Sector like-for-likes bounce back in May as sun shines on pubs but not restaurants: Hot weather in May helped boost trade in Britain’s pubs but hit restaurant sales, according to the latest Coffer Peach Business Tracker. Overall, the co … view

Sector like-for-likes bounce back in May as sun shines on pubs but not restaurants: Hot weather in May helped boost trade in Britain’s pubs but hit restaurant sales, according to the latest Coffer Peach Business Tracker. Overall, the co … view

Union wins right to challenge Deliveroo riders’ self-employed status in high court: A union has been given the go-ahead for a high court challenge over the employment status of Deliveroo riders. The Independent Workers Union of Great Br … view

Number of emerging high-street restaurant brands falls 38%, Crosstown Doughnuts fastest-growing: The number of emerging high-street restaurant brands has fallen 38% in the past 18 months, reflecting the overall slowdown in the market that … view

Revolution reports ‘challenging and volatile’ trading, sales short of expectations: Revolution Bars Group has provided an update on the performance of the group for the 52 week period ending 30 June 2018, reporting it has experienced … view

Flexible opening hours could give sector £6.75bn a year boost: The hospitality sector could make a further £6.75bn a year by adapting opening hours to fit in with changing work patterns, according to new research. Barclays’ Open All H … view

Deliveroo extends network: Deliveroo is to add 5,000 UK restaurants to its delivery platform. Restaurants that have their own delivery fleets will be able to tap Deliveroo’s 15,000 riders in the UK under the new service, called “Marke … view

Vegan barbecue food and healthy ice cream to be top trends this summer: Vegan barbecue, healthy ice cream, alternative soft drinks and beer snacks will be the major food and drink trends this summer, according to Mintel’s latest report. … view

Thwaites reports like-for-likes up 2.5%, Ebitda rises 7%: North west brewer and retailer Daniel Thwaites has reported like-for-like sales increased 2.5% for the year ending 31 March 2018. Turnover rose 9.2% to £92.2m compared with £84.4 … view

Oaknorth provides £7.3m of debt finance for Soho hotel development: Challenger bank Oaknorth has provided £7.3m in a debt financing deal to compact luxury hotel brand Z Hotels, City AM has reported. The company has undergone rapid growt … view

Fuller’s takes full ownership of The Stable after acquiring remaining 24% stake: Fuller’s has completed the acquisition of the remaining 24% stake of The Stable, the 17-strong pizza, pie and cider brand, to take full ownership of the … view

Fuller’s buys Bel & The Dragon for £18.5m, managed like-for-likes up 2.5% since year end: London brewer and retailer Fuller’s has bought Bel & The Dragon for £18.5m, which said it was a “perfect fit with our premium pub portfolio� … view

Tim Martin – rent review market is ‘insane’: JD Wetherspoon founder and chairman Tim Martin has labelled the current rent review situation “insane”, with the property market making a “bad situation worse” by pushing up rents … view

CAMRA sees slight income increase, membership up 3.0%: The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) saw income increase slightly to £13,966,528 for the year ending 31 December 2017, compared with £13,940,948 the year before. Total reserves increas … view

Rosa’s Thai Cafe sells majority stake to private equity firm: Thai restaurant group Rosa’s Thai Cafe, set up by husband-and-wife team Saiphin and Alex Moore, has sold a majority stake to private equity firm TriSpan. Rosa’s Thai Cafe … view

Jamie Oliver boss – we’re reconnecting with customers by going back to our roots: Jamie Oliver Restaurant Group chief executive Jon Knight has told Propel the company is working to reconnect its founder with customers. Having seen the … view

Howard Schultz to leave Starbucks: Starbucks executive chairman Howard Schultz will leave the company at the end of this month. Schultz, who has been at the helm of Starbucks for almost four decades, will be replaced by Myron Ullman, the … view

Slowdown in leisure sector evident for first time since 2012: A slowdown in the leisure sector is evident for the first time since 2012 although niche cuisines continue to thrive, new research has revealed. The latest bi-annual retail and … view

Confidence starts returning to sector as operators have highest level of optimism for more than two years: Confidence is starting to return to the sector despite a host of pressures, with operators having the highest levels of optimism fo … view

Supper London receives significant investment and backing from Taiwanese giant: London-based premium food delivery service Supper has sold a substantial stake to PK Wang, the driving force behind Yi Fang, which has more than 600 stores wo … view

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New industry-led charity assists homeless and ex-service personnel into hospitality careers: A new industry-led nationwide charity has been formed to assist the homelessness and ex-service personnel get into hospitality careers. Only A Pa … view

Operators urged to have say on draft London Food Strategy: Operators are being urged to have their say on the draft London Food Strategy as mayor Sadiq Khan outlines his vision for “good food” in the capital. Khan has set out his prio … view

Unsecured creditors of Burger King franchisees left £20m out of pocket: Unsecured creditors of two Ipswich-headquartered companies that together operated more than 30 Burger King outlets across the UK will be left out of pocket by almost … view

Bridgepoint confirms Pret A Manger sale: Bridgepoint has confirmed it is to sell Pret A Manger to JAB, a global investment firm with a proven track record of investing in premium brands. The transaction is expected to be completed during … view

FT – JAB Holdings set to buy Pret A Manger: Luxembourg-based JAB Holdings is set to buy British sandwich chain Pret A Manger for 1.5 billion pounds ($2.0 billion), including debt, from its private equity owners, the Financial Times has … view

Hotcha director facing bankruptcy petition over £4m owed to business, VAT fraud and money laundering investigation ongoing: James Liang, director of Chinese takeaway franchise Hotcha, is facing a bankruptcy petition over an unpaid overdr … view

Taiwanese fruit tea concept YiFang launches debut permanent UK site, secures second: Taiwanese fruit tea concept YiFang has launched its first site in the UK and secured a second, both in London. The brand, which also operates a pop-up in … view

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Dining out still in growth but delivery booming: Consumers are still eating out even though the popularity of delivery is increasing, according to new research by purchase intelligence platform Cardlytics. The study, based on spending ins … view

Oakman reports like-for-likes up 5.2% since year end, updates on pipeline: Oakman Inns & Restaurants has reported like-for-like sales are up 5.2% in the first seven weeks of the new financial year and updated on its pipeline. The company … view

NewRiver acquires Hawthorn Leisure for £106.8m: NewRiver, which owns a portfolio of about 330 pubs, has acquired Hawthorn Leisure from an affiliate of Avenue Capital Group for an enterprise value of £106.8m. This represents a net initia … view

Just Eat teams up with Sarah Willingham to launch business booster initiative for restaurant partners: Just Eat has teamed up with investor and former Dragons’ Den star Sarah Willingham to launch a growth initiative for the company’s … view

Just Eat teams up with Sarah Willingham to launch business booster initiative for restaurant partners: Just Eat has teamed up with investor and former Dragons’ Den star Sarah Willingham to launch a growth initiative for the company’s … view

The Restaurant Group reports like-for-likes down 1.8% in most recent seven weeks: The Restaurant Group has reported an improving sales performance with like-for-likes down 1.8% in the first seven weeks of the Second Quarter. The Restauran … view

Casual Dining Group expands hotel franchise portfolio with London Town deal: Casual Dining Group, which operates about 290 mid-market restaurant brands including Cafe Rouge, Bella Italia and Las Iguanas, has signed UK franchise agreements … view

UberEats acquires online restaurant ordering platform OrderTalk: UberEats has completed the acquisition of OrderTalk, the Dallas-based provider of online ordering software and service solutions to UK and US restaurants. OrderTalk’s tech … view

NewRiver confirms in exclusive negotiations to buy Hawthorn Leisure: NewRiver, which owns 300 pubs, has confirmed it is exclusive talks to buy Hawthorn Leisure, NewRiver stated: “NewRiver notes press comment regarding the potential acqu … view

Various Eateries plans considered approach to Coppa Club expansion as brand’s like-for-likes increase 22%, Strada set for refresh: Various Eateries, which operates the Coppa Club, Strada and 31 Below brands, saw like-for-like sales incr … view