All Azzurri Group articles – Page 4
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NewsGBK and Azzurri reportedly appoint advisors
Gourmet Burger Kitchen and Azzurri Group have reportedly appointed advisors to assess their options going forward through the coronavirus crisis.
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NewsEditor’s Opinion: Hang tight and plan your return
The coronavirus continues to wreak havoc. It’s claimed hundreds of thousands of lives around the world and numbers continue to rise. As dreadful as that is, the long term socio-economic impact is more disturbing. The virus has created a level of disruption to health, society, and the economy that’s never happened before, outside of wartime. And while there is plenty of speculation on how life in general may get back to normal post-lockdown, with vaguely optimistic or pessimistic dates floating around, there is no clarity on how or when this might end.
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NewsTimeline: How the coronavirus crisis unfolded
Here are just some of the twists and turns over the last few weeks. If you want to read all the MCA coverage of the coronavirus crisis click here.
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NewsAzzurri shuts entire estate
Azzurri Group is to close all Ask, Zizzi and Coco di Mama restaurants from today, CEO Steve Holmes has announced.
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NewsUKH and Industry CEOs call on Government for immediate support
In a joint letter with UK Hospitality, over 200 CEOs from across the hospitality industry have appealed to the Prime Minister to ’act without delay’ in implementing immediate government support for the sector.
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NewsAzzurri crowned at Casual Dining Awards second year running
Azzurri Group, Wagamama and The Ivy Collection were amongst those named as the UK’s best pub, bar and restaurant operators at the Casual Dining Awards yesterday.
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Analysis & InsightA stock-take on physical expansion
A stock-take on physical expansion – Review of 2019 risers and fallers
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NewsRetailers’ Retailer full nominees list revealed
The finalists for MCA’s Retailers’ Retailer Awards 2020 have been announced, with the cohort reflecting a diverse and vibrant range of eating and drinking out operators.
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NewsAsk fined £40,000 for lack of lobster
Ask has been fined £40,000 after selling a ‘misleading’ plate of pasta - although it got a discount off the bill for pleading guilty. The Italian chain, owned by parent company Azzurri, had been selling its £14.95 Aragosta e Gamberoni dish, described as lobster and king prawns in a tomato and chilli sauce, since 2014.
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NewsHow can tech ease the customer journey?
Greggs, Leon and Wagamama are just the latest to join the self-ordering revolution, with the latter’s new grab and go concept Mamago one of the most hotly discussed openings of last year. To share their early exeperiences and more, MCA brought together marketing, IT and digital leaders from across the sector to consider how new technology can help, and sometimes hinder, the customer experience
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NewsReview of the Year Part Two
When England achieved the impossible, and destroyed the indestructible All Blacks in the semi-finals of the Rugby World Cup, it looked like it was going to be a bumper day for hospitality on the day of the final. The UK would wake up early and hit the pubs and bars first thing to watch England win the final, followed by trips to restaurants, followed by pubs, bars and clubs, before ending up slumped on the sofa trying to focus on the highlights and order a Deliveroo. All England had to do was win.
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NewsFast-moving grown-up Coco di Mama ‘can do’
Carbs and caffeine is a formula that has fuelled Coco di Mama’s expansion well. The fast-casual brand has been deftly serving long queues of office workers just that since 2011. This sweet spot customer, the 25-35-year-old affluent City worker, was the genesis of the brand in Fleet Street. While this core demographic served Coco well in its early years, a new management team last year realised it needed to broaden its appeal if it was to continue its expansion into adulthood.
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NewsM&A Review of the Year
It certainly hasn’t been a year in hospitality M&A for the faint hearted, but for those who have stuck with the sector and taken a long-term view, opportunity has knocked. Despite fears of an investor hiatus as a result of lingering uncertainty (ongoing Brexit delays certainly haven’t been helpful to M&A advisors!), the past 12 months has again proved the robustness of the M&A market in this sector, and points to further opportunities for 2020.
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NewsThe Dom Walsh Awards
Our monthly columnist from The Times hands out his annual awards to brands and operators who have made the past 12 months newsworthy – for better or for worse…
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Analysis & InsightWill we eat out more than ever in the future?
I was struck by the recent MCA interview with Azzurri Group CEO Steve Holmes, and particularly his concluding comment: “I think if you wind the clock forward, people will eat out more than ever.”
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NewsMercer to swap Coco di Mama for Swingers
Coco di Mama head of people Tom Mercer is set to join Swingers, MCA understands.
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OpinionSteve Holmes: ‘If you wind the clock forward, people will eat out more than ever’
Relevant operators can grind out profit growth, but it’s not an easy time, Azzurri Group’s Steve Holmes has told MCA.
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NewsAzzurri Group achieves lfl growth across portfolio
Azzurri Group has reported a group sales increase of 7% for the year ended 30 June 2019, to £299.4m, with like-for-like sales growth seen across its four brands.
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OpinionAlixPartners: Cause for cautious optimism
The M&A market for UK restaurant operators remains cautious, with distressed situations making up the majority of activity. However, several high-profile transactions completed in 2019, with investors still willing to pay a premium price in certain circumstances, says AlixPartners’ Graeme Smith