All MCA Insight articles in February 2020 – Page 5
-
NewsPeter Martin: Fairness and equality – the campaign still has a way to go
There’s good news and bad news on the diversity front this month. New official figures show that 33% of all FTSE 100 board directors are now women, hitting the Government’s own target a year early, and up from just 12.5% less than a decade ago. That’s the positive bit – and the fact the milestone was achieved on a voluntary basis, without the need for legislation, fines or penalties, received big thumbs-up from business secretary Andrea Leadsom.
-
NewsSaucy looks to sell East Dulwich
Saucy, the restaurant from former Merlin global brand director Jules Heaton, is selling its East Dulwich site after just over six months, MCA understands.
-
NewsSales soar at Takeaway.com but losses deepen
Takeaway.com made a loss of €115.5m in 2019, compared with €14.0 million in 2018. It said the cost of sales was €110.9m in 2019, 154% higher than in 2018, after it grew from 38 cities at the end of 2018 to 91 in 2019. Delivery expenses added up to €73.9m, representing 67% of its cost of sales. It said “excluding the impact of delivery expenses, cost of sales increased by 86% year-on-year, above order growth, driven by growth in the share of online payments, growing share of merchandise items and increased printer costs driven by the onboarding of new restaurants.”
-
NewsGlobal Korean restaurant lands UK debut
International Korean BBQ brand Han Fu Gong is opening in Camden for its UK debut.
-
NewsRegional restaurants spearhead January sales
Restaurant groups were at the forefront of January’s industry sales uplift with like-for-like’s up 2.5%, the latest Coffer Peach Business Tracker has revealed.
-
NewsRestaurant control the crux of Deliveroo Pickup
Deliveroo Pickup is ‘step six’ in the operator’s long-term restaurant proposition, Rohan Pradhan, Deliveroo chief sales officer told delegates at MCA’s Food To Go conference last week.
-
NewsItsu looks to tech as it ‘changes model fundamentally’
Customisation, convenience and sustainability are the three trends that will have the biggest impact on the food to go sector, Itsu brand and marketing director Jemima Ferguson told delegates at MCA’s Food To Go conference last week.
-
NewsWonderland Restaurants launches DC-inspired immersive concept
Immersive restaurant company, Wonderland Restaurants, has announced the upcoming opening of its first concept: Park Row.
-
NewsHeineken toasts best sales for a decade
Heineken has reported volume sales were up 8.3% last year, its best performance in over ten years. It added net revenue was up 5.6%, with net profits up 4.3%. Chairman and CEO Jean-François van Boxmeer, who announced he would be leaving Heineken on 1 June yesterday, said in 2019 the business had delivered “another year of superior top-line growth, with continued strong performance in the second half.
-
Analysis & InsightBangkok bounce back?
Once the darling of the Thai restaurant scene, Busaba has had a tough few years, with falling profits and site closures. Now with a simplified offer and a fresh focus on the capital, it’s looking to bounce back
-
NewsSt Austell continues to diversify with two new hotels
St Austell Brewery has acquired two hotels in Devon, as it continues its strategy of diversifying its portfolio.
-
News
Starbucks franchise opens 30th drive thru, lines up 10 more
Starbucks franchise 23.5 Degrees has opened its 30th drive thru in Rockingham Barnsley with a further 10+ lined up for 2020.
-
NewsRestaurant model ‘too exclusive’ for Slaw
Slaw co-founder Gijs Dutry van Haeften told delegates at MCA’s Food To Go event last week that the plant-based challenger brand has decided to dispose of its restaurant to focus entirely on food-to-go.
-
NewsPret ‘behind the curve’ on digital
Pret has been a “bit behind the curve” in terms of digital innovation, UK MD Clare Clough has told MCA’s Food to Go conference.
-
NewsGet smarter about sustainability
Education is the answer to a more sustainable future rather than blanket negative hyperbole about plastic, a panel hosted by the SRA told the Food to Go conference. Though the demonization of plastic has dominated the sustainable agenda over the past two years, Spencer Craig, co-founder of Pure, said he “rejected the premise of plastic reduction, which in itself is not the answer. It’s about the reduction of single use packaging, but it’s been all put on plastic. Reducing plastic and using a virgin material which can’t be recycled instead is not a solution.”
-
NewsLupita closes remaining sites
Mexican restaurant group Lupita has closed its two remaining sites, months after an attempt to buy the business out of administration, MCA understands.
-
Analysis & InsightJanuary weather chills restaurant spend
The chilly weather in January kept consumers indoors, with spending in restaurants falling for the third month in a row by 3.5%, while takeaway expenditure grew 11.4%.
-
NewsReal Eating Co takes second Eat site, in Canterbury
The Real Eating Company has taken a second Eat site, with a new opening in Canterbury’s Whitefriars scheme.
-
NewsPho: 'Four more non-London sites are definitely in the pipeline’
The co-founder talks about the launch of the street food chain’s first vegan menu and why it’s all about texture with Vietnamese cuisine.
-
NewsThunderbird closes Brixton amid ‘heavy lifting’
Thunderbird Fried Chicken has closed its original bricks and mortar restaurant in Brixton after just one year of trading.