Apprenticeship Levy ‘could sacrifice quality for quantity’, new report warns: The Apprenticeship Levy risks repeating the mistakes of the past, being poor value for money and causing particular damage to the public sector, a think tan … view

Weak pound threatens craft beer revolution, say brewers: UK brewers have warned that the slump in sterling following the EU referendum is threatening the industry’s “craft beer revolution”, as the cost of imported ingredients and eq … view

The Ivy revamp takes bite out of Caprice Holdings profits: The closure of The Ivy for an overhaul before its 100th anniversary has taken a bite out of the 2015 profits at Caprice Holdings. Although sales at the restaurant group, owned by … view

The Stable to launch 'cider master' programme: The Stable operations director David Gough has revealed the brand is in the early stages of creating a “cider master” programme. Cider is a is a pivotal part of the Stable proposition at … view

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Ebitda before exceptional costs hit £1.33m at Hickory’s Smokehouse: Hickory’s Smokehouse has posted sales of £14.4m for the year ended 30 April 2016, up from £12.8m for the previous 12 months. Group Ebitda before exceptional costs … view

Signature Living buys Alma bar in Liverpool, plans to take brand nationwide: Aparthotel developer and operator Signature Living has bought the Alma de Cuba bar in Liverpool – and plans to take the brand nationwide. The company has acqui … view

Whitbread posts 1.7% like-for-like sales growth in 13 weeks to 1 December 2016: Whitbread has reported like-for-like sales rose 1.7% in the 13 weeks to 1 December 2016. Premier Inn like-for-likes were up 1.8% although its pub restaurants … view

Goose Island – ‘we see Vintage Ale House in London as blueprint for potential further openings in key European cities’: Chicago craft brewer Goose Island sees its first Vintage Ale House in Balham, south London, as the blueprint for … view

Former Young’s chief executive Stephen Goodyear to become chairman: Young & Co has announced Nick Bryan is to stand down as non-executive chairman and will retire from the board at the end of the current financial year on 3 April 2017. … view

The Restaurant Group reports fourth quarter like-for-likes down 5.9%: The Restaurant Group has reported fourth quarter like-for-likes down 5.9%, driven by “underperformance by its leisure brands”. Total turnover increased by 3.7% vers … view

Stonegate paid £13.6m to acquire 15 Maclay Inns pubs out of administration, new documents reveal: Stonegate Pub Company paid a total of £13.6m to acquire 15 pubs owned by Maclay Inns out of administration, it has been revealed. Document … view

Marston’s reports encouraging trading: Marston’s has reported trading in the 16 weeks to 21 January has been encouraging, including good trading over the Christmas and New Year period despite tough comparatives. It stated: “In Desti … view

McDonald’s reports like-for-likes up 2.7% in fourth quarter: McDonald’s has reported global like-for-likes rose 2.7% in its fourth quarter to 31 December 2016. Chief executive Steve Easterbrook said: “Throughout 2016, we worked dili … view

Record international visitors to English regions and Wales in 2016: International tourists are travelling across the English regions and Wales in record numbers and spending more too, according to a new report. It showed in the first nine … view

Loungers eyes 100th site in April: Loungers, the Lion Capital-backed cafe bar operator, has opened its first site in 2017, Renato Lounge, in Mere Green – and is set to hit the 100 site mark by April. Renato Lounge is located in a 3,400 … view

City Pub Company toasts record-breaking 2016 with £500 staff bonus: Independent pub operator City Pub Company is paying a bonus to staff following its record-breaking performance in 2016 where sales increased 37%. The company said the pa … view

Revolution Bars Group reports like-for-likes up 2% in First Half: Revolution Bars Group, the operator of 66 premium bars across the UK, under the Revolution and Revolución de Cuba brands, has reported like-for-like sales rose by 2.0% in … view

Pub and restaurant like-for-like sales increase 2.2% in December, London sees 5.1% uplift: Pub and restaurant groups saw collective like-for-like sales increase 2.2% over the six-week Christmas and New Year period compared with last year, … view

Pub and restaurant like-for-like sales increase 2.2% in December, London sees 5.1% uplift: Pub and restaurant groups saw collective like-for-like sales increase 2.2% over the six-week Christmas and New Year period compared with last year, … view

British out-of-home foodservice visits forecast to grow 0.4% in 2017: The British out-of-home (OOH) foodservice market could grow visits by as much as 0.4% in 2017 to 11.34 billion and a further 1.6% in 2018 to 11.52 billion, according to … view

JD Wetherspoon reports like-for-likes increase 3.2%: JD Wetherspoon has reported like-for-like sales increased by 3.2% in the first 12 weeks of its second quarter to 15 January 2017, with total sales up 0.7% in the period. In the year to … view

Brits prioritise leisure spending on eating and drinking out in December, pubs now favourite evening dining destination: British households prioritised their leisure spending on eating and drinking out in December as spend in those areas … view

Brits prioritise leisure spending on eating and drinking out in December, pubs now favourite evening dining destination: British households prioritised their leisure spending on eating and drinking out in December as spend in those areas … view

Greggs reports 2016 results expected to be ahead of expectations: Greggs has reported total sales up 7.0% in 2016 with company-managed shop like-for-like sales up 4.2%. A total of 208 refits were completed in 2016 with 145 new shops opene … view

Vaulkhard Group reports turnover passes £10m following major business restructure: Newcastle-based Vaulkhard Group has reported turnover has passed the £10m mark following a major restructure of the business. The company saw turnover in … view

Casual Dining Restaurant & Pub Awards 2017 finalists revealed: The finalists for the Casual Dining Restaurant & Pub Awards 2017 have been revealed. A total of 67 casual dining pub and restaurant operators have been nominated for awards ac … view

YO! Sushi plans to double openings this year, like-for-like sales strongly positive since last summer: YO! Sushi is planning to double its openings this year – with an opening in London Bridge and two in Glasgow already confirmed. The e … view

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Christie & Co: Pubs, restaurants and hotel saw prices rise in 2016: Average business property prices once again increased across pubs, restaurants and hotels in 2016, according to the latest report by specialist business property adviser, … view

D&D London reports December UK like-for-like revenue up 7%, has first £1m gross takings day: Restaurant operator D&D London has reported record December trading, with UK like-for-like revenue up 7%. The company saw overall revenue increa … view

Tesco reports strong Christmas as it sees first quarterly market share gain since 2011: Tesco has reported UK like-for-like sales rose 0.7% in the six weeks to 7 January 2017 having seen its eighth consecutive quarter of growth. UK like-f … view

Casual Dining Group reports FY turnover and Ebitda boost, record festive performance: Casual Dining Group, which operates Cafe Rouge, Bella Italia and Las Iguanas, has reported a turnover and Ebitda boost in its full year results as well … view

SSP extends Debenhams partnership by agreeing to reopen three Ed’s Easy Diner sites: SSP Group, the operator of food and beverage outlets in travel locations worldwide, has extended its partnership with Debenhams after agreeing to reope … view

Novus Leisure acquires three Rocket sites: Novus Leisure, the London bar and restaurant operator, has bought Rocket Restaurants. The deal at an undisclosed price will complete on 30 January 2017. The sale includes the three London Rocket … view

Flour Pot Bakery to more than double size of production facility to support retail expansion plans: Brighton and Hove-based artisan bakehouse Flour Pot Bakery is to more than double the size of its production facility to support its ambit … view

Law firm considers legal action against Deliveroo: Law firm Leigh Day has announced it is talking to Deliveroo delivery riders about a “potential legal action” against the food delivery firm, attacking its current business model as � … view

Wagamama to launch loyalty app that rewards customers based on how they prefer to dine: Wagamama will launch a loyalty app that rewards customers based on how they prefer to dine with the company. Rather than being based on frequency of v … view

Restaurant company D&D London plans Bluebird cafe expansion: Restaurant operator D&D London is planning to expand its Bluebird cafe business, which has operated from a site in Chelsea for more than 20 years. It has signed a deal with prop … view

Restaurants, bars and hotels spearhead strongest quarter for consumer spending since 2014: Restaurants, bars and hotels spearheaded the strongest quarter for consumer spending for two years, according to the latest data from Visa. Average … view

Restaurants, bars and hotels spearhead strongest quarter for consumer spending since 2014: Restaurants, bars and hotels spearheaded the strongest quarter for consumer spending for two years, according to the latest data from Visa. Average … view

Jamie Oliver to close six restaurants: Jamie Oliver is to close six of his Jamie’s Italian restaurants on the back of difficult trading since the Brexit vote. The closures will affect 120 member of staff. Oliver said that he hoped to fi … view

New study reveals best and worst areas for restaurant food hygiene: The best restaurants and cafes in the UK for food hygiene ratings are in the council areas of South Derbyshire, Darlington and South Norfolk, according to a new study. Th … view

Boparan Restaurant Holdings closes three more Ed’s Easy Diner sites, including only site in Northern Ireland: Boparan Restaurant Holdings has closed three more Ed’s Easy Diner sites – it bought 33 sites in October of last year. Amon … view

Beds and Bars reports turnover and Ebitda boost despite terrorism attacks: Beds and Bars, the pan-European hostel operator led by Keith Knowles, has reported a boost to turnover and group Ebitda in a year that saw terrorism attacks and di … view

Operators urged to take urgent action to tackle impact of food and drink inflation: Operators need to get 2017 off to the right start by taking urgent action to tackle the impact of food and drink inflation on their business, buying speci … view

Coaching Inn Group reports December sales up 35%, like-for-likes increase 4.4%: Independent coaching inns operator The Coaching Inn Group has reported December was a record month for the company with net sales of £2.1m, representing a 35 … view