Investment firm Breal Group acquires Purity Brewing Co: London investment firm Breal Group – which has so far this year acquired D&D London, Brew by Numbers, Black Sheep Brewery, Brick Brewery and Vinoteca – has acquired the assets of … view

Beds & Bars in ‘robust financial shape’ as it reports record turnover and Ebitda and returns to profit, ‘UK uncompetitive to invest in’: The pan-European hostel company Beds & Bars, led by Keith Knowles, has said it is in “robus … view

JW Lees MD – government needs to start to think differently about how it invests in sector, reports record turnover of £88m: William Lees-Jones, managing director of Manchester brewer and retailer JW Lees, has said the government “ne … view

Exclusive – WatchHouse secures $10m funding as it targets more than 500 sites globally by 2033: Specialty coffee concept WatchHouse has completed a $10m (£7.9m) Series A fundraising round to continue the company’s rapid growth in the … view

Andy Hornby to remain as CEO of Wagamama owner TRG as £506m takeover deal completes: Andy Hornby is to remain as chief executive of Wagamama owner The Restaurant Group as the company confirmed the sale of the business to US private equit … view

Pizza Pilgrims experiences three consecutive weeks of record sales during ‘exceptional’ December, appoints new operations director to support growth plans: Pizza Pilgrims, the pizzeria brand, has experienced three consecutive weeks of … view

NWTC ‘well-positioned with a clear growth strategy’, FY revenue tops £70m, CFO to step down: Rod McKie, executive chairman of the Graphite Capital-backed pub restaurant group The New World Trading Company (NWTC), has told Propel the … view

Knoops ‘positioned for higher profits in FY2024 with trading continuing to be strong’: Luxury hot chocolate shop brand Knoops has said it is “positioned for higher profits in FY24” with trading continuing to be strong. It comes as … view

Giggling Squid – site Ebitda margin back to pre-pandemic levels, turnover tops £73m: Andy Laurillard, co-founder of Giggling Squid, the Thai restaurant brand backed by the Business Growth Fund, has told Propel that the group’s site E … view

10,000 hospitality businesses ‘hang in the balance’ without rates support: New analysis shows that thousands of Scottish hospitality businesses will be left unsupported, if rates relief isn’t included in the Scottish Budget. The Fra … view

D&D founder Des Gunewardena to return with City of London venue: Des Gunewardena, co-founder and former chief executive of restaurant group D&D London, is to open a new restaurant and bar venue at The Royal Exchange, in the City. Guneward … view

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Big Table Group CEO – I’d be gobsmacked if at least one TRG brand didn’t stay and grow: Alan Morgan, chief executive of the Big Table Group, has told Propel the would be “gobsmacked” if at least one of the brands from The Restau … view

KFC reports 3% decline in FY turnover: KFC UK and Ireland has reported a 3% decline in turnover for the year to 25 December 2022, as it said its performance was impacted by the cost-of-living crisis. Turnover for the period stood at £284 … view

Rekom UK – people spending less on a late-night out, being less spontaneous, consuming less alcohol: For the first time in over a year, people are spending less on a late night out, according to the quarterly survey by late-night operat … view

Rekom UK – people spending less on a late-night out, being less spontaneous, consuming less alcohol: For the first time in over a year, people are spending less on a late night out, according to the quarterly survey by late-night operat … view

Exclusive – Fulham Shore appoints Marcel Khan as new chief executive: Fulham Shore – the operator of the Franco Manca and The Real Greek brands – has appointed Marcel Khan, formerly of Nando’s and Five Guys, as its new chief execu … view

As I got to work crafting this month’s Legal Briefing, I took a moment to revisit the one I composed a year ago, just before Christmas 2022. My goal was to assess the developments over the past … view

UK hospitality has mixed feelings about Christmas cheer and what comes next: Christmas – normally the busiest period for UK restaurants, bars and pubs – has been the source of little festive cheer for the hospitality sector in recent … view

Number of London sites in Harden’s Top 100 restaurants falls to all-time low as ‘destination dining in scenic locations’ triumphs: The number of London sites in Harden’s Top 100 restaurants has fallen to all-time low, with only 36 … view

Number of London sites in Harden’s Top 100 restaurants falls to all-time low as ‘destination dining in scenic locations’ triumphs: The number of London sites in Harden’s Top 100 restaurants has fallen to all-time low, with only 36 … view

Parogon in legals on next two sites as it prepares to ‘stretch its geography’ and enter town centres: Staffordshire operator Parogon is in legals on its next two sites as it prepares to “stretch our geography” and enter town centr … view

Fireaway set to launch crowdfunding campaign, looking to raise £2m to aid further growth, plans 30 openings in 2024: Fast pizza brand Fireaway, the Mario Aleppo-led business, is to launch a crowdfunding campaign later this month, to expa … view

Morgan – we can get Banana Tree to a Las Iguanas-sized business in 18-24 months: Alan Morgan, chief executive of the Big Table Group, has told Propel he believes the company can grow its fast-casual pan-Asian brand Banana Tree to a “L … view

Wendy’s UK MD – kiosk usage sees 30% uplift to 90% since introduction with 18% higher spend than at the counter, aiming for 50-50 split of drive-thru and in-line stores: Wendy’s UK & Europe managing director Michael Clarke has told … view

Ten Entertainment agrees terms on circa £300m takeover: Ten Entertainment Group, one of Britain’s biggest tenpin bowling venue operators, has agreed terms and conditions on a circa £300m takeover by US firm Trive. The business said: � … view

Big Table Group opens pop-up site focused on fast-casual concepts, Banana Tree to trial breakfast offer: The Big Table Group – the operator of Las Iguanas, Banana Tree, Café Rouge and Bella Italia – has opened a short-term pop-up in … view

UKHospitality – worker shortages will worsen under new immigrations plans: UKHospitality has warned that the worker shortages experienced by sector businesses over the last few years will only worsen under new government immigrations pl … view

‘Gail’s Artisan Bakery the most profitable part of our business’ as it averages one opening a fortnight over two years: The parent company of Gail’s Artisan Bakery, which also runs a wholesale business called The Bread Factory and … view

By James Hacon, founder of Think Hospitality

 

Each summer I have the privilege of talking to the great and good of restaura … view

Exclusive – Greene King to trial two new concepts as it continues to create a balanced portfolio: Brewer and retailer Greene King is trialling two new concepts as part of its continuing plans to create a balanced brand portfolio, Propel … view