Batemans launches “momentous” raft of new craft beers and rebrands: Innovative family brewer and retailer Batemans, winner of the Sainsbury’s Great British Beer Hunt for the past two years, has marked its 140th birthday by launching a raft of inventive new craft beers and new branding using the strapline ‘Craft Brewers Since 1874’. Batemans has extended the maturation and secondary fermentation time for its beers to give them an even more satisfying body and flavour. New craft beers include the Bohemian Brews range, which is infused with unusual flavours, including Mocha (winner of Sainsbury’s Great British Beer Hunt), Mocha Amaretto, Orange Barley and Hazelnut Brownie. These beers undertake extended maturation in the brewery cellars to ensure their quality, and are available in bottle and for limited periods in cask. New seasonal Biscuit Barrel Beers combine the flavours of classic biscuits with the traditional brewing recipes of cask-conditioned beer. A new Black Pepper Ale offers a completely unique beer experience - the strong pale ale is brewed with chocolate, crystal and wheat malts. Drinkers can also add additional ground Asian black pepper from an attached sachet to enhance the flavour. Stuart Bateman, managing director of Batemans Brewery, said: “This year marks a momentous occasion for us, as we celebrate our 140th Anniversary. In recognition of this achievement, we’ve evolved our branding, and also introduced a range of new beers, which demonstrate the heritage and expertise of our brewery, while offering tastes and flavours that are incredibly modern.”

Gavin George to present at first Propel conference of 2014: Gavin George, chief executive of the 47-strong pub operator InnBrighton, talks about the company’s approach to retailing, including brewpubs, food franchising, manager incentives, and retailing in London versus Brighton, at the first Propel Multi Club Conference of 2014. The event will be held on Thursday 13 March at the Lancaster London Hotel, Lancaster Gate, central London. Multi-site pub, restaurant and foodservice companies can claim up to two free places each, though Propel is now running a waiting list. E-mail jo.charity@propelinfo.com to go on the waiting list.

Fast-casual leads US traffic growth for fifth consecutive year: The fast-casual segment in the United States has led restaurant sector traffic growth by some distance for the fifth consecutive year. In the 12-month period ended in November 2013, visits to fast-casual restaurants increased 8%, against flat traffic overall for all restaurant segments, the insights firm NPD Group has reported. Other restaurant segments did not see as much traffic as the fast-casual segment during the year. The quick-service segment recorded flat traffic compared with a year earlier, while total customer visits to casual-dining restaurants and midscale restaurants decreased 1% and 2%, respectively. Traffic at fine-dining establishments and upscale hotels rose 6% for the 12 months ended in November 2013. “Overall, restaurant customers are trading down, foregoing some of their visits to full-service places while increasing the number of visits made to fast-casual restaurants,” Bonnie Riggs, The NPD Group’s restaurant industry analyst, said in a statement.

Parliament to debate VAT cut: Parliament is set to debate VAT on tourism next Tuesday (11 February). Margaret Ritchie, the SDLP MP for the Northern Irish constituency of South Down, and Caroline Lucas, the Green Party MP for Brighton Pavilion, have secured an adjournment debate on the subject. Lucas last month called a reduction in VAT for hospitality a “no brainer” and said that operators should do more to ensure their local MPs are aware of the benefits of a cut. Last month, Ritchie tabled an Early Day Motion that stated: “The hospitality and tourism industry is critical for our economy. Hotels, pubs and restaurants are central to the economic and social life in my own constituency and across the North of Ireland. However in the current climate many of these local businesses are facing an extremely challenging economic environment. My parliamentary Early Day Motion calls on the UK Chancellor to consider a sector-specific VAT cut for such businesses. Such measures have been deemed lawful by the EU and indeed have been adopted by several member states including Ireland. The Irish government reduced the rate of VAT on a range of services connected to the hospitality and tourism sectors from 13.5% to 9% to help support businesses and the wider economy in these difficult times, and I would urge the UK government to follow suit.”

Tim Martin – Ted Tuppen is fighting the wrong tax battle: JD Wetherspoon’s founder and chairman, Tim Martin, has argued that Ted Tuppen, who has stepped down as chief executive at Enterprise Inns, is fighting the wrong tax battle, having signed a letter arguing against Labour Party plans to raise the top rate of personal tax from 45p to 50p. Writing in today’s Propel Friday opinion, Martin says: “Ted is right to be fighting a tax battle, but he’s picked the wrong one and he should be fighting for tax equality for his own tenants. Taking issue with politicians over personal tax risks appearing like self-interest dressed up as national interest. Tenants, among many other groups, know that tax equality and fairness are vital for the future of the pub trade. Ignoring their views will reap dire consequences for Enterprise itself unless it and other companies change tack very quickly.” See today’s later Propel Friday Opinion e-mail for the full article.

Luke Johnson – VAT needs reforming to benefit the hospitality industry: Sector investor Luke Johnson has voiced his support for the campaign, spearheaded by the Jacques Borel VAT Club, to reduce VAT in the hospitality sector to stimulate employment. Writing in today’s Propel Friday Opinion, Johnson says: “Every society needs to make tackling unemployment its biggest challenge. The dignity of work is good for an economy, self-respect and health outcomes. More jobs means a lower welfare bill for the government. Several European governments which have introduced adjustments to VAT for the hospitality industry have seen a big boost to jobs, tourism and limited impact of tax receipts. The UK needs to follow their lead and listen to the Jacques Borel VAT Club, a network of over 50 major players in the trade who are asking for the supermarkets’ unfair advantage to be removed when it comes to selling food and drink.” See today’s later Propel Friday opinion e-mail for the full article.

Camra – two pubs a week converted to supermarkets last year: Research conducted by Camra, the Campaign for Real Ale, has found that two pubs a week were converted to supermarkets during 2012 and 2013. Camra said losing two pubs a week in this way was unacceptable, and supermarkets are being accused of specifically targeting pubs for redevelopment. The figures, based on national research carried out by Camra’s members, identified 208 pubs which have been converted to supermarkets since January 2012. The research also showed that Tesco was by far the most prolific pub converter, with 110 in the past two years, more than three times more conversions than any other supermarket chain.

Bexley scores worst in London foodservice hygiene ratings: The London borough with the highest proportion of filthy food outlets is Bexley, The London Evening Standard has reported. One in 20 food establishments in the borough scored a zero in their most recent hygiene test, according to the Food Standards Agency. It found 45 of the south-east London borough’s 902 listed restaurants were in “urgent need” of improvements in cleanliness and the way food was handled and stored. Across London, the overall trend was for good hygiene, with more than 20,000 food businesses scoring top marks and only 518 with zero. The West End had 42 businesses that scored zero but more than 1,300 were rated five out of five for cleanliness in tests between 2008 and January this year.

Artisan Burger Co responds to criticism by increasing equity stake on offer: The fledgling better burger concept Artisan Burger Co has responded to questions over the company’s valuation by increasing the amount of equity it is offering. The company was offering 12% of its equity in return for investment of £240,000 through crowd-funding website Crowdcube, which valued the company at £1.6m without a restaurant opening. Artisan Burger Co is now offering 24% of its equity in return for the £240,000 investment. It said: “We are pleased to advise all followers and potential investors that after listening to feedback and consulting with our advisers, we have increased the offer for equity in Artisan Burger Company to 24% in exchange for £240,000 The increase will apply to those who have already invested and the rewards scheme remains in place.”

JW Lees updates Duttons brand in Chester, looks for more sites: Family brewer and retailer JW Lees will re-open its original Duttons site in Chester next Wednesday (12 February) after updating it following a decade of successful trading. The site, located on Godstall Lane, not far from Chester Cathedral, will see new booths added, new lighting and a new bar area. Last June, Lees created around 50 jobs opening a second site for its Duttons brand located in a 7,000 sq ft unit on Albert Square, opposite Manchester Town Hall. Managing director William Lees-Jones told Propel: “Duttons has performed really strongly for us in Chester and we have been looking for other locations for some time. After ten years of success in Chester, we thought it was time for site number two. Now we’re looking for sites number three, four and five in similarly high footfall areas in the north west.” Tim Bacon and Jeremy Roberts of Living Ventures are opening their fourth New World Pub Company Botanist opposite Duttons Chester next month in the site where they originally ran one of their most successful Living Rooms. Meanwhile, JW Lees will open the latest addition to its managed estate today, The Lloyds in Chorlton, Manchester, a late-Victorian listed building which the brewery acquired off Mitchells & Butlers in 2003 and was run until recently as a tenancy.

Cabana – ‘We’re not looking for VC backing yet’: The Brazilian street food chain Cabana Brasilian Barbecue is looking to expand, but not yet looking for external funding, co-founder Jaime Barber has told Propel. “In terms of the next two to three years, we’re quite well-funded internally, so I don’t think we’ll be looking for any big VC backing, but if at some point we decide to majorly accelerate growth then obviously we would need to look at some external funding.” Barber said. He and business partner David Ponte had raised “a couple of million” before launching the first two Cabana outlets in November 2001 in St Giles, central London and at Westfield Stratford. Today, he says, the chain is looking at three categories of sites for expansion: “We’d look for schemes, like the Westfield scheme, that we do very well in; we’d look at urban high streets, where there’s activity – I don’t see Cabana yet going into leafy suburban high streets but certainly places like Upper Street, even as far away as Kentish Town or Victoria or Shoreditch or London Bridge, those kind of areas; and if something came up in the right price bracket, we’d look at the premium locations like the Canary Wharfs and the Sohos and the South Bank and those kind of areas. Although we don’t have any Nandosesque goals in terms of opening a thousand units worldwide, we are certainly enjoying the ride at the moment, and we want to see where it takes us. I don’t think we’re really thinking past the next three years or so. I don’t think there’s any pressure on us to achieve any certain number by any certain date. But as the opportunities arise in terms of site acquisition then we will certainly take them.”

Douglas Jack – Enterprise results ‘slightly disappointing’: Numis Securities’ leisure analyst, Douglas Jack, has issued a ‘Hold’ recommendation on Enterprise Inns shares, with a price target of 180p, in the wake of yesterday’s first quarter trading update. He said: “In the 18 weeks to 1 February, like-for-like net income rose 1%, largely due to easy comps. This is slightly disappointing and behind our forecast of 1.5% and consensus of 2%. We are holding our forecasts, which allow for much tougher comps in H2. Given the regulatory backdrop and expectations that Ebitda reduction should once again match debt reduction this year, we believe the 10.7x EV/Ebitda valuation (versus 10.5x historic average) is high enough. We are holding our forecasts (PBT £121m; consensus £120m), anticipating flat like-for-like net income over the full year, allowing for tougher comps (1Q13 -4.4%; 2Q13 -4.0%; 3Q13 -2.7%; 4Q13 0.6%). We would take profits into any strength, reflecting: regulatory risk; ongoing tough trading prospects for wet-led pubs; potential fall-out from Punch Taverns’ bondholder vote (either way); and valuation (the highest major tenanted disposal multiple over the last six years is 7.6x EV/Ebitda).”

Pacific Restaurant Group to open biggest Australian Jamie’s Italian yet in Brisbane; Jamie Oliver launches production company: Pacific Restaurant Group, the Australian franchisee of Jamie’s Italian, has confirmed it is opening a Jamie’s Italian in Brisbane later this year. Adam Heathcote, Pacific Restaurant Group’s managing director, said: “Jamie’s Italian in Brisbane is going to be an eye-opener. It’s set to be the largest Jamie’s Italian in Australia, accommodating up to 240 guests across two levels, including a stunning bar area seating up to 80 people.” The group has not confirmed an opening date, saying only that it will open “late in 2014”. Jamie Italian already has outlets in Sydney, Adelaide, Canberra and Perth. Meanwhile, Oliver is launching a production company that will specialise in the creation of commercials, and has signed up the actor Dexter Fletcher as one of its directors. The company, called Fat Lemon, will be led by executive producer Jane Bolton, who was previously the managing director of Picasso Pictures, and producer Cabell Hopkins, formerly of M&C Saatchi. Hopkins has worked on accounts including NatWest and Kronenbourg 1664. While the company will not specialise solely in food, it will have access to Oliver’s team and resources, including kitchen sets, the prop and art department and food stylists.

King doubles up in Norfolk: The owner of The Lodge in North Tuddenham, one of Norfolk’s most popular pub restaurants, has taken on her second pub, in a nearby village. A major refurbishment of the former Fox and Hounds in Lyng is being carried out before its re-opening on March 1 as the Fox at Lyng. Victoria King, who has run The Lodge since 2007, has already recruited ten staff for her new venture. She said: “The Fox and Hounds, previously a pub run by Enterprise Inns, had been closed for over 12 months. We were approached by the man who bought the building to see if we were interested in leasing it and running it as a business.” King said they would be retaining The Lodge’s food philosophy – “everything you eat is local produce and home cooking, we even still peel our own potatoes”.

Hotel Chocolat launches first John Lewis concession cafe: Hotel Chocolat has opened its first cocoa bar cafe concession in a John Lewis store, in Edinburgh. The opening is part of a broader launch of in-store food concessions from Hotel Chocolat and Joe & The Juice as part of John Lewis’s plans to “significantly develop” its food offer for customers visiting its shops. An opening is expected to follow in York. The first Joe & The Juice concession will open at the retailer’s Solihull store. Founded in Copenhagen, the juice and sandwich retailer Joe & The Juice has 48 sites in Scandinavia and now operates four cafes in London after opening its first in the capital in 2009. The John Lewis tie-up in Solihull will be the brand’s first UK site outside of London.

Stonegate wins Distinction at HR awards: Stonegate Pub Company has won an HR Distinction Award in Innovative Use of Technology for its bespoke online intranet system, developed in partnership with CPL Training, which houses a wealth of training and company information, along with all 12,000 employees’ professional development records. The winners of the HR Distinction Awards will be unveiled at a ceremony in Birmingham this week. Tim Painter, human resources director at Stonegate, said: “Our employees are vital to the success of our business, and having happy, motivated people is of the utmost importance. We take great pride in their development and ensure that there is a range of reward and recognition schemes that benefit everyone.”

Wetherspoon confirms Burgess Hill opening: JD Wetherspoon will invest £1m and create up to 45 jobs in Burgess Hill, Sussex (population: 28,803) this year by opening a new pub. The company will open the Six Gold Martlets in 49-51 Church Walk, named for the birds in the Sussex county arms, on 29 April. Wetherspoon’s spokesman, Eddie Gershon, said: “We are looking forward to opening in the town and believe our new pub will be an asset to Burgess Hill and also act as a catalyst for other businesses to invest in the town. When we open a pub we tend to get other companies following us. They know that we know what we’re doing, so if we come to a town it brings other businesses to the area.”

Costa Coffee drive-through plan rejected in Gloucester: A plan to turn a derelict site at Gloucester Quays into a new Costa drive-through has been rejected by city councillors, who said they did not want an “itsy-bitsy coffee shop” on the prominent site. The drive-through had been planned for the site of the former Peel House, off St Ann Way, at the junction with Baker Street, which is the entrance to the Gloucester Quays multi-storey car park. But Peel Outlets, which owns the site, had its plan thrown out by the city council’s planning committee on Monday. Councillor Andy Lewis said: “We don’t want some pokey little, itsy-bitsy coffee shop on one of the most prominent sites. We need something of a higher quality as you come into the city.”

Marston’s makes £10,000 Pub is the Hub donation: Brewer and pub owner Marston’s has donated £10,000 to Pub Is The Hub. The community fund helps pubs take on other services, such as a post office or shop. Licensees can apply for up to £4,000 per project. Marston’s chief executive, Ralph Findlay, said: “The initiative continues to focus on some of the great work innovative tenants, lessees and freehouses are doing in a fast-changing pub market.”

Tennis star Andy Murray to open £2m hotel: Tennis star Andy Murray will open his £2m venture the Cromlix Hotel, in his home town of Dunblane, Stirling on 1 April. The menu has been developed by Albert Roux, who said: “95% of the menu will be Scottish and preferably local produce. It’s of great importance.” When it opens, the Cromlix will seat up to 174 diners at any one time, 65 in the restaurant, 35 in two separate lounges and a further 74 in three private dining rooms. The average price of a meal in the lounge will be £20, with lunch coming in at £25, according to Roux. Roux will oversee the kitchen in the first two weeks of April, before handing over to executive head chef Darin Campbell. Campbell said: “My focus will be on getting the food right and I’m very much looking forward to it. Working with Mr Roux has been fantastic.”

Abokado acquires 21st site: Abokado, the healthy eating chain led by Mark Lilley and backed by Kings Park Capital, has acquired its 21st site, a former Starbucks, on Ludgate Hill in the City of London. Lilley said: “It’s a good infill site for us, pretty much equidistant between our Fleet Street and Farringdon stores. We’ll be opening towards the end of March. Our 20th store, near Aldgate, is opening on 19th February.” Mark Lilley is presenting at the Propel Multi Club Conference on Thursday 13 March.

TGI Friday’s set for Brighton opening at Christmas: The long-awaited TGI Friday’s opening in a former post office in Brighton looks set to come to fruition in December. The transformation of the grade II listed building in Ship Street, Brighton, is set to cost developers at least £750,000 just to bring it back into working order after seven years of disuse, rain damage and squatters. Plans to develop part of the first floor into a TGI Friday’s restaurant were approved in June last year. But work has been held up by the level of damage the building has sustained, along with a number of squatting incidents. In August last year, police and bailiffs removed ten squatters from the former post office after they spent a fortnight in the building. TGI Friday’s chief executive, Karen Forrester, has told Propel previously that the Brighton site provides the opportunity to expand the offer. She said: “By nature of its location it gives us a chance to push the boundaries even further – it will be a bit more sophisticated, a bit more bohemian, a bit more eclectic. We are going to develop the social sharing platform further, more tapas, more sharing food, even more sophisticated cocktails and grills.”

Le Bistrot Pierre to re-open in Nottingham after £550,000 investment: Le Bistrot Pierre will re-open its Nottingham site in Milton Street, which was the first site to open 20 years ago as part of the Pierre Victoire predecessor chain. The premises have been extended upstairs to provide another 55 covers. after a £550,000 refurbishment. Owner John Whitehead told the Nottingham Post that he believes Nottingham is a city where many operators are happy to invest and reinvest. He said: “I think the East Midlands and Nottingham have fared reasonably well during the recent recession and are now enjoying the seeds of growth. The leisure sector has not been hit as hard as other industrial sectors and people seem reluctant to give up their weekly treat of a meal out.” The chain, which has its headquarters in Nottingham, now has 11 Le Bistrot Pierres around the country, after opening in Cardiff in November, and plans to double in size to 20 outlets. Last September it announced it had secured a £4m finance package to fund its expansion over the next four years.

Whisky industry is a ‘sitting target’ for an independent Scottish government: Scotland’s £5bn whisky industry is a “sitting target” for higher taxes in an independent Scotland, researchers have warned, because the spirit cannot be made outside the country. Val Smith, chairman of International Wine and Spirits Research, told The Financial Times that Scotch was vulnerable to revenue raising measures by an independent Scotland to fund its social programme. “The easiest thing to tax would be to hit Scotch producers who can’t move their production base. They are a sitting target,” he said.

Pizza Hut sends in bailiffs in row over restaurant lease: A row over a former Pizza Hut outlet sub-leased to an Indian restaurant has seen bailiffs forcibly enter the building and refuse access to the head chef and front-of-house manager. Pizza Hut has a 20-year lease on the premises, in St Peters Street, St Albans, Hertfordshire, but closed its restaurant on the site and sub-let the premises to local restaurateur Darshit Singh Hora, who opened an Indian restaurant called Veer Dhara there. The problem began after Hora closed down the original company that had signed the sub-lease and a new company began paying the rent. Hora’s solicitor, Luke Harrison, told the Herts Advertiser newspaper: “Veer Dhara’s position is that having essentially paid the rent for a period of time after the old company stopped trading, they had a lease which came into existence by operational law with Pizza Hut.” However, Harrison said, Pizza Hut had exercised the “fairly draconian right” to peaceably re-enter the property, claiming that Veer Dhara was operating as a trespasser.

Charles Wells in negotiations to sell Huntingdon pub: Brewer and retailer Charles Wells is in negotiations to with developer McCarthy & Stone to sell the Territorial pub in Huntingdon. The developer has an option to buy the pub to build a sheltered housing complex, subject to receiving planning permission. A spokeswoman for Charles Wells told the Hunts Post that it was working with McCarthy & Stone as part of a regular review of its pubs to ensure they are a reasonable business, for both the pub company and the licensee. “Unfortunately in this instance the Territorial has reached the point where it doesn’t [make a good business] any longer,” she said.

Livelyhood Venues –we have hit a restructuring turning point: Livelyhood Pubs, led by Sarah Wall, has reported that yesterday’s acquisition of the freehold of its Old Frizzle pub on Wimbledon Broadway in South London marks a turning point in its restructuring. The company has owned its first site, the Clapham North for ten years and also operates the Regent in Balham, South London. Wall said: “Having worked hard over the last three years to restructure the business, this acquisition has realised the first step in our new plan. This will see continued growth within South London through the acquisition of both leasehold and freehold sites that can fit the Livelyhood operating model. Further expansion is expected with further site acquisitions planned for this year. The first is due in April for a summer opening.” Yesterday’s reported sale of The Frog in Clapham Old Town to Darwin & Wallace, a site operated by Livelyhood for the past three years, marks the sale of its final Enterprise Inns site, having sold the Royal Oak in Clapham earlier this year.

Pub threatened with loss of licence over ‘Bag a Slag’ speed dating night: A pub in Nottingham has cancelled a speed dating event planned for Valentine’s Day after officials from the city council warned that it could lose its licence over the name of the event – ‘Bag a Slag’. The Old Angel Inn in Hockley, Nottingham used a poster with the slogan ‘Bag a slag, grab a hag’ to promote the event, and also offered free shots to women to encourage them to come along. The city council’s licensing department said the landlord had breached a part of the pub’s licence, which states it must not use inappropriate promotions, and its licence could be taken away. A spokesman for the council said the event could bring the city into disrepute, and that the pub eventually “saw sense”. The Old Angel is owned by The Old Angel Pub Co Ltd, whose directors are Ari Eckstein and Edward Schwab, partners in the commercial property consultancy Landswood de Coy.