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Wed 5th Nov 2025 - Update: Deep Blue rebrands as Harry Ramsden’s Group, JD Wetherspoon like-for-likes up 3.7% |
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Deep Blue Restaurants rebrands as Harry Ramsden’s Group as it looks to accelerate international growth, signs deal to expand into Romania: Deep Blue Restaurants has rebranded as Harry Ramsden’s Group as it looks to accelerate international growth and signs a deal to expand into Romania. Founded in 1928, Harry Ramsden’s was acquired by Deep Blue Restaurants – owner of the Deep Blue and Fish & Chips @ 149 brands – in 2019 from Boparan Restaurant Group. The group, which last year began a begun a strategic disposal programme as it focuses on the growth of Harry Ramsden’s, has now taken on the name of its flagship brand. The group said the move “marks a pivotal moment in the company’s evolution and sets the stage for the next phase of growth”, while underscoring the group’s “commitment to building the Harry Ramsden’s brand as the cornerstone of its business, consolidating its operations under a single, globally scalable identity”. Over the coming months, a number of Deep Blue sites will be rebranded to Harry Ramsden’s, “aligning the group’s estate and customer experience under one cohesive brand platform”. James Fleming, chief executive of Harry Ramsden’s Group, said: “Harry Ramsden’s is the brand that defines who we are and where we’re going. For nearly a century, Harry Ramsden’s has embodied quality, tradition, and hospitality. This new chapter is about honouring that legacy while transforming it into a modern, ambitious, and globally relevant business.” The company said the rebrand follows a period of strong commercial progress and forms part of a broader investment strategy focused on brand development, operational excellence and international growth. Recent highlights include the expansion of the Harry Ramsden’s licensing partnership with Morrisons and a new multi-site territory agreement for Romania, marking the next step in Harry Ramsden’s European expansion strategy. Mikayla Whittle, director of franchise and licensing, said: “This next phase marks an exciting time for Harry Ramsden’s as we continue to build on the brand’s strong momentum. Following the launch of our chilled range with Morrisons, we’ve now signed an exclusive development deal for Romania, with the first site due to open in Bucharest in the first quarter of 2026. The rebrand signals the start of a bold new chapter for the business as we expand Harry Ramsden’s presence on the global stage, with further international opportunities currently being explored.” As part of its growth plan, the Harry Ramsden’s Group is investing in new site formats, refreshed design concepts and enhanced operational systems – laying the foundations for sustainable domestic and international scaling through franchise and licensing partnerships. The business has already undertaken significant work behind the scenes to redefine the brand’s creative direction, customer experience and digital infrastructure, with plans to launch further initiatives in 2026 to support growth across retail, full service and quick-service environments. “The Harry Ramsden’s name carries global recognition, it’s synonymous with British tradition,” Fleming added. “Our mission is to be the world’s leading brand in traditional British fish and chips, loved globally for our quality, heritage, and unforgettable experience.” Fleming, a former Patisserie Valerie and Paul UK chief executive, joined the business in May after James Low stepped down. The rebrand comes after the company opened its first new Harry Ramsden’s restaurant since being acquired by Deep Blue Restaurants in 2019. The restaurant opened in Pembridge Road in London’s Notting Hill on Saturday (1 November). In July, Deep Blue reported a pre-tax loss of £3,637,634 in 2023 decreased to a loss of £2,226,913. The company’s Ebitda grew from £2.1m to £2.2m and revenue was down from £25,370,235 to £22,880,136. Of this, £21,989,887 came from food and drink (2023: £24,395,396) and £890,249 from franchise and licensing (2023: £974,839). Further analysis showed that £22,805,630 came from the UK (2023: £25,284,472) and £74,506 from Asia (2023: £85,763). Propel has broken new ground by launching the Propel Franchisor Showcase, which will put the spotlight on ten up-and-coming food and beverage franchisors. The Propel Franchisor Showcase, sponsored by Seeds Consulting, will be held on Tuesday, 25 November at One Moorgate Place in London and is open for bookings. The franchisors presenting are: Lucky Voice, Paris Baguette UK, Plan Burrito, Urban Baristas, SpudBros Express, Japes, Wenzel’s, Fat Phill’s, Zocalo and West Cornwall Pasty. Propel founder Paul Charity said: “This really important and fast-emerging part of the UK food and beverage landscape deserves a bigger stage. For that reason, Propel is proud to present this showcase. This is a unique chance to explore exciting franchise opportunities.” For the full speaker schedule, click here. Free places for operators and investors only are available by emailing kai.kirkman@propelinfo.com.
Premium Club subscribers to receive new searchable and segmented New Openings Database on Friday: The next Propel New Openings Database will be sent to Premium Club subscribers on Friday (7 November), at 12pm. The database will show the details of 213 site openings, including which company has opened a site or its plans to open one in the future. The database will have details on what type of site it is and its location, and there will also be a website link to the businesses. The database is published on a monthly basis and Premium Club subscribers will also receive a 14,673-word report on the 213 new additions to the database. It is segmented into seven categories – cafe bakery, casual dining, experiential leisure, fine dining, hotels, pubs and bars, and quick service restaurants – making it even easier for users to search. The database includes new openings in the cafe bakery sector such as Old Bakery in Towcester, fast-growing independent brand Cornish Bakery adding to its presence in the south west of England with an opening in Exeter, and Nesso Coffee, the West Yorkshire independent Italian-inspired brunch cafe created by chef Bobby Geetha, with an opening in Leeds. Premium Club subscribers also receive access to five other databases: the Turnover & Profits Blue Book, the Multi-Site Database, the UK Food and Beverage Franchisor Database, the UK Food and Beverage Franchisee Database and the Who’s Who of UK Hospitality. All Premium Club subscribers will be offered a 20% discount on tickets to Propel paid-for events and discounts on specialist sector reports. Operators that are Premium Club subscribers are also able to send up to four members of staff to each of our four Multi-Club Conferences for free. Premium Club subscribers receive their daily Propel Info newsletter 11 hours earlier than standard subscribers, at 7pm the evening before. They also receive videos of presentations at eight Propel conference events two weeks after they are held. This represents around 100 videos of industry insight over the course of the year. Premium Club subscribers also receive exclusive opinion columns every Friday at 5pm, which include the thoughts of Propel group editor Mark Wingett and a host of industry leaders from across the sector. 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.
JD Wetherspoon reports first quarter like-for-like sales up 3.7% but ‘cautious in outlook for remainder of year’ as Budget looms: JD Wetherspoon has reported first quarter like-for-like sales are up 3.7% but is “cautious in its outlook for the remainder of the year” as the autumn Budget looms. The company said bar sales increased by 5.7%, food by 0.9% and slot/fruit machines by 8.9% in the 14 weeks to 2 November 2025, while hotel room sales decreased by 6.3%. Total sales have grown by 4.2% in the year to date. It said Wetherspoon has now outperformed the CGA RSM Hospitality Business Tracker for 37 consecutive months. In the year-to-date, excluding franchises, the company has opened four pubs – in Kenilworth (Warwickshire), Paddington Basin (London), London Bridge Station and Basildon (Essex). The company plans to open a total of 15 pubs in the financial year. In addition, the leases of two pubs at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) in Birmingham expired, one of which has reopened as a Wetherspoon franchise. A total of 11 pubs now operate as Wetherspoon franchises, including five run by Haven Holiday Parks, two by university student unions and two by Papas, a family-owned group of 20 restaurants, founded in 1966. Three of the franchised pubs have opened in the year-to-date, and the company estimates an additional 12 franchised openings in the current financial year, making 15 in total. Chairman Sir Tim Martin said: “The company is pleased with the continued sales momentum but is mindful of the chancellor’s Budget statement later this month and, as a result, is slightly more cautious in its outlook for the remainder of the year.” He added: “The average price of a pint in pub is about £5.16 and labour is about 35% of the ex-VAT sales price (Mitchells & Butlers 36.2%, FY24), about £1.50 per pint. A supermarket pint costs about £1.50 and labour is about 12% of the ex-VAT sales price (Tesco 12.0%, FY24), about £0.15 per pint. Therefore, it can be seen that a 10% wage rise will increase the cost of a pint by about 15 pence in a pub versus about 1.5 pence in a supermarket.Increased labour costs are, consequently, dramatically widening the pricing differential between pubs and supermarkets, to the anger and consternation of customers. A further widening of the differential results from pubs paying 20% VAT on food sales, whereas supermarkets pay nothing. It is important to emphasise the above points since it's not clear that they are fully appreciated by legislators, economists or the public.” Chancellor’s plan to hike betting tax on slot machines would have ‘devastating impact’ on UK’s pubs: Rachel Reeves has been warned that her plan to hike betting taxes on slot machines would be a “wrecking ball for the local”. The British Beer and Pub Association urged the chancellor not to raise levies on low-stake slot machines, a vital revenue stream for many pubs. The industry body said a tax raid could tip the balance on whether some locals can remain viable. Nearly half of the UK’s pubs have at least one gaming machine, pulling in nearly £9,000 a year on average for landlords. A tax rise from 20% to 50% would hit landlords for £187m – equal to a 40% jump in the sector’s business rates bill. Emma McClarkin, chief executive of the BBPA, said: “Last year’s Budget was brutal for the sector, and pubs were hit with cost after cost. While fruit machines are a small part of the turnover, for many they make a huge difference to the bottom line.” Chris Jowsey, chief executive of Admiral Taverns, added: “An increase in Machine Games Duty would have a devastating impact on the pub sector.” The Ivy Collection opens Ivy Asia in Liverpool: The Ivy Collection, the Richard Caring-backed restaurant brand, has opened its Ivy Asia restaurant in Liverpool. The restaurant has opened above the Ivy Liverpool Brasserie in the grade I-listed former Bank of England building at 31 Castle Street. The Ivy Asia site has 53 seated covers plus a bar area and DJ booth, with live entertainment expected every weekend. Guests can enjoy The Ivy Asia’s signature dishes on it’s a la carte menu, including sushi rolls, gochujang glazed chicken, crispy duck spring rolls and pork and kimchi gyozas. Large plates include keralan chickpea and shishito pepper curry, robatayaki wagyu beef, Szechuan king prawns and black cod miso. An ‘Experience Menu’ will give guests a chance to try a selection of ten dishes from the signature menu, while set menus, from £19.95, are available Monday to Friday from 11.30-5pm. The group is set to follow the Liverpool opening with an Ivy Asia launch in Dublin, and a fifth site under its Harry’s Bar and Restaurant concept, on the former Tuttons site in London’s Covent Garden. Last month, the brand opened its new site in Nottingham after transforming the former Hugo Boss store in Bridlesmith Gate for its debut in the East Midlands.
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