| Wednesday 30th December 2015 |
| Co-op becomes first retailer to commit to protect pubs |
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Co-op becomes first retailer to commit to protect pubs: The Co-op has become the first major retailer to commit to protecting Britain’s valued community locals by joining with the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) to develop a set of develo … view |
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| Sunday 27th December 2015 |
| Red’s True Barbecue secures £9m investment |
| Red’s True Barbecue secures £9m investment: Red’s True Barbecue has secured a £9m investment deal, securing its aggressive roll-out plans. The majority debt deal also comprises a secondary round of equity investment from its original han … view |
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| Wednesday 23rd December 2015 |
| Propel Wednesday News Briefing |
Today is the last Propel newsletter of 2015. We would like to take the opportunity to wish our readers a Merry Christmas and a prosperous New YearStory of the Day:Greene King Leisure Tracker – pre-Christmas belt tightening … view |
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| Tuesday 22nd December 2015 |
| Gusto targets four sites in 2016 as it reports 22% sales increase |
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Gusto targets four sites in 2016 as it reports 22% sales increase: Gusto, which operates 12 premium, modern Italian restaurants across the north of England and Scotland, has reported overall sales, excluding discontinuing operations, incr … view |
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| Tuesday 22nd December 2015 |
| Propel Tuesday News Briefing |
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Mitchells & Butlers to base financial metric of bonus scheme in 2016 on operating profit instead of profit before tax: Mitchells & Butlers is to base the financial metric of its bonus scheme in 2016 on operating profit rather than profit … view |
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| Monday 21st December 2015 |
| AB InBev acquires Camden Town Brewery |
| AB InBev acquires Camden Town Brewery: Camden Town Brewery has been acquired by the world’s largest brewer Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev). The craft brewer, which produces its Camden Hells lager and Camden Pale Ale from its Kentish Town bas … view |
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| Monday 21st December 2015 |
| Propel Monday News Briefing |
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Charles Wells opens 12th French site with second pub in Paris: Bedford-based brewer and retailer Charles Wells has opened a second pub in Paris – its 12th site in France. The company has launched The Cross of St George in the St George … view |
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| Sunday 20th December 2015 |
| Private equity firm invests £10m in Le Bistrot Pierre |
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Private equity firm invests £10m in Le Bistrot Pierre: Private equity firm Livingbridge has bought a near-£10m stake in French restaurant company Le Bistrot Pierre. Livingbridge has invested £9.8m in Le Bistrot Pierre, which was founde … view |
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| Friday 18th December 2015 |
| BII chief executive Tim Hulme to depart |
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BII chief executive Tim Hulme to depart: The British Institute of Innkeeping (BII) has announced chief executive Tim Hulme is to leave the organisation. A statement from the BII trustees said: “The trustees are sorry to announce the dep … view |
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| Friday 18th December 2015 |
| Friday Opinion |
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Subjects: Why change is the only constant, still life in fine dining, and the difference in service between shops and restaurants Authors: Kate Nicholls, Glynn Davis, and Ann Elliott Why change is … view |
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| Friday 18th December 2015 |
| Propel Friday News Briefing |
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British Pub Confederation established to provide strong voice for pubs and publicans: The British Pub Confederation – a new national confederation of pub organisations – has been established to provide a strong voice for Britain’s p … view |
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| Thursday 17th December 2015 |
| Sky competition winner unveiled, sector has mojo back, ALMR Operations Managers Awards winners |
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Sky Sports News presenter reveals Sky and Propel Christmas Calendar Competition winner at ALMR lunch: The winner of 12 months’ free Sky for their licensed venue in the Sky and Propel Christmas Advent Competition is Janusz Matyszewski fr … view |
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| Thursday 17th December 2015 |
| Real Greek and Franco Manca operator reports turnover rise |
| Fulham Shore reports turnover rise: Real Greek and Franco Manca operator Fulham Shore has reported turnover for the six months ended 27 September 2015 rose to £13.9m, compared to £5.5m the year before. The company reported headline profit fo … view |
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| Thursday 17th December 2015 |
| Propel Thursday News Briefing |
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YO! Sushi boss Robin Rowland joins board of ALMR, sets up new Casual Dining CEO forum: The Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers (ALMR) has underlined its position as the UK’s voice for casual dining businesses with the appointment … view |
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| Wednesday 16th December 2015 |
| Enterprise Inns bosses to see bonus boost to reflect difficult new strategy |
| Enterprise Inns bosses to see bonus boost to reflect difficult new strategy: The bonus potential for Enterprise Inns executive directors has been increased to reflect the challenges of its new strategy that involves converting as many as 850 t … view |
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| Wednesday 16th December 2015 |
| Admiral Taverns reports £18.56m of sale proceeds from 81 pubs |
| Admiral Taverns reports £18.56m of sale proceeds from 81 pubs: Admiral Taverns has reported it sold 62 non-core pubs in its last financial year, with total sale proceeds of £10.6m, which means an average sale price of £170,000 per pub and i … view |
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| Wednesday 16th December 2015 |
| Domino’s Pizza forms JV to buy Germany’s largest pizza chain |
| Domino’s Pizza forms joint venture to buy Germany’s largest pizza chain: The companies that own Domino’s Pizza in the UK and Australia have set up a joint venture to buy Germany’s biggest pizza chain. They are set to buy Joey’s Pizza … view |
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| Wednesday 16th December 2015 |
| Propel Wednesday News Briefing |
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Starbucks reports pre-tax profit of £34.2m: Starbucks UK has reported its biggest ever pre-tax profit of £34.2m for the year to the end of September, compared to a profit of £1.9m in 2014, which was its first profit since arriving in B … view |
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| Tuesday 15th December 2015 |
| 10 Minutes with Casual Dining Group chief executive Steve Richards |
| 10 Minutes with Casual Dining Group chief executive Steve Richards: James Hacon, director at Elliotts agency, speaks with Steve Richards, chief executive of Casual Dining Group. Richards tells of his role at Casual Dining Group, how the transf … view |
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| Tuesday 15th December 2015 |
| Crêpeaffaire signs deal to open in Kuwait |
| Crêpeaffaire signs deal to open in Kuwait: Crêpeaffaire, the UK branded crêperie group, is to open its first store in Kuwait. Following the launch of its initial unit in The Netherlands earlier this year, Crêpeaffaire is opening its first … view |
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| Tuesday 15th December 2015 |
| Propel Tuesday News Briefing |
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Opening boom spreads to UK regional towns: Nearly two in three British towns have seen their numbers of pubs, bars, restaurants and clubs rise or stay the same in the last year, the latest edition of the licensed trade’s Market Growth M … view |
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| Monday 14th December 2015 |
| JD Wetherspoon buys-in Newcastle freehold for £5.6m |
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JD Wetherspoon buys-in Newcastle freehold for £5.6m: JD Wetherspoon has bought-in the freehold of a pub it tenants in Newcastle. K/S Westgate, represented by Savills and its Denmark-based associate Nybolig Erhverv København, has sold Th … view |
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| Monday 14th December 2015 |
| Rooney Anand joins Wm Morrison board as senior independent director |
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Rooney Anand joins Wm Morrison board as senior independent director: Supermarket Wm Morrison, which has replaced its chief executive and changed chairman this year, has reported that Greene King chief executive Rooney Anand will join its … view |
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| Monday 14th December 2015 |
| Propel Monday News Briefing |
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JD Wetherspoon hacker claims it took 15 minutes to hack database: The hacker who stole details of 650,000 JD Wetherspoon customers claims it took 15 minutes to access the data. Tech website Motherboard has reported that one of its reporte … view |
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| Friday 11th December 2015 |
| Casual Dining Group refinances debt, growing importance of breakfast |
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Casual Dining Group refinances debt: Casual Dining Group has refinanced its debt to fund further expansion and strengthen its existing capital structures. The company, which operates brands including Café Rouge, Bella Italia and Las Igua … view |
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| Friday 11th December 2015 |
| Stonegate sells three central London freeholds, Fabric nightclub wins appeal |
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Stonegate sells three central London freeholds: Stonegate Pub Company, the TDR Capital-backed group, has completed the sale of three central London-based freehold sites to CBRE Global Investors, as part of a sale and leaseback process. … view |
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| Friday 11th December 2015 |
| Friday Opinion |
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Subjects: Why the knight of alcohol and dementia is wrong, BrewDog, benchmarking the sector, and sugar tax Authors: Tim Martin, Andrew Ball, Glynn Davis, and Paul Chase Why the knight of alcohol an … view |
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| Friday 11th December 2015 |
| Propel Friday News Briefing |
| Whitbread new boss – ‘there’s room for manoeuvre to increase prices at Costa Coffee’: Whitbread’s new chief executive Alison Brittain has argued there is “room for manoeuvre” to increase prices at Costa Coffee. Brittain, who star … view |
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| Thursday 10th December 2015 |
| UK noodle bar brand signs 15-site UAE franchise deal |
| UK noodle bar brand signs 15-site UAE franchise deal: UK noodle bar brand Wok&Go has signed a 15-outlet area development agreement for the UAE in partnership with a local investment group. Founded in 2008 by Des Pheby, Wok&Go has 20 stores in … view |
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| Thursday 10th December 2015 |
| Whitbread reports like-for-likes up 3.5% in latest quarter |
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Whitbread reports like-for-likes up 3.5% in latest quarter: Whitbread has reported total sales grew 10.4% in the 13 weeks to 26 November and like-for-like sales grew by 3.5%. Premier Inn’s total sales grew by 10.8%, with a combination o … view |
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| Thursday 10th December 2015 |
| Propel Thursday News Briefing |
| Post-Paris nervousness hits London’s eating and drinking out markets, like-for-likes down by 1.5%, restaurants experience biggest drop-off: London’s pub and restaurant trade saw sales dip in November in the wake of the Paris terrorist atta … view |
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| Wednesday 9th December 2015 |
| BrewDog offers Donald Trump free shares |
| BrewDog offers Donald Trump free shares: Scottish brewer and retailer BrewDog has offered businessman Donald Trump two free shares – in the hope that he gives up his political ambitions. In an open letter to Trump, co-founder James Watt stat … view |
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| Wednesday 9th December 2015 |
| Propel Wednesday News Briefing |
| US-based upmarket sandwich business Which Wich looks to expand to UK: US-based upmarket sandwich business Which Wich, a business that currently has 376 restaurants in 40 US states and nine countries, is looking to open in the UK next year and … view |
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| Tuesday 8th December 2015 |
| 10 Minutes with Sticks’n’Sushi UK managing director Andreas Karlsson |
| 10 Minutes with Sticks’n’Sushi UK managing director Andreas Karlsson: James Hacon, director at Elliotts agency, speaks with Andreas Karlsson, managing director of Sticks’n’Sushi UK. Andreas talks about the brands history, concept and i … view |
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| Tuesday 8th December 2015 |
| Nando's buys global IP for £480m; GBK returns to profit |
| Nando’s buys global IP for £480m: Nando’s Group Holdings has reported it bought the global intellectually property rights to Nando’s for £480m earlier this year. It was valued with an “arm’s length valuation” and includes the “ … view |
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| Tuesday 8th December 2015 |
| JD Wetherspoon withdraws from Jacques Borel VAT Club |
| JD Wetherspoon withdraws from Jacques Borel VAT Club: JD Wetherspoon has pulled out of the VAT Club Jacques Borel. The move is a major blow for the Jacques Borel campaign with Tim Martin instrumental is persuading many other companies and supp … view |
| ................................................................................................ |
| Tuesday 8th December 2015 |
| Domino's Pizza Poland and Vianet |
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Nick Batram – ‘we were impressed by progress at Domino’s Poland on site visit’: Peel Hunt leisure analyst Nick Batram has reported being impressed by progress at Domino’s Poland during a site visit to Warsaw. He said: “A site … view |
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| Tuesday 8th December 2015 |
| Propel Tuesday News Briefing |
| Albert’s Schloss hits sales of more than £300,000 per week, London site sought: Albert’s Schloss, the new £3.5m bar and restaurant in Manchester opened by Mission Mars, the joint venture between The Trof Group founders Adelaide Winter an … view |
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| Monday 7th December 2015 |
| Town and Country reports £1.1m loss after perfect storm, Yummy opening |
| Town and Country Inns reports second year of losses after perfect storm: Town and Country Inns, led by Mark Jones, has reduced its losses but reported a fall in turnover of nearly £1m after “being blighted by a perfect storm of bad luck”. … view |
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| Monday 7th December 2015 |
| Redchurch Brewery launches crowdfunding to meet demand |
| Redchurch Brewery launches crowdfunding to meet demand: Redchurch Brewery, based in a double railway arch in Bethnal Green, has started a £200,000 fund-raise on crowdfunding platform Crowdcube. The company, founded by lawyer turned brewer Gar … view |
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| Monday 7th December 2015 |
| Propel Monday News Briefing |
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NewRiver Retail – we’ve invested in the pub sector for the long haul, appoints pub portfolio director: NewRiver Retail property director Allan Lockhart has told Propel the company has invested in the pub sector for the “long haul” … view |
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| Saturday 5th December 2015 |
| Gail's Bakery, JDW, Mitchells of Lancaster, crowdfunding |
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Gail’s Bakery reports turnover and profit boost: Gail’s Bakery, which is backed by sector investor Luke Johnson, has reported that it has exceeded its sales target for the year to 28 February 2015, producing turnover of £18,319,000, … view |
| ................................................................................................ |
| Friday 4th December 2015 |
| Friday Opinion |
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Subjects: Turning pub noers into pub goers, winning and keeping food awards, and getting to the heart of brand strategy Authors: Kate Nicholls, Glynn Davis and Ian Dunstall Turning pub noers into p … view |
| ................................................................................................ |
| Friday 4th December 2015 |
| Propel Friday News Briefing |
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JD Wetherspoon reports data breach to customers: JD Wetherspoon has reported a data breach to its customers. In a letter to customers, chief executive John Hutson said: “We received information on the afternoon of the 1st December that … view |
| ................................................................................................ |
| Thursday 3rd December 2015 |
| The Coaching Inn Group hires Jill Matthews as head of operations |
| The Coaching Inn Group hires Jill Matthews as head of operations: The Coaching Inn Group has signalled its intention to ramp up its expansion plans with the appointment of leading sector specialist Jill Matthews as head of operations. Matthews … view |
| ................................................................................................ |
| Thursday 3rd December 2015 |
| NPD Group – Great British Bake Off has boosted cake and dessert demand |
| NPD Group – Great British Bake Off has boosted cake and dessert demand: Insights firm NPD Group has reported strong growth in demand for bakery items since the Great British Bake Off launched. For the year ending September 2015, customers at … view |
| ................................................................................................ |
| Thursday 3rd December 2015 |
| Propel Thursday News Briefing |
| Carlsberg – visiting the pub remains number one out-of-home leisure activity but increased competition forcing trade to fight for share of market: Visiting the pub remains the number one out-of-home leisure activity for UK adults but increas … view |
| ................................................................................................ |
| Wednesday 2nd December 2015 |
| Greene King provides detail on brands expansion |
| Greene King provides detail on brands expansion: Value brand Hungry Horse will remain Greene King’s largest brand as the company seeks to optimise its brand portfolio by converting sites from its enlarged post-Sprit acquisition estate to its … view |
| ................................................................................................ |
| Wednesday 2nd December 2015 |
| Greene King set out its focus brands, plans £40-50m per annum incremental investment |
| Greene King set out its focus brands, plans £40-50m per annum incremental investment: Greene King has set out the brands it will focus on within its enlarged estate in the wake of its Spirit acquisition. The brands, which include Chef & Bre … view |
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| Wednesday 2nd December 2015 |
| Propel Wednesday News Briefing |
| London Union on track to raise £3.5m target: London Union, parent company of Street Feast, has successfully raised £2.5 million on crowdfunding platform Seedrs. The funds raised will be used to build a world-class, flagship street food marke … view |
| ................................................................................................ |
| Tuesday 1st December 2015 |
| 10 Minutes with Punch chief executive Duncan Garrood |
| 10 Minutes with Punch chief executive Duncan Garrood: Last month, Punch chief executive Duncan Garrood set out his new strategy of the development of the company. Here, Elliotts strategy director James Hacon talks to Garrood about his plans fo … view |
| ................................................................................................ |
| Tuesday 1st December 2015 |
| Innis & Gunn hires James Coyle as managing director |
| Innis & Gunn hires James Coyle as managing director: Innis & Gunn has hired James Coyle as managing director. The independent brewer, known for its innovative and oak-aged crafted beers, has been at the forefront of the British craft beer scen … view |
| ................................................................................................ |
| Tuesday 1st December 2015 |
| Investors acquire a majority stake in Cubitt House to allow expansion |
| Investors acquire a majority stake in Cubitt House to allow expansion: Belgravia gastro-pub operator Cubitt House has secured investment from unnamed private investors, who will acquire a majority stake in the business and provide funding to f … view |
| ................................................................................................ |
| Tuesday 1st December 2015 |
| Propel Tuesday News Briefing |
| Burger King becomes first UK fast food company to be awarded alcohol licence: Burger King has become the UK’s first fast food restaurant company to be awarded an alcohol licence. The company’s Bury St Edmunds branch in Suffolk will be the … view |
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