All MCA Insight articles in February 2026
View all stories from this issue.
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Weekend PressTim Martin: Wetherspoons is paying £1m tax per pub
Britain’s landlord-in-chief is making money but still thinks the odds favour the supermarkets. He also discusses succession and what he’d say to Donald Trump, with The Sunday Times
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Weekend PressAshton Kutcher joins the board of Soho House as it goes private
Hollywood star invests in members’ club and joins consortium led by billionaire Ron Burkle as it completes $2.7 billion takeover of the London-based business, The Sunday Times reports
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Weekend PressSmall plates, bigger bills: how restaurants are slimming to survive
As higher costs weigh on their firms, restaurateurs are cutting hours, reducing menus and opting for ‘hyper-seasonal’ ingredients, The Sunday Times reports
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Weekend PressUK restaurants offer deep discounts in ‘last resort’ to lure spend-shy diners
Discounting risks more damage to margins as sector struggles to emerge from pandemic slump, The FT reports
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Weekend PressRobin Hutson, founder of Pig hotels: ‘There’s nothing like the feeling of earning your own money’
The hotelier advises aspiring entrepreneurs to look after the product and people, then profit will look after itself, he tells the FT
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Weekend PressRecord number of breweries shut down across Britain
Industry bosses blame ‘suffocating taxation’ as beer duty set to rise again from Sunday, The Telegraph reports
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Weekend PressTaxes on pubs rise again today. This is where every penny of your pint goes
Landlords reveal how Rachel Reeves’s rise in alcohol duty will drain their profits to just 28p a pint, The Telegraph reports
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Weekend Press‘It’s ridiculous’: publicans bemused by rise of single-file queues to get served
Bar owners say they struggle to dissuade people from forming a line as behavioural experts point to post-pandemic ‘new norms’, The Guardian reports
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Weekend Press‘We create social cohesion’: the rise of the West Midlands’ Desi pubs
With sizzling mixed grills and bhangra playing, Desi pub owners are transforming places of exclusion into new community hubs, The Guardian writes
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NewsLane7 appoints first chairman
MD Gavin Hughes said the competitive socialising sector is entering a period of consolidation, with a clear opportunity for the boutqiue bowling operator to gain market share
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NewsUrban Pubs & Bars ‘highly profitable and well-funded’
The fast-growing London-based operator reported sales growth of 32.6% last year, ahead of a number of new acquisitions
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NewsXP Factory revises down profit forecasts and slows new openings
The experiential leisure industry suffered negative LFL sales growth in the calendar year 2025 of around -9%, according to independent data
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NewsVarious Eateries swings to positive LFL growth
The company is actively exploring new Coppa Club sites, where the opportunity is most compelling in the current market, alongside continued development of Noci
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NewsBoxpark ‘assessing alternative formats’ as losses widen
Despite a small uptick in turnover, the street food and retail group saw pre-tax losses widen from £3.8m to £12m following ‘a challenging year’
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NewsWingstop further strengthens senior team with group finance director appointment
Alistair Fraser, who previously held senior roles at Burger King and Whitbread, will oversee the finance function at the fast-growing fried chicken chain
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NewsCornish Bakery delivers another record year
The independent bakery chain delivered a 24% increase in sales to £36.4m and will reach a 79-strong estate by spring - but bemoaned the ”lack of proper leadership” from the government
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NewsGrind reports ‘another strong year of growth’ on the high street
The omnichannel coffee brand, which recently completed a £7.5m funding round, increased turnover by c.19%, with its coffee shops, restaurants and bars performing well, but ultimately losses widened last year
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Analysis & InsightEntering its matcha era: Greggs shakes off ‘stodgy beige’ image with disruptive wellness campaign
A new iced matcha lineup and a Greggs-themed pilates studio mark an unexpected brand extension into the wellness space, as it seeks to broaden its customer base
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InterviewsVarious Eateries: ‘We’ve had an unprecedented number of opportunities come our way’
The group is exploring a number of prime sites for Coppa Club and Noci, with the conversion of its three single-site brands also on the cards as it consolidates the business, CEO Mark Loughborough told MCA.
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InterviewsFreight Island: ‘We really want to be adding to a city if we open there’
Managing director Dan Morris tells MCA about the group’s plans to quadruple the size of its estate over the next 18 months with openings in London, Newcastle and Leeds