All MCA Insight articles in November 2018 – Page 4
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NewsCDG wins tender to open airport Warrens Bakery
Casual Dining Group (CDG) has won the tender to open a Warrens Bakery franchise store at Bristol Airport – a move which sees CDG enter the grab-and-go market.
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NewsSwingers secures backing from Cain International
Competitive Socialising, the group behind crazy golf concept Swingers, has attracted investment thought to be c£28m, from investment firm Cain International.
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Analysis & InsightPicking out the positives amid the challenges
Good news stories have often been hard to come by in the sector of late but according to MCA’s head of consumer insight, Gareth Nash, there are plenty of reasons to be cheerful when you look closely at the figures behind the recent performance of the eating-out sector
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NewsETM reports FY turnover up 34.7%
ETM, the 14-strong bar and restaurant group, saw turnover grow 34.7% to £27m in the year to 29 February 2018.
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NewsLfls up 6% at Loungers; evaluates IPO potential
Loungers, the Lounge and Cosy Club concepts operator, has reported a 6% increase in like-for-like sales for the year to 22 April, with revenue growth of 31.9% to £121.1m, as talk of a potential IPO for the business resurfaces.
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Analysis & InsightA swing and a hit
Competitive socialising has been a rapidly growing sub-sector of the UK leisure market for some time now. Be it crazy golf, darts, ping-pong, escape rooms, shuffle-boards or even axe-throwing, this segment is a broad church. The question raised more than most is will it be a sustainable part of the sector in the long term? With the recent fundraising by Flight Club and now Swingers, that conversation has now moved on to who will be the winners and losers. With a multimillion-pound investment from a leading investment firm, Swingers seems set to be one the formers, writes Mark Wingett.
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NewsLa Casita to open fifth tapas restaurant; plans for more
The La Casita tapas restaurant chain is to open a fifth site, in Skipton, North Yorkshire, and has plans for further openings in 2019.
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NewsEntourage Group looks to bring Toni Loco pizza concept to UK
Dutch hospitality group, The Entourage Group is looking to bring its new pizza concept, Toni Loco to the UK, in addition to its the Butcher burger concept announced earlier this year.
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NewsBenihana confirms Glasgow
Benihana, the global Japanese teppanyaki concept, has confirmed its first UK site in eight years will open in Glasgow.
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NewsTeixeira joins Gourmet Gulf as CEO
Joe Teixeira, the former Boparan Restaurants chief executive and Loch Fyne managing director, has joined Dubai-based Gourmet Gulf.
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NewsHeartstone Inns acquires first Channel Islands pub
Heartstone Inns has acquired its first site in the Channel Islands – former Liberation Group bar and restaurant, The Auberge, in St Martins, Guernsey, MCA has learnt.
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NewsLeon confirms first Ireland site, to open Q4 2019
Leon has confirmed its first site in Ireland, with an opening in the Dundrum Town Centre in Dublin at the end of 2019.
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NewsMEATliquor debut site to close
MEATliquor is offering a £20,000 finders fee to anyone who finds a nearby replacement to its debut restaurant in Marylebone’s Welbeck Street.
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NewsGordon steps down from Ole & Steen
Alastair Gordon has left his role as operations director for Danish bakery concept Ole & Steen.
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NewsTasty directors inject cash as part of refinance
Tasty, the Wildwood operator, has revised its £7m loan facility with Barclays.
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Analysis & Insight
Grab and go operators take market share from retailers
Coffee shops, food to go operators and bakeries are taking market share from convenience stores in food and drink to go, research from HIM reveals.
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NewsM&B: JVs, virtual brands and surge pricing
Following yesterday’s full-year results announcement, MCA talks to Mitchells & Butlers chief executive Phil Urban. He discusses performance across its suite of brands, and why he sees joint ventures as the smartest form of M&A. He also says developing a virtual brand is on the company’s road map, talks about the rollout of order at table technology and the company’s work on flexing price during busy periods.
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Analysis & InsightThe dessert bars that are booming
Despite all the hype around healthy eating, consumers are still looking for indulgent treats. MCA’s sister-title Food Spark took a lot as some of the operators who are expanding on the dessert bar scene.
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NewsMango Tree appoints Vickers to roll out new Kitchen format
Mango Tree, the international Thai restaurant group, has appointed Alison Vickers to spearhead its expansion in the UK and Europe under new format Mango Tree Kitchen.
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Analysis & InsightGetting to grips with the urban grab-and-go space
In the latest of a series of articles on brand propositions within the key segments of the eating and drinking-out industry, Ian Dunstall looks at the key players in this largely lunch-led market sector.