All MCA Insight articles in January 2024 – Page 3
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Analysis & InsightMenu price increases highest in restaurants
Restaurant operators are expanding menus and introducing more high-end dishes to justify price increases, appealing to premium-focused consumers.
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NewsLucky Voice marks best ever Christmas
The karaoke concept achieved sales growth of 48% in the four-week period leading up to Christmas, compared to 2022, while like-for-like revenue was up 11%
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NewsOpenings of the week
MCA rounds up this week’s biggest openings stories, including Wagamama, Pret a Manger, Urban Greens, Cornish Bakery and more
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InterviewsWetherspoon: ‘It’s a people thing’
Sir Tim Martin tells MCA about plans to get beer gardens in every Wetherspoons, upgrading food and working conditions, and why it is the most popular pub brand among young people
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NewsMulti-purpose dining destination planned for Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park
The London Legacy Development Corporation has partnered with bar and events specialist Peppermint to create a large-scale hospitality and leisure space, featuring a rooftop garden and street food area
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NewsFuller’s: Banning large glasses of wine ‘completely bonkers’
CEO Simon Emeny has said the suggestion that pubs should stop selling large measures of wine to help reduce alcohol consumption is unfounded.
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InterviewsThe Alchemist: ‘Berlin isn’t a distraction from the UK’
CEO Simon Potts speaks to MCA about a second site in Germany, continued expansion in London, and how new EBITDA records are driving the business
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InterviewsPret: ‘Customers increasingly want to transact with us digitally’
Enhanced tech capabilities will support Pret’s ambitions as it looks to double the size of its business by 2026, according to CEO Pano Christou
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NewsNorth Brewing sold to Kirkstall in pre-pack
Craft brewery and bar operator North will continue to be run as an independent under fellow Leeds-based Kirkstall, though its taproom in Birmingham was not included in the deal
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InterviewsMcDonald’s Rising Star wins praise for her selfless approach
Chief restaurant officer Gareth Pearson praises the company’s director of operations UK&I, Mel Harrison, for her unwavering commitment to developing people and the business, in the latest in a series of finalists’ profiles for MCA’s Hospitality Awards
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NewsGovernment-backed hospitality employment scheme for Wales
Brewhouse & Kitchen, Compass Cymru and Greene King are all supporting the pathway, which will provide tailored training to jobseekers to kickstart a career in the sector
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Analysis & InsightUK branded coffee shop market value grows to £5.3bn
The market achieved 9.2% sales growth over the last 12 months and expanded 3.6% to reach 10,199 outlets
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Analysis & InsightNew border checks could cause resurgence in inflation
Food inflation declined to 13.8% in December - but apprehensions are growing as new border checks commence in April
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NewsMarston’s launches new partnership agreement
Called Marston’s Partnership, the new agreement is designed to be designed to be more “transparent and reflective of today’s world” of cost pressures
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NewsFuller’s like-for-likes up 11.5%
Sales during the five-week Christmas and New Year period were particularly strong, up 21.6% against the same period the prior year
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InterviewsHow Pret’s Rising Star rolls her sleeves up and leads by example
Pret’s Guy Meakin praises senior operations manager Inga Gruodis’ unwavering enthusiasm for her role
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NewsMark Derry joins Wright Brothers
The experienced operator, who is chairman of Heartwood Collection and previously ran Loch Fyne, joins the seafood specialist as it reports £30m turnover
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InterviewsRockfish: There’s nobody else doing what we’re doing
The Mitch Tonks-led seafood restaurant group sees its prime waterfront locations as operating in a unique territory, with robust current trading giving it confidence to return to the expansion trail.
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NewsSushiDog secures new investment to finance rollout
Middleton Enterprises has injected its second round of funding, which will be used for four new openings in London as the QSR concept targets 30 sites in five years
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InterviewsRevolution Bars: ‘Good operators are struggling in this market’
While the group remains keen to grow its Peach Pubs and Founders brands, CEO Rob Pitcher calls out the government for its lack of action and investment into the night time economy and younger consumers