Exclusive – Coaching Inn Group promotes Adam Charity to MD: The Coaching Inn Group, the award-winning pubs-with-rooms business that forms part of RedCat Hospitality, has promoted Adam Charity to managing director with immediate effect, … view

Five weeks to go until Restaurant Marketer & Innovator 2026, book now: There are five weeks to go until Restaurant Marketer & Innovator European Summit 2026, which is returning for its eighth edition. The event is a partnership between Pr … view

Hollywood Bowl CEO – business rates revaluation will wipe out our reduction, reports fourth consecutive year of record revenue: Hollywood Bowl chief executive Stephen Burns has said the government’s business rates revaluation will “ … view

Investment group led by pop star turned hospitality entrepreneur acquires London restaurant Meraki and pizza business, looking at another group: The investment group led by pop star turned hospitality entrepreneur Recardo Patrick has acqu … view

UKHospitality – hospitality venues are facing a ‘nightmare before Christmas’: Pubs, restaurants and other hospitality venues are facing a “nightmare before Christmas” after Labour’s botched business rates reform, industry chie … view

Leon plans to grow to 100 UK sites over next four years after ‘shake up’: John Vinvcent, owner and co-founder of Leon, the naturally fast-food brand, said he expects the business to be back on the expansion trail after its restructuri … view

Burger King UK CEO – there's a lot of white space for us to grow into, set to receive circa £35m of new investment: Alasdair Murdoch, chief executive of Burger King UK, which is backed by Bridgepoint, has told Propel there is still “ … view

Pret A Manger hires Ross Warnes to head UK & Ireland business: Pret A Manger has hired Ross Warnes, formerly of Kraft Heinz and Unilever, as UK & Ireland president, to lead the brand’s largest market through its next phase of growth. St … view

Leon could close up to 20 sites, currently losing circa £10m a year: Leon, the naturally fast-food brand that was bought back by its co-founder and former chief executive John Vincent in October, could close up to 20 sites as part of it … view

Hermanos Colombian Coffee Roasters eyes UK-wide rollout and international opportunities after launching franchise programme: Hermanos Colombian Coffee Roasters, the London-based cafe concept, is eyeing a UK-wide rollout and international … view

For many people working through the Christmas season, productivity tends to drift somewhere between a mince pie and a mid-afternoon lull. The pace slows and inboxe … view

Exclusive – Leon plans CVA to help accelerate restructuring of the business: Leon, the naturally fast-food brand that was bought back by its co-founder and former chief executive John Vincent in October, is planning to undergo a company … view

Greene King CEO – Jump in business rates could change shape of industry forever: Nick Mackenzie, chief executive of Greene King and chairman of the British Beer and Pub Association, has said that on the back of the budget some landlords … view

XP Factory CEO – the competitive socialising sector is ripe for consolidation: Richard Harpham, chief executive of XP Factory, which operates the Escape Hunt and Boom Battle Bar brands, has told Propel that the UK’s competitive social … view

TGI Fridays UK parent company files notice to appoint administrators: The company behind TGI Fridays in the UK has filed a notice of intention to appoint administrators – but says all its restaurants will stay open over Christmas as bos … view

Wenzel’s – we have the capacity to double in size over the next few years, exploring new formats including kiosks: Family-owned bakery brand Wenzel’s has told Propel it has the capacity to double in size over the next few years, and … view

We’ve been misled by Reeves, say pub chiefs: Pub bosses have told the chancellor she has “deeply misled” the industry over business rates reform as they claimed the sector faces an additional £160m annual tax burden, despite promi … view

Jamie Oliver Restaurants – ‘there’s clearly an opportunity to do more Jamie’s Italians, we realise how high the stakes are’: Ed Loftus, global director of Jamie Oliver Restaurants, has told Propel that there is “clearly an opp … view

Middletons Steakhouse & Grill acquired out of administration for £170,000: Gastro Pubs, the parent company of the Middletons Steakhouse & Grill, was acquired out of administration by a new group controlled by its existing shareholders fo … view

Foodservice price inflation eases for first time in six months as seasonal supply improves: Food and drink prices in hospitality fell 0.3% in October 2025, the latest Foodservice Price Index from CGA by NIQ and Prestige Purchasing reveals … view

Exclusive – Jamie Oliver to relaunch Jamie’s Italian in the UK in partnership with Prezzo Italian team: Chef Jamie Oliver is to relaunch his Jamie’s Italian brand in the UK next year after signing a partnership deal with Brava Hospi … view

New speakers join Restaurant Marketer & Innovator 2026 line-up – open for bookings: New speakers have joined the line-up for Restaurant Marketer & Innovator European Summit, which is returning for its eighth edition, and tickets are now … view

UKHospitality – hospitality sector could shed 100,000 more jobs: It’s “entirely plausible” that the hospitality sector could lose a further 100,000 workers as a result of the autumn Budget, according to UKHospitality. Chief execut … view

US-based private investor backs JKS Pubs buyout, rebrands as Ardent Pub Group: A US-based private investor has backed the management buyout of JKS Pubs, the vehicle launched four years ago by JKS Restaurants and Dominic Jacobs, Propel has … view

Exclusive – Lussmanns undergoes pre-pack administration: Lussmanns, the independent brasserie group backed by sector investor Luke Johnson, has undergone a pre-pack administration, after being impacted in the increase in employers’ na … view

New Byron owner – ‘strategy is to revive heritage hospitality businesses, focus on restoring Byron to relevance and profitability’: Niyamo Capital, the new owner of Byron, has said it is focused on restoring the better burger brand … view

UKHospitality CEO – we need a delay to the business rates revaluations for the sector, we need to give the government a solution: Allen Simpson, chief executive of UKHospitality, has told Propel that the trade body is going to call on t … view

Restaurant Marketer & Innovator 2026 – open for bookings with even more unmissable marketing and technology content: Restaurant Marketer & Innovator European Summit is returning for its eighth edition, and tickets are now on sale. The e … view

Tortilla appoints former Punch Taverns, Bill’s and Ten Entertainment CEO as new chair: Tortilla has appointed former Punch Taverns, Bill’s and Ten Entertainment chief executive Duncan Garrood as its new non-executive chair, with effec … view

M&B CEO – ‘success of Vintage Inns giving us time to work on other brands’, remains opportunistic towards acquisitions: Phil Urban, chief executive of Mitchells & Butlers (M&B) – the Toby Carvery, Harvester and All Bar One operato … view

F1 Arcade names Jonathan Peters CEO as it gears-up for accelerated expansion: F1 Arcade, the Formula 1-licensed experiential brand, has said it has taken the next steps in its planned leadership transition naming Jonathan Peters, previous … view

Sir Tim Martin – ‘I should have opened a small supermarket in 1979, not a pub’: Sir Tim Martin, founder and chairman of JD Wetherspoon, has said he “should have opened a small supermarket in 1979, not a pub” on the back of the m … view

Gail’s sees full-year retail sales nudge £220m as it targets 40 new openings: Fast-growing bakery brand Gail’s has reported sales across its retail arm increased to £219,828,000 in the year to 28 February 2025 (2024: £179,050,000) … view

Exclusive – Ten Entertainment Group acquires Fairgame: Ten Entertainment Group, the Tenpin brand operator which is backed by US private equity firm Trive Capital, has acquired Fairgame, the competitive socialising concept from Richard H … view

Premier Inn owner anticipates £40m-£50m increase in business rates following Budget: Whitbread owner Premier Inn has said the measures announced in the Budget will lead to an increase in business rates of between £40m and £50m from i … view

Poolhouse CEO – ‘our venues will be akin to Apple stores promoting what we can do’, closing in on US debut site: Andrew O’Brien, chief executive and co-founder of Poolhouse, the new concept from the founders of Topgolf and Puttsha … view

TGI Fridays’ UK chain up for sale a month after changing hands: The future of TGI Fridays’ British operations has been thrown into fresh doubt just a month after the casual dining chain was bought by the manager of most of the brand� … view

Admiral Taverns CEO – The government has placed an even bigger burden on the shoulders of community pubs: Chris Jowsey, chief executive of Admiral Taverns, which runs 1,350 community pubs across the UK, has said the reality of yesterday … view

UKHospitality – government is creating a two-tier economy: UKHospitality has accused the government of creating a two-tier economy through its autumn Budget. The trade body said new rateable values, published after the Budget and used t … view

Hospitality chiefs accuse the chancellor of ‘crippling’ jobs market: Chancellor Rachel Reeves has been accused of “crippling” the jobs market after she announced businesses will be forced to pay teenagers more than £10 an hour fo … view

Tokyo Industries CEO – ‘Saturday afternoon is the new Friday night’, ‘traditional nightclub format less relevant now’: Tokyo Industries chief executive Aaron Mellor has said Saturday afternoons “are the new Friday nights”, a … view

UKHospitality warns business rates reform ‘critical’ for sector as it faces additional £1.4bn in wage increases: UKHospitality has said the additional £1.4bn in wage increases from April means business rates reform in full for the s … view

UKHospitality warns tourist tax U-turn could cost Brits £518m: UKHospitality has said the U-turn to introduce a holiday – or tourist – of tax directly contradicts and undermines the government’s aim to reduce the cost of living. Lo … view

Exclusive – RedCat sells 21-strong leased and tenanted division to Admiral Taverns: RedCat Hospitality, the operator of Coaching Inn Group and RedCat Independent Pubs, has reached an agreement with community pub group Admiral Taverns ov … view

Exclusive – PizzaExpress reassessing US relaunch plans: PizzaExpress, the Paula Mackenzie-led business, is reassessing its plans to relaunch in the US after deciding not to progress with the potential franchise partner it had initially … view

Sector investor Luke Johnson – ‘there needs to be some creative destruction of the industry to eliminate capacity’: Sector investor Luke Johnson has argued “there needs to be some creative destruction of the industry to eliminate … view

FoodCo Group CEO – ‘potential to double footprint as we prepare to open 100th store’, ‘Jamaica Blue getting good traction and could outgrow Muffin Break’: FoodCo chief executive Mike Arbuckle has told Propel the franchise compan … view

Nando’s full-year sales climb 8% to £1.48bn but warns on impact of cost pressures, to open 14 new restaurants this financial year: Nando’s has reported stronger sales and profits for the 12 months to 23 February 2025 but warned incre … view

McDonald’s UK VP of development – ‘we’re seeing re-emergence of families coming back to fast food’, looking at smaller formats: Mike Spencer, McDonald’s UK & Ireland vice-president of development, who is overseeing the brand� … view

RedCat Hospitality reports 4.3% increase in second quarter like-for-like sales: RedCat Hospitality, the operator of Coaching Inn Group (CIG) and RedCat Independent Pubs, saw a 4.3% increase in like-for-like sales in the three months to th … view

Exclusive – TGI Fridays hires Giles Fry to oversee UK business: Sugarloaf TGIF Management, the global manager of the TGI Fridays brand, has hired Giles Fry, the founder neighbourhood-style bar and kitchen concept Snug Bars, to lead the … view

Record three in ten sector businesses have no cash reserves left as trade bodies warn ‘urgent action’ needed at next week’s Budget: A record three in ten (29%) sector businesses have revealed they have no cash reserves left as indus … view

Record three in ten sector businesses have no cash reserves left as trade bodies warn ‘urgent action’ needed at next week’s Budget: A record three in ten (29%) sector businesses have revealed they have no cash … view

The Athenian founder – ‘we can double size of UK estate in medium term through mix of delivery kitchens and bricks and mortar sites’: Tim Vasilakis, founder of Greek street food restaurant group The Athenian, has told Propel he beli … view