Deep Blue Restaurants planning to double estate during next five years as it prepares to open biggest site to date: Deep Blue Restaurants chief executive James Low has told Propel the company plans to double its 25-strong fish and chip sh … view

Gordon Ramsay’s restaurant business returns to profit: Gordon Ramsay’s restaurant business has returned to profit after a restructuring and international expansion. Gordon Ramsay Group, the holding company for his 31 restaurants, repo … view

Joule’s reports 2.2% rise in Ebitda as it tops £2m operating profit for first time: Shropshire brewer and retailer Joule’s, which is headed by Steve Nuttall, has reported a 2.2% increase in Ebitda before projects in its latest financ … view

Imbiba invests ‘seven-figure’ sum to fund roll-out of family-focused private members’ club Purple Dragon: Imbiba, the leisure and hospitality focused investment firm, has made an undisclosed “seven-figure” investment in Purple D … view

Carluccio’s reports turnover boost but Ebitda falls 12%: Carluccio’s has reported UK turnover increased by 2.7% to £140.9m for the year ending 26 September 2016. Ebitda before non-cash exceptional expenses fell 12% to £13.2m (2015: … view

The Restaurant Group reports like-for-likes down 1.8%: The Restaurant Group has reported like-for-like sales for the 20 weeks ended 21 May 2017 have declined 1.8%, with total sales decreasing by 1.5%. Ahead of the company’s annual gener … view

Young’s boss – ‘We’ll continue to increase investment despite rising cost headwinds’: Patrick Dardis, chief executive of London pub retailer Young’s, has told Propel the company will continue to increase the level of investmen … view

Young’s reports 4.7% increase in managed like-for-likes since year-end: London pub retailer Young’s has reported a 4.7% increase in like-for-likes and sales up 6.1% in total in its managed estate in the first seven weeks since the yea … view

Ei Group unveils eighth managed joint venture company: Ei Managed Investments, the Ei Group business which invests alongside industry-leading managed house operators, is launching Six Cheers, a partnership with Three Cheers Pub Co. Three … view

Malcolm Heap stands down as Truman’s chairman to focus on pub business: Malcolm Heap is standing down as Truman’s chairman to focus on his rapidly expanding Urban Pubs and Bars business and is replaced by Robert Taylor, formerly chief … view

St Austell Brewery paid £7.4m for Bath Ales, newly filed accounts reveal: Cornwall-based St Austell Brewery paid £7.4m to buy Bath Ales, newly filed accounts have revealed. The total consideration of £7,410,000, which was paid in cash, … view

Wadworth spends nearly £6.5m acquiring three sites for managed estate: Brewer and retailer Wadworth has spent nearly £6.5m acquiring three sites for its managed estate. The company reopened The Dolphin in Botley, Hampshire, in April aft … view

NPD Group – London’s casual dining scene is saturated, expansion taking place in regions: Britain’s casual dining revolution shows no sign of slowing down, according to new research from global information company the NPD Group. The … view

Richard Stringer steps down as chief executive of We Are Bar Group: We Are Bar Group, owner of London-based ‘Jamies’ and ‘Smollensky’s’ branded bars and restaurants and formerly known as Kornicis, has announced the departure of … view

Online beer distributor EeBria hits £500,000 crowdfunding target within six hours of campaign launch: Online beer distributor EeBria has hit its £500,000 target on crowdfunding platform Crowdcube within six hours of the campaign launchi … view

Revolution shares fall 35% after profit warning, analyst points finger at loss of two FDs in short time: Shares in Revolution Bars Group suffered a 35% fall on Friday (19 May), with the price plunging as low as 126.5p after a surprise pro … view

Numis Securities – Revolution Bars Group management has underestimated impact of new wage legislation: Numis Securities leisure analyst Tim Barrett has said Revolution Bar Group management has underestimated the impact of new wage legis … view

Leon secures £25m investment to expand in the UK and US: Healthy eating brand Leon has secured a £25m investment from Spice, a company controlled by GP Investments, chaired by the Brazilian entrepreneur Fersen Lambranho. Spice has agree … view

Charles Wells – we expect to open a new brewery within two years and expand pub estate: Charles Wells chairman Paul Wells has told Propel he expects to open a new brewery with a capacity of less than 30,000 barrels within the next two y … view

Marston’s buys Charles Wells brewery: Charles Wells has agreed terms to sell its brewery and brand sales interests to Marston’s for a cash consideration of £55 million, plus working capital adjustments. The other Charles Wells assets … view

Alex Reilley – we’d love to ‘have a crack’ at floating Loungers, confirms previous change of mind over exiting the company: Alex Reilley, co-founder of Lion Capital-backed cafe bar brand Loungers, has said he would love to “have … view

Mitchells & Butler reports 1.9% like-for-like growth in first 33 weeks: Mitchells & Butlers has reported continued like-for-like sales momentum with 1.6% growth in the half year to 8 April 2017. Like-for-like sales were up 1.9% in the fir … view

Simon Cope – ‘there is an opportunity for Byron to double in size’: Simon Cope, new managing director of better burger brand Byron, has told Propel he believes there is an opportunity for the company to double the size of its estate … view

Investment cycle has peaked and there will be ‘more blood on the carpet’, top Barclays banker warns: The investment cycle has reached its peak and there will be “more blood on the carpet”, Barclays relationship director Bob Silk h … view

PizzaExpress to debut motorway service site: PizzaExpress has announced its first foray into the motorway service network, via a new partnership with leading motorway service operator Welcome Break. The first restaurant opening to culmina … view

Santa Maria owners to secure third site, turn down private equity approaches: London-based restaurateurs Pasquale Chionchio and Angelo Ambrosio have told Propel they are about to secure the third site for their Neapolitan pizza concept Sa … view

McMullen reports profit rise as turnover approaches £80m: Hertford-based brewer and retailer McMullen has reported a boost in pre-tax profit as turnover approached £80m. The company saw turnover increase 5% to £79,215,000 for the year … view

Ed’s Easy Diner secured creditor NatWest receives a third so far of £21.9m owed, will suffer ‘significant shortfall’: Ed’s Easy Diner’s secured creditor, NatWest, has so far received a third of the £21.9m it was owed when the … view

Sector like-for-likes bounce back with 4.4% growth in April, pubs outperform restaurants: Managed pub and restaurant groups were back in growth in April, with collective like-for-like sales up 4.4% compared with the same month last year, … view

Sector like-for-likes bounce back with 4.4% growth in April, pubs outperform restaurants: Managed pub and restaurant groups were back in growth in April, with collective like-for-like sales up 4.4% compared with the same month last year, … view

Loungers hits 100 sites, reports £91.7m turnover: Loungers, the Lion Capital-backed group, has reached the milestone of 100 sites following the opening of Capo Lounge in Mansfield today (Wednesday, 10 May). Capo, which is the group’s 8 … view

CMA to refer Just Eat acquisition to Phase 2 investigation: The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) intends to refer its review of Just Eat’s proposed acquisition of riva; Hungry House to a “Phase 2” investigation. A statement f … view

Casual Dining Group appoints new chief financial officer as Tim Doubleday steps down: Casual Dining Group (CDG), the operator of almost 300 mid-market restaurant brands including Las Iguanas, Cafe Rouge and Bella Italia, has appointed Gil … view

Park Chinois reports loss of almost £6m: Park Chinois, the Chinese restaurant in Mayfair from Wagamama founder Alan Yau, made a loss of almost £6m in its most recent full financial year, which included its first five months of operation … view

Numis Securities – latest increase has left NLW at 60% of sector wages: Numis Securities leisure analyst Tim Barrett has said the latest increase in the National Living Wage has left it at 60% of average sector wages. Issuing a note on … view

Spending in restaurants, bars and hotels grows 9.2% in April but consumer spend slows: Spending in restaurants, bars and hotels grew 9.2% in April compared with last year although overall consumer spend slowed, according to the latest dat … view

Spending in restaurants, bars and hotels grows 9.2% in April but consumer spend slows: Spending in restaurants, bars and hotels grew 9.2% in April compared with last year although overall consumer spend slowed, according to the latest dat … view

Domino’s Pizza Poland reports like-for-like system sales increase 21% in first quarter: Domino’s Pizza Poland has reported 21% like-for-like growth in system sales in the first quarter of 2017. The company has opened eight stores so f … view

The Restaurant Group cuts Frankie & Benny’s prices as it begins roll-out of new menu: The Restaurant Group has cut Frankie & Benny’s food prices as it begins the roll-out of its new menu, Propel understands. The new menu has also seen … view

Punch reports like-for-likes down 1.2%, doubles size of retail division, introduces new ‘front-of-house’ agreement: Punch has reported like-for-like net income in its leased and tenanted estate, including its Mercury divison, fell 1.2 … view

Thai Leisure Group to convert Palm Sugar site in Liverpool to new Cantonese concept, full-year revenue rises 11.3%: Thai Leisure Group (TLG) is to convert its Palm Sugar site in Liverpool to its planned new Cantonese concept, Propel under … view

Veeno co-owner – half of new openings this year to be franchised sites, in negotiations with eight parties: Nino Caruso, co-owner of Italian wine cafe Veeno, has told Propel it expects half of its new openings this year to be franchised … view

Anglian Country Inns seeks outside investment for first time to fund largest site so far: James Nye, managing director of Anglian Country Inns (ACI), the award-winning operator of gastro-pubs and restaurants, has told Propel the company i … view