All news articles
All the news from the UK eating and drinking out industry, from company and brand updates, to people moves and shifting consumer trends
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News
Cooks Coffee appoints Aiden Keegan as CEO
Keegan has worked with the Esquires owner since 2004, most recently as MD for the Esquires UK business
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Easter bookings up 40%
Across the four-day period, Easter Sunday remains the most popular date to book, with bookings up by nearly 50% on 2023, according to Zonal
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Double swoop for Heartwood Inns at Publican Awards
The operator impressed judges in both the Best Managed Pub Company and Best Pub Operations Team categories, with other winners including Liberation Group and Loungers’ Alex Reilley
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RedCat Pub Company to exit 24 sites
The Rooney Anand-led pub investment vehicle said it has undertaken a strategic review in context of sector-wide challenges, in addition to appointing a new executive team
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Butcombe Pubs & Inns reports record sales in March
The Liberation Group-owned business attributed strong sales to a bumper Mother’s Day weekend and the Cheltenham Festival
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Openings of the week
MCA rounds up the week’s biggest openings stories, including Wingstop UK, Urban Pubs & Bars, Loungers and more
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Starbucks to open further 100 UK stores
The coffee giant reported 22% year-on-year sales growth in the UK to £547.7m, with plans to grow its current estate of 340 drive-thrus
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Tom Sugarman swaps Wasabi for itsu
The former Wasabi managing director has left the sushi and bento brand for itsu, where he has joined as hospitality & development director
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Greene King opens first Nest pub
The Palmer Tavern, located on Wokingham Road in Reading has opened after a £360,000 investment by the pub company
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Shake Shack opens first train station site
The burger chain is set to open in St Pancras International, home to the Eurostar in early summer 2024
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XP Factory sees opportunity to ‘make hay in underpenetrated market’
CEO Richard Harpham said the experiential operator opened so many sites so quickly in 2022, “we didn’t get everything right”, but added its brands Boom Battle Bar and Escape Hunt remain “highly resilient” to consumer headwinds
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Papa John’s confirms 43 closure locations
Around a tenth of the pizza company’s 450 UK locations are described as “low-performing” or “underperforming” and so no longer financially viable
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Fluffy Fluffy adds seven sites to pipeline
The souffle pancake concept has opened five sites since its launch in Manchester in 2022, and is set to more than double its estate
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Revolution Bars ‘actively exploring’ all options
The pub and bar operator confirmed it is engaging with shareholders to fundraise, while exploring strategic options including a restructuring or partial or full sale
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Big Mamma pushes ahead with global expansion
The Italian restaurant group said its acquisition by McWin would support its global expansion plans in Europe, the Middle East and United States
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Gail’s owners could begin sales process this year
Sky News reports Bain Capital Credit and EBITDA Investments, a fund backed by Henry McGovern of McWin, are drawing up plans to appoint bankers, potentially before the end of this year
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Individual Restaurants expands Piccolino
The brand, backed by the founding families of Iceland supermarket, is opening in Henley-on-Thames and Marlow in the summer of 2024
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Arc Inspirations secures £7m
The funding from lender HSBC and shareholders including BGF will support plans for four sites a year over the next five years
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Tim Martin: ‘We got a rush of blood to the head’
The Wetherspoons chairman told Sky the pub company had sometimes doubled up in towns were it should have kept to just one pub
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Heartwood acquires historic East Barnet pub from Stonegate
The Prince of Wales, established in 1876, was the subject of a campaign from local residents and politicians after it emerged it would close