Douglas Jack – M&B deal for Orchid could be last non-hostile takeover of food-led estate for foreseeable future: Numis Securities’ leisure analyst Douglas Jack has issued an ‘Add’ note on Mitchells & Butlers (M&B) with a target pr … view

Amber Taverns sold to MXP Partners for £80m: Community pub operator Amber Taverns has been sold by Legal and General Capital (LGC) for £80m to MXP Partners. The new owner, a founding shareholder of the business, has backed the existing … view

Mitchells & Butlers lines up cream of Orchid estate: Mitchells & Butlers (M&B) is in exclusive talks to buy 170 Orchid Pub Company sites, 155 of which are freeholds, City contacts have told Propel. An analyst told Propel: “I understand … view

Mitchells & Butlers enters exclusive talks to buy Orchid: Mitchells & Butlers (M&B) has entered exclusive talks to acquire the majority of the Orchid Pub Company estate for £266m after outbidding private equity firms Colony Capital and S … view

Steakhouse brand with plans for eight sites seeks crowd-funding: A new steakhouse brand, Austin’s Ranch, serving smoked, barbecued Texan and southern American cuisine in a contemporary, American ranch-style interior, is seeking £150,00 … view

JW Lees boss – “we’re looking to expand through buying others’ unloved pubs”: Manchester brewer JW Lees is looking to expand by buying “unloved pubs that other companies can’t work out”, according to the firm’s managing … view

JW Lees to create 1,000 jobs in five years: North west brewer and retailer JW Lees is to invest £67.5m in an expansion programme over the next five years as it targets sales of £100m. The investment plan, which will create 1,000 jobs wi … view

Mitchells & Butlers re-unites Ember Inns division, ends Toby Carvery openings on retail parks and plans to buy more freeholds: Mitchells & Butler has re-united its 100-strong Ember Inns business as part of a drive to simplify the business … view

Mitchells & Butlers reports return to food volume growth: Mitchells & Butlers has reported like-for-like sales grew 1.1% in the 28 weeks to 12 April. Total sales rose 2.55 to £1,016m. Adjusted operating profit rose 2.1% to £147m. Agreem … view

Luminar to extend Jongleurs comedy club offer to six more sites: The chief executive of Luminar, Peter Marks, has told Propel that the company is to add the Jongleurs comedy club offer to five or six more nightclub sites. The company has … view

Greene King Leisure Tracker reports April bounce in spending: Improved weather and the long Easter weekend have contributed to strong growth in British household leisure spending during April, the latest Greene King Leisure Spend Tracker … view

Mitchells & Butlers chooses Leeds site for Toby Carvery training academy: Mitchells & Butlers (M&B) has chosen an indoor children’s play area which has stood empty for 15 years as a national training academy for its Toby Carvery brand. … view

   

Cambscuisine to open smokehouse pub concept: Cambscuisine, the highly-rated operator of five Cambridgeshire gastro-pubs and the Chophouse brand, is planning to open a smokehouse concept within a pub environment. The company, led by Oliver … view

Pub and restaurant like-for-likes up 4.4% in April: Britain’s managed pub and restaurant operators are enjoying a strong start to 2014, with collective like-for-like sales up 4.4% in April against the same month last year. It follows a … view

Enterprise Inns reports 1.1% net income growth: Enterprise Inns has reported a 1.1% like-for-like net income increase in the six months ended 31 March 2014 (H1 2013: 4.2% decline) with all geographic areas performing in line with, or ahea … view

Washington DC YO! Sushi closed: The first YO! Sushi site to open in the United States, located in Washington DC’s Union Street train station, has closed its doors less than two years after opening, it has emerged. YO! Sushi opened up in … view

Whitbread executives see pay jump led by £6.4m package for Andy Harrison: Whitbread chief executive Andy Harrison’s pay package jumped by 85% to almost £6.4m last year after he was allowed to cash in £2.6m of shares he was given in a … view

Six bidders line up for Orchid Pub Company estate: An array of trade and private equity bidders are lined up to take a tilt at buying the Orchid Pub Company estate owned by Deutsche Bank and led by Rufus Hall, according to The Sunday Time … view

Technomic – fast casual continues to steal market share in the US: New research contained within Technomic’s Top 150 Fast-Casual Chain Restaurant Report reveals that the fast-casual segment continues to steal market share in the US fr … view

US fast-food workers campaign for higher wages goes global: The fast-food worker movement for higher pay in the US is to go global with strikes in 23 countries on 15 May. Workers from dozens of countries on six continents are joining the … view

The Sun – PizzaExpress is only serving halal chicken: The Sun newspaper has devoted its front page this morning to the news that PizzaExpress is only serving halal chicken across its 434 sites but has declined to mention this on menus. … view

‘Star’ backbench Conservative MP calls for VAT cut for sector: Bristol North West MP Charlotte Leslie has called for a cut in VAT for the sector, arguing it would “unleash enterprise”. In 2013, she was named Backbencher of the Yea … view

CGA Peach – JDW leads new food-drink hybrid: The eating and drinking out sectors are merging fast - and JD Wetherspoon is blazing the trail, the latest CGA Peach BrandTrack research reveals. The survey of 5,000 UK adults identifies the … view

PizzaExpress comes to market with £1bn price tag: PizzaExpress has been put up for sale by private equity owner Cinven with an estimated £1bn price tag, The Times has reported. Cinven has hired Goldman Sachs to sell its biggest brand wi … view

Easter like-for-like sales down 3.8% on Easter 2013: Britain’s leading pub and restaurant groups, which had just recorded 12 consecutive months of sales growth, saw sales dip over the Easter weekend, with collective like-for-like sales … view