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Thursday 31st October 2013
Bramwell Pub Company placed in administration
Bramwell Pub Company placed in administration: Bramwell Pub Company, which operates 180 leasehold pubs, has been placed in administration today, just over 13 months after it was formed out of Barracuda Pub Company. A total of 18 sites were lef … view
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Thursday 31st October 2013
Anglian to invest £1.3m in 'second' Hermitage
Anglian to invest £1.3m in 'second' Hermitage: Anglian Country Inns, the award-winning operator of gastro-pubs and restaurants led by James Nye, is to invest around £1.3m in its second stand-alone restaurant site after the runaway success of … view
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Thursday 31st October 2013
Ceviche, Ryan Giggs, Spirit, JDW, Wagamama
Ever So Sensible partners Castle Rock for fish and chip concept: Ever So Sensible Restaurants, the company formed by the former Mitchells & Butlers executive Chris Bulaitis, is partnering Castle Rock Brewery to turn Nottingham’s Castle pub i … view
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Wednesday 30th October 2013
Thomas – No Saints profitable now after £3.4m loss
Thomas – No Saints profitable now after £3.4m loss: Nightclub veteran Stephen Thomas, who founded and ran the Luminar nightclub business for many years, has told Propel that his No Saints nightclub operation is now profitable after reportin … view
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Wednesday 30th October 2013
Realpubs founders to launch new company
Realpubs founders to launch new company: Nick Pring and Malcolm Heap, who sold Realpubs to Greene King for £53.1m, are looking to buy up to ten pubs in London as they plan to launch a new company that will seek to evolve the Realpubs premium … view
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Wednesday 30th October 2013
Bramwell, Stonegate, Greene King, Prezzo, Tragus
Stonegate owner eyes Bramwell estate: Stonegate Pub Company, the UK’s largest privately owned managed pub company, is understood to be in talks to acquire a portion of the 180-strong Bramwell Pub Company. Stonegate, which is owned by private … view
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Tuesday 29th October 2013
Stonegate owner eyes Bramwell Pub Company estate
Stonegate owner eyes Bramwell Pub Company estate: Stonegate Pub Company, the UK’s largest privately owned pub company, is rumoured to be in talks to acquire a large portion of the 180-strong Bramwell Pub Company. Stonegate, which is owned by … view
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Tuesday 29th October 2013
Coffee sector growth, InnBrighton, Carluccio's, Giraffe
Technomic – coffee café sector sees sales rise 12.2%: The research and insights firm Technomic has found that the coffee café segment boosted its UK systemwide sales by 12.2% after unit growth of 15.4% in the most recent year. The research … view
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Monday 28th October 2013
Corney & Barrow sells Waterloo bar to SSP
Corney & Barrow sells Waterloo bar to SSP: SSP UK, which runs more than 600 food and beverage outlets, including Burger King, Caffe Ritazza, Upper Crust  and Millie's Cookies, at 20 airports and 115 rail stations, has acquired the Cabin bar a … view
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Monday 28th October 2013
Burger King, McDonald's, Shake Shack, Young's
McDonald’s and KFC score highest in the sector on simplicity index: McDonald’s and KFC have been placed fourth and fifth in a list of the 92 ‘simplest’ global brands, according to the “2013 Global Brand Simplicity Index” from … view
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Sunday 27th October 2013
Eclectic set for first bar company float since 2007
Eclectic eyes flotation; first bar company float since 2007: Late-night operator Eclectic, led by Reuben Harley, is looking at an Alternative Investment Market (AIM) float, the first bar business to float since 2007. The company wants to … view
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Friday 25th October 2013
Krispy Kreme UK plunges into red, renegotiates covenants
Krispy Kreme UK plunges into red, renegotiates covenants: Krispy Kreme UK has reported a pre-tax loss of £2.8m in the year to 31 January 2013, despite increasing sales by 6% to £45.01m. The company made a profit of £1.3m the year before. It … view
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Friday 25th October 2013
Papa John's makes first UK profit since 2006
Papa John’s makes first UK profit since 2006: Pizza delivery business Papa John’s has made its first profit in the UK since 2006. The company saw turnover increase to £28,415,000 in 2012 from £22,943,000 the year before. Pre-tax pro … view
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Friday 25th October 2013
Friday Opinion
Subjects: The beer sector, tax avoidance, outstanding experiences and seeing opportunities in the downturn
Authors: Nick Miller, Martyn Cornell, Ann Elliott and Steve Kenee

A modern craft beer defi … view

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Friday 25th October 2013
Beer negligence, Jamie's Italian, Punch, YO! Sushi and Yummy
Nick Miller attacks beer industry failures over three decades: Nick Miller, the former chief executive of Miller Brands UK and current head of the London-based Meantime brewery, has attacked the beer industry for being “generally neglig … view
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Thursday 24th October 2013
Brewhouse & Kitchen, Enterprise Inns, Starbucks and Whitbread
Deutsche Bank – Whitbread shares could have 85% upside: Deutsche Bank analyst Geof Collyer has suggested that Whitbread shares could rise to 85% more than their current value under chief executive Andy Harrison’s growth plan. He said: … view
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Wednesday 23rd October 2013
BrewDog reports record growth in 2013
BrewDog reports record growth in 2013: Scottish brewer and retailer BrewDog has announced a fifth consecutive year of record growth in 2013 and is on track to turnover £19m, up from £10.8m in 2012. To support its continued growth, the craft … view
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Wednesday 23rd October 2013
Tax, SIBA, Greene King, McDonald's and Whitbread
Restaurant company owners accused of tax avoidance: The Independent newspaper has accused a host of restaurant companies of using the controversial Eurobonds scheme to reduce tax. The newspaper has claimed Nando’s, Tragus, Pret A Manger … view
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Tuesday 22nd October 2013
Spirit – we’re starting our acquisition stage
Spirit – we’re starting our acquisition stage: Spirit Pub Company has told City analysts that it will now start buying new freehold pubs to add to its Fayre and Square and Flaming Grill brands as it aims to expand to 1,500 pubs. The compan … view
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Tuesday 22nd October 2013
ETM Group, La Tasca, M&B, Spirit results and Whitbread results
Spirit reports like-for-likes up 1.6% in full year; launches reschedule of debt plan: Spirit Pub Company has reported like-for-like sales rose 1.6% in its managed estate in the 52 weeks to 17 August with average weekly takings now £17,30 … view
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Monday 21st October 2013
Starbucks UK hires new MD
Starbucks hires new UK managing director: Coffee company Starbucks has hired Mark Fox as UK managing director, starting work on 6 January. Fox has over 20 years of retail operations and franchise experience, and is currently managing dire … view
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Monday 21st October 2013
Castle Rock eyes high profile airport opening
Castle Rock Taproom and Kitchen set for airport site: A branch of Leon and an innovative Castle Rock Taproom and Kitchen are among new openings scheduled for East Midlands Airport as part of the £12 million redevelopment (EMA). The move to op … view
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Monday 21st October 2013
Chipotle, Costa, Marco Pierre White and Wagamama
Marco Pierre White – I’m looking to add more Wheeler’s Inns after first hotel: Celebrity chef turned restaurant entrepreneur Marco Pierre White has told Propel he is looking for more Wheeler’s sites as he opened his tenth last wee … view
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Sunday 20th October 2013
PBR transfers nightclubs to LT Pub Management
Premium Bars and Restaurants transfers management of eight nightclubs to LT Pub Management
Anglian Country Inns reports turnover and profit boost
AMT Coffee reports 5.3% rise in like-for-likes in 2012: < … view
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Friday 18th October 2013
Mitchells & Butlers acquires two brewpubs
Mitchells & Butlers acquires two brewpubs: Mitchells & Butlers has bought two brewpubs among a larger group of four Convivial London Pubs freeholds. The company exchanged contracts today on The Lamb Brewery, The Crown and Anchor, The Botanist … view
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Friday 18th October 2013
Inside Pizza Hut’s new generation restaurant
Inside Pizza Hut’s first new generation restaurant: Pizza Hut is looking to update its UK offer for the 21st Century with a customised approach to pizza and limitless self-serve ice cream (£2.95 per person), sharing platters, waffles made-t … view
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Friday 18th October 2013
Friday Opinion
Subjects: Defining craft beer, JD Wetherspoon’s coffee offer, digital strategy and personal licence confusion
Authors: Martyn Cornell, Paul Charity, Barrie Poulter and Paul Chase

Defining craft b … view

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Friday 18th October 2013
City Pub Company, PizzaExpress, Wagamama and Whiting & Hammond
City Pub Company buys 30-bedroom hotel, plans £10m fund-raising: City Pub Company, the Enterprise Investment Scheme company led by Clive Watson, has acquired the 30-bedroom Georgian House Hotel in Norwich in an off-market deal. The purch … view
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Thursday 17th October 2013
Craft brewers, Greene King, K10, Marston's and Prezzo
Mezze begins private equity talks as it eyes roll-out: Mezze, the six-strong West Country operator led by Alex Tryfonos and now turning over £7m a year, has begun talks with potential private equity backers as it plans the next stage of … view
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Wednesday 16th October 2013
Breaking News - UK’s ‘best pub licensees’ secure second site
UK’s ‘best pub licensees’ choose Enterprise for second site: Richard and Loren Pope, who are often cited as the UK’s best single site licensees, have taken an assignment on The Joiners Arms in Quardon, an Enterprise Inns site, for thei … view
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Wednesday 16th October 2013
Breaking News - NatWest adds £150m to leisure lending pot
NatWest adds £150 million to leisure lending pot: NatWest and RBS have added a further £150 million to their dedicated Leisure Fund after receiving “incredible” demand from across the industry. The Leisure Fund has now been extended to … view
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Wednesday 16th October 2013
September trading, Brewdog, Tesco's Decks and Vince Cable
Coffer Peach – pub and restaurant like-for-likes sales up 0.4% in September: Britain’s pub and restaurant groups saw sales growth slow in September after a summer of solid trading. Collective like-for-like sales grew just 0.4% compare … view
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Tuesday 15th October 2013
Caffe Nero, City Pub Company, Living Room and Spirit
Two Living Room sites to be converted to Stonegate brands: Two of the portfolio of 13 Living Rooms sites acquired by Stonegate Pub Company in mid-August are to be converted to Stonegate’s existing brands. The Living Room at The Hub in … view
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Monday 14th October 2013
JDW, Orchid, Giraffe, Glendola and PizzaExpress
Hospitality firms told to beware of the costs of ‘pinches’ and ‘dashes’: Restaurants need to be wary of imprecise measurements in recipes such as ‘pinch’, ‘dash’, ‘drop’ and ‘glob’ that can throw out costings, dele … view
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Saturday 12th October 2013
Breaking News - Beds and Bars names new MD
Murray Roberts becomes managing director of Beds and Bars: Murray Roberts has been promoted to managing director of pan-European hostel provider Beds and Bars. He will be responsible for the day-to-day operation of the business, reporting … view
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Friday 11th October 2013
Breaking News - Caffe Nero pushes up revenue almost 11%
Caffe Nero pushes up revenue almost 11%: Boosting store numbers by a net 7.5% and pushing up like-for-like sales by 2.8% helped Caffe Nero increase revenue by 10.7% to £204.3m for the financial year to the end of May, the company announced to … view
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Friday 11th October 2013
Friday Opinion
Subjects: The end of pigeon-holing, burgers and house prices and the sector’s special attraction
Authors: David Martin, Martyn Cornell and Ann Elliott

The end of pigeon-holing by David Martin

view
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Friday 11th October 2013
Hard Rock Cafe, Itsu, JDW, Papa John’s and Whitbread
Hospitality tips rise 2.1%: Tips in the UK hospitality industry are up 2.1% year on year, according to the management solutions software provider Fourth, at a time when wages in the hospitality industry rose 3.1% on average and the rate o … view
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Thursday 10th October 2013
Breaking News - Harry Ramsden’s reports increased losses
Harry Ramsden’s reports increased losses: Fish and chip shop chain Harry Ramsden’s, led by Joe Teixeira and owned by Boparan Ventures, has reported increased pre-tax losses of £2,446,632 in 2012 (2011: £2,129,019) as it exited six of its … view
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Thursday 10th October 2013
Caprice Holdings, Enterprise, Nando’s, Punch and Wildwood
No Saints’ bid to re-open Birmingham Oceana blocked: A bid by No Saints, the company headed by nightclub veteran Stephen Thomas, to re-open the former Oceana in Birmingham as a Wonderland venue has failed. It is understood that No Saint … view
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Wednesday 9th October 2013
Eddy Passey to join board of Red Hot World Buffet
Eddy Passey to join Red Hot World Buffet as board director: Eddy Passey, who is group operations director at pan-European hostel provider Beds and Bars, is to leave the company to become a board director at Red Hot World Buffet, the buffet cha … view
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Wednesday 9th October 2013
Breaking News - Marston’s reports “encouraging” second half; plans to step up new-build programme
Marston’s reports “encouraging” second half; plans to step up new-build programme: Marston’s has reported an “encouraging” second half-year, with good weather over the summer balancing poor weather during the first half-year. In De … view
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Wednesday 9th October 2013
Balans, CG Restaurants, Greene King, Novus and Young’s
Graham Turner becomes executive chairman at Novus: Former Tragus chief executive Graham Turner – and current non-executive chairman of The Liberation Group – has become executive chairman of London bar and restaurant operator Novus wi … view
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Tuesday 8th October 2013
Breaking News - Pubco reports sales success on 'Grandparent’s Day'
Orchid Pub Company reports 4.7% sales uplift on Grandparent’s Day: Orchid Pub Company has reported that sales rose by 4.7% on Grandparent’s Day (6 October) after the company put a concerted effort into marketing the day. Orchid commer … view
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Tuesday 8th October 2013
Batemans, Carlsberg, Hall & Woodhouse, Mezze and Starbucks
Carlsberg UK reports market share gains: Carlsberg UK has reported that its share of the UK beer market increased from 15% to 15.4% in 2012 driven by a “notable increase in the on-trade”. The company stated: “The quality of our cust … view
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Monday 7th October 2013
Breaking News - Giraffe to open dedicated training facility
Giraffe to open dedicated training facility: Giraffe restaurant group will open a dedicated training academy called G1 at the end of this month on the site of their first restaurant in Hampstead. G1 will introduce the next generation of team m … view
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Monday 7th October 2013
Burger King, Gondola, JDW, Luke Johnson and SSP
Gondola sales rise by 4.2% to £604.2m: PizzaExpress operator Gondola Group, the 680-strong company owned by private equity firm Cinven, has reported sales rose by 4.2% to £604.2m in the 12 months to 1 July. Underlying earnings climbed b … view
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Friday 4th October 2013
Friday Opinion
Subjects: Progressive Beer Duty, the silly season, personal licences, machine income
Authors: Martyn Cornell, Paul Chase, John Gaunt and Kate Nicholls

 

The unintended consequences of Progressive Beer Duty by Martyn Cornell

I … view
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Friday 4th October 2013
Abokado, KFC, Leon, McDonald's, Starbucks
McDonald’s UK pre-tax profit up 14.6% to £202.2m: McDonald’s has reported an increase in both turnover and profit in its UK operation in 2012. It saw turnover climb 5.5% to £1.317bn, up from £1.248bn the year before. Pre-tax profit was … view
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Thursday 3rd October 2013
Black Sheep turns to keg after substantial loss
Black Sheep Brewery turns to keg after substantial loss: Black Sheep Brewery, the Masham, Yorkshire-based brewer headed by Robert Theakston, has reported a substantial loss of £740,000 in the year to 31 March after losing 6,000 barrels of pub … view
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Thursday 3rd October 2013
Innbrighton, Greene King, Las Iguanas, Luminar, Starbucks
Number Works Pub Co plans second 'premium steak and cider' pub: Number Works Pub Company, led by Martyn Hathaway which is pioneering a new value offer around fixed £2, £4, £6 and £8 price points at eight pubs, is looking to open a second s … view
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Wednesday 2nd October 2013
JDW introduces free coffee refills and longer food hours
JD Wetherspoon ups the ante with free coffee refills and longer food hours: JD Wetherspoon will raise the food ante with the launch of a new menu next week (9 October) that will see food served an extra hour until 11pm and free coffee refills … view
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Wednesday 2nd October 2013
BrewDog, McDonald's, Punch, TGI Friday's, Wadworth
TGI Friday’s – we saw a soft September: TGI Friday’s chief executive, Karen Forrester, has reported that September sales saw a dip, in line with results reported by Mitchells & Butlers last week. Forrester said she believed consumers wer … view
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Wednesday 2nd October 2013
Domino's reports 4% UK lfl rise despite warm weather
Domino's reports 4% UK lfl rise despite warm weather: Domino’s has reported a 4% increase in like-for-like sales in the UK in the 13-week period to 29 September despite what the company called “unusually warm weather”. System sales for t … view
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Tuesday 1st October 2013
Enterprise, M&B, Novus, Leon, Spirit
Jamie Rollo – Enterprise Inns is now one of our five top share tips: Morgan Stanley leisure analyst Jamie Rollo, who was bearish on Enterprise Inns' prospects for a sustained period, has named the company as one of his five top share tips. T … view
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