Restaurant Marketer & Innovator European Summit returns for 2026, open for bookings: Restaurant Marketer & Innovator European Summit is returning for its eighth edition, and tickets are now on sale. The event is a partnership between Prop … view

Reeves’s fruit machine tax gambles with pubs’ futures: About 36,700 fruit and slot machines operate across nearly half of Britain’s pubs, generating £622m of income a year, according to UKHospitality. After existing tax and rent p … view

Gailʼs owner revives sale plans: The owner of Gail's is exploring a sale of the fast-growing bakery brand with a wider set of suitors after talks with food-focused investor McWin Capital Partners failed to result in a deal. Merger Market … view

Stonegate eyes £1bn sale of 1,000 sites: Stonegate Group, the UK’s largest pub company, is ramping up plans for a £1bn sale of more than 1,000 pubs as the company looks to pay down more than £3bn of debt. The Sunday Times reported se … view

Domino’s turns to fried chicken as chief says Britain is nearing peak pizza: The chief executive of Domino’s UK is betting the future of the country’s largest pizza delivery operator lies in fried chicken, as he predicts the pizza m … view

Loungers chairman – ‘rent as a percentage of turnover now down to 3.4%, opening of larger Lounge shows we can generate sales of £130,000 a week’: Alex Reilley, chairman of Loungers, the Cosy Club and Brightside operator, has said t … view

Young’s reports record half-year performance, like-for-like sales up 5.7%: Young’s has reported a record half-year performance with revenue for the 26 weeks to 29 September 2025 up 5.4% to £263.6m, while adjusted Ebitda rose 5.9% to … view

Fuller’s chairman – pubs are back in fashion, we’re in the right place to act on acquisition opportunities: Simon Emeny, chairman of Fuller’s, has told Propel that he believes pubs are back in fashion “at the expense of restaura … view

It is not often the world of licensing competes for attention with the day’s bigger headlines. Yet this year has felt different. A series of new developments means t … view

Fuller’s managed like-for-like sales up 4.6%: Fuller’s has this morning reported a 4.6% increase in like-for-like sales across its Managed Pubs & Hotels in the six months to 27 September 2025, with total revenue up 7% to £207.5m (H1 … view

The Coconut Tree placed into administration: Sri Lankan street food operator The Coconut Tree, which this summer was set to be wound up after defaulting on its company voluntary arrangement (CVA) over an unpaid £1.6m tax bill, has been … view

Azzurri Group CEO – ‘it’s a grind out there, it is harder for casual dining than QSR’: Steve Holmes, chief executive of Azzurri Group – the hospitality investment platform that operates ASK Italian, Zizzi, Coco di Mama, Boojum a … view

Exclusive – Nightcap returns to like-for-like growth as full-year revenue increases to £57.5m, ‘strengthened belief’ The Piano Works has ‘national and international roll-out potential’: Nightcap – the owner of The Cocktail Cl … view

Restaurant Marketer & Innovator Awards 2026 finalists revealed: Finalists have been announced for the eighth Restaurant Marketer & Innovator Awards, staged by Propel and Think Hospitality to recognise success in marketing and innovation i … view

Azzurri Group heralds “transformative year” underlined by move into QSR sector: Azzurri Group, the hospitality investment platform which operates ASK Italian, Zizzi, Coco di Mama, Boojum and Dave’s Hot Chicken UK, has said that the … view

Exclusive – Danny Meyer-backed concept Five Iron Golf eyes UK launch: Indoor golf simulator and entertainment company Five Iron Golf, which is backed by Callaway Golf and Danny Meyer’s Enlightened Hospitality Investments vehicle, is e … view

Foodservice Price Index reaches new high as costs rise for sixth consecutive month: Food and drink prices in the hospitality sector rose 0.7% in September, taking the Foodservice Price Index from CGA by NIQ and Prestige Purchasing to a re … view

McDonald’s reports global like-for-likes up 3.6% in third quarter with UK seeing growth: McDonald’s has reported its global like-for-like sales increased 3.6% in its third quarter to 30 September 2025 compared with the previous year � … view

KFC UK & Ireland boss – ‘we're seeing incredible momentum right now’, in-store sales up 8%: Rob Swain, KFC UK & Ireland general manager, has said the circa 1,000-strong business is seeing “incredible momentum right now”, with st … view

Yum! Brands announces strategic review for Pizza Hut, KFC UK system sales up 10% in third quarter and 6% year to date: Yum! Brands has announced a formal review of strategic options for the Pizza Hut brand. Yum! Brands said the review wil … view

Yum! Europe paid circa £3.7m to acquire Pizza Hut UK dine-in operations, UK franchisee suffered from effects of declining trade, rising costs and loan repayments and owed £9.9m to HMRC: Yum! Europe paid circa £3.7m to acquire Pizza Hut … view

Wasabi founder to launch UK’s first all-Asian food court next year, believes Sushinoya can grow to 80 sites: Wasabi founder Dong Hyun Kim is to launch the UK’s first all-Asian food court next year that will see all his concepts open u … view

Calveton UK and Breal Capital sell TGI Fridays UK franchise business to brand’s global manager: Private equity firms Calveton UK and Breal Capital have sold the TGI Fridays UK franchise business to the brand’s global manager, Sugarloa … view

Burger King UK surpasses $1bn in system-wide sales and delivering strong top-line growth, Popeyes to hit 100 sites here: Restaurant Brands International chief executive Joshua Kobza has said Burger King in the UK has surpassed $1bn in sys … view

Evolv Collection acquires Vinoteca: The Evolv Collection, formerly D&D London, has acquired Vinoteca, the London wine bar group, marking “a significant milestone in the company’s strategic expansion plans”. The acquisition will see … view

Starbucks arrests sales decline as turnaround builds steam with UK returning to growth: Starbucks’ like-for-like sales are rising again, ending an 18-month decline, with the UK among the markets returning to growth. The company reported … view

Exclusive – Urban Pubs & Bars acquires Albion & East, like-for-like sales up 8.7% since May as sales approach £100m over past 12 months: Urban Pubs & Bars, the London pub operator founded by Malc Heap and Nick Pring and backed by David … view

Story of the Day:

Exclusive – Big Table Group to restructure operations: The Big Table Group – the Epiris-backed operator of Las Iguanas, Bella Italia, Frankie & Benny’s and Banana Tree – is restructuring its ope … view

C&C Group – ‘2025 has been another year of turbulence for hospitality industry with shifting consumer trends’: C&C Group has said 2025 has been another year of turbulence for the hospitality industry with shifting consumer trends. I … view

Exclusive – Oxygen Activeplay acquires five Ninja Warrior UK adventure parks to increase its portfolio to 18 sites: Indoor family activity brand Oxygen Activeplay has acquired experiential operator Leisure TV Rights and its five Ninja W … view

Starbucks shuts ten company-owned UK sites: Starbucks has shut ten of its UK coffee shops – a month after the company said it would close “some” of its circa 520 company-owned stores here following a review of its global portfolio. … view

Gordon Ramsay’s UK restaurants business sees losses grow to £15.8m before merger of operations: Gordon Ramsay’s UK restaurants business has seen its pre-tax losses increase to £15.8m amid a number of closures. The business currently … view

Flat September for hospitality sales but pubs continue outperformance as crucial final quarter starts: Britain’s top managed restaurant, pub and bar groups delivered like-for-like sales growth of 0.2% in September, according to the late … view

Mitchells & Butlers CFO to step down, to be replaced by Marks & Spencer’s Emma Harris: Tim Jones is to step down as chief financial officer of Mitchells & Butlers (M&B), the Toby Carvery, All Bar One and Harvester operator … view

Coca-Cola CEO – ‘coffee remains a super attractive category but we expected much more growth in the non-retail side of Costa business’: Coca-Cola chief executive James Quincey has said coffee remains a “super attractive” categor … view

Brunning & Price returned to profit ahead of parent company refinancing, reiterates plans to open up to six new sites a year from 2026 with focus on bedrooms: Brunning & Price, The Restaurant Group (TRG)-owned pub company, returned to pro … view

Various Eateries CEO – ‘the chancellor needs to recognise how counterproductive further cost or margin pressures on the industry would be’: Mark Loughborough, chief executive of Various Eateries, the Hugh Osmond-backed business that … view

Exclusive – Sean Donkin to step down as Inn Collection Group CEO: Sean Donkin is to step down as chief executive of the Inn Collection Group at the end of this year after deciding to explore opportunities outside the circa 30-strong bus … view

Hospitality site numbers rise in third quarter but sector seeing 11 closures every week: Britain’s number of licensed premises has fallen 0.6% in the last year despite modest growth in the third quarter of 2025, according to the latest … view

Hospitality site numbers rise in third quarter but sector seeing 11 closures every week: Britain’s number of licensed premises has fallen 0.6% in the last year despite modest growth in the third quarter of 2025, according to the latest … view

Pizza Hut UK acquires Pizza Hut’s dine-in operations, 68 restaurants closing with loss of more than 1,700 jobs: Pizza Hut UK has acquired Pizza Hut’s dine-in operations through a pre-packaged administration, which will see 68 restaura … view

Arc Inspirations CEO – ‘London opening opens up other opportunities for the business’, ‘there could be some sector consolidation’: Martin Wolstencroft, chief executive of Arc Inspirations, the premium bar operator, has told Prop … view