M&B places 75 pubs on the market: Mitchells & Butlers has placed 75 pubs on the market. A spokesman said: “We continuously review our estate of about 1,750 restaurant and pub businesses to ensure that we’re always obtaining the best returns from each of our assets, and driving innovation across our brands, to enable us to continue to deliver shareholder value. Following our most recent business review we have asked Savills to explore the market opportunities for approximately 75 businesses, which are in town and city locations across the UK.”

Inception Group to start expansion of Bunga Bunga with ‘more sophisticated’ Covent Garden site: Inception Group, which operates bars, restaurants and clubs in south west and central London, will start expansion of its Bunga Bunga concept with a second site, in Covent Garden. The company, owned by Charlie Gilkes and Duncan Stirling, will open the venue in Drury Lane in the spring. It will immerse guests in two different worlds – “BungaTINI”, an authentic all-day pizzeria and aperitivo bar on the top floor, and Bunga Bunga downstairs. The new site will signal a more sophisticated direction for Bunga Bunga from its existing venue in Battersea. BungaTINI, which will offer homemade paninis, salads and its signature Bunga Bunga pizzas during the day, will transform at night into a bar serving negronis, bellinis, spritzes, Vermouth and a wide range of proseccos, alongside small plates. The downstairs Bunga Bunga supper club will offer a theatrical journey from the moment guests arrive. The entrance will be accessed by a large industrial meat locker, complete with blast chiller, hanging carcasses and butcher, who guests will have to negotiate with to pass through the room. The 200-cover restaurant will offer an immersive dining experience with the central stage, fashioned in the shape of a classic Riva boat, hosting a mixture of acts. There will also be two private dining spaces, The Emperor’s Box and The Martini Room. Gilkes said: “With this new project we look forward to taking our guests on a journey to two very different, but equally enjoyable, experiences. This is a new, more grown Bunga Bunga that has definitely not lost its sense of humour as it matures and we hope it enters people’s hearts as much as the original has.” Founded in 2009, Inception Group owns and operates venues such as Chelsea speakeasy Barts, 1980s-themed nightclub Maggie’s, and late-night 1940s-inspired bar Cahoots in Soho.