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”. McWin, which also backs the likes of Gail’s, Big Mamma Group and White Rabbit Projects, has acquired a majority stake in the 27-strong Sticks’n’Sushi in a deal which the FT reports is valued at circa €80m (£68.5m). McWin will continue to back the existing management team, led by Andreas Karlsson, and support its growth in existing territories – the UK, Denmark and Germany – and to move into new ones such as France, Austria and Switzerland. Sticks’n’Sushi was founded in Denmark in 1994 by Thor Andersen and brothers Kim Rahbek Hansen and Jens Rahbek Hansen and currently operates 12 sites in the UK and Denmark, plus three in Germany. McGovern said: “My first trip to learn more about Sticks was to Copenhagen in 2012. I have loved the brand and food since my first visit. Kim and Christa (Rewers) have done such a beautiful job in creating Sticks. They infused the souls of Japan, the quality and care for people and culture. Andreas has always led with heart and culture first. I have always wanted to work with him; this deal has been years in the making, and I am so happy we got there. The quality of the team is everything at Sticks. It’s the care and knowledge to make sushi at this level that comes from the commitment to team and culture.” McWin has specialised in the restaurant and food technology sector since it was established two-and-a-half years ago, having invested more than €1bn across 15 brands including pasta chain Vapiano and L’Osteria. “The restaurant sector is remarkably resilient in terms of customer demand,” Harry Goss, partner at McWin, told the FT: “People continue to go out to eat regardless of the cycle, and as long as we are not actually in a physical lockdown, people will return to restaurants.” From a valuation perspective, the restaurant market had been “fairly soft” over the past two years, said Goss. “It has been, in our opinion, a good time to buy.” Sticks’n’Sushi will open a restaurant on the ground floor of the building on the corner of George Street and King Street in Richmond, south west London, this spring. Karlsson told Propel earlier this month: “Hopefully there’s one or two more to open after Richmond this calendar year. I have started to look at opportunities outside of London and the south east for the next 12 to 24 months. It’s all about seeing if when we open in a city, we can do three or four restaurants over a period of two to three years.”

 

Knoops chief executive William Gordon-Harris to speak at first Propel Multi-Club Conference of 2024, open for bookings: William Gordon-Harris, chief executive of Knoops, will be among the speakers at the first Propel Multi-Club Conference of 2024. The conference takes place on Thursday, 21 March, at the Millennium Gloucester Hotel in London’s Kensington, and is open for bookings. Gordon-Harris discusses the growth of the luxury hot chocolate shop concept, its unique offer and how it plans to “create the new Starbucks for quality barista hot and cold chocolate drinks”. Operators can book up to three free places per company while Premium Club members who are operators can book up to four free places. To book, email kai.kirkman@propelinfo.com.

 

Variety of launches by casual dining operators to feature in next New Openings Database, Premium Club launches today: Premium members will receive the next New Openings Database tomorrow (Friday, 2 February), at midday. The database features a number of openings in the casual dining sector including Rosa’s Thai, which has secured two openings for 2024, in Cheltenham and London’s Richmond. Benito’s, the Mexican restaurant brand, is to return to the expansion trail with a franchise site in Luton airport. Plus, Indian restaurant group Kricket has secured new funding ahead of opening a fourth London site and further UK expansion. The database will show the details of 95 site openings, including which company has opened a site or its plans to open one in the future. It will have details on what type of site it is and its location, and there will also be a website link to the businesses. The database is published on a monthly basis and Premium Club members will also receive a 4,800-word report on the new additions to the database. Propel is evolving its Premium subscription offer by launching Premium Club today (Thursday, 1 February). All circa 4,000 existing subscribers automatically become members. Premium members also receive access to five other databases: the Turnover & Profits Blue Book, the New Openings Database, the UK Food and Beverage Franchisor Database, the UK Food and Beverage Franchisee Database and the Who’s Who of UK Food & Beverage. Propel is evolving its Premium subscription offer by launching Premium Club today (Thursday, 1 February). All circa 4,000 existing subscribers automatically become members. The launch of Premium Club comes with even more benefits. All subscribers will be offered a 20% discount on tickets to four Propel paid-for events – The Excellence in Pub Retailing Conference (14 May), Social Media for Profit (18 July), the Talent and Training Conference (1 October) and Restaurant Marketer and Innovator (two days in January 2025). Operators will also be able to send up to four members of staff to each of our four Multi-Club Conferences for free. Premium Club members receive their daily Propel Info newsletter 11 hours earlier than standard subscribers, at 7pm the evening before. They also receive videos of presentations at eight Propel conference events two weeks after they are held. This represents around 100 videos of industry insight over the course of the year. Premium Club members will be sent a dedicated monthly newsletter that will highlight key updates in the sector and direct subscribers to all the vital content their membership offers. Premium Club members also receive exclusive opinion columns every Friday at 5pm, which include the thoughts of Propel group editor Mark Wingett and a host of industry leaders from across the sector. A Propel Premium Club subscription costs an annual sum of £495 plus VAT for operators and £595 plus VAT for suppliers. Companies can now have an unlimited number of people receive access to Premium Club for a year for £995 plus VAT – whether they are an operator or a supplier. Email kai.kirkman@propelinfo.com today to sign up.

More than 800 licensed premises lost in fourth quarter of 2023, data shows longer-term trend to food-led occasions in pubs: Britain’s number of licensed premises dropped by 0.8% in the fourth quarter of 2023, the latest Hospitality Market Monitor from CGA by NIQ and AlixPartners reveals. The figure is equivalent to 803 net closures in three months, or nearly nine per day. It represents an acceleration of closures from the third quarter of last year, when numbers fell by only 0.3%, but is much healthier than the average of 24 closures a day that the monitor recorded in mid-2022, when post-covid business failures were at a peak. The data shows Britain had 99,113 licensed premises at December 2023, nearly 3,000 fewer than 12 months earlier, and 16,000 fewer than at March 2020, the point at which covid-19 arrived in Britain. The independent sector has been hit particularly hard, with numbers falling by a sixth (16.6%) since early 2020. In the pub sector, the number of premises has plunged 43.6% over the last 20 years. The data indicates that food-led pubs have been relatively resilient, with a 7.6% drop since March 2020, while community and high street pubs have dipped by 11.8% and 11.2% respectively. This reflects the long-term shift in the way people use pubs, and a change in focus from drinking out to eating out. Managed pub groups have achieved growth of 4.2% in that time, while independents (down14.1%) and leased operators (down 14.4%) have found it harder to recover from covid lockdowns. Karl Chessell, CGA by NIQ’s business unit director – hospitality operators and food, EMEA, said: “More closures can be expected in the coming months as inflation and labour issues continue to put strain on businesses, and independent operators are particularly vulnerable. However, CGA’s data points to solid trading for managed pubs, bars and restaurants, and likely drops in inflation and interest rates will hopefully ease costs and loosen people’s spending as 2024 goes on. Whether or not this leads to a slowing of closures and a trigger for new openings remains to be seen.” Graeme Smith, AlixPartners’ managing director, added: “While the long-term headline-grabbing pub closure rates are, on the face of it, shocking, they speak to a societal shift, from drinking-out to more food-led occasions. This has happened amid a 20-year structural expansion in food venues across the country. It is a hospitality mega-trend of the first quarter of this century. The other material shift in behaviour in recent times is that of young consumers moving away from large late-night venues, which has left this segment of the market facing a challenge to adapt.”

 

Hospitality lfl sales rose 10.5% in December but businesses forced to take cost saving measures to maintain profitability: Hospitality like-for-like sales rose 10.5% in December, new data has shown, but businesses were forced to take cost saving measures to maintain profitability. The data, from sector workforce management tech business Fourth, showed strong festive trading across the industry in the fourth quarter of 2023, with net sales growth of 6.1% compared with the same period in 2022. Pulled from a database of more than 700 companies across the industry, the stats showed that December sales were particularly strong, with an overall increase of 10.5% versus the same month in 2022. While sales in pubs declined by 8.7% in November compared with the previous year, they rose the following month to 6.7% above December 2022 figures. In restaurants, sales rose by 2.9% in November compared with November 2022, and were up 6.4% in December. Weekday trading levels increased across the sector in the quarter, with Monday to Thursday revenue growing by 4.5% compared with the last three months of 2022. Weekend sales also saw an increase, with 1.5% growth on Fridays and Saturdays. Despite this, food price inflation increases left operators little choice other than to raise their prices by an average of 7.1% to offset costs. Staff headcount continues to trend down across hospitality, having fallen 2% in the quarter compared with the same period in 2022. Like-for-like headcounts were down 6.0% in pubs and 2.5% in restaurants, but up 0.8% in hotels. The proportion of new starters fell significantly, dropping 30% in November versus the previous year. The average number of hours worked also dropped, with restaurants the hardest hit as monthly hours fell 3.7% year-on-year in December. Hours in pubs also declined 0.8%, while in hotels they were up 0.8%. Sebastien Sepierre, managing director – EMEA, Fourth, said: “With the festive trading period being such a crucial time for hospitality, it’s fantastic to see such a significant growth in sales compared with 2022. However, the high cost of doing business across the sector continues to be a major concern for operators, who are looking to control costs in an effort to remain profitable during this turbulent economic period.”

 

MPs back calls to support hospitality businesses: MPs from across parliament have called for measures to support hospitality businesses. In a Westminster Hall debate on “fiscal support for the hospitality sector” secured by Alyn Smith, SNP MP for Stirling, there was broad agreement that the sector was in need of further backing by the government. Many MPs echoed UKHospitality’s key asks ahead of the Budget, including a lower rate of VAT, addressing business rates increases due in April and wider reform of business rates. Kate Nicholls, chief executive of UKHospitality, said: “It was excellent to see so many MPs attend the debate today, responding to our calls and those of hundreds of hospitality businesses that urged them to do so. It’s evident from the debate that MPs recognise the challenges facing the sector and back our calls for urgent action. There was particular cross-party support to lower the rate of VAT and reform business rates – all priority asks of ours. I hope the strength of feeling shown today is heard loud and clear by the government and that they take the necessary action in the Budget to help this strategically important sector.” As well as from Smith, further statements in support of the industry came from Tobias Ellwood (Bournemouth East, Conservative), Steve Double (St Austell and Newquay, Conservative), Tim Farron (Westmorland and Lonsdale, Liberal Democrat) and Rachael Maskell (York Central, Labour). 

 

Operators sought for innovation workshop to boost sector’s productivity challenges: Operators are being invited to come together for an innovation workshop with tech and process solution providers to help boost the sector’s productivity. The Hospitality Sector Council (HSC) is launching the first in a series of accelerator events to improve productivity within hospitality, with the inaugural event taking place at Oxford Brookes University on Wednesday, 22 May. Supported by the HSC and its partners, the event is open and free to operators from restaurants, bars, pubs or cafes who are keen to explore creative ideas with others in the industry, alongside academics and innovators. Jane O’Riordan, chair of Caravan Restaurants, chair of the Innovation Working Group (IWG), and a member of the HSC, said: “Hospitality is a very creative sector but given the pace of change and the recent challenges we have faced, we often don’t have time or resources to come up with innovative ways of improving our productivity. We’re excited to be launching this initiative with a simple but important goal: to find creative ideas and solutions in labour productivity and workflow management that will benefit the entire industry.” Independent research conducted by the IWG earlier this year found labour productivity, alongside energy efficiency, ranks as one of the most important areas of focus for innovation among hospitality operators. To apply for a place, click here.

 

Job of the day: COREcruitment is working with a luxury country hotel on the outskirts of London that is seeking a food and beverage director. A COREcruitment spokesperson said: “You will be overseeing the food and beverage outlets along with training and developing the heads of department. Your responsibilities will include being responsible for the smooth running of all the food and beverage outlets along with all private events, managing and training staff to the highest level, working closely with all departments to ensure the best results are met, and assuming responsibility of the financial results of the food and beverage outlets. You will report to the assistant general manager.” The salary is up to £65,000 and the position is based in Surrey. For more information, email ed@corecruitment.com. 

 

Afrikana reveals pipeline of 50-plus restaurants: African restaurant concept Afrikana has revealed a pipeline of 50-plus restaurants, with up to ten set to open this year. It currently has 14 UK locations – including two for its Lil’ Afrikana concept – and most recently launched at London’s O2 Centre in October. “This is what 2024 is looking like for Afrikana,” said managing director Omair Ali. “With more than 50 locations to open, here’s a snippet of the exciting locations we have opening this year – Coventry, Hayes, Victoria Road Glasgow, Kingston, Hounslow, Ilford, Southampton, Oxford, Reading and Ipswich. Let’s make 2024 a year filled with delicious memories.” Propel revealed last month that the team behind Afrikana has also lined up the first two UK sites for French taco concept Tacosmash, located in Paris. Ali is hoping to give the brand its UK debut in London in February, followed by a second site, in Birmingham, in April. Afrikana features in the Propel UK Food and Beverage Franchisor Database, an exhaustive guide to the companies offering a food and beverage franchise in the UK available exclusively to Premium subscribers. The database is updated every two months, and the latest version features 225 businesses. Companies can now have an unlimited number of people receive access to Propel Premium for a year for £995 plus VAT – whether they are an operator or a supplier. The single subscription rate is £495 plus VAT for operators and £595 plus VAT for suppliers. Email kai.kirkman@propelinfo.com to upgrade your subscription.

 

Döner Shack ready to relaunch concept in coming weeks following overhaul of business: Sanjeev Sanghera, co-founder of Berlin fast casual kebab concept Döner Shack, has said he is ready to relaunch the brand in the coming weeks following an overhaul of the business. Sanghera announced in June last year that the business had completed the acquisition of three restaurants and several territories from its franchisees as it focuses on company-owned expansion. He said at the time that it would be wrong to force ambitious development on franchisees “knowing returns are much slower than anticipated” in the current climate. In the meantime, he has been focusing on a refurbishment of his former Döner Haus site in Manchester’s Corn Exchange, which has been relaunched over a larger area as Garten Bar, offering steaks, burgers, ribs, fries and cocktails. “Our biggest Haus Hospitality project to date is now complete,” Sanghera said. “This space has been transformed and the menu has received an incredible reception, which saw record sales that topped £80,000 net before Christmas. On a personal note, I think I got tired of being written off again and again. Despite having no equity partners or loans, we’ve continued to grow after the horrors of covid and the subsequent fallout. This restaurant is a statement of what is to come from Haus Hospitality and there is lots to look forward to, starting with the much-anticipated brand overhaul and relaunch of Döner Shack in the coming weeks, and the opening of Public Glasgow in the second quarter of 2024.” Sanghera and business partner Laura Bruce own Döner Haus, which now has just one site, in Glasgow, as well as Döner Shack, which has grown to five locations.

 

Admiral Taverns set to launch first mid-market concept site under Proper Pubs division, two more to follow this year: Proper Pubs, the community-wet led operator division of Admiral Taverns, is set to launch the first site under its new mid-market pub concept, with two more to follow this year. It will open the Ashby Tavern in Hinckley on Thursday, 22 February, following a £265,000 refurbishment. While Proper Pubs has traditionally focused on value wet-led sites, the new mid-market concept aims to “maintain great value but also offer customers something different”, including an extensive wine list and craft lager. The new concept will also introduce a coffee offering for customers who may be working from home, along with a snack menu including pretzels, popcorn and sweet treats. Following the launch of the Ashby Tavern, two existing Proper Pubs sites, the Brown Cow in Liverpool and the Titwood in Glasgow, will also be converted to the new concept in 2024. Mark Brooke, director of Proper Pubs, said: “We’re excited about this new mid-market concept. We’ve been working hard on it over the last few months, and we’re looking forward to seeing it come to life in the Ashby Tavern. Value wet-led will always be the cornerstone of our business, but we see a real opportunity to open up to a different demographic and show them what Proper Pubs is all about. The Ashby Tavern will be a community wet-led pub with a slightly different look and feel to our traditional value sites as well as a different offer. This includes extensive cocktail menus and wine lists, as well as great drinks offers, such as after work cocktail promotions.” Last month, Admiral opened the 200th pub in its Proper Pubs division, The Chrystal Bell in Glasgow. Prior to its launch, chief executive Chris Jowsey said the 1,500-strong business is converting one site a week to the division, and that it would eventually make up 20% of Admiral’s estate.

 

Team behind Burger & Lobster to open live fire cooking restaurant: The team behind Burger & Lobster, the nine-strong London restaurant group, is set to launch a live fire cooking restaurant in the capital. George Bukhov and Ilya Demichev, who are also behind Wild and The Belvedere, have been joined by Russian restaurateur Ivan Kukarskih for Lita. It will open in March in the former Carluccio’s site at 7 Paddington Street, reports Hot Dinners. Chef Luke Ahearne, who has most recently worked at Gordon Ramsay Restaurants and was previously head chef at Corrigan’s Mayfair, will head up a menu “sourcing the finest ingredients from top producers and suppliers across the UK, Ireland, and Europe”. Propel exclusively revealed in October that Burger & Lobster is actively seeking new locations outside of the capital after reporting a strong FY2022, with turnover increasing 43% to £32.7m. The business – which also operates a further 11 restaurants in New York, Singapore, Bangkok, Genting, Kuwait City, Hong Kong and Doha – said its UK restaurants also doubled their 2021 Ebitda to £2.4m.

 

Greg Marchand closes Frenchie in Covent Garden, follows CVA in 2023: Parisian restaurant concept Frenchie has closed its sole site in the UK, in Covent Garden, after eight years in operation. The concept, launched by Greg and Marie Marchand in 2009, opened in Henrietta Street in February 2016. It was the first site outside Paris for the husband-and-wife team, who are also behind the Frenchie Wine Bar, deli/sandwich counter Frenchie to Go and the wine shop Frenchie Caviste. The two-floor venue featured an informal ground floor restaurant and bar. Greg Marchand spent several long periods in London cooking at the Mandarin Oriental, the Savoy Grill and the Electric House before joining Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen, where the kitchen nickname “Frenchie” stuck. Propel understands the UK side of the business underwent a company voluntary arrangement last year. Greg Marchand said: “I am saddened to announce that after eight wonderful years, we have decided to close Frenchie Covent Garden. This decision has not been made lightly. However, as a family-owned restaurant, the last year operating in London has been increasingly challenging, and although I wish we could continue, it is time to close our doors and focus on our restaurants in France. We’ve had the best time in this amazing city and I would like to thank our guests, suppliers, landlord, and team who have worked tirelessly to make Frenchie rock. We hope to see you again soon, London.”

 

Miroma Leisure acquires fourth London site: Multi-site operator Miroma Leisure has acquired its fourth site in London – Leadbelly’s Bar & Kitchen in Canada Water, Propel understands. The site is located close to the Canada Water station and features ten huge screens and an outside terrace. Established in 2009, Miroma Leisure is led by Gavin Jones and Ryan Starr and also operates the Nordic Bar in Fitzrovia, Bar Rhumba in Piccadilly and Trapeze in Shoreditch. Miroma Leisure acquired Leadbelly’s from Black Dog Pub Co, which operates The Mayflower in Rotherhithe, The Prince of Wales in Kennington and the George & Dragon in Thames Ditton.

 

Canadian pancake brand Fluffy Fluffy to launch in Liverpool this month, two more sites in construction: Canadian pancake brand Fluffy Fluffy will launch in Liverpool this month, with its next two sites in construction. Propel reported last month that the brand had secured a site in Liverpool’s Berry Street, and that it planned five further openings in 2024. Fluffy Fluffy has now confirmed that the Liverpool location will open in February, and building work has begun on its next two restaurants. The brand made its UK debut in October 2022 with a site in Manchester’s Whitworth Street, followed by subsequent launches in Leicester, Reading and Leeds. Founded in 2018 in Toronto, it now has 22 sites across North America, plus multiple sites in Europe. Last summer, its UK development lead, Umar Hussein, told Propel the brand is aiming for 25 UK sites by 2025 as it works towards an eventual estate here of 100-plus.

 

SSP secures new ten-year contract with Liverpool John Lennon airport: SSP Group, the UK operator of food and beverage outlets in travel locations worldwide, has secured a significant new deal with Liverpool John Lennon airport, extending its operations there until at least 2036. All of SSP’s existing units will be refurbished, rebranded or extended, and additional outlets will be created, increasing the capacity of SSP’s restaurants by nearly half. The initial phase of the development includes a high-end eatery called Sable & Co Bar and Kitchen, which will be on the mezzanine level and is scheduled to open in the spring. It will feature a food and drink menu “curated to showcase the best of local ingredients and suppliers, served in a design-led environment”. A new Burger King and a bar concept called Tap & Brew, which serves a wide range of local craft beer alongside international favourites, opened at the end of last year. The next phase will include the refurbishment of an existing Upper Crust and a Starbucks coffee shop, and SSP will create a modern American-style diner offering an all-day menu. The Kissing Gate pub will also be extended. Kari Daniels, chief executive of SSP UK & Ireland, said: “We’ve built strong relationships with the team here, and we’re delighted to be working closely with it to make the food and beverage offer at this airport even better.” Lucy O’Shaughnessy, commercial director at Liverpool John Lennon airport, added: “This investment will give the growing numbers of passengers a wider choice of food and beverage facilities and some really exciting new developments.”

 

Team behind Berber & Q to open Carmel site in Fitzrovia: Brothers Josh and Paul Katz and Mattia Bianchi, the team behind Berber & Q and Shawarma Bar, are to open a second site under their Carmel concept in London’s Fitzrovia. The original Carmel – a north African and east Mediterranean-inspired concept – opened in Queen’s Park, London, in 2021. The new site will open just off Market Place, near Oxford Street. The Standard reported the site will open for lunch and dinner, with room inside for 95 diners a sitting. It will also offer a brunch service and, once the weather is warmer, a terrace that seats 38. Josh Katz said: “We’ve been looking to make the move to central London for a while, since before the pandemic. When that all happened, we took a pause in our search, kept our heads down and focused on our neighbourhood restaurants. We are so pleased to be back in a position to test ourselves in a central location, it feels like a natural move for us.”

 

Michelin-starred Scottish restaurant goes on market: Michelin-starred Scottish restaurant The Cellar, located in the village of Anstruther in the East Neuk of Fife region, has been put on the market. The small family-owned restaurant – which dates to the 16th century and previously served as a net store, smoke house and cooperage making housing barrels for herring – is being marketed by Shepherd chartered surveyors. The restaurant, co-owned by former Number One in The Balmoral head chef Billy Boyter, comprises the lower ground floor of a three storey and attic property that links into a single storey section to the rear. Shepherd partner Jonathan Reid said: “After spending most of his career working in some of the country’s best restaurants, Billy returned home to Anstruther in 2014 to reopen The Cellar with his family. The restaurant was awarded a Michelin star in 2015 and has retained it each year since. While Billy chose to cater for 16 guests to give the level of service he wanted, the restaurant could comfortably seat more than 30 diners.” Boyter added: “After running the restaurant for the past decade, myself and my parents, who are joint owners, feel like it’s the right time to sell the business. This will give me the opportunity to pursue other career goals.”

 

JW Lees to open ‘temple to our nearly 200-year-old family brewery company’: Manchester brewer and retailer JW Lees is to open Founder’s Hall, which it said has been “created as a temple to our nearly 200-year-old family brewery company”. The site, which will replace Dutton’s in Albert Square, Manchester, will open on Monday, 26 February and join Rain Bar, Gulliver’s, The Rembrandt and The Millstone as one of JW Lees’s five pubs in the centre of the city. Dutton’s has been trading since 2013. William Lees-Jones, managing director of JW Lees, said: “At JW Lees, we’ve been brewing beer since 1828, and Founder’s Hall has been created as a temple to our nearly 200-year-old family brewery company. Founder’s Hall will be a modern and comfortable beer hall with decent scran, like home-made pies and brilliant Sunday lunches, with bottomless gravy boats and limitless Yorkshire puddings. Situated opposite Manchester Town Hall in Albert Square, Founder’s Hall will bring a bit of JW Lees grit and glamour to city centre Manchester, where we’ll be setting out our stall as Manchester’s modern traditional brewer.” JW Lees operates 43 managed pubs, inns and hotels and lets another 100 pubs to JW Lees pub partners.

 

Glasgow operator to open London’s first Scottish deli this month: Glasgow operator Gregg Boyd will open London’s first Scottish deli this month. Boyd launched Auld Hag with Maddi Simpson in 2021 after moving to London and finding it difficult to locate true Scottish produce. Having started out delivering haggis by bicycle, operating pop-up residencies and catering for the Scottish government, the pair are launching Shoap,in north London, which will “showcase small Scottish producers” offering fish, cheese, charcuterie and baked goods. The venue in St John Street in Angel will open on Friday, 9 February and will continue to evolve once opened. From the spring, there will be an additional lunch offering of hot items, including sandwiches and the odd seasonal special. In the evenings, Shoap will be open for drinks and Scottish snacks such as slow-cooked Aberdeen Angus beef mince on a toasted piece of plain loaf. Boyd said: “When I moved to London I couldn’t believe Scottish food wasn't readily available. This is where the idea of Auld Hag was born. After a series of weekend markets and pop-ups, we realised there was more to it. There was a need for Shoap.”

 

Stirlingshire American-themed diner business puts both sites on market: Stirlingshire American-themed diner business, TJ’s Diners, has put both of its sites on the market. Located in Stirling city centre, the larger of the two businesses occupies a period building and can cater for up to 120 customers. The second location is a roadside diner in the village of Tyndrum within the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park. The diner can cater for up to 120 customers. The businesses have been operated by the current owners for the last four years. They are now looking to sell to focus on other interests outside of the hospitality sector. Christie & Co is marketing the sites, with offers of more than £75,000 invited for each of the venues.

 

Caledonian Leisure acquires third hotel: Travel and events company Caledonian Leisure has acquired its third hotel, in Torquay. The Torbay Hotel has been bought from Coast and Country Hotels for an undisclosed sum. It follows on from The Caledonian Claymore Hotel in Arrochar last year and The Caledonian Tower in Blackpool, which were also bought from Coast and Country Hotels. The 111-bedroom flagship venue is to be rebranded The Caledonian Torbay Hotel. Graham Rogers, managing director at Caledonian Leisure, said: “Adding The Caledonian Torbay Hotel to our collection is another exciting development for our business as we look to continue the growth of a portfolio of hotels in key UK destinations. The Torbay has always been popular with our customers, with both our Caledonian Travel and UKBreakaways brands enjoying repeat bookings to the hotel year on year.” Coast & Country Hotel Collection has been marketing a 33-asset portfolio through Christie & Co.

 

Holiday park business reports sales down but core activities performing well, bookings strong: Holiday park business Pentewan Sands – which operates the eponymous site plus sister site Heligan in Cornwall and Harvington Lock in Worcester – said sales were down in the year to 31 March 2023 but core activities are performing well and bookings are strong. The company’s turnover dropped slightly from £6,571,596 in 2022 to £6,080,317 while its pre-tax profit fell from £3,549,445 to £1,764,590 as costs rose by more than £1m. No government grants were received compared with £47,118 in 2022. It invested £645,000 in site refurbishments. No dividends were paid (2022: nil). Director John Willis, whose family also owns the land on which the Lost Gardens of Heligan are located, said: “Overall, sales were down some 7.5% against the previous record year, which was very much in line with expectations. Refurbishment of the Seahorse [leisure centre] incurred significant expenditure and unusually high labour costs, which are reflected in the results. However, core activities continued to perform strongly, with touring pitches some 28% up and holiday homes 34% up on pre-covid levels. Harvington Lock site fees were likewise more than 30% up, reflecting the increase to full occupancy. At the end of the year, the company was again in a strong financial position with an improved balance sheet, reduced liabilities and, once again, strong early bookings for the following year. However, the strategic decision was made in 2022 to reduce the overall number of touring pitches by approximately 10% at Pentewan Sands, in order to increase individual pitch sizes and enhance the visitor experience. With high inflation and rising interest rates at the end of the year, it is expected that total pitch revenues will therefore take an initial hit before the beneficial impacts of the pitch re-spacing take full effect.”

 

Mexican grill chain owner to open Brazilian steakhouse in Suffolk: Cezar Da Silva, co-owner of the four-strong Mexican grill chain El Guaca, is set to open a Brazilian steakhouse in Newmarket, Suffolk. Silva, who moved to the UK from Brazil at the age of 19 in 2002, is preparing to open Nelore in the town’s Exeter Road. He already operates Mangiare Ristorante Italiano and a branch of El Guaca in the same town, as well as further branches of El Guaca in Maldon and Ely. A fourth El Guaca site will open in Colchester’s new £70m Northern Gateway development, as previously reported. Nelore will offer “rodizio” style dining, which is thought to have originated in southern Brazil in the 1930s. Guests at a rodizio restaurant will typically begin at a salad bar before freshly cooked meat is carved directly on to their plates. “There is no steakhouse nearby in Newmarket and I want to offer something new,” Silva told the Cambridge News. “We are going to use very high-quality meat, 28-day dry aged Aberdeen Angus cut from the bone. People will pay one price and their meat will come to the table, and the servers will cut it.”