Ten minutes on Tuesday with Hugh Osmond: Propel has partnered marketing and PR agency Elliotts to launch a fortnightly podcast series featuring a ten minute interview with a senior industry figure. Today, Elliotts executive James Hacon i … view

Fulham Shore aims for 40 Real Greek sites after £13.9m buy: Fulham Shore, the vehicle headed by restaurant veteran David Page, is to launch on AIM after a conditional agreement to acquire 99.04% of the seven-strong Real Greek Restaurant … view

Haché secures fifth site, enter private equity talks: London-based better burger brand Haché, founded almost ten years ago by Berry and Suzie Casey, has secured its fifth site – and entered talk with private equity investors with a vi … view

City Pub Company to raise up to £10m more in equity: City Pub Company, the EIS company headed by Clive Watson, has hit current turnover run rate of £6.4 million in the year to the end of June, up from £3.1 million for the comparable ye … view

JD Wetherspoon extends pulled pork offer, adds BrewDog lager: JD Wetherspoon, which reported 12% like-for-like food sales growth earlier this month, is to launch a new menu on Wednesday (1 October), that builds on the success of US items, … view

Oakman Inns to make £1.25m co-investment with Punch Taverns: Oakman Inns and Restaurants is to make a £1.25m co-investment in The White Hart in Ampthill, Bedfordshire with owner Punch Taverns. The White Hart is an 18th Century Grade Two … view

Cask ale ‘absolutely essential’ to M&B brand strategy says Alistair Darby: Cask ale is ‘absolutely essential’ to four of Mitchells & Butlers’ biggest pub brands, the company’s chief executive, Alistair Darby, told the Cask Sem … view

Cask Ale report – raise the price of real ale: The pub trade is undervaluing cask ale and could and should be selling it for more, especially when craft keg is selling for a massive premium, says the latest edition of the Cask Report, o … view

Analyst: GK bid for Spirit runs contrary to diversification strategy: Simon French, leisure analyst at Cenkos Leisure, has argued that Greene King’s bid for Spirit seems to run contrary to the former’s strategy to diversify its retail … view

Spirit rejects 100p a share offer from Greene King: Spirit Pub Company has rejected a 100p a share offer from brewer and retailer Greene King, worth £660.5m. A deal would create the UK’s biggest managed pubs group, with brands that inc … view

Restaurateur Clive Watson to open new restaurant concept in flagship Spitalfields Market site: Restaurateur Clive Watson, co-founder of the Riding House Café, Village East and The Garrison, has secured a flagship site in Spitalfields Mar … view

Tesco – we’ve overstated first half profits by £250m: Tesco has added to its woes this morning by telling the market that it has overstated profits by £250m in its first six months. The company said: “During its final preparations … view

Stephen Thomas to re-launch Birmingham Oceana as Electric: Exeat Leisure, the company led by nightclub veteran Stephen Thomas that emerged from the administration of No Saints, will re-open part of the troubled former Oceana super-club in … view

Douglas Jack – value of property pipelines has increased in over-heated property market: Numis Securities leisure analyst Douglas Jack has argued that the property market is starting to look over-heated, which places a greater value on … view

Gondola Holdings to put Ask and Zizzi on the market with £300m price tag: Gondola Holdings is set to put its Ask Italian and Zizzi brands on the market, The Times has reported. The sale is the next step in the dismantling of Gondola’s … view

Admiral Taverns returns to Scotland with 111-site Heineken acquisition: Admiral Taverns has returned to Scotland with the acquisition of 111 pubs from Heineken. Admiral disposed of its last Scottish outlet in 2010, but the portfolio boug … view

Heineken sells 111 pubs to Admiral Taverns: Heineken UK has announced that it has agreed to sell 111 pubs from its Star Pubs & Bars business to Admiral Taverns for an undisclosed sum. The sale is expected to complete during October 2014. … view

Administrator hires LT to run Rileys Sports Bars: Administrator Deloitte has hired LT Pub Management to operate the 44 Rileys Sports Bars that remain open after the company went into administration yesterday. The administrator will contin … view

Samba Swirl launches crowd-funding push: Samba Swirl, the first self-serve frozen yogurt chain in the UK, selling fresh juices, gluten-free crepes, Acai bowls, smoothies and shakes, has launched a crowd-funding push on Crowdcube, looking … view

 

JDW’s Tim Martin launches attack on corporate governance rules in results: JD Wetherspoon has reported that its like-for-like sales have risen 6.3% in the six weeks to 7 September, up from 5.5% for its full year. Total sales for the yea … view

Coffer Peach reports sector like-for-likes up 1.3% in August: Britain’s restaurant and managed pub groups recorded another month of steady growth in August, with collective like-for-like sales up 1.3% on the same time last year, latest … view

McHattie steps down as ALMR chief executive: David McHattie, chief executive of the ALMR, has announced today that he is going to relinquish his current role and take up a position on the Council as from the end of September. Kate Nicholl … view

Barclays – the way people are consuming coffee has changed: Leisure analysts at Barclays have argued that the way Britons are drinking coffee has changed. The coffee shop market has continued to grow, but coffee consumption per head has … view

Amber Taverns reports Ebitda hits £7,609,000: Amber Taverns, the community pub operator, ha reported that Ebitda hit £7,609,000 in the year ended 2 February 2014 compared to £6,757,000 the year before. Turnover rose 11% to £36,870,000 … view

McDonald’s reports worst monthly sales in a decade: McDonald’s has reported its worst monthly global sales decline in more than a decade. Like-for-like sales at restaurants open at least 13 months were down 3.7% in August. The month m … view

Whitbread reports 6.8% like-for-likes: Whitbread has reported 6.8% like-for-like sales growth in the 11 weeks to 14 August. Like-for-like sale sales growth was led by Premier Inn, up 9.2%, with Costa Coffee like-for-likes up 7.3% and rest … view

Colliers – foreign buyers are trawling West Country hotel market: Foreign buyers are trawling the West of England hotel market for new business opportunities in a search for value, according to hospitality sector experts at Colliers Int … view

Loungers hires Justin Carter as chief operating officer: Cafe bar brand Loungers has hired Justin Carter as chief operating officer. Carter will leave his current role as operations director at Fuller’s in December and join Loungers at … view

Former PizzaExpress chief executive reveals progress with investment portfolio: David Page, the former PizzaExpress chief executive and chairman, has reported strong progress with his sector investment portfolio. Page, who worked with Luk … view

 

UK hotels have turned the corner to recovery: Hotels in eight out of 12 UK cities in the latest quarterly Hotel Bulletin for Q2 2014 recorded RevPAR (rooms revenue per available room) beyond pre-downturn levels with the remaining four cit … view

Waxy O’Connor operator Glendola reports turnover increase: Glendola Leisure, the operator of Rainforest café and Waxy O’Connor’s led by Alex Salussolia, has reported turnover increased by 11.9% to £31,929,000 in the year to 29 Mar … view

Wildwood operator reports 24% rise in PBT: Wildwood operator Tasty has reported sales rose 26% to £13,794,000 (H1 2013: £10,979,000) in the 26 weeks ended 29 June. Operating profit, before pre-opening costs, was up 16% to £1,210,000 (H … view

Hugh Osmond enters exclusive talks to buy Strada: Entrepreneur Hugh Osmond has entered exclusive talks to buy the Strada chain, through his Sun Capital Partners business, for circa £40m, The Times has reported. A successful acquisition w … view

Paul UK reduces losses as new CEO makes mark: Paul UK reduced its losses in 2013 as turnover climbed 1.7% to £23,773,540 from £23,366,832 the year before. Pre-tax losses reduced to £115,496 from £1,432,484 the year prior thanks to the … view

Mark Derry – ‘Brasserie Blanc will get better long-term returns from pubs’: Brasserie Blanc chief executive Mark Derry has told Propel that the company’s plan to open 20 White Brasserie Company pubs in three years is based on the … view