City Pub Company secures new £20m facility to fund expansion: Independent pub operators the City Pub Company has secured a new and improved £20m banking facility to fund its expansion plans. The company, founded by Clive Watson, current … view

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Numis – Domino’s Pizza just keeps on delivering: Numis Securities leisure analyst Richard Stuber has said Domino’s Pizza just “keeps on delivering”. Retaining a ‘Buy’ rating on the shares with a target price of 446p followin … view

Two Red Hot World Buffet sites are closed by administrator: Two restaurants operated by Red Hot World Buffet, the all-you-can-eat restaurant chain owned by Luke Johnson’s Risk Capital, have been closed following the appointment of admin … view

Simon Dodd to join Fuller’s board as managing director of Fuller’s Beer Company: Fuller’s has appointed Simon Dodd to the position of managing director of The Fuller’s Beer Company with effect from 1 August 2016. Simon Dodd will j … view

BBPA – buoyant British beer like-for-like sales up 31 million pints in second quarter: Buoyant British beer sales in the second quarter highlight further signs of reversing a long period of decline, with like-for-like sales up 1.5%, ac … view

Marston’s – Brexit has had no discernible effect on trading: Marston’s has issued a trading update that reports ‘progress in line with our expectations’ and that Brexit has had no discernible effect on trading. It stated: “In … view

Starbucks launches retail division, Schultz devolves duties: Starbucks has launched a new retail group – Siren Retail – with chief executive Howard Schultz stepping away from certain duties to focus on growing the company’s higher-e … view

McDonald’s reports 3.1% increase in global like-for-likes: McDonald’s has reported a 3.1% increase in global like-for-like sales for its second quarter ended 30 June 2016. Chief executive Steve Easterbrook said: “At McDonald’s, we … view

Time Out Group reports 106% sales growth at food market division: Time Out Group, the multi-platform media and e-commerce business that plans to develop food and cultural markets around the world, has reported a 106% increase in sales at … view

Luke Johnson – operators confident to expand in wake of Brexit will have more opportunities available: Sector investor Luke Johnson has criticised negative thinking in the wake of the Brexit vote. Responding to comments by Leon founder … view

Living Ventures co-founder Danny Fox to launch £1m ‘wood-fired’ restaurant concept: Living Ventures co-founder and former Individual Restaurant Company operations director Danny Fox is to launch a new £1m “wood-fired” restaurant … view

888 Holdings and Rank consider bid for William Hill: 888 Holdings and The Rank Group (The Consortium) have confirmed they are partnering to evaluate a possible offer for William Hill. The two possible bidding partners stated: “The Cons … view

CGA – restaurant and bar operators overwhelmingly pessimistic following Brexit, Leon reports business down 3% and looking at more overseas investment: Owners of restaurants and bars are overwhelmingly pessimistic following the European … view

Starbucks reports like-for-likes up 4% in record quarter three: Coffee company Starbucks has reported global like-for-likes up 4%, for its 13-week third quarter ended June 26, 2016. The company saw like-for-likes rise 4% in the US, a 3% i … view

Wagamama adds 22.9% to like-for-likes in two years after site managers set sales targets: Wagamama has posted a 22.9% increase in like-for-like sales in two years after asking site managers to set budgets. The company saw 13.1% added to l … view

Fuller’s reports 2.1% rise in managed like-for-likes: Brewer and retailer Fuller’s has reported a ‘solid start to the new financial year in a more challenging environment’, with like for like sales in managed pubs and hotels risin … view

Caprice Holdings owner Richard Caring vows to protect foreign staff rights after Brexit vote: Caprice Holdings owner Richard Caring has told foreign members of staff he will fight “tooth and nail” to protect their rights following the … view

Starbucks opens first express store outside North America with London launch: Starbucks has opened its first express store outside North America after launching the format in Canary Wharf in London. Featuring an open layout, the new store … view

Greene King Leisure Spend Tracker reveals UK consumers’ summer spending habits: The latest Greene King Leisure Spend Tracker has found that British consumers have specific eating and drinking preferences during the summer months. Just o … view

Revolution reports like-for-likes up 2.3% in full year: Revolution Bars Group, the operator of 62 premium bars, trading under the Revolution and Revolución de Cuba brands, has reported sales increased by £7.7m (+6.9%) to £119.5m (2015: … view

Coffer Peach Tracker – overall like-for-likes up 1.8% on June 2015, pub chains helped by TV football, outperformed casual dining: Britain’s managed pub and restaurant groups saw collective like-for-like sales up 1.8% in June against t … view

Coffer Peach Tracker – overall like-for-likes up 1.8% on June 2015, pub chains helped by TV football, outperformed casual dining: Britain’s managed pub and restaurant groups saw collective like-for-like sales up 1.8% in June against t … view

SSP reports sales up 3% on like-for-like basis in Third Quarter: UK-based transport hub foodservice specialist SSP Group has reported total group revenues for the period from 1 April 2016 to 30 June 2016 increased by 4.8%, with like-for-l … view

Enterprise Inns and Marylebone Leisure launch Marmalade Pub Company: Enterprise Inns, the largest pub owner in the UK, has teamed up with The Marylebone Leisure Group to launch Marmalade Pub Company. The new venture will be Enterprise’s … view

StreetDots and Land Securities to launch new street food project in Glasgow: Land Securities and street-trading platform StreetDots will launch a new street-food project in Glasgow’s Buchanan Galleries shopping centre in early August. T … view

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‘Volatile’ Irish commercial property market is slowing JD Wetherspoon growth: JD Wetherspoon chairman Tim Martin said “volatile” commercial property prices were putting the brakes on the company’s growth plans in Ireland. Martin … view

Marston’s to expand two new premium brands: Marston’s is to roll-out two new brands through its Revere premium division, The Lost & Found and new brand, Foundry Project. The group will be rolling out two sites for each brand before th … view

Starbucks makes investment in Princi: Starbucks has become global licensee and investor in the Italian restaurant Princi, the boutique bakery and cafe founded by Rocco Princi in 1986. Known for its artisan breads created from traditional … view

Piper Private Equity – opportunity for challenger brands remains undiminished by Brexit: Yasha Estraikh, an executive with private equity firm Piper Private Equity, backers of Be At One and Loungers, has argued that opportunities for sm … view

Questions raised over end of Manchester city centre ‘restaurant boom’ after spate of closures: Three Manchester city centre restaurants – Burger & Lobster, Violet Hospitality-owned Urban Cookhouse and blues and bourbon concept Bourb … view

Hotel Chocolat reports sales up 12% to £92.6m: Hotel Chocolat Group has reported sales of £92.6m for the full year to 26 June, an increase of 12% compared to the prior year, slightly ahead of market expectations. The group’s digital r … view

Peach Pub Company issues invite to smaller companies to share its central headquarters and support function: Peach Pub Company co-founder Hamish Stoddart has issued a unique invite to smaller companies to share the firm’s central suppor … view

Operators advised to get up to speed to capture millennial market: Operators need to get up to speed and get mobile if they want to capture the millennial market, according to new research. The findings, by hospitality management solution … view

Greene King puts 90 pubs up for sale: Brewer and retailer Greene King has put 90 of its pubs up for sale. The company is hoping to raise as much as £30m from the sites, most of which are tenanted. It is part of a move towards managed pub … view

Chameleon Bar & Dining appoints Charnwood boss as new managing director: Chameleon Bar & Dining has appointed Marc Craddock as its new managing director. Craddock, who was managing director of Charnwood Pub Company, has joined Chameleon B … view

Gastro Taverns opens seventh pub in partnership with Enterprise Inns, targets 15-strong estate: North Wales-based pub operator Gastro Taverns has opened its seventh site in partnership with Enterprise Inns – The Moreton Inn, Wrexham. Th … view

Whitbread sells hub by Premier Inn site in King’s Cross for £84.5m: Whitbread has sold its hub by Premier Inn hotel in Kings Cross, London, to Legal & General for £84.5m as part of a sale and leaseback process. Whitbread has exchanged … view

Liberation Group boss – ‘we’ve a pipeline of sites lined up in West Country to grow Butcombe business’: Liberation Group chief executive Mark Crowther has told Propel it has a pipeline of sites lined up in the West Country to grow … view

Pret A Manger to make motorway service station debut: Pret A Manger is to open its first motorway service shop, as part of a trial partnership with Welcome Break. The shop is scheduled to open at the end of summer at the South Mimms Servi … view

Pay differentials double cost of NLW to hospitality industry to £700m: Pay differentials have led to the cost of the National Living Wage (NLW) to the hospitality industry almost doubling original expectations – at £700m, according to … view

The National Living Wage: what pub and restaurant groups really think: Leaders of Britain’s pub and restaurant groups have generally welcomed the introduction of the National Living Wage, with a majority saying it will have a positive e … view

West End of London sees greatest growth in casual dining brands in past three years but ‘plenty of opportunity beyond M25’: The West End of London has seen the greatest growth in casual dining brands in the past three years but there … view

Stonegate reports like-for-like pub profit up 10.6% in first 28 weeks of FY: Stonegate, the operator of 660 managed pubs located nationwide, has reported for the 28 weeks to 10 April 2016, total revenue was up 12.8% to £342m (half one 20 … view

Brits more impatient than US counterparts when dining out, take-out ‘big opportunity’ for UK operators: Brits are more impatient than their US counterparts when it comes to dining out, a new report has found. The GO Technology finding … view

Minister says Brexit could lead to abolition of VAT on tourism: A senior cabinet minister has said the Brexit referendum vote could lead to a cut in the rate of VAT levied on tourism. John Whittingdale, secretary of state for culture, med … view

St Austell Brewery buys Bath Ales: Cornwall-based St Austell Brewery Company has this morning (Friday, 1 July) announced the acquisition of fellow West Country brewer and pub company, Bath Ales. The deal, which has been completed for an u … view

Alan Yau reveals he spent more than £30m on Mayfair restaurant Park Chinois, developing new food social platform: Wagamama founder Alan Yau has revealed he spent more than £30m on his latest Chinese restaurant concept – Park Chinois i … view