Cost increases will see one in seven venues close and two thirds of businesses cut more jobs: Cost increases that come into force for the sector today (Wednesday, 1 April) will see one in seven (15%) venues forced to close and two thirds (64%) of businesses cut more jobs, according to new member survey results from UKHospitality, the British Beer & Pub Association, the British Institute of Innkeeping and Hospitality Ulster. The findings also show 51% will cancel investment plans and 42% reduce trading hours. The increasing cost of energy was also a significant concern. Even when surveyed prior to the situation in Iran and the Middle East, almost all businesses (93%) said energy costs were impacting profitability. Hospitality is united on the measures that would allow their businesses to grow – VAT reduction for hospitality (89%), permanent reform of business rates (74%) and changes to employers’ national insurance contributions (65%). The benefits of lowering hospitality’s tax burden are clear, the trade bodies said. Businesses would prioritise refurbishing and developing existing sites (70%), creating new jobs (46%) and opening new sites (27%). In a joint statement, the trade bodies said: “Yet again, hospitality businesses enter April facing billions of pounds in additional costs, which will force many to make heartbreaking decisions. Despite the necessary and welcome support for pubs on business rates, neighbourhood restaurants, local hotels and independent cafes all face their bills rising in the thousands. Hospitality’s tax burden – the highest in the economy – is suffocating the sector. The impact is clear: more lost jobs, less investment and business closures. The jobs, communities and livelihoods we support are hit once again. The worrying situation facing the business energy market has the potential to accelerate all these impacts. Hospitality businesses are clear that cutting their costs through a lower rate of VAT, business rates reform and changes to employers’ national insurance contributions will deliver new jobs, investment and growth.”

Stonegate chief executive David McDowall to speak at Excellence in Pub & Bar Retailing Conference, open for bookings: David McDowall, chief executive of Stonegate Group, will be among the speakers at the Excellence in Pub & Bar Retailing Conference. The all-day conference takes place on Tuesday, 19 May at One Moorgate Place in London and is open for bookings. McDowall will talk about the continued evolution of the UK’s largest pub company, as it looks to become a “partnership-led pub portfolio”. For the full speaker schedule, click here. Tickets are £345 plus VAT for operators and £395 plus VAT for suppliers. There is a 20% discount for operators and suppliers who are Premium Club subscribers while Premium Unlimited Plus subscribers receive four free tickets to the conference. Email: kai.kirkman@propelinfo.com to book places.

Premium Club subscribers to receive updated searchable and segmented New Openings Database tomorrow: The updated Propel New Openings Database will be sent to Premium Club subscribers tomorrow (Thursday, 2 April). The database will show the details of 136 site openings, including which company has opened a site or its plans to open one in the future. The database will have details on what type of site it is and its location, and there will also be a website link to the businesses. The database is published monthly, and Premium Club subscribers will also receive a 10,359-word report on the 136 new additions to the database. It is segmented into seven categories – cafe bakery, casual dining, experiential leisure, fine dining, hotels, pubs and bars, and quick service restaurants – making it even easier for users to search. Premium Club subscribers also receive access to five other databases: the Turnover & Profits Blue Book, the Multi-Site Database, the UK Food and Beverage Franchisor Database, the UK Food and Beverage Franchisee Database and the Who’s Who of UK Hospitality. All Premium Club subscribers will be offered a 20% discount on tickets to Propel paid-for events and discounts on specialist sector reports. Operators that are Premium Club subscribers are also able to send up to four members of staff to each of our four Multi-Club Conferences for free. Premium Club subscribers receive their daily Propel Info newsletter 11 hours earlier than standard subscribers, at 7pm the evening before. They also receive videos of presentations at eight Propel conference events two weeks after they are held. This represents around 100 videos of industry insight over the course of the year. Premium Club subscribers also receive exclusive opinion columns every Friday at 5pm, which include the thoughts of Propel chief operating officer – editorial, Mark Wingett, and a host of industry leaders from across the sector. A Premium Club subscription costs an annual sum of £495 plus VAT for operators and £595 plus VAT for suppliers. Companies can have an unlimited number of people receive access to Premium Club for a year for £995 plus VAT – whether they are an operator or supplier. A new Premium Unlimited Plus option, which costs £1,995 plus VAT per annum, has some amazing additional benefits including four free tickets to Propel’s paid-for conferences – Excellence in Pub & Bar (19 May), Operational Excellence (9 July) and Talent & Training (15 October) – and the opportunity to run one free sponsored message or situation vacant notice during the year on the newsletter. Email kai.kirkman@propelinfo.com today to sign up.

Scottish Hospitality Group launches billboard campaign urging government to ‘stop killing jobs’: Scottish Hospitality Group (SHG) has launched a nationwide billboard campaign, delivering a clear and urgent message from the sector to policymakers and the Scottish government: “Stop killing jobs.” This campaign comes as licensed hospitality businesses across the country begin paying “financially crippling” non-domestic rates bills, in some cases increased by more than 500%. SHG said: “This is not sustainable, it is not manageable, and it is costing jobs. Across Scotland, businesses are now facing decisions that will directly impact their teams, their futures, and their communities. Hours will be cut. Jobs will be lost. Doors will close.” The current valuation model, heavily based on turnover rather than property, “actively penalises investment, growth, and success”, SHG said. SHG director Stephen Montgomery, added: “What we are seeing is an out-of-date system, which is completely disconnected from the reality of running a licensed hospitality business. Discounts are of course welcomed for those with a rateable value of under £100,000, but transitional relief is simply a slow injection towards the inevitable failure of businesses already under pressure. Enough is enough, and we are calling on the Scottish government, ahead of the elections, to intervene now, and halt these revaluations immediately, before the blame for lost jobs, failed businesses, and empty high streets lands firmly at its door.”

Candid Hospitality launches ‘Chemistry Mode’ to support hospitality professionals looking for love: Candid Hospitality has launched a new feature, “Chemistry Mode”, designed to support personal relationship matchmaking within the hospitality industry. The feature builds on Candid’s existing anonymous, compatibility-led hiring platform, using similar technology to match individuals based on personality traits, values, salary and lifestyle preferences. The company said the move comes in response to increasing demand from hospitality professionals for more efficient ways to build relationships, given the sector’s long hours and anti-social working patterns. Users will be able to toggle between career opportunities and relationship matches, with profiles remaining anonymous until both parties choose to connect. Candid said the feature has been developed in partnership with “CillAI”, a proprietary matching system designed to optimise compatibility scoring. Sam Brown, co-founder of Candid Hospitality, said: “We’ve spent the last 12 months helping people find the right roles. This felt like a natural next step. Hospitality has always been a people-first industry, and we’re interested in exploring how that extends beyond work.”

Job of the day: COREcruitment is working with a multi-site business that is seeking a finance director. A COREcruitment spokesperson said: “This role will own financial accuracy and turn numbers into insight that empowers the senior leadership team to make confident, strategic decisions. The finance director will manage the monthly close, audits, cash flow, and capex planning, while strengthening finance systems and controls. They will also lead and develop a small finance team. The individual must be ACA, ACCA, or CIMA-qualified.” The salary for this London based opportunity is negotiable. For more information, email oliwia@corecruitment.com

Heartwood Collection opens ‘most ambitious project to date’, hires new commercial director, names Henry Olney as CFO: Heartwood Collection, the Alchemy Partners-backed business, has opened its “most ambitious project to date”, the 58-room Potter’s Heron pub in Ampfield, Hampshire. The Richard Ferrier-led business acquired the site from Pebble Hotels, for an undisclosed sum, last summer. The opening becomes the Heartwood Collection’s 36th pub and eighth pub with rooms. The company now has 338 rooms open or under development. Earlier this month, the company said it was “well on track” to reach 500 bedrooms by June 2027. The newly opened Potter’s Heron now features a newly created front terrace that provides space for more than 100 additional covers. Ferrier said: “We're proud to open The Potter's Heron, it is something special. This is a pub with real history and character, and it will be a flagship pub with rooms for us, our most ambitious project to date.” The company, which also operates 13 Brasserie Blanc restaurants, is set to open the Meadow Lark in Trumpington, Cambridgeshire, and The Muddy Fox in Solihull, West Midlands, later this year. Meanwhile, Propel has learned Heartwood Collection has hired Simon Chester, formerly of Cote and Wagamama, as its new commercial director. Chester joins Heartwood after more than five years as commercial director at Cote. He also spent ten and a half years at Wagamama, including five years as its purchasing and supply chain director. The company has also named Henry Olney as its new permanent chief financial officer, Olney, who has been with Heartwood Collection for nine years and served as finance director, assumed the position of interim chief financial officer earlier this year, after Chris Guy announced he was stepping down having joined in summer 2018. In January, Propel revealed Heartwood Collection was on track to achieve £100m of turnover in the current financial year ending June 2026. To support its growth strategy, the group said it had secured additional debt facilities from Heritable Development Finance, which Propel understands stands at £25m.

Irish customisable toastie concept Griolladh aiming to open first UK site this year, sees ‘huge opportunity’ here: Irish customisable toastie concept Griolladh has told Propel it is aiming to open its first UK site this year and sees huge opportunity here as “there seems to be a big love for a lot of things Irish currently”. Griolladh started out as a lockdown project for Jack Brennan and Jacob Long, who had worked in several bars and restaurants across Dublin. Starting out as a food truck, Griolladh is preparing to open its 11th location in Ireland but is also working with Seeds Consulting on expanding to the UK. Griolladh uses premium ingredients including bespoke bread, meat, pickled vegetables and sauces. Long told Propel: “The plan is to open a first UK site this year. We’re having some positive conversations and we’re hoping it will happen in the next six months or so. I feel we have a concept that can work across any location or format, but bigger cities are a focus because we can cluster, and the strongest conversations we’re having are in Birmingham and London. We’ve opened our first train station stores, which are flying, and our first forecourt site, which is doing well. We’re open to all opportunities, and the beauty of our concept is it’s very adaptable and can work in so many different sites.” Griolladh will also open six to eight more sites in Ireland this year, and while keen not to put a target number on its expansion, Long said 40 “seems like a realistic number” for Ireland, with a “huge opportunity for more than that in the UK”. He said: “There seems to be a big love for a lot of things Irish currently in the UK. We are very confident in our product and the capabilities of bringing it to the UK. We decided toasties would be our niche as we couldn’t see any brands specialising in them – especially bespoke, create-your-own toasties. In Ireland there’s a huge love for toasties, a national food really, so we see it as a good way of representing Irish cuisine as well.”

Dee Ralph to step down as McDonald’s UK FD: Dee Ralph is stepping down as finance director of McDonald’s UK, after five years with the brand. Ralph joined the fast-food brand in summer 2021 as its head of commercial finance, before stepping up to finance director in September 2022. She previously spent two years at EasyJet, including nine months as a senior finance manager, and almost 17 years at Starbucks, including nine and a half years as EMEA licensed and franchise finance manager. She said: “It has been a genuine privilege to work alongside so many talented colleagues, franchisees and suppliers across the business. I leave with some truly special memories and experiences from my time here. I remain an admirer and supporter of the McDonald’s brand. The business has achieved so much and continues to build on a superb legacy, and I have no doubt it will continue to go from strength to strength. A sincere thank you to everyone I’ve had the pleasure of working with over the past five years. I wish the business every success for the future. I’m looking forward to the next chapter of my career in the coming months.” 

Patty & Bun streamlines bricks and mortar estate to focus on licensing and concessions growth, enters Sessions partnership: Better burger concept Patty & Bun has told Propel it has streamlined its bricks and mortar estate to focus on licensing and concessions growth, including a new link up with Sessions, the growth platform for original food brands. Patty & Bun, which was founded in 2011 as a pop-up by Joe Grossmann and launched its first restaurant in November 2012 in Marylebone, has closed four of its London restaurants, including its original site in James Street, and in Clapham’s Northcote Road, Soho’s Kingly Street and Liverpool Street in the City. Patty & Bun continues to operate restaurant sites in Canary Wharf in the capital and Brighton, plus concessions at Swingers and Lane7 sites. Last year, Patty & Bun was acquired out of administration via a pre-pack process for a total consideration of £500,690. This followed a company voluntary arrangement two years earlier that resulted in the closure of two sites. On the closures, the company said: “We’ve loved being part of these communities and just wanted to say a huge thank you to everyone who’s walked through these doors. This isn’t goodbye to Patty & Bun. It’s just the end of this chapter.” Grossmann told Propel that Patty & Bun is online with five sites with Sessions with “a view of ramping up nationwide after this phase”. Last October, Grossmann opened his second pub, The Shaston Arms in Soho. In August 2023, he relaunched The Watermans Arms in Lonsdale Road, in London’s Barnes. Earlier this month, Sessions announced it had passed the landmark of five million orders since its inception in 2019. The company said it has achieved this through a network of more than 400 delivery kitchens across the UK.

Former The Big Table Group MD Lisa Gibbons joins KFC franchisee: Lisa Gibbons, former managing director of the Las Iguanas and Center Parcs divisions at The Big Table Group, has joined Lancashire KFC franchisee 1st Rate Investment UK. She stepped down from The Big Table Group in October 2024. Gibbons, who has more than 20 years’ experience in hospitality, having started her career in operations at Mitchells & Butlers, was named managing director of The Big Table’s portfolio division – a division including the Café Rouge, Center Parcs and franchise restaurants – in 2022. She then moved across to lead the Las Iguanas and Center Parcs division in summer 2023. She has joined 1st Rate Investment UK, which owns and operates a KFC franchise business comprising 22 stores in the north west, as its principal operator. Starting out as BJR Foods, which was founded in 1980 and opened its first store in Lostock Hall, Preston, the business was acquired by 1st Rate Investment in 2013.

Rowe’s Cornish Bakers reports 13% retail sales growth, efficiency and production changes resulting in ‘significant’ Ebitda uplift in current financial year: Rowe’s Cornish Bakers, which operates circa 70 sites through a mix of its own bakery shops and concessions within Asda and Tesco supermarkets, has reported 13% retail sales growth in the year to 28 June 2025, driven by six new openings. The company said having implemented efficiency and production changes in what was also “a year of consolidation impacted by the government's own Budget surprises”, the group was seeing a “significant” Ebitda uplift in the current financial year. Turnover for the year to 28 June 2025 nudged up to £46,320,931 from £46,287,683 the year before. While retail was up 13%, wholesale revenue dropped as several customers responded to the impacts of the Budget and ingredient inflation by reducing their stock levels and product range. However, the group said new wholesale customers have been won, which are already improving sales and customer concentration in the current year. Ebitda was down to £2,010,486 from £2,283,944 the previous year. Pre-tax profit was down to £613,646 from £1,135,198 the year before despite administrative expenses remaining static at £14.3m as costs rose by circa £500,000 to £29.5m. Director Kerry Lynch said: “In the second half of the year to 28 June 2025, the directors implemented a raft of efficiency and production changes that are already delivering solid financial improvement in the current year. Our excellent long term banking relationship allowed the company to restructure its borrowing during the year to decrease financing costs for 2026. Following a year of consolidation and improved customer concentration, the company will continue its expansion with a programme of new shops, concessions and new wholesale customers. These developments are already yielding significant Ebitda growth in the current year.” Dividends of £400,000 were paid (2024: £625,000).

Director of specialist wine importer Touch of Wine plans wine bar estate: Christian Rossello, a director of the specialist wine importer Touch of Wine, is planning to launch an estate of wine bars under the name Tap the Vine. The new business is understood to have lined up a site at Lewis Cubitt Walk, in London’s King’s Cross, for its debut site under the concept that will “combine sustainability, profitability, and customer-first ethos to redefine the wine experience serving wine by the glass via tap dispensers”. In reference to the Touch of Wine business, the company said: “The Tap the Vine wine bar draws on this established expertise and access to a carefully curated portfolio of wine to provide a high-class wine-bar experience, with small food plates provided as accompaniments.”

Blank Street Coffee and Jungle Berry among first confirmed openings at The Elephant development in London: US coffee brand Blank Street, which made its debut in the UK in 2022 and now operates more than 50 sites here, and premium açaí and healthy food concept Jungle Berry are among the first operators confirmed to open at The Elephant – Get Living’s £500m new town centre development in London’s Elephant & Castle. Blank Street will continue its expansion in the capital with an opening at the scheme this summer ahead of the main launch. Jungle Berry, which began operations in London in 2016, will open its sixth site at the scheme, adding to outlets in Notting Hill, Wembley Park, Brighton, Aberdeen, and most recently Dublin. Latin supermarket DistriAndina, which currently lives under the nearby railway arches, will be moving into the scheme. There will also be a new five-screen cinema and a market-style food store from M&S. Overall, the centre is expected to have around 50 shops, restaurants and bars. 

Warrens Bakery expects to return to ‘significant’ profit in current financial year as it transitions stores to larger footfall locations: Bakery brand Warrens Bakery has said it expects to return to a “significant” profit in its current financial year as it transitions its stores to larger footfall locations. The group, which operates circa 45 sites, opened a store at the end of November last year at Liverpool Street station in London – its first travel site in the capital following openings at Bath, Basingstoke, Slough and Cardiff stations. The company stated: “This will significantly increase our sales in the travel sector where footfall continues to grow. A further three loss-making stores have been closed since June 2025 as their leases expired as part of the continuing strategy to transition to larger footfall locations. Sales to the end of November 2025 were 5.7% up on the previous year and margins have continued to improve. The company is forecast to return to a significant profit for the year [to June 2026].” It comes as Warrens Bakery reported turnover was flat at £14,515,875 for the year ending 30 June 2025 compared with £14,573,734 the previous year, which was a 53-week period. Pre-tax losses grew to £575,415 from £11,011 the year before. During the year, four loss-making stores closed as their leases expired resulting in costs of £56,193 (2024: £25,556). Five new sites were opened. “Gross margins improved but overheads were higher mainly due to wage inflation, increased employers’ national insurance, closure costs of stores and initial costs of new stores resulting in a reduction in profitability.”

Birley’s to extend Central London presence with Paternoster Square opening: Sandwich shop and deli concept Birley’s is set to add to its presence in Central London, with an opening in Paternoster Square. The company is set to open a site in King Edward Court this month.⁠ The business currently operates eight sites across the City and the capital’s financial district, Birley’s was acquired via a pre-pack administration process in 2021 by nightclub operator Robin Birley. He opened his first US venue last summer, launching Birley Bakery at 20 East 69th Street in the heart of Manhattan’s Upper East Side in New York, joining its London location, at 28-30 Cale Street in Chelsea. Last summer, Birley, who also owns London members’ clubs Oswald’s and 5 Hertford Street, also opened The Birley Chocolate Shop at 24 Cale Street in Chelsea, just two doors down from the original Birley Bakery. 

Innventure reports static turnover and profit: Innventure, the eight-strong gastropub and restaurant operator led by Chris and Fiona Gerard, has reported turnover edged up 1% to £8,608,437 in the year to 30 June 2025 compared with £8,527,636 the previous year. Pre-tax profit rose to £81,537 from £79,933 the year before. The company stated: “Higher operating costs and interest costs have reduced year-over-year profits from the extraordinary performance of prior years. However, it is pleasing to record the recovery of sales levels. A trading environment of increased costs across all lines of the profit and loss continues – combined with consumer wealth erosion dampening demand. The ability of the company to raise prices sufficiently to compensate for inflation without loss of volume will be a huge challenge in the next year.” Operating profit fell to £138,935 from £181,777 the year before. Retained earnings are £3,152,616 compared with £3,117,669 the previous year. 

Samyukta Nair to launch new Thai restaurant Miko Mei Fair this month: Samyukta Nair, the restaurateur behind Jamavar, Bombay Bustle, MiMi Mei Fair and Nipotina in London, is to launch new Thai restaurant, Miko Mei Fair, in Mayfair this month. Set to open on Thursday, 23 April, the restaurant, in Curzon Street, will bring together MiMi Mei Fair’s “adventurous imagination with the culinary legacy of Koyn Thai”, which Nair previously operated. Occupying the ground floor of MiMi Mei Fair’s Georgian townhouse, the space will seat up to 50 guests and include a private dining room for eight. Nair said: “Miko Mei Fair represents a natural evolution, bringing together warm, intimate dining with the focus and discipline of fire-led cooking. It is a celebration of Thailand’s energy and generosity, expressed through layered interiors, vibrant ingredient led dishes and heartfelt hospitality. While Miko Mei Fair and MiMi Mei Fair share the same townhouse and devotion to detail, they each have their own identity and spirit.”

Indian street food concept My Delhi to open in Leeds for fourth site: Indian street food concept My Delhi is to open its fourth site, in Leeds. The flagship restaurant within Hepper House in East Parade will be its first in Yorkshire. Spanning more than 6,000 square feet, the venue, set to open in June, will be My Delhi’s largest and most ambitious to date. The restaurant will centre around a main dining hall, alongside a private dining room and a cocktail-led bar. Food from the Indian capital sits at the centre of the concept – from Indo-Chinese dishes such as Cauliflower Manchurian, to tandoor cooking rooted in Old Delhi. Alongside this, the menu features slow-cooked dishes including Emperor’s Stew, a rich nihari-style curry. Director Elahi Shah said: “Leeds felt like the right next step for us. We’ve always focused on doing things properly, and this gives us the space to take that further. The food remains the same at its core, but the overall experience has been taken up a level. It’s a more complete version of what we’ve been building.” My Delhi operates restaurants in Newcastle, Sunderland and Leicester.

KFC franchisee Ozland Group reports profit boost despite turnover fall: KFC franchisee Ozland Group has reported turnover fell to £10,112,575 for the year ending 31 March 2025 compared with a record £10,838,790 the previous year. The group saw pre-tax profit grow to £682,604 from £34,814 the year before as the business cut costs by almost £1m and administrative expenses by around £200,000. In their report accompanying the accounts, the directors stated: “The year was a consolidation and stabilisation period for the company and in line with expectations and the directors continue to look for business efficiencies as the business grows. The directors continue to look for opportunities to grow the business.” A dividend of £150,000 was paid (2024: nil).

Restaurant group from Allegra Strategies founder to open third London site: Culinary Grace, the London restaurant founded in 2023 by Jeffrey Young, founder and managing director of sector research firm Allegra Strategies, is to open a third site. Culinary Grace is set to open Gracie’s – a “relaxed cafe serving specialty coffee and tea from around the world, patisseries, light brunch and salads” – in Hampstead High Street, later this spring. In April 2023, the company opened its first site, the Antipodean-inspired, modern Italian restaurant Terra Moderna in Belsize Park, which it then followed with the opening of England's Grace – an Antipodean-inspired, modern European restaurant – in St John’s Wood High Street. The company said: “Our philosophy is based on strong family values, with a team that is committed to making a positive difference in the world. Our aim is to deliver welcoming and genuine hospitality, alongside the very finest food and drink. With individually designed restaurants and cafes all located within buzzy, suburban areas, the local community is a core pillar of what we do – we work to nurture relationships within our locations to ensure all guests feel at home.”

Midlands pub operator secures third site: Midlands pub operator Hari Shankarkrishnamurthy has secured his third site. Shankarkrishnamurthy has acquired the lease of The Courthouse in Rugby, which is part of Heineken-owned Star Pubs’ estate. The North Street pub will reopen in May following a £280,000 refurbishment project. The project will turn The Courthouse into a contemporary bar with live music, late-night DJs and a pan-Asian inspired menu that still features pub classics. Shankarkrishnamurthy said: “The Courthouse has lots of potential but is crying out for investment and TLC to help it thrive for the long term.” Shankarkrishnamurthy also operates The George in the Northamptonshire village of Kilsby and the Old Lion in the village of Harborough Magna in Warwickshire. 

Donald’s Pies opens second stand-alone site: Cardiff pie and coffee business Donald’s Pies has opened its second stand-alone site in the Welsh capital. Founded just under two years ago, the company – which specialises in grab-and-go coffee and handheld pies, has opened in the city’s Trade Street. The concept also currently operates from a site in Cardiff’s Quay Street. Gareth Owens, co-founder of Donald’s, said: “Trade Street feels like an important next step for us and where we’re going as a company. We’ve had amazing support from customers from day one, and this new site gives us the chance to build on that with a bigger, broader offer in a rapidly evolving part of the city that’s really benefiting from new apartments, business and opportunities. It’s humbling to see how popular our pies have become both in-store, online and through wholesale, but we’ve always wanted to be seen for what we’re doing with coffee, and our wider food offering, too. This expansion gives us a chance to do that.” Propel reported in December that Donald’s Pies was set to expand further after securing new funding and increasing its production capacity tenfold with the opening of a new kitchen. The business is hoping to open two additional UK stores over the next year, with ambitions to expand across London and the south west. 

Dominus to open new restaurant at City of London hotel this month: Real estate developer, owner and operator Dominus is to open its new restaurant at its Hilton branded hotel in the City of London this month. Located in Great Tower Street, at the heart of The Derby London City hotel will be Rycrofte’s, a new dining destination inspired by Sir John Rycrofte, sergeant of the larder to Henry VII and Henry VIII, which will “reimagine classic British cuisine with inventive flair and seasonal ingredients”. Dishes will include spicy buttermilk chicken, beetroot cured salmon, and ale-battered fish and chips. There will also be a refined afternoon tea offer. The Derby London City, part of the Curio Collection by Hilton, is Dominus’ sixth site and features 234 bedrooms. Dominus’ operational portfolio of hotels comprises The Dixon, part of Marriott’s Autograph Collection in Tower Bridge in London, Lost Property, a Curio Collection by Hilton in St Paul’s in the capital, a Courtyard by Marriott in Oxford and two Hampton by Hilton hotels, in Bath and London City.

Costa invests £750,000 in new expanded Edinburgh airport site: Costa Coffee has reopened and expanded its site in the arrivals terminal at Edinburgh airport after a “significant £750,000 investment”. The project has helped more than double Costa’s existing space within the airport and introduces an additional 60 covers. The expanded store introduces several new features including Costa’s freshly baked pastries, available throughout the day, and self-service ordering screens. Laura Crow, regional operations director for Scotland and north England at Costa Coffee, said: “This £750,000 investment demonstrates our continued confidence in Scotland and the travel retail sector, enhancing our existing presence at the airport with a larger, refreshed space for customers.”

Plymouth operators sell hotel after four decades to focus on restaurants: Plymouth operators the Hajiyianni family has sold the New Continental Hotel in the city after four decades to focus on its restaurants and other businesses. Tina Hajiyianni, one of five siblings in the hospitality dynasty started by their parents, told Plymouth Live the 161-year-old hotel was deeply loved by the family but stressed the time was right to sell it. The deal will also allow the family to concentrate on its other businesses, including the Dock and Kuku restaurants. The hotel was sold to Elevate Hotels Plymouth for an undisclosed fee, and it will reopen next year under the Hilton brand following a major renovation. Tina said: “We loved it, but it was time to go, and we knew it needed investment and wanted someone to take it on to higher things and make it a four-star hotel.” Elevate Hotels Plymouth plans to run the New Continental as a franchise under the Tapestry Collection by Hilton brand. Elevate Hotels plans to carry out a full renovation before the spring of 2027. The hotel will then feature 120 fully revamped guest rooms, along with meeting facilities, a fitness centre, and a restaurant and bar. The hotel was bought by the late Steve and Persefoni Hajiyianni in 1984, with their children continuing to run the business after they died. Steve and Persefoni were Cypriots who came to Plymouth in 1953 and started a business dynasty carried on by children. The New Continental is one of two hotels Hilton has said will join its Tapestry Collection by Hilton brand, with the other being in Cork, Ireland. The hotels will join a growing portfolio of four Tapestry Collection properties in regional hotspots, including Dover, York, Portrush and St Albans.