Coffee#1 first-half lfl sales up 8%: Coffee#1, the Caffe Nero-owned business, has reported an 8% increase in like-for-like sales for the six months to November 2023, with sales of £29.5m, representing total sales growth of 18.8% over the … view

More than 100 hospitality leaders sign letter to chancellor asking for ‘urgent action’ in Budget: More than 100 hospitality leaders have signed a letter to chancellor Jeremy Hunt asking him to take “urgent action” in his forthcomi … view

More than 100 hospitality leaders sign letter to chancellor asking for ‘urgent action’ in Budget: More than 100 hospitality leaders have signed a letter to chancellor Jeremy Hunt asking him to take “urgent action” in his forthcomi … view

New York’s number one rated immersive experience plans UK launch: Spyscape, the number one-rated immersive concept in New York, is planning to launch its Spygames experience in the UK and has begun searching for sites in London, Propel … view

Exclusive – shares in Tortilla surge 17% as Luke Johnson takes stake in business: Shares in Tortilla, the UK’s largest fast-casual Mexican restaurant brand, climbed circa 17% in afternoon trading to 49.50p, after serial investor Luke … view

Cornish Bakery lines up at least ten new stores this year, Ebitda close to £5m, lfl sales up 7%: Fast-growing independent chain Cornish Bakery has told Propel it is lining up at least ten new sites in 2024. Cornish Bakery recently hit th … view

Flight Club operator sees sales exceed £100m, likely to fundraise towards end of 2024: Red Engine, the team behind Flight Club and Electric Shuffle, saw sales rise to more than £100m in 2023 as the popularity of “competitive socialisi … view

Bob & Berts resets growth goal to 100 sites, set to open five more in 2024 with focus on north of England, first half lfl sales up 3.9%: Cafe brand Bob & Berts has reset its growth goal to 100 sites and told Propel it is set to open five … view

Exclusive – Gong Cha relaunching franchise programme and looking to bring more franchisees on board to help realise ambitious UK expansion plans: Gong Cha, the fast-growing bubble tea brand headquartered in the UK, has told Propel it is … view

The Vurger Co to cease trading: The co-founders of vegan fast-food concept The Vurger Co have decided to close its three restaurants “for the last time”. Rachel Hugh and Neil Potts, who founded the business in 2016, operated sites in … view

Purple Story to host exclusive webinar for Propel subscribers to help them empower their teams to mitigate the national minimum wage increase in five easy steps: Entrepreneurial performance consultancy Purple Story is to … view

Exclusive – Brasseria Family launches crowdfund to open third site, already raised almost £1.2m with YO! founder Simon Woodroffe among backers: Neighbourhood all-day Italian restaurant Brasseria Family has launched a crowdfunding campa … view

Exclusive – Pho set to continue national expansion following strong 2023: Pho, the Vietnamese restaurant group led by Pat Marrinan and backed by TriSpan, plans to open a further six or seven sites in 2024 on the back of a strong 12 mon … view

Permanently Unique Group to launch new restaurant and music venue: Permanently Unique Group, the independent restaurant business formerly known as Tattu, is to launch a new restaurant and musical venue called Louis in Manchester, this aut … view

Exclusive – Kbox Global acquired by UAE-based virtual brand operator The Cloud: Abu Dhabi-based virtual brand operator The Cloud is set for expansion in the UK, after acquiring Kbox Global, the host kitchen business, out of administrati … view

Exclusive – Rekom UK acquired out of administration for c£19.5m: The number of companies, which made up Rekom UK, the nightclub and bar operator, were acquired out of administration for circa £19.5m, which included the rolling over of … view

Mitchells & Butlers launches Orleans Smokehouse concept, expects ‘to see it grow across the UK’: Mitchells & Butlers (M&B), the All Bar One, Toby Carvery and Harvester operator, will today (Monday, 19 February) launch its new Orleans … view

Wendy’s CEO – the UK is a very strong market and has tons of potential for the future: Kirk Tanner, president and chief executive of Wendy’s, the third-largest quick service restaurant chain in the US, has said the UK is a very stro … view

Knoops – phenomenal momentum across the business, enjoys record start to 2024: William Gordon-Harris, executive chairman and chief executive of Knoops, the luxury hot chocolate shop brand, has told Propel there is “phenomenal momentu … view

Cards on the table, never in my life have I had to produce ID when visiting a licensed premises or buying alcohol. Not once. I’ve no idea why. Maybe I just look … view

Kevin Charity to step down as Coaching Inn Group CEO and retire, Richard Lewis to become RedCat group CEO: RedCat Pub Company, the investment vehicle founded and chaired by Rooney Anand, has announced Kevin Charity, the founder and chief … view

Kevin Charity to step down as Coaching Inn Group CEO and retire, Richard Lewis to become RedCat group CEO: RedCat Pub Company, the investment vehicle founded and chaired by Rooney Anand, has announced Kevin Charity, the founder and chief … view

Caffè Nero H1 UK sales up 10.1%, achieves record £8.4m in weekly sales, FY sales up 19%: Caffè Nero, the Gerry Ford-led, premium coffee house brand, has reported a 10.1% rise in sales for the first half of its financial year to Novemb … view

Azzurri Group – strong trading across all brands, FY Ebitda up 21%, margins back to pre-covid levels: Azzurri Group, the hospitality investment platform, which operates ASK Italian, Zizzi, Coco di Mama and Boojum, has reported a 9% incr … view

Epic Bars and Clubs looks to become the UK’s largest chain of bars and nightclubs: Epic Bars and Clubs, the venture from Mark Shorting and Nigel Blair, two of the founders of the Fever Bar business, is looking to become the UKs largest … view

Auntie Anne’s UK master franchisee sees ‘plenty of scope’ here, looking to open six stores in 2024 and add to regional locations: Pretzel business Auntie Anne’s UK master franchisee has told Propel it sees “plenty of scope” he … view

Gaucho owner reports record year, pipeline of 30 UK locations, continues to consider funding options: Rare Restaurants, the Gaucho and M Restaurants owner, has hailed 2023 as an “outstanding year” for the business with revenue reachin … view

Exclusive – Döner Shack relaunches franchise programme following ‘brand transformation’, aiming for 50-50 estate split going forwards: Berlin fast casual kebab concept Döner Shack has relaunched its franchise programme following a … view

Exclusive – Sessions plans to expand Ivan Ramen concept to 50 sites across UK: Chef Ivan Orkin is to expand his eponymous Ivan Ramen concept to London in partnership with Sessions, the growth platform for original food brands, with plan … view

Big Fang Collective secures £5.5m funding for further UK expansion, eyes three new major cities for 2024 launches: Big Fang Collective, the Imbiba-backed entertainment venue operator that owns the Golf Fang brand, has secures £5.5m in f … view

McDonald’s CEO – UK digital engagement at an ‘all-time high’, well positioned to get balance right between price and traffic growth: Chris Kempczinski, chief executive of McDonald’s, has said that digital engagement with the bra … view

US doughnut brand Randy’s eyes estate of 50 UK sites with planned regional launch ahead of London expansion: US doughnut brand Randy’s Donuts has said it sees the potential for 50 sites in the UK and would most likely launch with a re … view

Rail strikes ‘will tip more hospitality businesses over the edge’: The hospitality industry has warned of an estimated £350m hit from the latest train strikes, lifting the cost to businesses to more than £4bn since the action began. … view

Marugame Udon CEO – we are ready to go again, in talks with first UK franchisee: Keith Bird, chief executive of Marugame Udon Europe, the international udon noodles and tempura restaurant brand, has said the company is “ready to go ag … view

Various Eateries poised to accelerate following a “year of steady progress”: Various Eateries, the Coppa Club and Noci operator, has said it is poised to accelerate its growth plans following a “year of steady progress”, which saw … view

McWin co-founder – Sticks’n’Sushi deal has been years in the making: Henry McGovern, co-founding partner at McWin Capital Partners, has said the investment firm’s deal for Sticks’n’Sushi has been “years in the making”. McW … view