Pubs strong and restaurants flat in mixed December for hospitality: Festive celebrations helped Britain’s managed pub groups to end 2025 on a high, the latest NIQ RSM Hospitality Business Tracker reveals. The Tracker – produced by NIQ and powered by CGA intelligence, in association with RSM – shows pubs’ like-for-like sales in December were 5.1% ahead of the same month in 2024. The growth is well ahead of the country’s recent rate of inflation and was powered by celebratory visits to pubs in the run-up to Christmas and New Year. Consumers’ December spending was softer in managed restaurants, where like-for-like sales rose by just 0.8%. It means pubs comfortably outpaced restaurants for growth in every month of 2025. Managed bars faced an even more difficult festive season, with sales down by 1.7% year-on-year. However, these figures represent the best month of 2025 for both restaurants and bars. With all channels combined, Britain’s managed hospitality groups achieved like-for-like growth of 2.9% in December. It was the Tracker’s highest point since April, and only the second time it topped 1% in the whole of 2025. When venues opened by groups in the last 12 months are factored in, growth rose to 6.2%, around twice the rate of inflation. A breakdown of sales also shows a marginally better December for groups outside London, as like-for-like growth within the M25 stood at 2.8% but reached 3.0% beyond it. Karl Chessell, director – hospitality operators and food EMEA at NIQ, said: “December’s like-for-like growth was steady rather than spectacular, and it is unlikely to have been enough to offset the extra burden of costs imposed on hospitality over the course of 2025. More positively, a late flurry of celebratory drinking-out means many pub operators ended the year on a high and start the new year with valuable extra reserves. Strong total growth also shows groups remain optimistic enough about the long-term future to invest in new sites. However, with consumers’ spending still fragile and margins so tight, the trading environment is likely to remain challenging for some time to come.”

Sponsored message – take control of grease in your extract system with AIRO: For under £3 a day, AIRO is revolutionising hospitality maintenance with AirCare – the world’s first ductwork deposit monitoring sensor. A spokesperson said: “It’s time to stop taking someone else's word for it and gain full visibility into your ventilation system. AirCare eliminates the need for disruptive manual inspections and the guesswork of pre-scheduled cleans. Instead, it provides real-time alerts based on actual grease deposit levels and in-duct temperatures. This data-driven approach allows you to: reduce operational costs by only cleaning when the system actually needs it, avoiding unnecessary service costs; mitigate risk by staying ahead of fire hazards and present real-time system condition data to insurers to keep your business protected; and ensure compliance by maintaining BESA TR19 standards at all times with 24/7 visibility. Installed at regulatory test locations, AirCare ensures healthier air quality in your kitchens and prevents unexpected downtime. With AIRO, you get to take control of your grease extract system and benefit from a new era of visibility.” To find out more, click here. If you have a sponsored story you would like to see featured in this newsletter position, email paul.charity@propelinfo.com.

 

Premium Club subscribers to receive next Who’s Who of UK Hospitality on Friday featuring 105 new companies and 375 updated entries: The next Who’s Who of UK Hospitality will feature 105 new companies and 375 updated entries when it is released to Premium Club subscribers on Friday (23 January), at midday. The database now features 1,387 companies, and this month’s edition includes more than 332,000 words of content. The companies, listed in alphabetical order, will have their most recent developments reported as well as broader information around Ebitda, plans and trading style available. The database merges Companies House information, interviews and other public information to provide an easy to reference and exhaustive guide to the sector. Premium Club subscribers also receive access to five other databases: the Turnover & Profits Blue Book, the Multi-Site Database, the New Openings Database, the UK Food and Beverage Franchisor Database and the UK Food and Beverage Franchisee Database. 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 now 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. Email kai.kirkman@propelinfo.com today to sign up.

 

Almost 9,000 hospitality jobs lost since Budget and more than 20,000 since September: Almost 9,000 hospitality jobs have been lost since the Budget and more than 20,000 since September, according to the latest labour market data from the Office for National Statistics. The figures revealed the sector employed 2,117,557 people in December 2025 – 8,784 fewer than November 2025. The data also revealed hospitality employed 20,014 fewer people in December 2025, compared with September 2025, when a total of 2,137,571 were employed. UKHospitality said the figures reinforce the scale of the challenges facing the industry, with the impact of changes to employers’ national insurance contributions and other increased employment costs continuing to impact the sector. The trade body is calling for urgent action to avert increases to business rates in April, through a hospitality-wide solution. UKHospitality is urging the government to increase the business rates discount for hospitality properties to the maximum 20p permitted in law. Allen Simpson, chief executive of UKHospitality, said: “Hospitality is being hit by costs at every angle, and it is the cumulative effect of this growing tax burden that is resulting in the number of people employed in hospitality continuing to fall. It was less than a year ago when our local hospitality venues were landed with £3.4bn in additional annual cost, and now they face their business rates increasing too. We saw significant job losses before the Budget, and we’re seeing that continue to accelerate. Looming business rates increases are only making things worse, and the government needs to act urgently to bring forward a hospitality-wide solution that averts those hikes.”

 

JW Lees MD – government need to realise that they simply cannot tax the hospitality sector any more: William Lees-Jones, managing director of north west brewer and retailer JW Lees, has said that the government “need to realise that they simply cannot tax the hospitality sector any more” as he said his business was budgeting to lose £558,000 in the first two months of the year. Lees-Jones said: “What does it feel like to lose £568,000? That’s precisely what JW Lees Brewery lost last January and February 2025. This year, we’re budgeting to lose £558,000, so can we do it? It’s a tough target, but we’ll have a go. That’s what Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves don’t really understand, and it’s all very well saying that they’ll make an announcement sometime soon about business rates and the support that they’ll give to pubs (and hopefully hotels, restaurants cafes and other high street businesses), but already we know that duty is going up by 3.7% from 1 February and that the minimum wage is going up by 4.1% from 1 April. And that Ed Miliband has made sure the UK has the most expensive energy on the planet. Diageo is putting the price of Guinness up by 5.2% from 1 February, and we at JW Lees Brewery are putting our prices up by 2.9% at the same time too. So, we’re working away to make sure that January and February are not too painful, but we know that there remains so much uncertainty about hospitality right now since there are so many moving parts, and that makes it hard to plan, but we’ll do our best and try to lose less than the £688,000 that we lost in 2025. Can we make it 50% less? We’ll give it a go. The government needs to realise that they simply cannot tax the hospitality sector any more.”

 

The Blue Posts co-founder – the problems pubs are facing are squeezing us like a vice from every direction: Layo Paskin, the co-founder and creative director at Paskin, the London group behind The Palomar, The Barbary and The Blue Posts, has said that the problem pubs are facing is “so manifold because since covid, every single thing – cost of goods, cost of labour, consumer confidence and now rates – is squeezing us like a vice from every direction, which makes it very, very difficult to operate”. He told The Standard: “In 2023, the rateable value for our Soho pub the Blue Posts was £88,000. The 2026 figure is £214,000, a rise of £126,000. At the Blue Posts site, we don’t just have the pub: downstairs there’s Evelyn’s Table, our restaurant, and upstairs there’s the Mulwray, our wine bar, and the three share the one building. But if it was solely the Blue Posts, solely the pub, it wouldn’t be able to operate. We run a very successful operation: Evelyn’s Table has a Michelin star, the pub’s very good, the Mulwray is a lovely wine bar. But when you’re squeezed every year like this, it gets very hard, and these rate rises would be an enormous dent in any profitability that would be left. If it becomes that opening a business becomes so extreme, so risky and so devoid of headroom, people just won’t do it. Depending on how deep your pockets are, or your backing, for new businesses to survive now, you more or less need to create something that is an instant hit. Not everything can be; some are a slow burn, other things are simply very good. I’m reading Jeremy King’s autobiography now, and while The Wolseley was an instant hit, Le Caprice closed after four or five months before it reopened and made it. There are journeys to all sorts of great places; it doesn’t always happen at once.”

Job of the day: COREcruitment is working with a five-star hotel in London looking for a director of sales and events. A COREcruitment spokesperson said: “This is a high-profile role for a proven sales leader who can drive revenue across rooms, meetings and events, while leading a talented team to deliver exceptional guest experiences.” The salary is up to £95,000. For more information, email lara@corecruitment.com.

Inda Pubs chair – hoping to add two more sites this year, should help us reach target of £20m turnover: Clive Watson, non-executive chair of London pub group Inda Pubs, has said the company is hoping to add two more sites this year, which should help it reach its target of £20m in turnover. The Corbett family-owned business said in May 2024 – when City Pub Group co-founder Watson joined – that is was aiming to double its then eight-strong estate and reach £20m in turnover in the next few years. Inda added two new pubs last year and saw its turnover increase by 18% to £14.5m (for the year ending 31 December 2025). Those new locations – the Rose and Crown on Kew Green and The Admiral Codrington in Chelsea – contributed significantly as turnover increased by 39% in the last six weeks of the year – with like for like sales up 15.3% over the festive period. Watson told Propel: “We’re hoping to add another two pubs this year. You can see from the Christmas trading that there was a lot of momentum coming through with the two openings at the end of last year, and if we can get a couple more sites, we will be well north of £20m. But it will be controlled expansion that doesn’t put any unnecessary strain on the business – as a private business there is no external pressure to expand, so opportunities will be taken on assuming they complement the existing estate.” Although nothing is in the pipeline at the moment, Watson said the company – whose ten sites are spread across west, north west and south west London – would be willing to look at other parts of the capital. He said: “London is gentrifying all over the place, so there’s no no-go areas. But we’ll stick to the capital – it’s a well-tested model and seems to be working well.” In terms of a potential business rates relief package for pubs, Watson said: “It seems to be a long time for them to correct the errors of their ways, but let’s hope they do, and hope it’s meaningful change rather than just cosmetic.” Meanwhile, James Corbett, who founded the business with his father, Hugh, in 2007, said 2025 had been a “really encouraging year” for Inda. He added: “The head office team has been fantastic, and our pub staff have done brilliantly. 2026 will be about investing in our staff to help them with their career development. We also intend to invest more in technology to help improve customer service and improve the running of our operations.”

‘Extraordinary’ performance by The Coaching Inn Group drives festive sales growth for RedCat: RedCat Hospitality, founded and chaired by Rooney Anand, saw like-for-like sales growth throughout the month of December, driven by an “extraordinary” performance by The Coaching Inn Group, which recorded 11.7% growth during the two-week period across Christmas and new year. The Coaching Inn Group, recently named Which? Large Hotel Chain of the Year, reported an 8.4% growth across the six-week seasonal period. The group also reported volume and value growth on food, drink and rooms, as well as record guest scores for December. The company said: “The Castle of Brecon and The Warwick Arms Hotel both demonstrated a high performance following extensive refurbishment projects, both completed in 2025. Both sites continue to exceed their business case assumptions supported by an over performance on food and drink.” The group’s RedCat Independent Pubs division reported like-for-like sales growth of 5.6% during the peak two festive weeks and 2.2% overall for the six weeks. The company said: “Many sites achieved their record weeks for sales, with The Lion Inn in Boreham being the standout, with record sales of £215,000 in its peak week.” Richard Lewis, chief executive of RedCat Hospitality, said: “We ended 2025 on a real high, with December seeing some exceptional results across the group. The Coaching Inn Group’s performance was extraordinary on all measures and grew on a strong base in comparison to a good Christmas last year. We’re really pleased with our performance in terms of sales, conversation and guest scores. It’s all down to our amazing teams for their dedication, execution and focus on giving our guests a wonderful experience over the busy festive period.” Propel revealed last week that RedCat is to become a focused pub-with-rooms operator and exit its circa 20-strong managed pub division. Led by the Coaching Inn Group, the company will bring together all of its pubs-with-rooms sites into one division, creating a 43-strong portfolio of premium inns across the UK. The move will see seven of the group’s sites transfer to Coaching Inn Group.

 

Amber Taverns CEO – ‘we expect at least half of the planned 20 openings this year to be in the south’, ‘government needs to listen more to the people in the know’: Mark Brooke, chief executive of wet-led, community pub operator Amber Taverns, has told Propel that he expects at least half of the company’s planned 20 openings this year to be in the south. Speaking after Amber Taverns reported like-for-like sales increased 9% across the key Christmas and new year trading period spanning 19 December 2025 to 4 January 2026, Brooke said the business was seeing plenty of opportunities in what is becoming a “buyers’ market” for the business. Having grown predominately in the north of England, the Midlands, Scotland and Wales, Amber Taverns, which is backed by Epiris, made its debut in the south in September with the Erasmus Wolfe in Gosport. Amber Taverns has since opened The Winchester in Taunton and secured sites in Barnstaple, Salisbury and Weymouth. Brooke said: “It’s great to be stretching our geography in what is a buoyant area of the country, and I think 50% of our openings this year will be in the south – maybe a bit more. We’re also keen to expand our footprint in Scotland. As we are in a fairly unique position, because we will consider retail as well as pub assets, it feels it’s a buyers’ market for us. There’s a lot of pub companies looking to offload sites, and then there are retail businesses on the high street that are becoming smaller or getting into difficulty.” Brooke said the company’s value, sports-led offer was resonating well with consumers in the south so far. “We feel we offer a competitive price point regardless, but that seems even more so in the south where consumers are used to paying £5 for a pint – and even more than that,” he added. “Consumers have become even more picky, so we have to make sure we are delivering an offer that entices them to come out. I think our performance shows we are doing that, but we know it’s a very competitive market out there.” Brooke said when it comes to business rates support, the government must help the wider hospitality sector – and not just pubs. He added: “Whichever government is in situ has a difficult job because we are still in recovery, but it needs to recognise the contribution the sector makes.”

 

Boxpark founder launches BoxKitchen to ‘transform the UK events and hospitality industry’: Boxpark founder Roger Wade has officially launched his new venture BoxKitchen, which is described as “a new generation of modular, container-based commercial kitchens” designed for the UK events, hospitality and food service sectors. Wade, who last month announced he was stepping down from the board of Boxpark after 15 years with the business, said BoxKitchen provides fully fitted, high-specification modular kitchens that can be rented or purchased by event organisers, festival operators, hospitality brands and food businesses needing flexible, rapid deployment kitchen infrastructure. The company said it will roll out its first units this year, with nationwide coverage planned across major event hubs and hospitality destinations in the UK. Wade, executive chairman of BoxKitchen, said: “BoxKitchen was created to solve a real operational problem in the events and hospitality industry. Too many great food concepts are held back by inflexible infrastructure. Modular kitchens offer speed, flexibility and quality without long term commitment. This is about making it easier for operators to focus on food, experience and growth.”

 

US-based Valor Hospitality strengthens UK portfolio with four sites from Peel Group’s hotel arm: US-based Valor Hospitality has boosted its UK hotels portfolio following the addition of four sites from Tower Hotel Management – part of the Peel Group. The deal brings Valor’s UK portfolio to 40 hotels, compared with just 17 in 2021. Valor said the sustained growth reflects its long-term commitment to the UK. Valor’s UK presence reflects 7,000 bedrooms and includes the additions of the four new hotels from Tower Hotel Management – the Holiday Inn Express Trafford City, Hampton by Hilton Liverpool John Lennon airport, Crowne Plaza Aberdeen airport and Holiday Inn Express Aberdeen airport. Bringing an additional 700 bedrooms, 17 meeting rooms and a range of food and beverage services, the new hotels join a diverse collection of well-known brands and independent hotels managed by Valor in the UK. The new hotels also add to Valor’s growing global portfolio, which has expanded to a network of 100-plus properties across 65 cities and 22 countries since being founded in Atlanta, Georgia, by Euan McGlashan and Steve Cesinger in 2012. McGlashan said: “We are proud to be steadily expanding our footprint and strengthening our presence across multiple brands and markets, driven by our commitment to operational excellence, guest-centric innovation and a people-first culture. As we welcome the four new hotels into the Valor portfolio, we believe it reinforces our position as one of the most forward thinking and fastest growing hospitality management companies in the world.”

 

Dave’s Hot Chicken lines up Bristol opening: US brand Dave’s Hot Chicken, which is being rolled out in the UK by the Azzurri Group, is set to make its debut in the south west, with an opening in Bristol. Propel understands that the brand, which currently operates seven sites here, has lined up an opening in the Glass Walk part of the Cabot Circus retail scheme. The brand, which made its UK debut in autumn 2024, in London’s Shaftesbury Avenue, also has openings lined up in Sheffield and Leicester. Dave’s Hot Chicken opened its latest UK site, on the former Five Guys site in Croydon High Street, last month. Propel revealed in July the US brand had signed a franchise agreement with Azzurri Group to open 60 locations across the UK and Ireland and it plans to have 15 open by the end of June this year. Openings in 2026 will include debuts in Wales and Ireland with openings in Cardiff and Dublin.

 

Fatto a Mano to open site in London’s Soho next week: Fatto a Mano, the independent pizza concept founded in Brighton in 2015 by Rupert Davidson and Dav Sahota, will further increase its presence in London with a fifth opening in the capital next week. Propel revealed last month that Fatto a Mano would open a new site at 95-97 Dean Street in Soho. The business, which opened its fourth site in London last year, on the former Ping Pong site at St Katharine Docks, will launch its latest site on Thursday, 29 January. Fatto a Mano first opened in Brighton in 2015, and after the new opening, will have seven pizzerias across the two cities. The new restaurant will offer 70 covers inside, alongside a 40-cover terrace. The company said the opening “reflects Fatto a Mano’s ambition to expand in high-footfall areas where flexible dining occasions and walk-in traffic align with the business’ accessible, flavour-first model”. The menu will feature both red-based and white-based pizzas, alongside sides, starters and desserts, supported by regularly changing specials. The drinks offer will includes Italian cocktail classics and spritzes such as the Negroni, Aperol Spritz, Hugo and Fatto Limoncello Spritz, plus Fatto Bionda, a gluten-free Helles lager brewed exclusively for Fatto a Mano by UnBarred Brewery in Brighton. Davidson said: “Soho has always been Italian in spirit. The cafés and restaurants here played a huge role in how London fell in love with Italian food, and that energy is still part of the neighbourhood today. For an independent business that began in Brighton, opening our fifth London pizzeria in Soho feels like the right place for us to be.”

 

Simmons closes sole regional site: Cocktail bar operator Simmons, which was acquired in a pre-pack administration last summer, has closed its sole regional site in Manchester, but said it hoped to return to the city “under the right conditions”. The business, which currently operates 15 sites across London, made its regional debut in October 2024 when it opened on the former The Botanist site at 78 Deansgate. On the site’s closure, it said: “After much consideration, we’ve made the difficult decision to close our doors. It is never easy to say goodbye. We’re incredibly proud of what the team built here and so grateful to them. We love Manchester and we hope to be back under the right conditions.” Last August, Propel revealed that the business had been acquired by its founder Nick Campbell for £6,051,660 in a pre-pack administration. Simmons had been working with Kroll Advisory on its options and completed a strategic restructuring process – supported by existing backer Lonsdale Capital Partners – designed to streamline its portfolio, strengthen its financial position and lay the foundation for continued growth. As part of the process, the business, which was founded by Campbell in 2012, said it had taken the decision to exit four leases in London, allowing management to “focus resources on our strongest-performing venues”. Alongside this, the company was understood to have secured additional investment to support future expansion and operational improvements across the estate. 

 

Arora Hotels reports strong trading, with new Heathrow acquisition contributing £16m in turnover: Arora Hotels – part of hotel, construction and property investment company Arora Group – has reported strong trading for the year ending 31 March 2025, with its new Heathrow acquisition contributing £16m in turnover. The company acquired the Raddison Blu London Heathrow hotel in June 2024 after taking on an extra £43m in bank debt to finance the deal. The hotel has already repaid a large chunk of that investment, “contributing over £16m of tumover and generating a good profit margin” during its first year of trading. Overall, the company’s turnover rose from £293,765,000 in 2024 to £318,115,000. Its trading Ebitda grew from £97,424,000 to £104,008,000 and its pre-tax profit was up from £28,286,000 to £39,130,000. Director Carlton Brown said: “The group continued to trade strongly, with increased turnover from existing businesses and from the new acquisition. Occupancy rose at all hotels apart from Luton; average daily rates performance across the portfolio was mixed but overall was up on prior year. The result has been driven by an uplift in global business, travel and leisure activity that has led to higher demand for hospitality services.” He said the Sofitel London Heathrow has shown year on year turnover growth of £2.1m, while The Hilton Garden Inn London Heathrow T2 saw turnover up 5% on 2024, driven mainly by an increase in average daily rates. Renaissance London Heathrow reported growth in both occupancy and average daily rates, while the Sofitel London Gatwick saw turnover broadly in line with last year, supported by increased occupancy. The Hilton London Gatwick hotel delivered a 3% revenue increase on strong occupancy levels, benefiting from the increase in London Gatwick Airport passenger numbers, while Novotel London Stanstead saw growth in occupancy and stable rates. The InterContinental London – The 02 hotel saw record revenues and improved profit, but occupancy was down in the last full year of trading for Luton Hoo Hotel, Golf & Spa before closure for refurbishment, contributing to a 3.5% year on year reduction in turnover. Turnover was up 14% at The Fairmont Windsor Park hotel, which generated an operating profit (£1.1m) for the first time, while The Buckinghamshire Golf Club reopened in April 2024 after an extensive refurbishment which drove a significant growth in turnover, up 34% year on year. Post year end, in July 2025, the company acquired Bloc Hotels Group, which operates two Bloc branded hotels – in Gatwick airport and Birmingham – for £12.6m. It subsequently sold the Birmingham site four months later. In September 2025, it also acquired a 99% equity interest in Leopard 1 Hotel, which owns and operates the Novotel London West in Hammersmith. Also post year end, a £170m facility was refinanced and extended to £200, repayable in 2028, while a separate £56m facility was repaid and a new one of £95m secured, repayable in 2030.

 

Yard Sale Pizza to open new site in London’s East Finchley next month: Yard Sale Pizza, the London restaurant and delivery business backed by Piper, will open its new site in East Finchley next month. Launching on Monday, 9 February, the High Road outlet will be its 16th in the capital, the second since the business was backed by Piper in spring last year, and the first under new chief executive Stephen Hollis, who joined in November. The opening forms part of an ambitious growth strategy, as Yard Sale Pizza looks to grow to 40 sites over the next five years. The current stable includes sites in Clapton, Finsbury Park, Walthamstow, Leytonstone, Hackney Road, East Dulwich, Balham, Crystal Palace, Crofton Park, Tottenham, Hither Green, Earlsfield, Tufnell Park, Bermondsey and Battersea. The new shop will offer both delivery and collection, with deliveries made via Yard Sale Pizza’s in-house service. Hollis said: “We’re thrilled to bring Yard Sale Pizza to East Finchley and welcome a new community to the family. This opening marks an exciting step in our growth, and with our in-house delivery service, we can ensure every pizza arrives fresh, hot, and full of flavour.” Earlier this month, Yard Sale Pizza hired Luc de Blaquière, formerly of Five Guys Europe and Wagamama, as its new property director. The company previously said it was negotiating on a number of other sites around London.

 

Hospitality operator and property developer Ardent Group secures £8.3m loan for new holiday lodge development: Hospitality operator and property developer Ardent Group has secured an £8.3m loan for a new holiday lodge development in Scotland. Founded in 2001, Ardent Group is owned and operated by the Keane family and has assets spanning residential, leisure and mixed-use schemes across Scotland and Ireland. The group also owns and operates several hospitality businesses, including hotels, self-catering accommodation, pubs and retail assets. The loan from OakNorth will fund the development of 21 new luxury, four-bedroom holiday lodges on a 6.27-acre site at Clashwood, near St Andrews. The accommodation will each feature premium amenities, including private hot tubs. Robin Keane, director of Ardent Group, said: “St Andrews is one of the most desirable leisure destinations in the UK, with year-round demand driven by golf tourism, the university and its international appeal. We’ve spent considerable time refining the planning and specification for this scheme to ensure it delivers a genuinely premium product that reflects the quality of the location.”

 

Founder of Coventry brewery Dhillon’s to launch food hall venture: Dal Dhillon, founder of Coventry brewery Dhillon’s, is to launch a food hall venture. Dhillon is set to open Elle’s in Coventry. Described as a first for the West Midlands city, the 8,000 square-foot venue will include independent food and coffee vendors and a late-licence bar. Planned to open in Two Friargate at the end of January, the venue will create around 40 jobs. The venture – planned to be followed by openings in cities including Liverpool – has been supported by a £500,000 loan from the Midlands Engine Investment Fund II, through fund manager Frontier Development Capital. Dal, who founded Dhillon’s Brewery a decade ago, said: “Elle’s will be a space for everyone. It will be a showcase for independent food operators and demonstrate the potential of the city’s hospitality industry.” Dhillon’s also operates venues including Spire Bar and Sky Blue Tavern in Coventry city centre, and three sites within Coventry City FC’s CBS Arena. Last month, Dhillon’s expanded outside the city for the first time by opening a sports bar in Swansea. The £400m Midlands Engine Investment Fund II provides equity investment up to £5m and debt finance from £25,000 to £2m to small and medium-sized businesses.

 

Sector workplace finance provider raises $90m to support growth: Stream, the workplace finance provider to sectors including hospitality and formerly known as Wagestream, has raised $90m (£66.8m) in a Series D funding round, bringing the company’s total funding to $228m (£169.3m). Stream said the raise will allow it to accelerate its mission of delivering fair financial tools to the everyday worker by partnering with more employers. The latest round is led by Sofina, with continued backing from existing investors Ascension Ventures, Balderton, Northzone, Smash Capital and LocalGlobe, and participation from Better Society Capital. The funding will fuel the continued expansion of Stream’s product offering. Stream first launched in 2018 with an earned wage access product, giving people flexible access to their earned wages “for a low, flat fee”. Following the acquisition of pensions technology company Zippen in July 2025, Stream began the roll-out of its first pensions product in the UK – Find and Combine. Stream said the new funding will support further innovation into an enhanced pensions offering and new long-term savings options. The funding round follows the company’s September 2025 rebrand from Wagestream to Stream, marking its evolution into a multi-product workplace finance platform.

 

Searcys secures catering deal to return to London’s 30 Knightsbridge: Restaurateur and events caterer Searcys has secured a deal to return to 30 Knightsbridge as its preferred catering partner. The London venue, formerly known as 30 Pavilion Road, consists of a refurbished Georgian townhouse and has been a cornerstone of the Searcys story since 1963. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, the venue established itself as a “premier party destination” and is now ushering in a new chapter. “We are delighted to be returning to 30 Knightsbridge, a place that holds so much history and meaning for us," said Paul Jackson, managing director at Searcys. "It's not just about coming back to a beautiful venue; it’s about continuing a legacy.” The venue includes The Great Hall, Anne Machin Ballroom and Gallery Bar, which provide room for 20 to 120 guests. The Monet Garden Terrace, an outdoor setting for up to 80 people, and 16 guest rooms completes the offering. Searcys’ other partners includes Horizon 22, Guildhall, the National Portrait Gallery, the Royal College of Music and the London Transport Museum.

 

Bristol café business to open fourth site: Bristol café business Bristol Loaf is to open a fourth site in the city. The company, founded in 2017 by Gary Derham, is preparing to open in Redland, with a licensing application submitted to Bristol City Council for a new cafe in an office supplies shop at 185 Redland Road, on the corner of Coldharbour Road. Bristol Loaf opened its first café, in Church Road in Redfield, and has since opened in Bedminster Parade and within the Bristol Beacon. Bristol Loaf has applied to the council to open the new cafe daily, from 8am to 10pm Monday to Thursday, 8am to midnight on Friday and Saturday, and from 10am to 10pm on Sunday, reports Bristol 24/7.

 

Emerging AI-powered coffee drive-thru concept has plans for Lincoln location approved: Emerging artificial intelligence (AI)-powered coffee drive-thru concept Bocca Felice has had plans to open on a patch of empty scrubland in Lincoln approved. Bocca Felice, which aims to use AI to serve customers, secured a debut site for the concept at the end of last year, at Hadden Hill Retail Park in Didcot, Oxfordshire. City of Lincoln Council has now given the green light to plans for Bocca Felice to build a drive-thru on land to the rear of Aldi in Wragby Road, Lincoln Live reports. The plot of land is currently overgrown and unused. Planning documents for the application said: “The proposed drive-thru will provide a much-needed food/drink service for the surrounding area while also providing employment opportunities and will develop a site that is at present vacant.” Bocca Felice has previously claimed the AI system delivers 98% accuracy and can make 350 cups of coffee per hour, around 20 times faster than traditional machines. The company has issued a spate of planning applications across the country, from Cheshire to Oxford, and said it plans to launch 80 new branches this year.

 

Yorkshire Italian restaurant to open second site: Yorkshire Italian restaurant Domo is to open a second site. Raffaele Busceddu and Sarah May Elliott have operated Domo in Sheffield’s Eagle Works in 2019, offering Sardinian and Mediterranean dishes. They are now preparing to open a second location, in Leeds’ Tower Works. The duo said: “Sardinian food is loud, generous, stubborn, and deeply proud – and so are we. It’s food made to be shared, passed around, eaten slowly and remembered. Plates for the middle. Bottles opened early. Conversations that don’t end when the plates are cleared. Everything here is ‘fatto in casa’ (made in house), and we mean everything. Expect hand-folded culurgiones, malloreddus done properly, seafood fregola, spaghetti with sea urchin and dishes built around the sea. Delicacies like bottarga, platters of Sardinian cured meats and local cheese, and long, slow suckling pig feasts made for sharing. The drinks stay firmly on the island too. Cannonau, Vermentino and other Sardinian wine chosen for the table, not the shelf.”