UKHospitality CEO meets with rail union chief to seek suspension of ‘devastating’ festive train strikes as operators report wave of cancellations: UKHospitality chief executive Kate Nicholls has met with Rail, Maritime and Transport W … view

White Rabbit Projects secures backing from Gail’s investor McWin: White Rabbit Projects, the hospitality incubator, has secured a “significant capital injection” from food industry entrepreneurs Henry McGovern and Steven Winegar, wh … view

Shaftesbury reports hospitality and leisure tenants seeing average monthly sales 6% ahead of pre-covid levels: West End landlord Shaftesbury has reported a strong recovery in footfall and spending with occupier demand returning to pre-pa … view

Flight Club operator projects £50m-plus revenue in 2022, all venues up year-on-year, set to make Scottish debut a double opening: Red Engine, the team behind Flight Club and Electric Shuffle, has forecast its revenue will more than doubl … view

Barkby Group looks to dispose of nine-strong pub business, progressing sale of Workshop Coffee: Barkby Group has said it is now looking to dispose of its nine-strong pub business as it updated on its future strategy. It comes after the g … view

Côte making progress towards long-term goal of ‘being an iconic brand’, 2022 a ‘tough year’: Côte, the French brasserie chain backed by the Partners Group, has said it is making progress towards its long-term goal of “being an … view

Sector bosses write to RMT urging for resolution to ‘damaging’ train strikes: Sector bosses have written to Mick Lynch, secretary-general of the Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers union (RMT), to urge for a resolution to the train s … view

Sector leaders urge government and unions to find resolution to avoid ‘catastrophic’ festive train strikes: Sector leaders have urged the government and unions to find a quick resolution to avoid train strikes over the festive period. … view

Time Out Group secures new loan facility, names new CFO: Time Out Group, the global media and hospitality business, has agreed a new secured loan note facility for €35m, which can be extended later by mutual agreement to €47.5m with C … view

Connell – London bouncing back while some regions soften, experiential businesses trading really strongly: Darrel Connell, partner at sector investor Imbiba, has said London is starting to bounce back after a couple of tough years, whil … view

Luke Johnson – things will start to look better late in 2023, but the next 12-18 months will break a lot of businesses: Serial sector investor Luke Johnson believes the landscape will look a lot better for hospitality operators by late … view

Churn and payrolls levels rising as one in nine hospitality jobs remain vacant, but recruitment efforts starting to pay off: The sector is experiencing rising payrolls and levels of churn as one in nine hospitality jobs remain vacant, des … view

Wendy’s burger chain hungry to beef up its UK presence: The Wendy’s burger chain is hoping that it will be second time lucky as it prepares to go nationwide in the UK with its famous square patties, two decades after scrapping its fir … view

Restaurant Marketer & Innovator European Summit returns for 2023: Restaurant Marketer & Innovator European Summit is returning for its fifth edition, and tickets are now on sale. The event is a partnership between Propel and Think Hospita … view

Emeny – London is getting back to normal, with acquisitions we’ve seen the opportunity to play the long game: Simon Emeny, chief executive of Fuller’s, has said London is “getting back to normal”, and the business was in “a ve … view

Fuller’s sees lfl sales up 13% in recent trading, helped by a strong performance in central London: Fuller’s has reported a 13% increase in like-for-like sales for the seven weeks to 12 November 2022 versus the prior year, helped by l … view

Food prices rise by a fifth in just 12 months: The CGA Prestige Foodservice Price Index once again rose during October to hit 19.9% – a ninth consecutive month of double-digit inflation. As in previous months, oil and fats led the way, … view

Nick Jones to step down as CEO of Soho House owner, business slows down expansion plans: Membership Collective Group (MCG), the New York-listed company behind the Soho House chain of members’ clubs, has announced Nick Jones is to step d … view

Deliveroo pulls out of Australian market: Deliveroo has announced that it is ending its operations in Australia. It said the market is highly competitive in the country, with four global players, and that “Deliveroo does not hold a bro … view

Costs crisis wipes out hospitality's growth despite increase in October sales, London shows further recovery: Sales at Britain’s top managed restaurant, pub and bar groups in October were 1.5% ahead of last year, the latest edition of t … view

More than fifth of pubs, restaurants and cafes slash hours over energy bill rises: More than a fifth of UK pubs, restaurants and cafes have cut their hours over the past three months in a bid to cut energy costs, according to new analysis … view

Megan’s raises £5m to drive next stage of growth: Megan’s, the fast-growing, cafe and deli concept, has raised £5m from Barclays to drive its next phase of growth. Megan’s currently operates 18 sites across London and the Home Cou … view

Planet Organic hits £6.25m crowdfunding target in just over 24 hours, plans 50 sites over next three years: Health-focused retailer Planet Organic has hit its crowdfunding target of £6.25m in just over 24 hours since the launch of the c … view

KFC aiming for third of new hires by 2030 to be young people who have faced barriers to employment, puts together four-point government action plan: KFC is aiming for a third of all new hires by 2030 to be young people, aged between 16 an … view

Hospitality sales climb 4% in Britain’s top cities but inflation curbs real-terms growth: Pubs, bars, and restaurants are recording positive sales in Britain’s major cities – but high inflation is making real-terms growth very diffi … view

Simon Dodd – sector needs to embrace flexible working to help tackle recruitment crisis, Fridays ‘are back’ in London: Simon Dodd, chief executive of London pub operator Young’s, has told Propel the sector needs to embrace flexibl … view

Harden’s – London sees lowest level of new restaurant openings in more than a decade: London has seen the lowest level of new restaurant openings in more than a decade, according to Harden’s London Restaurants 2023. The guide now en … view

Tim Martin – sector has made a ‘massive mistake’ in constantly asking for support when what it needs is equality, Wetherspoon going head-to-head with McDonald’s and Wagamama with new menu items: JD Wetherspoon chairman Tim Martin … view

The men’s football World Cup is just around the corner, and this year’s is particularly unique. As the sector prepares itself for yet another round of the busy fes … view

David McDowall to replace Simon Longbottom as Stonegate chief executive: Stonegate Group, the operator of 4,500 pubs nationwide, has announced Simon Longbottom is to step down as chief executive at the end of February 2023. Longbottom lea … view

7Bone Burger Co undergoes restructure, closes two sites: 7Bone Burger Co has secured new investment after concluding a restructure, which included a pre-pack administration and the closure of two sites, Propel has learned. Propel revealed … view

PizzaExpress told covid cases ‘not an emergency’ in £200m insurance claim: PizzaExpress has been told it cannot recoup lockdown losses of around £200m by claiming on its insurance policy because it was not dealing with an emergency … view

Foodservice inflation hits record high of 18.8%: Inflation in food and drink prices hit a record high of 18.8% in September, the latest CGA Prestige Foodservice Price Index reveals. After reaching 15% for first time in August, the Index s … view

Foodservice inflation hits record high of 18.8%: Inflation in food and drink prices hit a record high of 18.8% in September, the latest CGA Prestige Foodservice Price Index reveals. After reaching 15% for first time in August, the Index s … view

High street brand meal prices rise by up to 26% over two years: Prices at some of the most popular high street restaurants have risen by as much as 26% since 2020, according to new research. Analysis by The Observer of menu prices at high … view

Loungers aims to reinvigorate roadside dining with launch of new concept Brightside: Café bar operator Loungers plans to “reinvigorate roadside dining in the UK” with the launch of a new concept called Brightside. The operator of the … view

More than a third of sector businesses reducing opening hours to cut costs, 81% introduce price increases: More than a third of sector businesses (35%) are reducing their opening hours to mitigate the impacts of the economic crisis, accor … view

Wellington Pub Co sees revenue return to pre-pandemic levels: Wellington Pub Co, the UK’s largest free-of-tie pub estate with more than 700 tenanted sites, saw revenue climb 40% in the year to 31 March 2022, as it returned to pre-pande … view

Creams preparing for Middle East expansion as it targets 500 stores worldwide over next five years: Dessert parlour operator Creams is preparing for expansion in the Middle East as it targets 500 stores worldwide over the next five years. … view

Mike Tye appointed chairman of Arc Inspirations: Mike Tye, the former chief executive of Spirit Group and current chairman of the Big Table Group, has been appointed chairman of Arc Inspirations, the Martin Wolstencroft-led business, whic … view

WSH Group acquires London coffee business Notes: WSH Group, the parent company of BaxterStorey and Benugo, has acquired Notes, the ten-strong London coffee shop and wine bar concept, for an undisclosed sum, Propel has learned. Robert Robi … view

Fulham Shore trading in line with management expectations, debuts retail range: Fulham Shore, the Franco Manca and The Real Greek operator, has reported that trading in the six months to 25 September 2022 was in line with expectations, b … view

Pret to roll out Express format to more than 50 UK locations by end of year: Pret A Manger, the JAB Holdings-backed brand, plans to have rolled out Pret Express, its “24/7 self-service coffee-to-go solution”, to more than 50 locations … view