US bakery brand believes ‘time is right’ for UK entry’, aiming for ‘measured, city-led expansion strategy’ here: US bakery brand Magnolia Bakery has told Propel it believes the “time is right” for entry into the UK market and that it is aiming for a “measured, city-led expansion strategy” here. Propel revealed last month that the brand, which was founded in 1996 by Jennifer Appel and Allysa Torey, was seeking potential partners here. Magnolia Bakery, which has been owned by RSE Ventures since 2021, currently has 12 US locations and circa 40 overseas. Rick Raison, who was last year appointed as the brand’s vice-president of international and development sales, told Propel: “As our international footprint has expanded, the UK has naturally moved higher in our prioritisation. We believe the timing is right given continued demand for differentiated experiential food brands and continue searching for a strong partner to franchise the Magnolia Bakery brand across the UK. The UK has a strong independent and branded bakery and café sector, and rather than viewing it purely as competitive, we see it as validation of consumer appetite for premium dessert-led concepts. We’re currently assessing strategic options for entry. As with any new market, we take a disciplined approach, ensuring the right structure, partner alignment and real estate strategy before moving forward. While we don’t have a confirmed timeline yet, London is naturally a compelling entry point given its international profile. That said, we evaluate markets holistically and are focused on long-term, quality positioning rather than speed to market. Long-term, we would expect a measured, city-led expansion strategy in the UK, focusing on high-footfall urban locations, premium retail destinations and select neighbourhood sites where the brand can thrive. We have our sights set on working with an experienced and reliable partner for the market in the form of a long-term franchise partnership across the UK.” Magnolia Bakery also launched its first domestic franchise system in 2025 and will open its first US franchise location in Salt Lake City in June. The company said it would not rule out equity openings in the UK and that it “approaches each geography independently rather than applying a uniform model globally”.

 

Premium Club subscribers to receive two updated databases this week: Premium Club subscribers will receive two updated databases this week. The latest Propel UK Food & Beverage Franchisor Database will be sent on Wednesday (11 March), at 12pm. The database will feature ten new additions plus updates to existing entries. The database now has 390 entries and more than 239,000 words of copy. Among the new entries are fish ‘n’ chip shop brands Mayfair Chippy and Big John’s and seafood concept Shrimp & Co. Premium Club subscribers will then receive the next Turnover & Profits Blue Book on Friday (13 March), at 12pm. The Blue Book is updated each month and ranks companies by turnover, profit and profit conversion, listing directors’ earnings for the past five years. 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 chief operating officer – editorial, 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.

Brava Hospitality Group CEO – ‘naysayers but also plenty of positivity about relaunching Jamie’s Italian here’: James Brown, chief executive of Brava Hospitality Group, the Prezzo Italian operator, has told Propel that while there has “definitely been some naysayers” on the return of the concept to the UK, but also “a lot of positivity”. Last year, Brava signed a partnership agreement to bring Jamie’s Italian back to the UK high street, with the first new Jamie’s Italian under the partnership opening in Irving Street, near London’s Leicester Square, later this week (Wednesday, 11 March) – seven years after it initially closed here. Talking to Propel Premium, Brown said: “After the initial announcement, you get the noise from both ends of the spectrum. But there has been a lot more interest, than even I expected, from people in the industry. The brand has still got cut through.” Ed Loftus, global director of Jamie Oliver Restaurants, said: “I think the sector needs something, particularly the mid-market. I think for us to be coming back and doing this project is a sign of intent.” In a Propel Premium special, which will be sent to Premium Club subscribers today (Monday, 9 March) at 3pm, Brown and Loftus talk to Propel chief operating officer – editorial Mark Wingett about the relaunch of Jamie’s Italian in the UK, the level of involvement from Jamie Oliver, early learnings, how it will work with Prezzo, and expansion plans. At the same time, Tom James, managing director of Bill’s, the Richard Caring-backed restaurant group, talks to Wingett about the group’s data-led approach, the need for customisation, the brand’s biggest menu overhaul in five years, the strength of its people training and its international plans. 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.

Price of alcohol-free beer rising much more than the real thing: The price of non-alcoholic beer is climbing faster than its alcoholic equivalent, despite the fact brewers do not have to pay duty on it, new figures show. The Sunday Times reports that the average unit price of non-alcoholic beers in shops and supermarkets rose by 8.3% over the year to 31 January, according to data firm Circana, while the price of non-alcoholic ciders and perries rose by 15.5%. This was much higher than the rate of inflation for alcoholic lager and ales, which was 3.5% and 1.9% per unit, respectively, over the same period. The price per unit of regular cider, meanwhile, fell by just under 1%. Emma McClarkin, chief executive of the British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA), said: “Alcohol-free beer has increased in price at a faster rate than alcoholic beer because it is significantly more complex and costly to produce. Brewers need to invest millions in dealcoholisation equipment, often resulting in higher ongoing energy costs. Raw material prices are at record highs and producing great-tasting no-and-low beer frequently requires additional ingredients.” Sales of non-alcoholic beers are still tiny when compared with their alcoholic counterparts, but they have almost doubled in the past five years, from £112m in 2022 to £213m as of this January. That is without counting sales in pubs, where about 200m pints of non-alcoholic beer were consumed last year, according to the BBPA.

Job of the day: COREcruitment is working with a fast-moving consumer goods company that is seeking a wholesale controller. A COREcruitment spokesperson said: “The individual will need to build and deliver on a wholesale strategy, drive new business opportunities, manage the full commercial forecasting and drive distribution through the field sales team. This role will require travel and a strong commercial acumen, experience managing national wholesale partners and a background in team leadership.” The salary is up to £75,000. For more information, email mark@corecruitment.com

 

BrewDog’s new owner plans to reopen pubs and distillery: The chief executive of BrewDog’s new owner is looking into reopening more UK pubs and reviving the brand’s recently closed distillery. Irwin Simon, the chief executive of US-based Tilray Brands, is also keen to hear from potential franchisees who could run one of the 38 bars shuttered by administrators earlier this week. Tilray took the global intellectual property rights, the Aberdeenshire brewery and 11 of its bars, in a move that preserved 733 jobs. Discussions about acquiring further assets in the US and Australia are moving forward, with Simon adamant those deals “will happen” soon. With BrewDog, he said he feels there is potential to reinvigorate the brand in the UK and overseas, as well as bringing Tilray’s existing craft beer products into new markets. While BrewDog only announced in January it planned to shut down its distillery arm, Simon wants to revive it. He told The Times: “That is back on the table and more than likely, we will get that back up and going again.” The initial 11 bars purchased from administrators are not the limit of Tilray’s ambitions in UK hospitality, with talks underway about adding a further four from the portfolio that closed. He said: “I think we have got to learn from the past mistakes that were made, but brew pubs have a major purpose for marketing. We have 18 or 19 in the US and I’m about bringing families together.” One ambition Simon has is to get a site in Heathrow airport. Simon intends to reach out to the community of 220,000 small shareholders, or “Equity Punks”, who lost their investment when BrewDog was put into administration. He said: “They’re important to us. They’re important to be ambassadors to the brand and not forget them at all.”

Caffe Nero founder – ‘we don’t want to take over the world, we need to move to our own rhythm’: Gerry Ford, the founder and chief executive of Caffe Nero, has said the company will pause acquisitions after its takeover of 15 Compass Coffee stores in US, and that it “never wanted to suffer the consequence of trying to be everywhere for everybody”. The business is aiming to open as many as 30 UK stores and between 50 and 70 more this year across the ten other countries it operates in. Ford told The Guardian the 1,151-outlet business was outperforming its bigger rivals Starbucks and Costa. He suggested those brands had expanded too rapidly and suffered from multiple management changes. He said: “We have been more consistent in what we are trying to do. We have not had massive growth upswings. We are going at a steady pace. We can expand more rapidly or slow down. We have more flexibility as we’re not trying to hit a quarterly reporting target. We are able to have longer-term planning. We don’t want to take over the world; we need to move to our own rhythm. We never wanted to suffer the consequence of trying to be everywhere for everybody.” Caffè Nero’s plans for more acquisitions are on hold for at least a year as the group absorbs its series of recent acquisitions, which have led to higher borrowing and related finance costs. The group now has more than 650 outlets in the UK, while the acquisition of Compass Coffee takes the total number of outlets in the US to 60 and adds a new coffee roasting facility. “We are not going to end up with 5,000 stores but there is a lot of white space as an independent premium,” Ford said. “No market is saturated at all.” He also warned that prolonged disruption in the Middle East could put the price of a cup of coffee up again.

Coppa Collective CEO – ‘we’re not looking to become the next pubco, expansion focus is on Coppa Club’: Mark Loughborough, chief executive of Coppa Collective (formerly Various Eateries), which last week acquired a packaged of sites from Grosvenor Pubs, has told Propel it’s “not looking to become the next pubco”, and that its expansion focus is on its Coppa Club concept. Last week, the Coppa Club and Noci operator acquired four sites from Grosvenor Pubs, with an agreement in place to potentially acquire a fifth. The sites add 85 rooms to the group’s portfolio. Loughborough, formerly Young’s retail director, said: “We always thought we could operate a third division, and premium pubs with rooms are not dissimilar to the Coppa Club model. The thing that works for us is that all-day model. At the moment, with the market being so unpredictable, it's really important. The pubs with rooms model is something we started looking at ten years ago in Young’s, and it worked very well for us. Everyone realised what a resilient model it was, and there’s a lot of good operators out there doing it with very strong offers. We’re not looking to become the next pubco. If and when the odd individual site comes up that fits, we will look to maybe pick them up. But there is no strategy to suddenly start expanding rapidly and trying to compete against the big pubcos. Coppa Club is working very well, and that’s the one we’ll focus on in terms of expansion. There is nothing holding us back with Coppa. We've got a good model and it’s converting well and resonating well. There’s plenty of choice for us out there at the moment. We hope to be telling people about expansion in Coppa Club pretty soon. Conversations are in play.”

Turkish café and bar concept to make UK debut: Turkish café and bar concept Karabatak Coffee is to make its UK debut, in Twickenham, south west London. Ali Gokhan is the owner of Karabatak Coffee, which has two locations, in Istanbul and Bodrum. The café has become a cult favourite of travellers and celebrities, with actor and director Ben Affleck and Aerosmith singer Steve Tyler both pictured enjoying drinks there. Gokhan hopes to open the cafe in early April in East Twickenham, serving Turkish coffee, cocktails and pastries, reports South West Londoner. The site was previously home to Orpheus Taverna, a Greek restaurant which had been a feature on the high street for 40 years. “When we opened our first coffee shop in Istanbul, our very first month, Ben Affleck and the Argo crew came in for coffee and ended up basing themselves in our place for two weeks,” Gokhan said. “That was our first lucky moment. It will be a Mediterranean coffee shop. It won’t be like the all-white ones you see everywhere; we want to bring something different. We can’t make it a copy and paste franchise, so each and every shop we open has to be one of a kind.” Karabatak Twickenham also will double up as a bar, with Gokhan’s love for 1980s music inspiring the names of its house cocktails.

 

Yolk launches £1m fundraise for next two sites, SSP an investor: “Good bites only” business Yolk has launched a new £1m fundraise to fund its next two sites, and revealed that SSP Group, the UK operator of food and beverage outlets in travel locations worldwide, is an investor in the company. Last October, Propel revealed that the business had undergone a company voluntary arrangement (CVA), leading to the closure of three of its sites in London, leaving it with seven sites in the capital. The company said it has raised circa £5m from a mix of angels, crowdfunding and strategic investors such as SSP, and while the previous round valued the business at £15m, the current round is at £5m pre-money and will fund sites eight and nine. Thereafter, the business anticipates a larger equity round (circa £2m) at a significantly higher valuation, with growth beyond that funded via non-dilutive debt. It said that the seven retained sites at the end of 2025 were generating circa £6.5m of annualised revenue and circa 35,000 customer visits per month, with 11% like-for-like sales growth over the second half of 2025. It said: “The board plans to roll out a redesigned compact format, further supporting repeatable rollout. The next phase of growth (sites 8-20) will continue to focus on London – predominantly central London, but with more ‘neighbourhood’ locations to be tested also. The first non-London location is expected between sites 20-30. Travel hubs are a key target – in particular airports and train stations. The business has signed heads of terms with SSP, for travel hubs – but if no location lands with SSP, the business will be free to explore other routes and partners. Franchise-led growth is expected in certain markets. The board is targeting an exit within five years, most likely via a trade sale to a strategic operator or private equity once the business reaches 30-plus sites and mature group economics.”

 

C&C Group acquires Innis & Gunn brand out of administration for £4.5m, taprooms close: C&C Group has acquired the brand and associated global intellectual property of Scottish brewer and retailer Innis & Gunn out of administration for £4.5m. C&C has been a small minority shareholder and a brewing partner for Innis & Gunn for a number of years. Christopher Bennett, Oliver Wright and Samuel Ballinge, of FTI Consulting, were appointed as administrators on 6 March 2026. Immediately upon their appointment, the administrators sold certain assets to C&C Group. The three taprooms in Edinburgh and Glasgow were not included in the deal and have closed. The administrators said a combination of factors, including a decline in consumer spending and rising cost pressures, has resulted in significant margin and liquidity pressure that meant Innis & Gunn could no longer continue to trade. C&C Group stated: “The acquisition represents an attractive opportunity for the group to further broaden its branded portfolio with a premium well-established brand. The integration of Innis & Gunn into the group is expected to present a very low execution risk, with the brand being fully absorbed into the group's existing operational, commercial and supply chain infrastructure. As a result, the board anticipates a rapid operational transition and minimal disruption to the business. The group intends to develop the Innis & Gunn brand utilising its established production capability, routes to market, and infrastructure, leveraging existing capabilities to unlock brand value with minimal requirement for incremental overhead or capital investment. The acquisition of Innis & Gunn reinforces our belief in the value of strong brands and the importance of our integrated manufacturing supply, marketing and sales business model. The acquisition consideration is funded from existing facilities.” C&C Group chief executive Roger White added: “We expect this acquisition to make a small positive contribution to our overall financial performance in FY27.”

 

Rob Wirszycz steps down as chair of Six By Nico: Rob Wirszycz has stepped down as chairman of SixCo, the company behind the Six by Nico restaurant business, Propel has learned. Wirszycz, who is currently a chairman of Irish pub concept Nancy Spains, stepped down from SixCo after five and a half years as its chairman. It comes after the company’s finance director for the last four and a half years, Stuart Sheils, left the business at the end of last year to join Cawley Hotels & Restaurants as its new chief financial officer. Propel revealed last week that Six By Nico had restructured and refinanced and decided not to proceed with a crowdfunding campaign which raised £2.5m. The concept, which was founded by chef Nico Simeone in 2017, opened the fundraise to the public in August, having raised more than £1.5m from early investors. Six By Nico, which has grown to 16 restaurants after opening in Bristol last year, then closed the campaign in September after securing £2.531,829 from 5,221 investors. Writing about post year end events in the company’s accounts for the year to 29 June 2025, Simeone said: “While the campaign generated meaningful interest and engagement from the consumer investor base, the board concluded that the level of capital available did not meet the threshold required to efficiently execute the intended deployment plan and therefore elected not to proceed.” The group is set to convert its site in Manchester’s Spring Gardens into a new concept called Lennox.

 

Joe & The Juice confirms Dublin debut, plans further openings this year: Joe & The Juice, the juice and cafe bar brand which operates circa 90 sites in the UK and circa 480 globally, has confirmed it will make its debut in Ireland, in Dublin, this May. Propel revealed last October that the company was set to open a site in Dawson Street, in the Irish capital. The site, which will be situated on Grafton Place near Trinity College, will be 2,200 square feet and will create about 30 new jobs in the city. The group is understood to be spending in the region of €600,000-€800,000 on the opening. Jon James, the group’s managing director, told The Irish Times the company’s target is to open another three or four outlets in Dublin this year, each of which would employ about the same number of people. He said. “We’ve got our eyes on a number of areas around Dublin, and we think there is plenty of space to grow the brand there. Dublin is ambitious, social and full of momentum, which makes it the perfect place for us to put down roots.” The company, which last month signed a deal to launch in India, is to add to its regional presence here with an opening in Reading – on the second floor of the Berkshire town’s The Oracle shopping centre.

Park Holidays exploring sale: Holiday park operator Park Holidays UK is exploring a sale less than five years after it was bought by an American real estate investor in a deal worth nearly £1bn. Sky News reports that New York-listed Sun Communities is working with bankers on a potential sale of Park Holidays, which trades from more than 50 locations across the UK. Sources said that Lazard, which helped Sun Communities buy Park Holidays in 2021 for $1.3bn, is fielding interest from prospective buyers. A number of real estate investors and private equity firms have held preliminary talks with Sun Communities about a deal. Park Holidays owns sites in places such as Dawlish in Devon, Felixstowe in Suffolk and Birchington in Kent. After acquiring the business, Sun Communities is understood to have ploughed further funds into buying back the freeholds to many of Park Holidays’ venues. Industry sources said the American real estate investment trust would be lucky to recoup a sum anywhere close to the original purchase price.

 

Holli Benn promoted to head of people operations at Pizza Hut UK & Europe: Holli Benn has been promoted to head of people operations at Pizza Hut UK & Europe. Benn has been with the company for almost two decades, starting out as a restaurant general manager covering several sites in Yorkshire in 2007. She then progressed to learning and development manager, operations systems manager, franchise operations coach and franchise business manager. In 2021, Benn became franchise business manager – Europe for the brand, and for the past three years, has been its people operations manager. 

 

Heartwood Collection to invest £1.5m refurbishing five sites: Heartwood Collection, the Alchemy Partners-backed business, is to invest more than £1.5m in the refurbishment of five of its existing pubs by June. The investment will see the group’s sites in Reigate, Chobham, Upminster, Thame and Weybridge renovated and will be temporarily closed. Works will include reimagined gardens with brand-new furniture, refreshed décor, updated signage, enhanced landscaping and planting schemes. The five pubs are The Black Horse, Reigate (to be closed from 2 March-3 June); The Sun Inn, Chobham (13- 29 April); The Jobber’s Rest, Upminster (13 April-13 May); The Queen’s Head, Weybridge (16 March- 1 April); and The Black Horse, Thame (11-28 May). Richard Ferrier, chief executive of Heartwood Collection, said: “This investment reflects our long-term commitment to the communities we serve. As we continue to grow, it’s equally important that we reinvest in our existing pubs to ensure they look beautiful, feel welcoming and continue delivering the high-quality food and hospitality our guests expect.”

 

Palmers sees turnover dip slightly following ‘persistently poor weather during key summer trading season’: Family-run brewery and pub company Palmers, which operates 52 pubs in the south west, has reported turnover dipped slightly to £10,209,228 for the year ending 31 March 2025 compared with £10,323,701 the previous year following “persistently poor weather during our key summer trading season”. Pre-tax profit fell to £833,228 from £2,801,284 in 2024, when the company made a £65,000 profit on disposal of properties and £940,182 in a fair value adjustment of investment properties. Dividends of £5,850 were paid (2024: £5,850). Director Anthony Palmer said: “The knowledge and expertise of our best licensees continue to be rewarded with positive like-for-like sales. Given the ever-increasing cost burden being placed on us all, we are focused on helping our licensees mitigate these increases through sales growth as well as margin and cost control. Salary and national insurance rises have thit profitability, as have the increased cost of repairs and business rates. We remain focused on managing costs, being efficient and effective with our resources and growing the top line. The free trade business continues to thrive thanks to our great beer and brilliant brewery team always going above and beyond to support our customers. The ultimate compliment is customers increasing their trade with us and referring other operators. The team has been rewarded with both.”

 

The Ivy Collection confirms plans for Chester restaurant: The Ivy Collection, the circa 50-strong business backed by serial sector investor Richard Caring, has confirmed plans to open a new restaurant in Chester. Propel revealed in November that the business was planning to open on the former All Bar One site in the city’s Newgate Street. It has now submitted plans to that effect, reports Chester Nub News. Designs show planned seating for 118 people on the ground floor, including nine at a wrap-around bar, and a raised outdoor seating area. Its outdoor space would feature fixed jumbo umbrellas with heaters, tables, chairs, benches, planters and a waiter station – providing up to 40 alfresco dining covers.

 

Brighton Pier reintroduces admission charge: Brighton Palace Pier, one of the UK’s four most visited tourist attractions, welcoming 3.9 million visitors in 2025, has begun charging admission once more. The Argus reports that the pier, owned by Brighton Pier Group, began charging visitors £1 admission over the weekend, in what is it calling the “pre-summer period”. The pier first reintroduced the fee in 2024 after ditching it in 1985. It started at £1 before rising to £2 during last year’s peak summer season – although local residents can still get in for free. The pier’s owners defended the charge, blaming the spiralling cost of maintaining the historic attraction, which requires constant and expensive specialist repairs. Brighton Pier Group gets no grants to help towards the upkeep as it is a private company, and it said the cost of maintaining the pier has jumped by a third in the past five years. A statement said the seasonal fee is “critical in helping to meet the unique challenges and costs of preserving the pier’s structural integrity for generations to come”. Brighton Pier Group put the pier up for sale in January, appointing Knight Frank to seek a buyer. Later that month, chief executive Anne Ackord told Propel there had been more than 40 expressions of interest in buying the pier, from a mix of local, national and international potential buyers. It came following a period of divestment for the group – selling two Lola Lo sites to ex-Lumniar co-owner Joe Heanen in September before putting Lightwater Valley Family Adventure Park and its Paradise Island Adventure Golf business on the market. The business, which delisted from the London stock market last year, has said it is actively exploring opportunities for the potential sale of some or all of its remaining assets.

 

Camm & Hooper owner Broadwick Group falls to loss as turnover drops: Broadwick Group, the music, arts and space management company that owns events and hospitality group Camm & Hooper, has reported turnover fell to £62,655,655 for the year ending 31 March 2025 compared with £67,512,590 the year before. Ebitda was up slightly to £3,791,628 from £3,777,952 the year before. The group posted a pre-tax loss of £48,991 compared with a profit of £706,567 the previous year. In March 2025, Broadwick, which has a portfolio of 24 venues – mainly in London but also including the new Brooklyn Storehouse in New York – acquired Camm & Hooper – which operates the likes of Banking Hall, OXO2, 26 Leake Street and The Victorian Bath House in London – out of administration. Propel revealed in April 2025 that the total consideration paid was £326,039. In his report accompanying the accounts, chief executive Simon Tracey said: “With strong financial management, support from our investors and an active shareholder team leading the business we have worked hard to implement structures and processes that have allowed us to grow sustainably and are poised to capitalise on multiple venue acquisitions, rapidly expanding our portfolio of brands while increasing our working capital reserves to deliver continued growth. We continue to look at acquiring new venues that fit our portfolio strategically and represent opportunities to further strengthen our financial position.” No dividend was paid (2024: nil). As previously reported, in October 2025, Broadwick secured £20m of funding from Lloyds to support its expansion plans.

 

Signature Group plans new Glasgow site: Signature Group, which owns and operates 23 venues across Scotland, plans to open a new site in Glasgow. It has submitted a planning application to change the use of the property next door to cocktail bar and restaurant The Spiritualist, owned by the same group, in Merchant City. If successful, the currently empty office space would become a public house, reports The Glasgow Times. At 54 Miller Street, the new site is proposed to operate as a pub with space for 235 people, including bar areas, booths, dining and private dining areas. Glasgow City Council officials are evaluating the bid, and a decision is expected by May. At the end of 2024, Signature Group founder Nic Wood told Propel that the group is considering expanding into England and has the structure in place for another four or five openings. In the year to 31 October 2024, Signature Group reported turnover of £34,448,466 (2023: £32,170,637) and a pre-tax loss of £917,356 (2023: £600,618).

 

Smith & Western sees profit drop but costs level out: Smith & Western, the south east-based US-style restaurant concept, saw its profit drop in the year to 30 June 2025 but said costs had levelled out. The company, founded in 1995 and owned by the Sandford family, operates seven restaurants across Surrey, Sussex and Kent. Pre-tax profit fell from £927,767 in 2024 to £688,156 off turnover of £15,332,782 (2024: £14,631,812), as administrative expenses rose by more than £500,000. Director Troy Cox said: “The group saw an increase in revenue of 4.79%. Tighter monitoring of purchases and wages has led to more consistency in margins. Costs such as rent, rates and water, along with light and heat have, levelled out in 2025.” Dividends of £300,000 were paid, the same as in 2024.

 

Country Creatures opens south Cotswolds pub: Sam and Georgie Pearman, the duo behind Country Creatures and founders of the Lucky Onion business, have opened a new pub in the southern Cotswolds. They have opened The Wild Duck Inn, a grade II-listed, 16th sixteenth century coaching inn in the town of Ewen. Originally the gardener’s cottage to the nearby Ewen Manor, it has been restored into a pub with rooms by the Pearman’s, who are also behind The Double Red Duke and The Mason’s Arms in Clanfield. The pair have introduced 19 new bedrooms, while downstairs, the bar features a Medieval Inglenook fireplace, old flagstones and a Gothic-style bar. The pumps serve ales, lagers and beers from Stroud brewery Uley, alongside Allsopp’s and Double Diamond, while an ever-changing wine list features handpicked bottles and vintages from some of the leading vineyards in France and Italy. A 110-seat restaurant offers a seasonal menu with dishes such as wood-roasted brown trout with beetroot and horseradish pink firs, and whole roast duck served with turnip gratin, plus Sundays roasts. The breakfast offer includes a full English with homemade black pudding, chopped brown sauce, bone barrow toast and a sugar pit bacon chop. There are also two treatment rooms, offering a selection of treatments such as herbal compress massages and beauty ritual facials.

 

Toca Social launches in Dallas for US debut: Toca Social, the interactive football bar concept, has launched in Dallas for its first US location. Propel first revealed in the summer of 2024 that the Alex Harman-led business was lining up a site in Dallas-Fort Worth, ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup being hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico. The site has now opened in the Grandscape shopping centre. Toca Social’s US expansion is part of a partnership with Major League Soccer, and the Dallas venue will be joined by new locations in other major US cities. The first Toca Social opened at The O2 in London in 2021 and was followed by a venue in Birmingham, and then another in London, at Westfield White City – in partnership with Sandbox VR. Harman told Propel in January that the company has ambitions for “hundreds” of venues worldwide, and while confirming further expansion in the Americas, said he sees huge potential in an “under-served” European leisure market. He said Toca Social will follow the Dallas launch with its first continental European site in the second quarter, at La Defense in Paris – Europe’s largest central business district. Harman previously said he is aiming for 20 UK sites in the long term – and the company is in talks and seeking sites to expand here.

 

Clover Group plans new boutique hotel in Belfast: Clover Group, the Northern Ireland company founded in 2017 to buy iconic Belfast pubs in particular, plans to build a new boutique hotel in Belfast. It has submitted for Margot Townhouse in the upper floors of the Clarence Chambers Building at 18-19 Donegall Square East. Clover Group said it intends to create a 20-bedroom hotel in the building, which already houses its Margot and Rudi venues in the lower floors, reports the Belfast Telegraph. The hotel will include a multi-suite residence on the top floor called the Penthouse, which will include a private bar and an outdoor jacuzzi. Clover Group currently owns several in the centre of Belfast, including White’s Tavern and the Linen Hall Bar. Mark Beirne, director of Clover Group, said: “This exciting new boutique hotel adds an exciting new dimension to our offering, with each suite designed with care to reflect the building’s history while offering a unique, modern experience. Much like our proposed hotel project at White’s Tavern, this planned boutique hotel will add much-needed variety and luxury to the city’s overnight offerings, creating memorable experiences that inspire visitors to explore and extend their stay in our great city.” Last year, a planning application was lodged for a new hotel development above White’s Tavern. Clover Group revealed it is planning to refurbish the existing vacant floors above the bar, transforming them into a 36-bedroom hotel. White’s Tavern, located in Winecellar Entry, claims to be “Belfast’s oldest tavern”. The group, which has been operating White’s for over five years, said that the current venue will be unaffected by the proposal.

 

Cambridge bakery to open first location outside of the city for fourth site: Cambridge bakery Fitzbillies is to open its first location outside of the city for its fourth site. It has received planning permission to convert a former garage at 59-61 High Street in Harston, South Cambridgeshire, into an artisan bakery and café, reports Cambridgeshire Live. The 105-year-old bakery was founded in 1920 on Trumpington Street and now has three branches in central Cambridge and an off-site bakery on Clifton Road. Current owners Alison Wright and Tim Hayward became involved with the business in 2011 and have since grown it, opening a second branch, on Bridge Street, in 2016, and a third, on King’s Parade, in 2023. Wright said: “Harston is the perfect next chapter for Fitzbillies. For years, we’ve wanted to bring our bakers and our customers back under one roof, and this site gives us the space to do exactly that. We hope the café will become a real hub for the village; somewhere for local people to meet and socialise. We can’t wait to become part of the community.”