaurants in cities across the UK, starting in London. The debut site will open in the capital’s Irving Street on Saturday, 30 March. ITICO F+B has “all but signed” on a second site in central London, which will open in late May or early June, with a third to follow later this year. Egyptian immigrants Mohammed Abouelenein, Ahmed Elsaka and Abdelbaset Elsayed launched The Halal Guys as a street cart in New York 28 years ago. An expansion into restaurants in 2015 has led to 85 outlets under The Halal Guys brand across North America and Asia, with 400 more in the pipeline. The brand has a short menu of griddled chicken and beef gyro served on a platter over rice or in a pitta or wrap with signature Read More

Ichibuns team to launch high-end restaurant in White City next week: Endo Kazutoshi, director of ramen and burger concept Ichibuns and former executive sushi chef at Knightsbridge restaurant Zuma, is to launch a high-end restaurant in White City, west London, next week. Endo at Rotunda will open at the Television Centre development on Friday, 1 March. The venue will be in the rotunda at the BBC’s former home and, although offering only 15 covers, Kazutoshi told Hot Dinners he harbours ambitions to “obtain Michelin-starred status”. The third-generation sushi chef has 20 years’ experience, having worked at El Bulli in Spain and Zuma restaurants in London, New York and Miami. Kazutoshi is known for menu item the “umami bomb”, which features oysters, sushi rice, Parmesan and truffles. Kazutoshi is joining forces for the venture with his partners at Ichibuns – Benjamin Goldkorn and former Nobu head chef Robin Leigh. Kengo Kuma, who designed Alan Yau projects Sake No Hana and Cha Cha Moon, will be in charge of decor. Other operators at the £8bn Television Centre development include Indian small plates concept Soho House, better pizza brand Homeslice, D&D London’s Bluebird and better burger brand Patty & Bun. Glendola Leisure expands Read More

Marston’s to open 15th Revere site, in Chesham next month: Revere Pub Company, the premium arm of Marston’s, will launch The Lazy Pig In The Pantry in Chesham, Buckinghamshire, next month. The company is investing £500,000 in the venue, which will be Revere’s 15th in total with the creation of 35 jobs. The bar and restaurant will span more than 4,100 square feet, accommodate 346 covers and is on the site of Marston’s pub The Bellcote in Chesham Road. It will feature a mix of contemporary and traditional decor complemented by an Instagrammable orangery and terrace. The seasonally changing menu will offer pub classics, wood-fired pizza, Josper-grilled steak, Sunday roast, wine and cocktails. Revere Pub Company managing director Colin Sadler said: “We are delighted to be adding another site to the Revere portfolio, taking us to a total of 15. This opening demonstrates the commitment to our continued growth as a brand and its premium offering. We want The Lazy Pig In The Pantry to be at the heart and hub of the Chesham community and we can’t wait to welcome our guests.” Basque cookery school and experiential dining concept to launch debut UK site, in Borough Market: Basque cookery Read More

Six face arrest in Patisserie Valerie accounts scandal: Up to six people face arrest over the Patisserie Valerie scandal. Their names are highlighted in a report by the accountant PricewaterhouseCoopers into the alleged fraud at the company. They are said to have signed fraudulent cheques and sent emails discussing fabricating invoices, reports The Sunday Times. Patisserie Valerie collapsed into administration last month, three months after discovering a £40m hole in its accounts. Trading of its shares was suspended in October and it was revealed cheques worth millions of pounds had been used to artificially inflate the company’s cash reserves. The Serious Fraud Office has already made one arrest. A further five people are understood to be under investigation. Three are said to have been junior staff. They do not include the former executive chairman Luke Johnson, or non-executive directors Lee Ginsberg and James Horler, who are understood to have been interviewed as witnesses and not suspects. According to a source, the suspected fraud involved the double-counting of voucher sales to inflate revenues and the manipulation of costs, with business rates and VAT bills going unpaid. Between £10m and £12m was owed to HM Revenue & Customs. Up to 15 secret Read More

Caravan boss – we want to champion industry through collaborations and by mentoring next generation of female entrepreneurs, like-for-likes up 10%: Laura Harper-Hinton, chief executive of London-based restaurant, bar and coffee-roasting concept Caravan, has told Propel the company is looking to participate in more collaborations to help “champion the industry”. Caravan has just begun a partnership with co-working company The Office Group to supply a bespoke single-origin coffee. The partnership will also include running coffee counters at six of its locations and Harper-Hinton said she was keen to run similar ventures. She is also exploring the possibility of Caravan hosting supper clubs for Devi’s, a Silk Road-inspired vegan and vegetarian concept that combines Mediterranean, North African, Middle Eastern and Indian cuisine. Harper-Hinton has begun mentoring Devi’s founder Tanya Gohil after the pair featured on BBC show My Million Pound Menu. While Gohil failed to attract the investment she was looking for, Harper-Hinton was impressed enough by Gohil and her concept to make the alternative offer. Harper-Hinton said: “Tanya is so passionate and talented in everything she does and realises running a street food stall is quite different to opening a bricks and mortar restaurant. She’s also into her food writing Read More

SSP set to open first Pret A Manger sites in Belgium: SSP Group, the UK-based transport hub foodservice specialist, is set to open the first Pret A Manger sites in Belgium. The sites are due to launch in August, both at railway stations in Brussels. The first opening will be at the Eurostar terminal, where it will occupy a spot formerly occupied by Sam’s Club. The second restaurant will be underground at Brussels Central Station, according to Belgian newspaper L’Echo. SSP Group already operates 40 outlets in Belgium, including Panos, The Coffee Club and Deliway. Although the news has yet to be officially confirmed, a spokesman said SSP, which operates more than 2,600 restaurants worldwide, was eyeing development opportunities in Brussels. Pret A Manger operates 530 sites in nine countries – China, Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, the UK and the US. JAB Holding acquired Pret A Manger from Bridgepoint in May last year in a deal reported to be about £1.5bn. Loungers launches Cosy Club in Norwich: Loungers, the operator of circa 140 neighbourhood cafe-bar-restaurants trading under the Lounge and Cosy Club brands, has opened a site in Norwich. The company has launched a Read More

M&B launches dietary requirements app: Mitchells & Butlers (M&B) has launched an app across its circa 1,600-strong estate that consolidates all dietary requirements such as allergies into one place, Propel has learned. The free app, Glass Onion, is available across the company’s brands including Harvester, Premium Country Dining and All Bar One. It will provide guests with booking information and menus as well as allergen information for M&B’s pubs, restaurants and bars. The app is downloadable through Apple App Store and Google Play Store. A M&B spokesman told Propel: “We have seen a growth in consumers with specific dietary requirements, prompting the need for guests to be able to quickly and accurately source information about ingredients and dishes. Glass Onion consolidates food sensitivities and lifestyle choices into one place, making dining out and choosing where to dine easier for our guests.” Turtle Bay trials brunch menu: Caribbean restaurant Turtle Bay has started trialling a brunch offer at its two sites in Bristol. The Piper-backed business has launched its Caribbean brunch menu through the entire week at its Bristol Broad Quay restaurant and on Saturdays and Sundays at Turtle Bay Cheltenham Road. The offer starts at 10am on weekdays and at Read More

Firezza founder launches Neapolitan pizza concept in Norway: Firezza founder Edin Basic has launched a Neapolitan pizza concept in Norway, Propel has learned. Basic, who sold Firezza to PizzaExpress in 2016, has opened Mano with plans for up to ten sites across Scandinavia in the next two to three years. The concept is similar to Firezza, with pizzas freshly made and sold by the metre. The debut restaurant, which has 20 seats, is in the south western Norwegian city of Stravanger. Basic said the company already had funds in place for growth and had identified potential locations in Oslo for the next site. Regarding the decision to launch in Norway, Basic said: “The people there eat more pizza per capita than anywhere else in the world. We just felt this was the right time. Domino’s has come into the market and our site is about 50 metres from them – but overall the pizza market in Norway is well behind London so there’s a great opportunity for us. It has started really well – we sold out on the first two days. We will open the next one in Oslo and take it from there.” Basic said there were no Read More

Caravan chief to mentor My Million Pound Menu winner: Caravan chief executive Laura Harper-Hinton is to mentor this week’s winner of My Million Pound Menu. Devi’s, the brainchild of Tanya Gohil, triumphed over fellow sustainable food brands Skaus and Sustainable Food Story in this week’s episode of the BBC series. Devi’s operates at Bermondsey food market offering Silk Road-inspired vegan and vegetarian food that combines east Mediterranean, North African, Middle Eastern and Indian cuisine. Gohil also operates Hackney supper clubs under the Devi’s name, while she employs a mainly female team and invests in projects that target gender equality, the refugee crisis and women’s rights. Caravan, which operates five London sites, launched a partnership last week to run coffee counters at a number of sites operated by co-working company The Office Group. SSP brings healthy eating concept Dean & David to Düsseldorf: SSP Group, the UK-based transport hub foodservice specialist, has opened a site for fresh food brand Dean & David at Düsseldorf Central Station. The 100 square metre site seats 40 diners, while the brand offers “healthy and nutritious meals that can be tailored to customers’ individual preferences”. The daily changing menu includes made-to-order salads, Asian curries, soup, hand-twisted Read More

Honest Burgers teams up with Brighton businesses ahead of restaurant launch: Honest Burgers, which is backed by Active Partners, is teaming up with Brighton businesses ahead of the launch of its restaurant in the city later this month. The company will open its venue on Monday, 25 February at a site in Duke Street previously occupied by restaurant Pascere. In the run-up to the launch, founders Philip Eeles and Tom Barton will take over the kitchen at the West Hill Tavern and operate the Honest Burgers Field Kitchen – a converted Land Rover Defender – at Holler Brewery’s Brighton base, with the companies partnering to create their own beer, The Duke, for the restaurant. The new venue will feature the brand’s signature burgers and rosemary fries, while the soundtrack will be created in partnership with local independent store Resident Records. The launch will be a homecoming of sorts for Barton and Eeles, who met in the city and served their first burgers at the Brighton Food Festival in 2010. Barton said: “We met some great people who helped us open a tiny restaurant in Brixton, and then a few more. Eight years later we’re back here opening a restaurant in Read More

KPMG – ‘number of options’ on the table for Patisserie Valerie: Patisserie Valerie’s administrator KPMG has said there are a “number of options” on the table for the chain. Proposals from prospective buyers range from the purchase of the entire business to smaller parts of it, KPMG said. Bidding for Patisserie Valerie, which has been grappling with the fallout of an accounting fraud since October, moves into a second round this week with management presentations set to take place in London and Birmingham. David Costley-Wood, partner at KPMG and joint administrator, said: “We are encouraged by the scope of offers received from trade and finance buyers for all and for parts of the business. We will now take a number of these offers forward and hope to be able to make progress in short order. We’d like to thank employees, suppliers, creditors and Patisserie Valerie’s loyal customers for their invaluable support in helping us continue to trade the business over the past two weeks.” Patisserie Valerie’s parent company and main trading subsidiaries were placed into administration last month when it failed to renew its banking facilities after revealing the £40m black hole discovered in its accounts in October was worse Read More

London Cocktail Club reports festive like-for-likes up 7.8% to hit £1m revenue milestone for first time: London Cocktail Club, the wet-led operator founded by John James Goodman and James Hopkins, with Dragons’ Den star Sarah Willingham and chef restaurateur Raymond Blanc on the board, has said trading during the Christmas period broke all its records with four consecutive weeks of growth reaching £1m of revenue in December for the first time. Like-for-like sales during December were up 7.8%, with like-for-like Ebitda for the same period up 25%. Total revenue for the second half of calendar 2018 was up 15.3%, with site Ebitda up 14.5% and company Ebitda increasing 17.9% driven by consistent sales, new openings and cost control at head office. London Cocktail Club said its three latest venues – in Bristol and in London’s Liverpool Street and Old Street – all traded significantly ahead of expectations, while the board said it was also delighted to announce the recent signing of what could become its flagship site, in Clapham. Improvement in Ebitda performance is expected to continue in calendar 2019 as the new sites start to mature along with the opening of the Clapham site. Last month, The Sunday Times Read More

Gerry Ford – there’s potential to at least double the size of Coffee#1 in the UK: Caffe Nero founder and group chief executive Gerry Ford has told Propel there is potential to at least double the size of Coffee#1 in the UK. Caffe Nero has acquired a 70% stake in Coffee#1 with Welsh brewer and retailer SA Brain, which had owned Coffee#1 since 2011, retaining 30%. Ford said it would look to grow the 92-strong Coffee#1, which will remain a standalone business, outwards from its base across Wales, Midlands and southern England. He said: “It has a lot of brand awareness within the area it covers so it makes sense to push out from the edges and continue growing that way. In the short term, the next three to five years, our focus will be on growth in the UK. I’m not sure it can grow to the 750 sites Caffe Nero has in the UK but I think there’s potential to have a least double what we have now.” Ford revealed Caffe Nero started having conversations with SA Brain about three years ago, shortly after it began looking at strategic options for Coffee#1. He said: “Over the years we’ve Read More

PizzaExpress hits 300-site milestone in Deliveroo partnership: PizzaExpress has launched its 300th live delivery site in its partnership with Deliveroo. The company said the partnership would remain an “important element” of the PizzaExpress growth strategy. As part of the collaboration, PizzaExpress managing director Zoe Bowley and Deliveroo chief executive Will Shu spent an afternoon exploring how the partnership operates at ground level, providing valuable insights into what makes it tick. Bowley said: “It is really important to me to spend time with our restaurant teams and understand the invaluable work they do. It was great to experience this with Will and see first-hand how orders are fulfilled through delivery. It’s critical we continually evolve the experiences we create for our customers, both dine-in and delivery, to ensure our processes are seamless for our customers and teams and the pizzas are as our customers expect. Our focus remains on enabling customers to enjoy their favourite pizza wherever and whenever they want one so Deliveroo continues to play a vital role in our business. Thanks to Will for being such a sport and demonstrating some impressive flaring skills too!” PizzaExpress said its recent launch of a vegan menu had been a “great success” Read More

Rockfish appoints Dave Strauss as restaurant director: Rockfish Group, the sustainable fish and chip brand led by Mitch Tonks, has appointed Dave Strauss as restaurant director. Strauss, former managing director of Burger & Lobster and London steak restaurant group Goodman, will oversee Rockfish’s expansion. Founded by Tonks, Rockfish has five sites in the south west and also owns the Seahorse restaurant in Dartmouth. The company, which will open its sixth Rockfish restaurant in Exeter Quays in March, has identified a number of locations along the south coast. Strauss will join the company next month and work with operations director Mat Prowse, helping with the Exeter launch and subsequent openings, beginning with Poole later this year. Strauss said: “Rockfish is a rare thing – something expanding while maintaining standards and ethics and with an excellent reputation among the foodie community across the country. I’m excited to get started and help build a business on the south coast, where I grew up and now live once more.” Tonks added: “Rockfish has been a great employer for the people on the south coast since we first opened and from time to time has also attracted some fantastic people from the London restaurant scene Read More

Auditor faces grilling over failures leading to Patisserie Valerie collapse:Grant Thornton faces questions over whether it examined Patisserie Valerie’s accounting journals, which could have provided clues about the suspected fraud that brought down the chain. The auditor may have failed to look at journal entries, according to someone familiar with a report commissioned by Patisserie Valerie from the accountant PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). The journals show the names, dates and amounts of transactions. Grant Thornton audited the company until the discovery of a £40m black hole in its accounts, caused by “significant, and potentially fraudulent, accounting irregularities”, Patisserie Valerie said. The chain, chaired by sector investor Luke Johnson, went into administration last week after failing to renew its banking facilities with Barclays and HSBC. A total of 71 sites have closed with the loss of 900 jobs. The accusation against Grant Thornton comes after a report the suspected fraud involved several finance staff and a supplier enlisted to provide fake invoices. The PwC review contains details of how the staff discussed whether they should adjust fake ledgers to take account of roadworks outside shops, reports the Financial Times. Each store had its own ledger, and would have its figures adjusted to ensure Read More

Patisserie Valerie owner faces legal threat from investors: Patisserie Holdings, the company that owns Patisserie Valerie, could face legal action from investors over the cafe chain’s collapse. Chris Boxall, co-founder of Fundamental Asset Management, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme he was “flabbergasted” by the situation and was considering legal action as a “moral duty” to his clients. Administrators KPMG are closing 70 stores and looking for buyers for the brand’s remaining 122 sites. Sector investor Luke Johnson, who bought the business in 2006, has committed more money to ensure staff are paid this month. Nevertheless, Boxall said he was “staggered” and had questions about Johnson’s oversight of the business. He asked: “What has he and the board been doing? What questions were they asking at meetings, what things were they looking at, did they ever roll up their sleeves and have a look at the heart of the business? This business has gone from half a billion pounds’ valuation to nothing in a matter of months. We’re very angry.” A total of 920 of the 2,800-strong workforce have been made redundant following the closure of 27 Patisserie Valerie and 19 Druckers stores along with 25 Patisserie Valerie concessions in Read More

The Ivy in Dublin stops staff processing payments following tips row: Staff at The Ivy in Dawson Street, Dublin, have been told they won’t be allowed to process payments from customers after management alleged some waiters were asking for tips in cash rather than on a credit or debit card. Management at the restaurant posted a staff notice claiming certain members of staff “consistently asked for cash”, while cash tips weren’t being shared with other staff members, The Journal reports. The notice stated a new system would mean no team member could handle cash or card from a guest “until trust is rebuilt”. The notice said management would process all payments, while no bonuses would be paid while the situation was “dealt with”. In a statement, The Ivy explained when a tip was paid by credit card it went towards a shared gratuity per hour, which all restaurant staff received. It added: “This is paid in addition to their hourly wage and is guaranteed by the company in that the company will make up any shortfall and is, therefore, regardless of whether any tips are paid by patrons.” Former Fuller’s and Faucet senior manager acquires London pub as debut site Read More

Abokado appoints new head of food as it looks to grow morning trade: Healthy eating chain Abokado has appointed a new head of food to further its growth in 2019, particularly during the morning daypart. The company, which recently opened its 24th store in Hammersmith, extending the brand outside its central London heartland, has welcomed Ellie Hopkins, who holds a professional chef’s diploma. She brings a wealth of expertise to the company having previously worked as a concept developer for Ferndale Foods, developing fresh products for brands such as Waitrose and Co-op. Prior to Ferndale, Hopkins worked for Greencore, helping to create new food lines for clients such as Sainsbury’s. Abokado chief executive Mark Lilley said: “We are starting the new year on a high by appointing Ellie as our new head of food. Over the past few years my team has done a great job in broadening our range to work in different dayparts and appeal to a broader demographic. Mornings are now a busy daypart across a majority of our estate, with plenty of room for growth. Ellie brings some new and exciting ideas to Abokado and I’m looking forward to seeing our menu develop further in 2019.” Read More

Vulture funds circle PizzaExpress: The Sunday Times has reported so-called vulture funds are believed to be stalking PizzaExpress, buying up the company’s debt on the cheap in an attempt to seize control. The company’s bonds, which are trading at 47p in the pound, compared with 90p a year ago, saw a surge in trading at the end of last week, suggesting opportunists view the chain as vulnerable. One investor said he had been tracking PizzaExpress for the past nine months with a view to taking a position. “If you could get a decent percentage of the bonds at 50p in the pound, you could get control of the whole chain for between £400m and £500m,” he said. A source told the newspaper: "It looks very much like somebody is trying to take control of the business, buy it for cheap via controlling the debt then flip it on to someone who is willing to invest. There is some sort of deal to be done." Patisserie Valerie teeters on the brink: The Sunday Times has claimed Patisserie Valerie could go bust on Monday (21 January) if emergency talks between leading shareholder Luke Johnson and its banks fail. It stated: "The entrepreneur Read More

Mayfair restaurant Wild Honey goes on market: Mayfair restaurant Wild Honey has been put up for sale, Propel has learned. The site in St George Street is being advertised on Restaurant Property’s website. Premium offers are being invited for the 2,267 square foot space, which has a rent of £103,000 per annum. Chef Anthony Demetre and Will Smith launched Wild Honey in October 2007 as a sister restaurant to Arbutus in Soho. It won a Michelin star within a year of opening but lost it in 2016. In the same year, Demetre and Smith sold Arbutus and Smith moved to Scotland to pursue private ventures. Demetre now runs Wild Honey as an independent solo business. Its menu showcases classic French techniques matched with British seasonal ingredients. Pure reports vegetarian and vegan sales rise more than 30%: Pure, the healthy food-to-go concept, has reported sales of its vegan and vegetarian range increased 30% this month. The announcement comes as Pure released research showing almost three-fifths (57%) of Londoners have been eating more vegetarian and vegan food since the start of the year. Slightly more women (58%) said they had been eating more vegetarian food in January compared with men (56%), while Read More

Individual Restaurants reports Ebitda boost and narrowed losses despite turnover drop: Individual Restaurants has reported an Ebitda boost and narrowed losses despite a drop in turnover. The company, which operates 30 sites under the Piccolino and Restaurant Bar & Grill brands, saw its second-best Ebitda figure on record – increasing to £7.1m for the year ending 31 March 2018 compared with £7m the year before. Turnover fell to £61,849,000, compared with £67,008,053 the previous year. Directors said the decrease was driven by three main factors. The prior year included three sites that had been subsequently disposed of, accounting for £3.04m of the decline. They estimated the severe winter weather had an impact of £0.7m, while the remainder was a result of a general decline in consumer confidence. The company reported pre-tax losses narrowed to £240,877 compared with a loss of £951,553 the year before, according to accounts filed at Companies House. Gross margin was up to 78.4%, compared with 75.3% the previous year. Membership of its customer loyalty programme increased 41% to 1.1 million and 40% of the company’s weekly sales are now generated by members. A report by the directors accompanying the accounts stated: “Finance costs in the year Read More

Brasserie Bar Co to fund ‘settled status’ for non-British EU staff: Brasserie Bar Co, the 36-strong group behind Brasserie Blanc and the White Brasserie Company, is to pay for its 591 non-British EU employees to apply for “settled-status” in the UK following Brexit. Under the EU Settlement Scheme, all EU citizens living in the UK will need to apply for the right to remain in the UK post-Brexit. The application fee is £65 and will give workers who have lived in the UK for five years or more “settled status”. Founder and director Raymond Blanc said: “Being a Frenchman and a UK resident for the past 35 years, this issue is very close to my heart. With the continued uncertainty over the nightmare that is Brexit, the hospitality industry is facing a staffing crisis. Pre-Brexit, there was a shortage of young people entering the industry. Britain’s decision to leave the EU has resulted in a huge decline in the number of people applying for hospitality jobs. Our 1,200-strong team is integral to the success of our business and, by granting them settled status, we will be protecting ‘our family’ and providing them with much-needed security. We are sending out a Read More

Rosa’s Thai Cafe aims for up to eight sites a year as it reports turnover and Ebitda boost: Thai restaurant group Rosa’s Thai Cafe is aiming to open up to eight sites a year as it looks to grow outside its main London heartland. The company revealed its plans as it reported a turnover and Ebitda boost in the full year before private equity firm TriSpan acquired a majority stake in the business. Turnover rose to £11,754,000 for the year ending 31 March 2018, compared with £8,198,000 the year before. Ebitda was up to £1,647,000, compared with £1,380,000 the previous year. Pre-tax profit was down slightly to £705,375 compared with £722,496 the year before, according to accounts filed at Companies House. During the period the company opened four sites – in West Hampstead, Seven Dials, Hackney and Tooting – and since the year end a further three sites have opened – in Ealing, Tower Bridge and Bluewater, Kent – taking the total to 15 sites. The company also has a site lined up in the Albert Docks area of Liverpool, which managing director Gavin Adair previously told Propel would act as a “bulkhead for a cluster of restaurants in the Read More

Benito’s Hat appoints new directors: Mexican restaurant brand Benito’s Hat has appointed two new directors to its board. Colin Clarke has been appointed to the newly created role of operations director, while Jakina Matthews is the company’s new finance director. The appointments follow the £1m funding raised through existing investors in August, the “overwhelming” early success of Benito’s new-format store in St Albans and the planned opening of a flagship store in the O2 arena. Clarke previously worked with Whitbread, Spirit Pub Co and Paramount restaurants before taking on senior roles at Smiths of Smithfield, where he led a successful turnaround and exit for investors. Matthews has a wide breadth of experience across a number of sectors and takes over from Georgina Cavendish, who has left to pursue other opportunities. Benito’s Hat managing director Michael Pearson said: “Colin and Jakina will ensure our focus on core performance, customer experience and shareholder return is unfaltering, allowing us to concentrate on delivering on our exciting growth plan. Our new flagship store in the O2, which opens in the first quarter of 2019, will be our tenth and represents a significant milestone in our brand’s journey.” Following the financing deal, Pearson told Propel Read More

D&D London to open site in new regional UK city, reports record December trading: Des Gunewardena, chairman and chief executive of restaurant operator D&D London, has told Propel the company will expand its UK presence by opening a new regional site later this year. Gunewardena would not reveal the location of the restaurant but said it was a new city for the company, building on its regional sites in Leeds and Manchester. It is set to be one of three openings in 2019, with the launch of Queensyard – the company’s second restaurant in New York – and a 10,000 square foot rooftop restaurant at 120 Fenchurch Street in London. Gunewardena revealed the new opening on the back of record December trading for the company, with like-for-like sales up 6%. Overall revenue was up 11% compared with the previous year while like-for-like sales on Christmas Day were up 20%. Six of its venues achieved net revenue of £1m-plus over the four-week period, including 20 Stories in Manchester, which opened at the start of last year. Its Quaglino’s and 100 Wardour Street sites in London achieved net revenues in excess of £1.4m. Established venues saw double-digit sales growth with revenues at Read More

Research reveals extent of industry reliance on foreign workers, particularly in restaurant sector: The huge extent the hospitality industry relies on foreign workers, particularly in the restaurant sector and seasonally in pubs, has been highlighted by new research. The findings by software provider Fourth revealed that as of November 2018, more than two-fifths (42%) of staff in the industry were from the EU, while 10% came from the rest of the world. The percentage of British workers was down from 50% in July to 48%. However, the numbers spike significantly for quick service restaurants, with almost two-thirds (65%) of workers coming from outside the UK – 54.5% from the EU and 10.5% from the rest of the world. While the reliance on foreign workers remains high, there has been a significant influx of UK workers to the sector, rising 8% since September. On the other hand, the restaurant industry’s reliance on foreign workers is increasing further, particularly in skilled back-of-house roles. In July, almost one-third (30%) of restaurant workers in back-of-house roles were from the UK but this number has now fallen to 26%, with EU workers climbing from 58% in July to 62% in November. As rest of the Read More

Young’s chief financial officer steps down: London pub retailer Young’s has announced chief financial officer Steve Robinson has resigned and left the business to pursue other interests. The company said it expects to appoint an interim chief financial officer in the new year while the board searches for a permanent successor. Robinson joined Young’s in June 2009 and became head of finance in September 2013. He joined the board in September 2016 when he succeeded Peter Whitehead as chief financial officer. Young’s chairman Stephen Goodyear said: "On behalf of the board I would like to thank Steve for his contribution to Young’s during the past nine-and-a-half years, especially in the role of chief financial officer since September 2016. We wish him well for the future.” Abokado moves outside central London heartland for 24th store, first site to trade at weekends: Healthy eating chain Abokado, which is backed by Kings Park Capital, has moved outside its central London heartland to open a store in Hammersmith. The site is the brand’s first to trade at weekends and to offer its new look, developed with London design agency Mystery, which focuses on providing a “comfortable, calm and elevated feel”. Abokado said the move Read More

D&D London appoints new chief financial officer: Restaurant operator D&D London has appointed Alan Clark as chief financial officer. Clark has held a number of board-level financial positions for luxury hotel groups with substantial food and beverage operations. He was finance director for Malmaison and Hotel du Vin and Rocco Forte Hotels in the UK. In his most recent roles, Clark was chief financial officer for The Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels and latterly group chief financial officer for Sandals Resorts International. D&D London chairman and chief executive Des Gunewardena said: “Alan joins us at a very exciting time. Our business continues to expand. We have opened a number of restaurants in the UK and in New York in the last year and we have a substantial pipeline of UK and overseas projects. Alan’s knowledge and international experience will be a big asset.” Clark added: “I am incredibly excited to join the group and look forward to contributing to expanding the business further.” Leon secures second US site as it doubles up in Washington DC: Natural fast food brand Leon has secured its second US site. The company is doubling up in Washington DC after signing a lease to open a Read More

Gaucho shows first signs of recovery since administration with 8% year-on-year covers rise in November, further strengthens leadership team:Steak brand Gaucho has shown its first signs of recovery since exiting administration with an 8% year-on-year rise in covers during November. It comes as the company said cover numbers had been minus 7% in the year to date on a like-for-like basis. Martin Williams, M Restaurants founder and a former managing director of Gaucho, was brought in to lead the brand as it exited administration in October after its acquisition by Lomo Bidco, an entity owned by Investec Bank and SC Lowy. He immediately brought in a new menu featuring “classic” and “nuevo” sections that offer a preview of how the management team plans to develop the business during 2019 as well as cut prices. It appears the moves are beginning to pay dividends. Williams said: “We are delighted to see nearly 80,000 diners returned to Gaucho last month to try the new, higher-quality, lower-priced menus. The feedback from guests has been amazing and we are welcoming back many regulars as well as seeing a new, younger demographic try Gaucho for the first time.” Williams has also strengthened Gaucho’s leadership team Read More

Chilango extends bond offer to support expansion plans into 2019: Mexican brand Chilango has extended its Burrito Bond 2 offer into 2019 to support its expansion plans. The company launched the offer in October and surpassed its initial £1m target within 24 hours. It increased that target to £2.5m, with the offer due to have closed on Sunday (2 December). However, it has decided to extend the offer into next year as it looks to raise more funds with “new site opportunities on the horizon”. So far, the bond has raised £2,380,500 – exceeding the £2.1m it raised in 2014 from more than 700 investors through its inaugural mini-bond offer on crowdfunding platform Crowdcube. Investors this time around include former Itsu managing director David Haimes, ex-Domino’s Pizza chief executive Chris Moore and former McDonald’s UK marketing vice-president Laurie Morgan. The Burrito Bond 2 is offering 8% interest annually over four years, with bondholders offered the opportunity to redeem their bond in full at maturity. The minimum investment is £500. The funds will be used to open restaurants at a circa cash outlay of £500,000 per site and refinance existing debt. Chilango had net sales of £10.7m for the year ending Read More

Prezzo chief financial officer steps down: Prezzo chief financial officer Wayne Arthur has stepped down, Propel has learned. Arthur joined Prezzo in September 2016 from Whitbread-owned Premier Inn and replaced Alan Miller. Prezzo executive chairman Karen Jones said: “I would like to take this opportunity to thank Wayne for all he has done. During his time at Prezzo he has seen us through some major events, including reshaping the estate and stabilising the financial structure, leaving us in a much stronger position as we look ahead to 2019 and beyond. Wayne will always be a friend of Prezzo and its people and we wish him every success in the future.” Earlier this month Prezzo, which is owned by private equity firm TPG, reported an operating loss of £65m for 2017 after it closed more than 100 restaurants, restructured its debts and its main backer wrote off two-thirds of its investment. The company now has 186 rather than 300 restaurants.   Boston Tea Party sees ‘marked uplift in customers drinking in’ six months on from single-use coffee cup ban: All-day casual dining cafe Boston Tea Party (BTP) has seen a “marked uplift in customers drinking in” six months on from the Read More

Debbie Hewitt – Wagamama deal creates ‘raft of new opportunities’ for TRG: The Restaurant Group (TRG) chairman Debbie Hewitt has said its acquisition of Wagamama creates a “raft of new opportunities” for the company to capitalise on. The £559m deal was approved by shareholders on Wednesday (28 November) after 60% voted in favour. TRG will use a combination of cash, debt and a £315m fully underwritten rights issue to fund the acquisition. Hewitt said: “The acquisition of Wagamama creates a raft of new opportunities for us to capitalise on in the months and years ahead. We look forward to welcoming the Wagamama team into the business post-completion and thank them alongside all our TRG colleagues for keeping focused on delivering for our customers. We have engaged extensively with investors throughout this transaction and appreciate the time all have given. We are pleased the majority of our shareholders have approved the acquisition and the associated rights issue and would like to thank them for the support they have shown. We are confident the deal will create significant long-term value.” TRG said it had noted 40% of shareholders had voted against the deal and would continue to engage with investors to address Read More

Pizza Hut launches first UK loyalty programme that rewards delivery customers: Pizza Hut is to launch its first UK loyalty programme that rewards delivery customers as competition in the market continues to grow. The Hut Rewards programme will enable customers to earn a special reward currency – “slices” – with one slice earned for every £10 spent. The rewards will be split into three levels – consumers will receive a free side dish for five slices, a free medium pizza for seven slices, and a free large pizza for ten slices, at which point the programme restarts. Hut Rewards will only be achieved on delivery orders placed online or via the Pizza Hut app, which currently make up 80% of total orders. The roll-out across more than 400 sites nationwide makes the UK the first market in Europe to introduce the rewards programme following its launch in the US and Canada last year. Stephan Croix, chief sales and brand officer at Pizza Hut Europe and UK, told Marketing Week: “The ambition is to make Hut Rewards the easiest and richest loyalty programme in the food delivery segment. We have spent a lot of time simplifying and making it easier and Read More

Malmaison and Hotel du Vin commission virtual tours: Malmaison and Hotel du Vin have commissioned 3D virtual tours of 12 of their hotels. The tours, created by Venue View, will allow prospective customers to fully explore hotel facilities, restaurants, and private meeting and events spaces. Venue View specialises in creating tours for the hospitality industry using Matterport technology to provide a “realistic and interactive virtual experience”. Tours will be created for six Malmaison boutique hotels – in Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool, Brighton and Oxford – and six Hotel du Vins – in Birmingham, Glasgow, Brighton, Henley-on-Thames, Wimbledon and Bristol. Malmaison head of meetings and events Andrew Picketts said: “I can’t wait to start sharing the finished tours. They will form a key part of our long-term strategy of ramping up our efforts to establish ourselves as a market leader for meetings and events, with our added benefit of superb food and beverage, which elevates events to the next level.” Venue View managing director Keith McMahon said: “Along with a smooth and immersive 3D walkthrough, we will add key information throughout each tour to include menus, room offerings, and meetings and events facilities to instantly give guests and visitors access to Read More

ETM Group reports Ebitda jumps 202.6% as turnover hits £27m: ETM Group, the 14-strong bar and restaurant company, has reported turnover grew 34.7% to £27m for the year ending 29 February 2018, driven by positive like-for-like growth, an increase in events and pre-booked sales and continued site expansion. Group Ebitda jumped 202.6% to £2.7m, compared with £0.9m the year before – underpinned by sales growth, gross margin improvements and a focus on direct costs. The company opened two new City of London sites in 2018 – Long Arm Pub & Brewery and Broadleaf, which the company said were trading successfully. In April, the business secured a £10m funding package with HSBC to secure its growth plans. ETM Group also opened Maple at Westfield London in the summer and further sites have been secured for 2019, including Redwood, the company’s fourth sports-led venue, at London Bridge. ETM Group said there was a strong pipeline of additional sites in place and, as previously stated, is committed to expand significantly over the next five years. The group’s sports-led venues, Greenwood, Broadleaf and Long Arm, supported with strong marketing and digital campaigns, experiencing significant sales uplift over major sporting events such as the Six Read More

SA Brain appoints Kate Ablett as head of people: Cardiff-based brewer and retailer SA Brain has appointed Kate Ablett to its new head of people role, Propel has learned. Ablett, who is also company secretary of the South East Wales CIPD, joined SA Brain earlier this year after a career in HR in the retail sector, most notably with Sainsbury’s. She will take responsibility for all aspects of people strategy within SA Brain as well as direct day-to-day management of the people function. SA Brain, which employs 3,000 people in its head office and 104 managed pubs across Wales, recently relocated to Cardiff Bay, where it is building a brewery. Ablett said: “Traditionally this is an industry where people, people development and training can make a real impact on the success or failure of an organisation and I’m determined we will set an example in the years ahead.” SA Brain operations director Jon Bridge added: “Kate is an outstanding individual with a track record of success in a demanding retail environment. I am sure she will make a great contribution to our future prosperity.” Yorkshire-based La Casita to open fifth site in county: Yorkshire-based Spanish bar and restaurant concept La Read More

Ralph Findlay – ‘I can’t remember a time when I’ve seen more opportunities presented’: Marston’s chief executive Ralph Findlay has told Propel a number of factors have led to a record number of businesses being put on the market. Factors that have prompted vendors to hoist “for sale” signs include uncertainty surrounding Brexit and an unprecedented rise in costs for operators. “I can’t recall a period where I’ve see more opportunities presented to us,” he said. Marston’s has previously announced it is taking a prudent approach to capital plans in 2019, with a £30m net capex reduction. It still has plans to open ten pubs, restaurants and bars and five lodges. Findlay said this year had been an “extraordinary one”, with the Beast From The East wiping £3m from its profits, the collapse of its major meat supplier and a severe Co2 shortage among the challenging events it faced. After Wednesday’s full-year results, Peel Hunt leisure analyst Douglas Jack said: “We are holding our forecasts. These expect circa 1% like-for-like sales and slight margin reduction in D&P and Taverns’ combined managed pubs, with management expecting to mitigate most cost increases. We estimate the company’s plans to maintain dividends and reduce Read More