Honest Burgers promotes Matt Brandon to CEO as Kevin Styles joins The Pig: Honest Burgers, the Active Partners-backed business, has named chief financial officer Matt Brandon as its new chief executive. Brandon replaces Kevin Styles, who has left after six months to join The Pig Group. An Honest Burgers spokesperson told Propel: “We are delighted to announce that Matt Brandon steps up from chief financial officer to chief executive, having previously acted as interim chief executive last year, delivering the best commercial performance in the brand’s history. We believe that Matt is best placed to lead Honest into our next phase of accelerated growth.” Brandon stepped up to the position of chief executive in September last year prior to Styles’ appointment, when Thomas Kelly, who joined the business at the start of 2024, became chairman. Brandon joined Honest Burgers in April 2022 after more than a year as group financial controller at the then Snowfox Group, the owner of YO! Sushi. Previous to that, he spent eight years at Restaurant Brands International, including a stint as vice-president and head of global finance for Popeyes. Honest Burgers operates 39 sites under its eponymous brand and opened its debut Smash + Grab venue in December, after taking over the Honest Burgers restaurant in London’s Liverpool Street. Styles has been named the new chief executive of The Pig, succeeding Tom Ross, who is stepping down to ‘pursue new opportunities”. Styles has served as non-executive director at The Pig since January 2025, when founders Robin and Judy Hutson retired from the group. Ross will step into a strategic advisory role “to ensure a seamless transition”. “Leading The Pig and being a part of this family over the past decade has been a tremendous privilege, and I couldn’t be prouder of what we have accomplished together,” said Ross. “Kevin shares The Pig’s values, commitment to authenticity and passion for exceptional hospitality and fostering unique guest experiences. I am confident The Pig will continue to grow its collection and reach new heights under his leadership.” Styles has more than 30 years of experience leading hospitality and lifestyle businesses across the UK and globally, including stints at the Jamie Oliver Group and Vue International. Styles said: “With a relentless commitment to the highest quality design, culinary experiences and service for our valued guests from around the world, I am grateful to Tom for everything that he has done to lay the foundation for this next chapter, and I look forward to working with the fantastic team at The Pig to keep pushing boundaries and creating lasting value for our guests, our people and our communities.” Ross was named chief executive of The Pig in May 2023. Ross, who joined the group in 2013, has led the company’s day-to-day operations since he was named managing director in March 2022. The Hutsons opened the first Pig hotel in Brockenhurst, Hampshire, in 2011 and have since grown the portfolio to nine sites. Two projects are in the pipeline – The Pig on the Farm in Stratford-upon-Avon and The Pig at Groombridge in East. KSL Capital Partners acquired the parent company of The Pig Hotels in partnership with Hutson in April 2022. Honest Burgers features in the Propel Turnover & Profits Blue Book, the latest version of which was set to Premium subscribers today (Monday, 14 July) and features 1,138 companies. Honest Burgers’ turnover of £56,378,000 for the year ending 28 January 2024 is the 224th highest in the database. A Premium Club subscription costs an annual sum of £495 plus VAT for operators and £595 plus VAT for suppliers. Companies can now have an unlimited number of people receive access to Premium Club for a year for £995 plus VAT – whether they are an operator or supplier. Email kai.kirkman@propelinfo.com today to sign up.

 

Britain’s biggest pub groups warn chancellor over £1.7bn tax raid: Britain’s biggest pub groups have warned chancellor Rachel Reeves’ £1.7bn tax raid on businesses will trigger more closures as they criticised the “ridiculously disproportionate” burden on the industry. Sir Tim Martin, the founder and chairman of JD Wetherspoon, told The Telegraph a planned shake-up of business rates would further disadvantage pubs at a time when they are subject to more onerous taxes on food sales than supermarkets. Sir Tim said: “Higher business rates will exacerbate the already ferocious tax disadvantage that pubs are currently labouring under, inevitably resulting in increased home consumption and less pubs.” Fuller’s chief executive Simon Emeny said: “If the government continues to fail to deliver on business rates, not only will it increase pub closures, it really damages the viability of a sector that is absolutely critical to the UK economy. The entire investability of the sector has been challenged by the actions of successive British governments over the last decade. Our sector carries a ridiculously disproportionate burden of the £25bn that’s currently raised from business rates. It’s long overdue that the government found a fairer way of distributing this tax across the UK economy.” Last week, the British Beer & Pub Association warned more than one pub a day would shut across Britain this year as publicans battle surging costs, including increases in employers’ national insurance contributions and the minimum wage. Greene King chief executive Nick Mackenzie said reforming the current business rates regime could support pubs at risk of closure. He said: “Pubs are going to be around for the long term, but we need to address the unfairness in the system to allow them to flourish. It isn’t fair that the sector has 0.4% of the rateable property but pays 2.1% of the bills.” Business rates are currently calculated using a “multiplier” system. This involves taking the estimated annual rental value of a property and multiplying it by a charge set by ministers. Retail, hospitality and leisure firms are granted 40% off their bills, up to £110,000, under a relief that costs the exchequer £1.7bn a year. However, from next year, the relief will be scrapped and replaced with a lower multiplier rate for properties with a rateable value under £500,000. The government has previously said it plans to make changes to the current business rates structure to “create a fairer system”.