Propel unveils details of dozen ‘deep-dive’ parallel sessions at Culture, Talent & Training Conference: Propel has unveiled the details of a dozen “parallel sessions” at this year’s Culture, Talent & Training Conference, which o … view

Harden’s – number of restaurant net openings in London at highest since Brexit while closure rate lowest in decade, price rises at expensive venues double that of cheaper ones: The number of restaurant net openings in London is at the … view

I will openly admit that I am addicted to WhatsApp groups. Most are just for managing my kids’ jam-packed social lives, and the rest are my neighbours arguing about Wi-Fi (or each other). Out of all thes … view

Creams CEO – launching our own delivery service will give us the impetus to get that growth engine really going: Creams chief executive Everett Fieldgate has told Propel that launching its own delivery service will give the brand “the … view

Itsu CEO – ‘we are looking to reinvigorate our franchising’, aiming to open just three to five equity stores a year, hires new food and property directors: Clive Schlee, chief executive of Itsu, the healthy Asian food brand, has tol … view

Pret to accelerate growth in UK and key international markets as global system sales increase to £1.2bn: Pret A Manger has said it will accelerate its growth in the UK and key international markets after its global sales increased by 10% … view

JD Wetherspoon signs new franchise agreement with The Papas Group: JD Wetherspoon has signed a new franchise agreement with The Papas Group. The multi-unit agreement will result in 15 new Wetherspoon pubs. The first pub to open will be na … view

Domino’s launches new chicken brand across the UK: Domino’s Pizza Group is pushing into the booming fried chicken market as the company seeks to diversify beyond pizza amid mounting pressure from activist investors. The company will u … view

Raising Cane’s founder – ‘we are investing in the UK in a big way, it is all about having a craveable product’: Todd Graves, founder and owner of Raising Cane’s, the third-largest chicken brand in the US by sales, has told Prope … view

Itsu full-year sales top £175m driven by continued success of grocery business, set to top £200m in 2025: Itsu, the healthy Asian food brand, saw total sales increase 9.6% in 2024 to £175,944,000, driven by the continued success of its … view

Harts Group building up a pipeline of international opportunities, open to taking more of its brands to the Middle East: Harts Group – the London restaurant company that owns Barrafina, El Pastor, Quo Vadis and Parrillan – has told Pr … view

Gail’s comes out on top of the inaugural Profit Growth Tracker: Gail’s, the bakery/cafe business which has grown to 175 sites, has come out on top of the inaugural Profit Growth Tracker, the new industry benchmarking initiative that m … view

Harts Group to make international debut by taking Barrafina to Dubai: Harts Group – the London restaurant company that owns Barrafina, El Pastor, Quo Vadis and Parrillan – is to make its international debut. The company has partnered … view

Neos Hospitality – ‘trading ahead of expectations’, secures Brighton site: Neos Hospitality, the bar and nightclub operator, has told Propel its trading levels in the first half of 2025 have been “ahead of expectations”, as it l … view

Shereen Ritchie hired as group CEO of investment platform Kuvi Hospitality: Kuvi Hospitality, the London-based hospitality investment platform, has hired Shereen Ritchie, formerly of Leon and Buns from Home, as its new group chief executi … view

Exclusive – Clare Clough to step down as Pret UK and Europe MD: Clare Clough is to step down as the UK and Europe managing director of Pret A Manger, and leave the JAB Holdings-backed business after 15 years, Propel has learned. Clough … view

RedCat first-quarter like-for-like sales up 6.7% driven by premium rooms business: RedCat Hospitality, the operator of Coaching Inn Group and RedCat Independent Pubs, has reported a 6.7% increase in like-for-like sales in the three months … view

The Breakfast Club – painful decisions paying off as Ebitda grows 36% in first half, company significantly more profitable than it’s ever been: Jonathan Arana-Morton, co-founder of all-day dining concept The Breakfast Club has told Pr … view

Azzurri Group CEO – we can go faster if Dave’s Hot Chicken continues to do well, could open door for other brands to enter Europe: Steve Holmes, chief executive of Azzurri Group – the ASK Italian, Coco di Mama, Boojum and Zizzi owne … view

Azzurri Group signs deal to expand Dave’s Hot Chicken into Europe, builds UK pipeline: Azzurri Group – the ASK Italian, Coco di Mama, Boojum and Zizzi owner – has signed an exclusive agreement to roll out US brand Dave’s Hot Chic … view

Hospitality groups' like-for-like sales flat again in July but new openings fuel growth: Britain’s top pub, bar and restaurant groups continued a flat summer of trading with a fractional year-on-year drop of 0.1% in like-for like sales … view

Exclusive – Tequila Mockingbird acquires Snug Bars: South London bar operator Tequila Mockingbird has acquired neighbourhood-style bar and kitchen concept Snug Bars for an undisclosed sum, Propel has learned. Tequila Mockingbird operate … view

The image c … view

The UK’s top 25 sector companies for profit growth, featuring in the inaugural Profit Growth Tracker, revealed: The top 25 food and beverage companies in the UK hospitality sector in terms of profit growth in the past three years have b … view

Ping Pong experienced 25% drop in revenues ahead of administration: The four-strong Ping Pong restaurant business, which ceased trading earlier this summer, fell into administration off the back of seeing revenues decline by up to 25%, dr … view

Byron faces further restructure as parent company gears up to appoint administrators: Better burger brand Byron, which at one time grew to an £80m-turnover, 70-strong business, is set for a further restructuring, after its parent company … view

Denny’s eyes UK expansion as master franchise hits market: American diner chain Denny’s is again looking to expand in the UK, with offers being considered for its master franchise for the region. Advisory firm FRP Corporate Finance ha … view

We Do Play secures new investment from the Frasers Group: We Do Play – the multi-concept experiential leisure operator, has secured new investment from Frasers Group plc, formerly Sports Direct International, which is set to fund its n … view

Chick-fil-A to open in Leeds this autumn led by ex-Nando’s employee for England return: US brand Chick-fil-A, which made its debut site in Northern Ireland earlier this year as it begins its return to these shores, has confirmed it will … view

Closures in Britain’s late-night venues reach all-time high, ‘night-time deserts’ being created: Closures in Britain’s late-night venues have reached an all-time high with one in four businesses lost since 2020, according to resea … view

Time Out Group – Markets revenue up, agrees new loan facility: Time Out Group has reported that its Markets FY25 revenues grew to £47m, an increase of 10% versus FY24 (£42m), but said that trading performance in the final quarter of F … view

Loungers launches first loyalty scheme: Café bar operator Loungers, which opened its landmark 300th site earlier this month, has launched its first loyalty scheme across its 261-strong Lounge estate. The company, which also operates Cosy … view

Almost 89,000 jobs lost in hospitality since Budget as another 5,000 go in past month: Almost 89,000 jobs have been lost in hospitality since last October’s Budget, according to new analysis of Office for National Statistics data by UKH … view

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Beam me up Elon by Myles Doran

I was recently passing through Los Angeles on a hospitality research tour of California, which conveniently coincided with the new opening of the firs … view

Tigermilk – we want to open three more London sites over the next 12 months and see long-term potential for meaningful footprint in UK: The team behind French Latin American dining concept Tigermilk has told Propel it wants to open thre … view

London mayor wants alfresco dining to become permanent feature for capital as new analysis shows licensing changes could boost economy by £2bn a year: Mayor of London, Sir Sadiq Khan, has said he wants alfresco dining to become a permane … view

Alistair Macrow to step down as CEO of McDonald’s UK: Alistair Macrow, who has been with McDonald’s for 18 years, will step down as chief executive of its UK and Ireland business next month, after four years in the role. The Times rep … view

Fledgling salad concept Pick.Your.Own secures funding to aid rollout across London, targeting 20 sites by 2030: Pick.Your.Own, the fast-casual concept that launched last December in the City, has secured investment from Frontive Group and … view

F1 Arcade to launch smaller format F1 Box that offers ‘significant global growth potential’: F1 Arcade, the Formula 1-licensed experiential brand, is to launch a smaller format called F1 Box on Friday (22 August), in London. The compa … view

Almost three quarters of hospitality businesses have less than six months of cash reserves as tax rises force workforce cuts: Almost three quarters (73%) of hospitality businesses have less than six months of cash reserves, with one in fi … view

Brakspear CEO – trading so far in 2025 has been strong, secures additional borrowing: Tom Davies, chief executive of pub operator Brakspear, has told Propel that trading for the business in 2025 has been strong, helped by acquisitions … view

Soho House to be taken private in £2bn deal: Members’ club group Soho House is to be taken private in a $2.7bn (£2bn) deal by a group led by New York-based MCR Hotels, the third-largest hotel owner-operator in the US and owner of the … view

Soho House close to $1.8bn take-private deal: Members’ club group Soho House is set to be taken private in a deal led by one of the biggest US hotel owners. The Wall Street Journal reports that a group of investors headed by New York-ba … view

Exclusive – Wahaca swings into profit and looks to expand, ceases trading at DF Tacos sub-brand, receives £3.4m covid insurance payment: Wahaca has reported that the year to 30 June 2024 saw a rise in turnover to £40,480,000 (2023: £ … view

Exclusive – McWin and TriSpan acquire Flat Iron: McWin Capital Partners, the backer of Gail’s, Big Mamma and Sticks’n’ Sushi, and TriSpan, the backer of Pho, Mowgli and Rosa’s Thai, have partnered to make a co-control majority i … view

I was recently pass … view

Gusto made £1.8m loss in year leading up to administration, owed £11.9m before £2.53m sale: Premium Italian restaurant operator Gusto made a £1.8m loss in the year leading up to its administration and owed circa £11.9m before its £2 … view

Funstation – ‘there’s no reason why we can’t grow our new concept just as big’, ‘we’re really leaning into giving guests multiple things to do’: The team behind arcade games and VR experience concept Funstation, which has … view

Mammy Pancakes UK founder – prime time for launching Hong Kong concepts here, planning to expand outside of London: The UK franchisee for Mammy Pancakes has told Propel now is the prime time for launching Hong Kong concepts here, and th … view

The sun is still shining, pints are still pouring, and for many venues, outdoor areas remain the beating heart of summer trading. However, with extra footfall and atmosphe … view

On 11 July, 2025, UKHospitality launched the #TaxedOut campaign, positioning it as an assertive call to government to reverse damaging tax policies introduced in the October 2024 Budget. By … view

Exclusive – Oakman Group posts £18.1m loss ahead of administration process: Oakman Group has reported pre-tax losses increased to £18,133,469 for the year ending 30 June 2024 compared with £6,174,006 the previous year. Ebitda stood a … view

London restaurant group Maginhawa aiming to grow its Mamasons concept up to 15 UK sites, having international conversations and exploring London neighbourhoods for further growth: London restaurant group Maginhawa is aiming to grow its Ma … view