Richard Caring – ‘I am confident we will continue to elevate our vision for hospitality to exciting new heights’: Serial sector investor Richard Caring has said that off the back of selling a majority stake in the bulk of his restaurant and members’ clubs business to Diafa, the Abu Dhabi–based luxury lifestyle group, he is confident both parties will bring “our world-class brands to new markets and continue to elevate our vision for hospitality to exciting new heights”. Caring confirmed the “ten-figure transaction”, believed to be circa £1.4bn, to the affiliate of IHC Group, which is chaired by Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed al-Nahyan, the deputy ruler of Abu Dhabi. The transaction includes The Ivy Brasserie, the luxury restaurant portfolio of Caprice Holdings – featuring Scott's, Sexy Fish, and Noema – as well as the private members’ clubs of The Birley Clubs, including Annabel's, George, Harry's Bar, and Mark's Club. The companies said the next phase of global expansion will include the opening of Annabel's in New York, alongside the continued international growth of Scott's, Sexy Fish, and Noema. The Ivy Brasserie, which will continue its expansion across the UK in 2026, is expected to explore new openings in the US and other international markets. Caring, who will remain executive chairman, said: “I am confident we will bring our world-class brands to new markets and continue to elevate our vision for hospitality to exciting new heights. Diafa's commitment to investing in exceptional luxury brands makes it the right partner, and I look forward to building something truly enduring together.” Diafa’s portfolio includes hospitality brands such as Azumi Group (including Zuma and Roka), and The h.wood Group (including Delilah, The Nice Guy, and Bird Streets Club). Diafa said its goal is to build the “world's most celebrated food and beverage portfolio”, from “global cornerstone institutions and iconic members’ clubs to premium social destinations and innovative casual concepts that are redefining how people gather, celebrate, and connect”. To lead this vision, Diafa confirmed it had appointed Ravi Thakran, formerly group chairman of LVMH Asia, as group chief executive. Thakran said: “This transaction marks the beginning of a new chapter in global luxury hospitality.”

JD Wetherspoon founder Sir Tim Martin to speak at Excellence in Pub & Bar Retailing Conference, open for bookings: Sir Tim Martin, founder and chair of JD Wetherspoon, will be among the speakers at the Excellence in Pub & Bar Retailing Conference. The all-day conference takes place on Tuesday, 19 May at One Moorgate Place in London and is open for bookings. Sir Tim will discuss the group’s move into franchising and handing his brand over to other operators, its international expansion plans and maintaining its value-led proposition in a hostile cost environment. For the full speaker schedule, click here. Tickets are £345 plus VAT for operators and £395 plus VAT for suppliers. There is a 20% discount for operators and suppliers who are Premium Club subscribers while Premium Unlimited Plus subscribers receive four free tickets to the conference. Email: kai.kirkman@propelinfo.com to book places.

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 Franchisee Database will be sent on Wednesday (15 April), at 12pm. The database will feature ten new additions plus updates to existing entries. The database now has 300 entries and more than 122,000 words of copy. Among the new entries are coffee shop franchisees EBspresso (92 Degrees), Kernow Koffi (Costa Coffee) and Yoloway (Black Sheep Coffee). Premium Club subscribers will then receive the next Who’s Who of UK Hospitality on Friday (17 April), at 12pm. Another 41 companies have been added to the database, which now features 1,532 companies. This month’s edition also includes 139 updated entries. Premium subscribers also receive access to four other databases: the Turnover & Profits Blue Book, the Multi-Site Database, the New Openings Database, and the UK Food and Beverage Franchisor Database. 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 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. A new Premium Unlimited Plus option, which costs £1,995 plus VAT per annum, has some amazing additional benefits including four free tickets to Propel’s paid-for conferences – Excellence in Pub & Bar (19 May), Operational Excellence (9 July) and Talent & Training (15 October) – and the opportunity to run one free sponsored message or situation vacant notice during the year on the newsletter. Email kai.kirkman@propelinfo.com today to sign up.

Leon boss opens books to show pain of taxes under Labour: John Vincent, who bought back Leon last October, has said that, for an average restaurant with £1.3m sales, he is paying an extra £70,000 per year in rates and national insurance. Business rates at the average restaurant have increased £56,000 per year, he told The Times. For an employee earning £30,000, the brand is now paying £700 a year more in national insurance. For a restaurant employing 20 staff, this would be an equivalent to an extra £14,000. It means the proportion of sales taken up by these two taxes, before other items such as VAT, has increased four percentage points. Across all its restaurants and its back office, the business has 573 staff. Vincent has previously said a total of 36p in every pound from customers goes to the government, and “2p ends up in the hands of the company” – margins tighter than most supermarkets. “We need more entrepreneurs in parliament,” he said. “When you are a lawyer when you only have a hammer every problem seems nail-shaped, more laws aren’t always the way to achieve things, you need entrepreneurism. You kill the golden goose if you tax the industry.” The Treasury was “divorced when it comes to business”, he said, and claimed Labour politicians had “no idea how to build an entrepreneurial country”. The Michelin-starred chef Angela Hartnett, the chef-patron at Murano in Mayfair and a protégée of Gordon Ramsay, said she worried “this government sees this as the survival of the fittest and maybe we are proving them right, as one restaurant closes, another one opens”. Hartnett, who also runs four cafés in London, said taxes across her business accounted for 35% of the bottom line as opposed to 18% about 25 years ago. 

Fuel price surge ‘will disrupt food and drink supply chain’: Wholesalers to thousands of local businesses, schools, care homes and hospitals have warned chancellor Rachel Reeves of supply-chain issues as surging fuel prices threaten the sustainability of their businesses. The food industry is scrambling to mitigate the fallout from the war in Iran, which has sent shockwaves through the global economy and caused the price of oil to skyrocket after Iran blocked the Strait of Hormuz. Wholesalers wrote to the chancellor last week warning that the escalating costs of petrol and diesel are “causing major issues”. The letter, seen by The Sunday Times, said continued fuel price increases would “severely impact the long-term sustainability of the UK’s food and drink supply chain”. It continued: “Wholesalers operate on significantly lower margins and supply other businesses, including many on the high street, rather than selling directly to consumers. If prices for fuel continue to rise, wholesalers will be forced to pass the costs on to local businesses, which in turn will drive up prices and food inflation.” Bosses urged Reeves to extend the emergency 5p cut to fuel duty, introduced following the outbreak of war in Ukraine in 2022 to ease pressure on motorists.

Coffee brands bet on ube’s viral appeal: UK café brands are betting on ube, the vibrant purple yam native to the Philippines, to replicate the viral success of matcha among younger, higher-spending consumers. The FT reported Costa Coffee and Starbucks last month launched new ranges of ube-based drinks, as they race to recreate the visual appeal that spurred the distinctive green matcha boom. The moves followed limited-edition offerings from rivals Pret A Manger and Black Sheep Coffee in 2025, as well as long-established blends at specialist Filipino cafés and restaurants across the UK. The ingredient’s purple hue has been critical to its adoption by mainstream brands seeking social media success, according to Kiti Soininen, a food and drink analyst at Mintel. “The unusual and vibrant colour is at the heart of it, just as it was in helping matcha and Dubai chocolate go viral,” she said. Nishant Bhatia, global food and beverage director at Costa, attributed strong sales of the brand’s ube range among “younger, trend-led customers” to its “visual appeal”. In its launch announcement, Starbucks highlighted ube’s “spectacular splash of colour”. The latest flavour push comes as the UK’s biggest café brands struggle to regain their grip over the nation’s caffeine intake. They have lost market share in recent years to start-up rivals such as matcha specialist Blank Street, which is in early discussions to raise $100m or more in new funding to fuel expansion as it capitalises on demand from younger consumers. On average, matcha drinks at UK cafés cost a fifth more than standard lattes, according to hospitality data provider Meaningful Vision. Although wholesale ube powder is generally less expensive than matcha, the drinks are typically priced similarly. Prices for Starbucks’ ube vanilla velvet latte, which vary by location, start at £5.45, while Costa’s sweet ube frappé starts at £4.35.

Job of the day: COREcruitment is working with an expanding, award-winning UK restaurant group seeking a head chef for a premier Central London location. A COREcruitment spokesperson said: “The ideal candidate will possess a proven background in casual dining and a talent for mentoring large teams. This role requires a commercially minded leader with a strong understanding of group systems, stock management and back-of-house administration.” The position offers a £55,500 package, comprising a £38,500 basic salary and £17,000 tronc, plus a bonus of up to £9,300, paid training and fast-track opportunities to progress as the group continues its expansion. For more information, email olly@corecruitment.com

Young’s to run Cubitt House business alongside core estate, could eventually transfer sites across: Young’s is set to operate new acquisition Cubitt House alongside its core estate, and is set to grow the business through acquisitions and could eventually transfer some of its existing pubs across, Propel understands. Last week, Young’s acquired London gastropub operator Cubitt House, which was backed by funds managed by TDR Capital, for circa £29m. Cubitt House comprises a collection of eight leasehold pubs and pubs with bedrooms in west London, plus a ninth pub in Belgravia that is currently being developed, with the former post office in Eccleston Street set to be converted into The Duke of Connaught. Writing in Propel Premium, Mark Wingett, Propel’s chief operating officer – editorial, said: “One report last week suggested the move would see Young’s move into operating premium pubs, and it is true that the majority of the Young’s estate operates at a click below that, but this is a business that also operates the likes of the Guinea Grill in Mayfair, Smiths of Smithfield in Farringdon, and Aragon House in Parsons Green. The sense is that Young’s will operate the Cubitt estate alongside its core estate and look to grow it further through acquisitions and maybe also transfer some of existing pubs into it in the future. Sales for Cubitt House of around £24m in its most recent financial year, and a suggested potential EBITDA of £5.1m, implies a sub five times multiple after savings or as one analyst put it ‘very good even for a leasehold estate’. I understand site EBITDA for the business was around £4.5m, with at 3% to 4% rent as a percentage of sales. That’s an impressive level for London, helped I understand by lease disregards – specific factors in a commercial lease rent review that must be ignored when determining the new rent, ensuring the tenant does not pay more for improvements they funded or value they created. Or as one sector expert put it ‘these are some of the most benign leasehold leases you can come across’.”

Burger King UK secures £60m financing deal, like-for-likes sales up 6.8% in 2025: Burger King UK, which is backed by Bridgepoint, has secured a new £60m funding deal, on the back of a 12 months where it saw like-for-like sales, overall revenue and underlying earnings all grow significantly. Sky News reported the Alasdair Murdoch-led business has struck an agreement with Metro Bank and OakNorth to lend it £30m each, with the £60m of additional debt being used to fund new restaurant openings and other growth-related initiatives. Murdoch said: “Despite a challenging global macroeconomic environment and significant sector cost pressures, we have grown revenue by 10% to £448.7m and delivered like-for-like sales growth of 6.8%, demonstrating the resilience of our brand and the quality of our offer in a competitive market.” The circa 600-strong company saw Bridgepoint also commit a further £30m of funding during the financial year. Murdoch said: “Together, this backing gives us the platform to execute our expansion plans with further conviction.” Like-for-like sales growth during the year was driven by the expansion of Burger King UK's home delivery operation and improvements to in-store trading. Murdoch said the business had shown “continued cost discipline and operational efficiency despite significant industry-wide labour cost headwinds”. “Statutory wage increases, including further increases in the national minimum and national living wage, together with higher employers’ national insurance contributions following changes to rates and thresholds, materially increased employment costs last year,” Burger King UK said. Last December, the business signed a near-20-year master franchise agreement with Burger King Europe – a subsidiary of Restaurant Brands International – to extend its master franchise rights for Burger King to the Republic of Ireland for the first time. It is expected to open more than 30 new sites this year, with roughly two-thirds of them company-owned.

Humble Crumble lines up sixth site: Humble Crumble, the crumble specialist founded by Kim Innes, is to open its sixth site near Selfridges in Central London during the summer. The company, which was founded at a market stall in Spitalfields Market, saw sales of £6.6m and pre-tax profit of £1.1m last year. The Sunday Times reported Humble Crumble is also in talks to supply retailers with its pre-packaged crumble toppings, which many customers said is their favourite part. Innes will speak at this year’s Female Leaders and Entrepreneurs Conference on Thursday, 4 June at Park Plaza Victoria London, part of the Propel Multi-Club series of conferences. She discusses her journey and why she recommends “The Lean Startup”, which advocates the test-feedback-loop process. Click here for the full speaker schedule. Operators can book three free places by emailing kai.kirkman@propelinfo.com. Operators who are Propel Premium subscribers can book four free places.

Samyukta Nair – ‘we’re open to further overseas expansion’: Samyukta Nair – the restaurateur behind Jamavar, Bombay Bustle, MiMi Mei Fair and Nipotina in London – has told Propel she is open to further overseas expansion. Nair, who next month introduces latest venture Miko Mei Fair – which will open in the space below MiMi Mei Fair in London’s Mayfair – has launched both Jamavar and MiMi Mei Fair into Dubai in the last two years. “Dubai has been a really exciting market for us in general, although needless to say, not at this moment in time!” she said of the current unrest in the Middle East. “But Jamavar translated well there, and MiMi Mei Fair has had a strong appreciation. We’re excited with what’s to come once things settles down and life becomes more normal. We’re open in terms of further expansion, but also very selective. It must be the right partners and the right market for the right reasons to have something in place. Taking the time to understand and gather all the right information to help us move forwards is way more exciting for me than pulling out a map and dotting out different places.” In terms of following Miko Mei Fair with further UK openings, Nair added: “We’re being very measured, looking at where the world is at this moment in time. Strengthening what we have and making sure each concept is relevant and continues to resonate with the audience is what’s important to us. If there’s the right energy and clear reason, we will explore, but it must be very considered. A lot of the expansion we have done in recent years was already planned pre-covid. From gestation to when you open doors, life can change quickly, and things aren’t in our control as much. Sometimes, just taking a step back and smelling the roses is a really nice place to be.”

Lane7 – ‘we continue to trade positively’, ‘identified some excellent sites in mainland Europe’: Boutique bowling company Lane7, which last week secured its 30th site, in Exeter, has told Propel it has continued to “trade positively off the back of an excellent Christmas period” and it has “also identified some excellent sites in mainland Europe” that it hopes to “be in a position to secure very soon”. Last week, the Gavin Hughes-led business said it had secured a new 27,000 square-foot site across two floors in Exeter’s Guildhall shopping centre, for an opening in 2027. The group, which also owns the LevelX, Gutterball and ML7 concepts, recently announced plans for further expansion with upcoming cross-brand site openings in Leeds, Glasgow and Edinburgh. Lane7 also currently operates two international sites in Berlin and Dublin. Speaking on current trading and further expansion, the business told Propel: “We continue to trade positively off the back of an excellent Christmas period. The current economic climate presents the same hurdles for everyone, but we're happy to be in a position of strength to meet them. The quality of the site has always remained our priority, so we approach UK and European opportunities with equal ambition. While we've been very active in the UK in recent months, we've also identified some excellent sites in mainland Europe, which we hope to be in a position to secure very soon.” The business debuted ML7, a smaller format, in Newcastle, last summer. Lane7 told Propel: “There's been an excellent response to the ML7 concept. We've learned lots from our customers, so we'll continue to evolve the model and deliver to what we see as a unique space in the market.”

Bakers + Baristas – ‘new opening sets the standard for how we want the brand to look as we grow’, ‘big part of expansion will be through franchising’: Bakers + Baristas, the artisan coffee and baking brand, has said its new opening in Kent “sets the standard” for how it want the brand to look as it grows, and a big part of that expansion will be through franchising. The brand has opened at Unit 14 in Westwood Cross shopping centre, near Broadstairs for its 64th store across the UK and Ireland. The site joins the brand’s other Kent sites, in Gillingham, Chatham and Canterbury. Vikesh Patel, group managing director, said: “We’ve just opened a new Bakers + Baristas at Westwood Cross and I’m really proud of this one. It’s a great example of where we’re taking the brand – cleaner, sharper, and built around a simple idea: great coffee, great food, and a space people want to spend time in. Westwood Cross is a strong location for us, but more importantly, this store sets the standard for what we want Bakers + Baristas to look and feel like as we grow. A big part of that growth will come through franchising. We’re putting a real focus on building a model that works for partners and openings like this are exactly what we want to replicate as we scale.” Last month, the UK arm of Bakers + Baristas reported turnover increased to a record £14,189,061 for the year ending 31 December 2024 compared with £13,400,221 the previous year. Pre-tax profit was up slightly to £281,702 from £260,744 the year before. 

Chopstix announces latest site opening at Preston Fishergate: Chopstix, the fast-growing, quick service restaurant brand backed by QSRP, has announced its latest store opening at Preston Fishergate, Lancashire. The 50-cover site will create 20 jobs, and Chopstix said it marked the next step in a busy period of expansion in the north and north west having opened other sites in Doncaster, York and Leeds in the last six months alone. Gareth Brannigan, head of new store openings at the circa 160-strong Chopstix, said: “It has been a busy year already for the brand, with Preston being our fourth UK store to open in the last few months. We know how well Chopstix performs in the north west, despite having lower density of stores than in some other regions. Because of this we have identified cities in this area like Preston as a significant opportunity for growth, and this opening presents an important next step in this strategy.”

Sessions preparing to raise further capital to expand faster: Sessions, the growth platform for original food brands, which last month passed the landmark of five million orders since its inception in 2019, is preparing to raise further capital to expand faster. In an interview with Forbes, founder Dan Warne said: “We are already EBITDA profitable, which for a business at 70% growth rates is unusual.” Sessions, which has a network of more than 400 delivery kitchens across the UK, is preparing to raise further capital to expand faster—a move that, given its metrics, Warne suggested is overdue. “If you have those kinds of growth economic returns you should be investing more,” he said. The company’s selection is driven by a proprietary data tool that scans delivery platforms to identify concepts that are already gaining traction. Even then, nothing is scaled immediately. Each brand is rolled out across an initial group of sites – typically ten – before being evaluated. “If the ten sites don’t deliver the requisite numbers, then that’s the end of it,” Warne said. “But if that period gives us the confidence we need, we’ll then go on to scale the brand.” Sessions raised circa £7.5m at the start of 2022 and struck a £3.25m debt deal with Virgin Money in autumn 2023.

Bubble tea brand Cupp launches new concept store: Bubble tea brand Cupp has launched a new concept store in the city where it first opened 14 years ago. Cupp was founded in Bristol in 2012 by Lee Peacock and has since grown to more than 30 UK locations. It has now returned to Bristol to launch a new concept called The Milk Tea Store, at 21 Penn Street in the Broadmead area of the city. The company posted to social media: “More than 200 people queued in the rain to visit our new Milk Tea Store in Bristol, and honestly, that moment won’t be forgotten anytime soon. A huge shoutout to our incredible store team for showing up with energy, care and passion, and to our headquarters team for bringing this vision to life. What made it even more special was seeing customers who’ve been with us for ten-plus years come down to celebrate with us. That kind of loyalty is a real privilege. Fourteen years on, and to still feel this level of support in our home city means everything.” Cupp last month made its international debut with an opening in Navanirman Nagar Colony, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad, India. Peacock said at the time of the launch that he is aiming for 200 sites in the country.

Queensway adds to its overseas portfolio: UK-based Starbucks and KFC franchisee Queensway has added to its overseas portfolio with the launch of a KFC restaurant in Linz, Austria. Queensway, owned by the Jivraj family, currently has more than 30 Starbucks in the UK and more than 30 KFC restaurants across Austria and Slovakia. A company spokesman said: “We’re proud to announce the opening of our 22nd KFC restaurant in Austria – this time in the heart of Linz. Opening an inner-city location like Linz required strong collaboration across teams, functions and partners, from planning to execution. At the same time, this moment is part of a bigger journey: 20 years of KFC in Austria. Two decades of growing together, evolving the brand, and continuously raising the bar – from expanding into new cities to shaping an offering that resonates with local consumers. We’re proud to keep building the KFC experience. Here’s to many more openings, shared successes, and great moments.” Queensway also owns non-food and beverage brands such as Point A Hotels, Sloane Place, and Montagu Place. Last week, Queensway opened the first public café and wine bar at private members’ club Sloane Club when it launched Café 1922 at the venue in London’s Chelsea.

Bewiched Coffee opening three sites in a month including third drive-thru and fourth franchise location: Northamptonshire cafe operator Bewiched Coffee is opening three sites in the space of a month – including its third drive-thru and fourth franchise location. Bewiched has already opened the first, a high street store in Olney, while fitting out is underway at further locations in Attleborough and Billing. The latter will be a third drive-thru for the brand, while the former will be its fourth franchise site with Heart of England Co-operative Society – joining its others in Balsall Common, Leamington Spa and Glenvale Park. Bewiched founder Matt Fountain said: “We’re on a bit of a growth spurt, with three stores opening in quick succession. That takes us up to 21 stores, having also closed Leamington Retail Park last quarter, which just never worked for us. At the same time, there’s a lot of talk in the UK coffee sector about growth. We are seeing numbers being thrown around by national and regional chains. A friend of mine who also runs a small chain said, ‘why is everyone in such a rush?’. Often, the first question you get asked when people hear you run a coffee business is ‘how many shops have you got?’. That’s seems to be the measure of ‘success’. We are growing but trying to be deliberate about it. Today, the margin for error on site selection is minuscule. Get it wrong, and you feel it quickly, but what about in ten years? My guess is that the UK coffee sector looks very different, with a clear split between brands that scaled well and those that simply scaled fast. I also think a lot of sites that look viable today won’t be, and the brands that come through it will be the ones that were disciplined on site selection, cost control and standards from the start.”

Chocoberry opens in Milton Keynes for 18th UK site: Dessert brand Chocoberry has opened in Milton Keynes for its 18th UK location. It has opened at Lloyds Court, 655 Silbury Boulevard, in the city, creating ten jobs. Ameer Nurmahomed, UK general manager at Chocoberry, said: “Milton Keynes is a fantastic city with a bustling and vibrant food scene. However, I am confident local consumers haven’t experienced anything like what we have to offer. Our delicious baked goods, speciality coffee, and extravagant and viral desserts will create a new go-to destination for unique dessert experiences.” Chocoberry also has overseas locations in Dubai and Sharjah and earlier this year lined up a debut site in Pakistan for its third international market, while launches in Canada and Turkey are also on its radar. In the UK, its pipeline includes sites in London, Manchester, Birmingham, Coventry, Slough, Walsall, Northampton, Bedford, Luton, St Albans, Kingston, Sheffield and Leicester.

Zambrero UK development agents sign up as franchisees: Zambrero UK development agents Damian Bennett and Dawn Catherall have signed up as franchisees for the Mexican quick-service franchise brand. Zambrero, which was founded in Australia in 2005 by Dr Sam Prince and has grown to more than 300 locations globally, launched in the UK in 2021 and now has 13 locations here. Bennett and Catherall were hired by the brand in September as development agents to help drive its expansion in Greater Manchester and West Yorkshire. The duo have now taken their expertise in the world of franchising one step further and will open their own Zambrero restaurants. Catherall said: “Damian and I are pleased to announce that we are now franchise partners with Zambrero UK. As part of this step, we are proud to enter a joint franchise partnership with Danny Smith, who will lead the day-to-day operations of our restaurants. This arrangement enables Damian and I to focus on our roles as development agents. For us, being development agents is about more than just growth – it’s about leadership, responsibility and setting the standard. We strongly believe that to effectively support and grow a network, it’s essential to truly understand the day-to-day realities of running a restaurant. By owning and operating locations ourselves, we stay closely connected to the operational challenges, team dynamics, and customer experience that define success in this business. Importantly, the restaurants we own and operate will also serve as our centre of excellence, providing a real, working environment to train and develop new franchise partners. This allows us to lead from the front, giving partners hands-on, practical experience and a clear understanding of what great looks like, every single day. This investment reflects our belief in the Zambrero brand and our long-term commitment to building a strong, sustainable network.”

PizzaExpress to expand retail range: PizzaExpress is to expand its retail range. Among the new items will be the Marry Me Chicken pizza, which only launched in restaurants in February after initially being created as part of the brand’s Valentine’s Day celebrations. The pizza, topped with béchamel sauce, marinated chicken, semi-dried tomatoes and a sprinkle of Parmigiano Reggiano, will be available to purchase from Sainsbury’s supermarkets from Wednesday (15 April). At the same time, PizzaExpress’ nine-inch Diavolo (creamy mozzarella, spicy beef and pepperoni) pizza will launch in Tesco stores today (Monday, 13 April), while its Meatball Italiano pizza (Italian passata, pork and beef meatballs and sweet peppers) will launch in Asda stores from Monday, 18 May. Richard Mills, retail director at PizzaExpress said: “We know our pizza fans want more of the restaurant experience at home and the launch of the Marry Me Chicken pizza represents yet another exciting milestone for our ever-evolving omnichannel offering.”

Business behind food treasure hunt experiences hits £470,000 crowdfunding target as it eyes global expansion: A company that creates food treasure hunt experiences and is aiming to become a “global leader in gamified food tourism” has hit its £470,000 fundraising target to support its growth. Gourmaze is raising the funds via the Republic Europe crowdfunding platform and has so far secured almost £476,000 from 130 investors. The company is offering 9.46% equity in return for the investment, giving a pre-money valuation of £4.5m. Founded in 2021 by Anish Malhan and Holly Su-Lin Mennear, Gourmaze’s experiences are powered by technology and allow players to solve clues to discover food across a city. “Our vision is to become the global leader in gamified food tourism and transform how people explore cities, spark discovery and celebrate culture”, its crowdfunding page said. Gourmaze achieved “product–market fit” in London and replicated the model internationally, launching in Singapore. The business said it has generated £1.3m in ticket sales and is EBITDA profitable, with 30,000 customers to date. Gourmaze said it sees a “clear pathway to scaling across major global cities” with “strong early traction across two markets and a rapidly growing food tourism sector”. The business said it will use the funding to expand across the UK and enter the US by 2028, as well as scale into Europe and Asia by 2030.

Healthy drinks concept Juices4Life opens eighth site ahead of accelerated expansion through rest of 2026: Healthy drinks concept Juices4Life has opened its eighth site ahead of planned accelerated expansion through the rest of 2026. Juices4Life has opened at 136 Evington Road in Leicester – joining its four sites in Birmingham and other locations in Stockport, Derby and Coventry. Franchise consultant Nil Naik said: “The strong pipeline of new locations in the ether will see a new store open every four weeks from May throughout the summer months and is forecast to increase to every three weeks from September and throughout the fourth quarter.”

David Lloyd submits plans for new-build site in Stafford: Health and leisure business David Lloyd has submitted plans for a new-build site in Stafford. The company has earmarked land north of the M6 and south of Creswell Grove for the development, which could create up to 100 jobs. Plans lodged with Stafford Borough Council include the main health club building, alongside three outdoor tennis courts within an enclosed air dome structure, and three outdoor padel courts. Also lined up are indoor and outdoor swimming pools, outdoor multi-use court, outdoor battle box exercise facility, a sports hall, internal spa facilities, external spa garden, child activity area and lounge facilities, including a business hub and terrace. David Lloyd operates 104 clubs across the UK employing more than 8,000 people. 

Northumberland operator acquires third site, set to add fourth venue: Northumberland operator Jack Brown has acquired his third site and told Propel he is set to add a fourth venue to his portfolio. Brown has secured the lease of The Hadrian Hotel in the village of Wall near Hexham. The property is a coaching inn with a bar, restaurant and 14 bedrooms. Brown said: “This is a very exciting project for us. To bring back the local pub to the community is a key factor, and we’ve already been shown so much support from the village. Our long-term goal is to become one of the most desired food and drink destinations in the north east within a brilliant boutique hotel.” Mark Worley, director – hospitality at Christie & Co, who acted on the deal, said: “Having sold the Hadrian to the current owner around ten years ago, it has been wonderful to see its transformation into a smart and contemporary inn with a Michelin star. However, the style of operation, with high-end cuisine and fine dining, although successful and highly regarded, did not fully align with the needs of the market in this location, and the bedroom income potential was not being fully realised, so it was these aspects that the owner wanted a new tenant to improve upon.” Brown is also behind Nest, a restaurant that offers an eight-course tasting menu inspired by global flavours using local produce, and neighbourhood bar Flight, both in Heaton. Brown told Propel he is also set to add a pub with rooms to its portfolio. “We’re in legals and hoping to complete in the next few weeks,” he said.