Freehold pubs selling for an average 6.5x Ebitda: Single site freehold pubs are selling for an average of 6.5x site Ebitda, Simon Chaplin, of agent Christie + Co, has told the Propel Multi Club Conference. Sales are, however, currently ranging between 4 and 9x Ebitda compared to a range of 6 to 11x Ebitda at the peak of the market in 2006. Leasehold pubs are selling for between nil premium and 2.5x Ebitda, compared to 1.4 to 4x Ebitda at the peak in 2006. However, the market in 2014 is showing increased activity compared to 2013 with a 16% rise in like-for-like sales numbers. Sales results show wide ranging at the extremes of the market, said Chaplin. The Jamaica Inn on Bodmin Moor sold for more than £2m to private buyer Allen Jackson having been on the market for six weeks. At the other end of the market, The Excelsior in Sunderland, up for sale for five years and originally priced at £185,000, sold in March this year for £25,000 after five parties submitted best and final offers. This year, more than 70% of sites being sold by Christie + Co are remaining pubs, up from 67% last year. Only 6% of pubs being sold are converted to retail use, with 5% becoming restaurants. The number of tenanted and leased pubs has declined from 30,800 in 2007 to 21,000 now. Meanwhile, freehouses have increased in number from 17,700 in 2007 to 19,500 now. The number of managed pubs has increased from 9,000 in 2007 to 9,300 now. Total UK pub stock stands at 49,800, down from 57,500 in 2007.

Jacques Borel – I’ve now met with 64 MPs over a sector VAT cut: Jacques Borel, the leader of the campaign to cut VAT from 20% to 5% within the sector, has told the Propel Multi Club Conference that he has now met with 64 MPs – and 63 of them are supportive of a reduction. His campaign has contacted a total of 325 MPs so far. He told the Propel conference: “I have another 16 appointments with MPs arranged for the rest of July before the summer recess and will have seen 100 MPs by the end of this year. Is a cut in VAT winnable for the sector? Of course – inevitable in fact. The pub business is dead unless it receives a considerable shot in the arm – and that shot in the arm can only come from a VAT cut. This shot in the arm is an absolute necessity. It’s absolutely intolerable that different people – supermarkets – are taxed in different ways.” Borel told the conference he expects three more large companies will join the campaign over the summer. He reported that 15 large members of the Independent Family Brewers of Britain plus Fuller’s have renewed their membership of his campaign after three-year collective membership. 

Mecca bingo boss – our duty cut is worth £30,000 a day in extra profit: Mecca Bingo managing director Mark Jones, who is also chairman of the Bingo Association, has told the Propel Multi Club Conference, that the cut in bingo duty from 20% to 10% in the last Budget is worth £30,000 a day in extra profit to his business – £10m a year. Jones said the cut had come after the industry’s major players had committed £1m to the campaign – and become political by lobbying individual MPs. He said: “We spoke to individual MPs up and down the country and committed to reinvesting in our businesses – online bingo was taxed at nothing. The duty cut is worth £30,000-a-day in increased profit and it started yesterday.” On the hospitality sector campaign to reduce VAT, he said: “You’ve got to herd the cats of the industry into a single vision. This is the time when politicians are their most vulnerable and political candidates at their most open-minded. You are in a vital ten to 11 month period.” The bingo industry had campaigned for a cut in duty to 15% – and received a cut to 10%.

Chancellor reminded of job creation potential of VAT cut: The alcohol policy commentator and CPL Training director Paul Chase has reminded Chancellor George Osborne of the job creation potential of a VAT cut for the hospitality sector. Chase told Propel: “I attended a meeting of the Wirral Chamber of Commerce last Thursday in West Kirkby, at which George Osborne was the guest. He made a short speech and then we got the opportunity to ask questions. I thanked him, on behalf of the sector, for the beer duty cuts two years running and for abolishing the alcohol duty escalator. I commented that it was not every Chancellor who had a beer named after him, to which he commented: “That’s true!” Then I put it to him that our sector generated one in five of all new jobs and 50% of those for people aged under 25. I said that only a few years ago that was one in three of all new jobs – and could be again if only we could have an even playing field with the supermarkets in respect of VAT – so how about a cut? He said he was aware of the “hospitality industry’s” campaign for a cut in VAT, but couldn’t make any such promise, and then he listed the things he had done for the ‘Great British Pub’. A predictable answer perhaps, but what was interesting to me was that he registered the “hospitality industry” campaign.”

More than 70 businesses vied for 12 new sites at Stansted: More than 70 businesses vied to occupy the 12 new restaurant and cafe slots at Stansted airport, created as part of a £70m revamp. The successful brands include James Martin Kitchen – The Saturday Kitchen TV chef’s outlet will be a premium bakery serving fresh farm ingredients. Other openings will come from Itsu, Harris + Hoole, Giraffe, champagne bar Halo, Coast to Coast, making its airport debut, Pret A Manger, Starbucks and Burger King. As part of the project, JD Wetherspoon’s ten-year-old Windmill pub is relocating to a new space with an innovative design, representing a £2.4m investment by the pub chain. The new Burger King will open for business later this year and all remaining cafes, bars and restaurants in spring 2015.

New York restaurants set to be forced upstairs by booming rents: A leading hospitality entrepreneur has argued that New York restaurants are likely to be forced upstairs or into more obscure neighbourhoods by booming rents, which have already forced Danny Meyer’s Union Square to give up its 30-year lease. John Meadow, founder of LDV Hospitality Group, said it is increasingly difficult for restaurants to keep up. He added: “The markets go up and down, and the reality is, the market is what someone is willing to pay. But right now, restaurants are getting priced out. They can’t compete with other industries.” He predicts that the city will soon start seeing second-floor restaurants, and restaurants in smaller spaces in more obscure neighbourhoods, as well as the continued boom of food trucks. He said that although LDV has opened ten restaurants in New York, the company is looking elsewhere in Atlanta and Miami because “the price the New York market will bear is not suitable for a responsible restaurant operator”.

Wimbledon pubs and bars enjoy 48% turnover boost: Spending in the pubs and bars in the Wimbledon area increases by 48% during the tennis tournament compared with the previous fortnight, according to a new study. Payment processing firm Worldpay calculated the figures using the average value and volume of transactions during the 2013 Championships. Taking into account the five surrounding London postcodes, the study also found that restaurants receive 21% more orders on weekdays during Wimbledon. Total spend across the retail and hospitality sectors is estimated to rise by as much as 13%. Dave Hobday, managing director of Worldpay UK, said: “It’s game, set and match for local pubs and bars, which are set to see the biggest financial impact from the tournament as average spend ups by almost 50%.”

Coaching inn operator reports Ebitda nears £2m this year: Seven-strong coaching inn operator Bulldog Hotel Group, led by Kevin Charity, has told the Propel Multi Club Conference that site Ebitda across its seven sites will hit £1,860,000 this year on turnover of £9.7m. Pre-tax profit is set to rise to £751,000, up from £288,000 in 2013. The Ebitda jump comes six years after the company decided to exit the wet-led pub market – it operated 25 pubs at the time – and investment schemes in key sites. Bulldog, which has had 21 consecutive months of like-for-like sales growth and saw June like-for-likes up by 15%, now has 232 bedrooms across its seven sites, six ballrooms and 17 meeting rooms. The evolution of the company means that 40% of turnover now comes from food, accommodation produces 32% of turnover and wet sales account for 28%, producing overall GP of 80%. Three of the seven sites now have a coffee shop and patisserie offer, which has expanded day-part trading with one site selling circa 400 coffees before midday. The company, via a third party, plants a tree for every bedroom it sells through a scheme called Treesleep – more than 100,000 trees have been planted so far. Bulldog aims to offer four star hotel service for three star hotel prices – its White Hart Royal in Moreton in the Marsh, Gloucestershire, for example, is ranked third overall of all hotels in the Cotswolds on TripAdvisor and the highest three star hotel.

La Tasca turnaround gains momentum: The turnaround in the performance of La Tasca under chief executive Simon Wilkinson and his management team, who arrived at the business in March 2011, is gaining momentum. Wilkinson told the Propel Multi Club Conference that La Tasca had seen several years of double-digit sales declines when he had arrived – and there were 81 written complaints from customers the week he arrived. The company employed 56 nationalities across its restaurants, with the service manual requiring them to complete 72 steps of service. This has been reduced to four steps of service and a menu of 85% frozen food in March 2011 had been replaced by 85% fresh food by March 2013. La Tasca’s head office has become a support office with £1.4m of cost taken out. Teamship rules have been introduced, involving area managers required to talk to every member of staff and taste the food on every site visit. Wilkinson said the company had moved to create an “obsession with the operation and the guest”. Staff turnover has moved from more than 150% per annum plus in 2011 to circa 5% this year. The overall TripAdvisor score for the company has moved from 3.77 in April 2013 to 4.14 in April this year. The company is opening its first Rioja bar at its Leadenhall site this week.

Nando’s sites run out off chicken as customer rush to beat loyalty card deadline: Nando’s sites ran out of chicken last week as customers rushed to beat the end of June deadline to use points accrued on paper loyalty card. Demand also increased after the introduction of Online Takeaway. The company introduced a new plastic loyalty card at the start of July – and customers are not allowed to transfer credit. Sites in Wimbledon and Leicester reported selling out of chicken completely. A spokesperson for Nando’s said: “The launch of Online Takeaway has been incredibly popular, and with many customers also wanting to use their final remaining ‘chillies’ on their old paper loyalty cards, unfortunately some restaurants ran out of certain options for a short period of time. We would like to apologise to those customers who couldn’t get their preferred meal.”

Alex Reilley – we’ve saved £2m plus since we took building in-house in 2009: Lounger founder Alex Reilley has reported that the company has saved more than £2m since it took new site building in-house. He told the Arena lunch: “We adopted a very unique approach to how we developed sites from a construction point-of-view. With the decimation of the building trade (in 2009) we saw the opportunity to take more direct control of developing sites and we directly employed an ex-site agent to manage our builds. He, in effect, replaced a main contractor and this, in turn, saved the business circa 30% in construction costs. Not only did this mean our money went further and that our return on investment was a lot more aggressive, but we actually got a better finished product as we controlled the whole process. We have continued and developed this approach and we now directly employ circa 20 builders who make up three build teams. Since 2009, this unconventional structure has easily saved us in excess of £2m in capital expenditure.”

Tragus Group hires Cushman Wakefield to find 20 Bella Italia sites a year: Tragus Group, led by Steve Richards, has hired agent Cushman Wakefield to find 20 sites a year in town centres and on leisure parks as it looks to add an extra 100 sites over the next five years. The company, which had CVA proposals accepted by landlords last month, plans to evolve the brand into all-day Italian cafes. Thomas Rose, head of leisure and restaurants at Cushman Wakefield, said: “Bella Italia is extremely well-positioned to execute an accelerated growth strategy. The refurbishment and new-build restaurants have certainly reinvigorated the brand in the eyes of the public.”

Starbucks franchisee opens first outlet in Wales: Starbucks is opening a coffee shop in a former fish and chip restaurant in Aberystwyth, West Wales in September. The store, in the former Dolphin fish and chip shop in Upper Great Darkgate Street, will be the first in Wales to be opened by Starbucks franchisee Café Fortune. The announcement was welcomed by Aberystwyth mayor Brenda Haines, who said: “Perhaps a lot of people will be anti-Starbucks, but I think anybody bringing in 20 jobs and taking over an empty shop is a good thing.” However, an online anti-Starbucks Facebook page set up by activists in the town has received more than 900 “likes” in a week. One of the campaigners, Matthew Jones, told the local newspaper: “We have decided to run a campaign of positivity on the page, by highlighting the benefits of not having a Starbucks, and the wide range of high standard coffee places already in Aberystwyth.”

Harry Ramsden’s sees 10.4% increase in like-for-like sales in Q2: The fish and chip shop chain Harry Ramsden’s saw like-for-like sales rise 10.4% for the second quarter to 29 June, parent company Boparan Ventures (BVI) has reported. BVI said Ramsden’s sister operation, the London-based FishWorks restaurant chain, also continue to improve, with 3.8% growth, despite strong year-on-year comparators. BVI itself saw like-for-like sales for the quarter rise 7.1%. Joe Teixeira, chief executive of Harry Ramsden’s and FishWorks, said: “We are delighted with increasing customer engagement in our brands, as loyal regulars and new customers allow us to keep driving growth. Our confidence in the business is underlined by the £2m recently invested in a refurbishment programme at Harry Ramsden’s seaside resort properties in Blackpool, Great Yarmouth and Eastbourne, all of which re-opened in late June, in preparation for the summer season. We will continue to invest in both our product offering and our people.”

Greene King ‘remains very committed to Scotland’: Whichever way the Scottish independence referendum goes, Greene King remains committed to Scotland, the company’s chief executive, Rooney Anand, has told a Scottish newspaper. He told the Glasgow Herald: “Scotland is important to us. We leave it to the people to decide, but whichever way the vote goes, we remain very committed to Scotland.” Greene King, which has around 250 pubs in Scotland, and also owns the Belhaven brewery in Dunbar, expects to open new outlets in the country this year. It has been pleased with the response to a range of new beers it has started producing in Dunbar, including Belhaven Black stout. Asked if Belhaven might put investment on hold until the outcome and implications of the referendum were clear, Anand said: “You can’t put a business on hold, because it goes backward if you do that. We’re opening pubs, we’re launching beer brands, we are investing in our infrastructure, we’re hiring people. We don’t know if independence were to happen what that might mean in terms of doing business. Assuming no material change in the way in which one would do business, we would be committed to the Scottish market.” Anand said sales increased in Scotland in the first eight weeks of the new financial year, without giving details. Like-for-like sales in managed pubs in Scotland increased by 3% in the 53 weeks to 4 May. Greene King said it was pleased with the performance of the first Farmhouse Inn it opened in Scotland, at Linwood in November, and a new Hungry Horse at Clydebank.

Fuller’s to invest £5m in brewery: London brewer and retailer Fuller, Smith and Turner is to invest £5m in its Chiswick brewery this summer to double capacity, The Times has reported. The company expects to be exporting one in four pints it produces by the end of the year. Chief executive Simon Emeny undertook a review of the company’s brewing business when he took over last year. He told the newspaper: “I already knew the beer company was the heart and soul of the business. In many ways it defines what we do and makes us the special company we are. But I had to make sure we weren’t doing it for the wrong reasons and we had a growth plan.”

Digby Trout Restaurants reports losses: Digby Trout Restaurants, which operates restaurants in circa 30 museums, art galleries and department stores, has reported losses in the UK in the year to 30 September 2013. Turnover dropped to £12,620,221 compared to £13,244,860 the year before. A pre-tax profit of £331,074 in 2012 fell away to a £162,163 loss in 2013. The company is a division of Elior UK, which is itself part of the French contract caterer Elior. Founder of the business Digby Trout sold the company to Elior in 2002. 

Wetherspoon lines up sites in Felixstowe and Teignmouth: JD Wetherspoon has bought sites in Teignmouth, Devon (population 15,013) and Felixstowe, Suffolk (population 23,564) with a view to converting them into new pubs. In Teignmouth, the company plans to spend £1.6m converting the former Tiggs clothing store in Station Road. A pre-planning application to Teignbridge Council has been submitted, and Wetherspoon spokesman Eddie Gershon said: “We are pleased to have been completed on the former Tiggs unit site. We have submitted a pre-planning application to the council and are awaiting comments on the scheme. We would be looking to create 45 jobs, a mixture of full and part-time posts.” In Felixstowe, where Wetherspoon has been searching for a suitable site for some time, it has now bought the old Central Surgery GP practice premises in Hamilton Road, which have been empty and boarded up since the surgery moved to the new Grove Medical Centre on the edge of the town a few months ago. Wetherspoon bought the site, the gateway to Felixstowe town centre and opposite the Orwell Hotel, for around £375,000 and has now submitted proposals to Suffolk Coastal Council to demolish the surgery buildings and replace them with a two-storey pub. The company said the development would create ten full-time and ten part-time jobs. It said the design of the building had been “very carefully managed” to make the best use of the 17,653 sq ft site and to provide the smallest building needed for the throughput of clientele expected. Its application to the council said: “The proposal presents an opportunity to bring a viable, sustainable use to this currently under-used building.” Wetherspoon will be applying for opening times of 7am to 12.30am on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Sundays, and 7am to 1.30am on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

Cosmo world buffet chain opens fourth Yorkshire site in just over a year: The Cosmo world buffet chain has opened its fourth site in Yorkshire in just over a year, a £1m site in York. The new site in Bridge Street has created around 70 jobs and has 248 covers. The restaurant group operates 15 sites across the UK, including Aberdeen, Swansea and Belfast, as well as Leeds, Doncaster and Sheffield, with more restaurants due to open this year, including one in Nottingham. James Brion, creative director of Cosmo Restaurant Group, said: “We have been looking forward to opening a restaurant in York for some time and, judging by the number of people we have had through our doors, the city is already living up to all of our expectations.”

Marco Pierre White in negotiations on two more Midlands openings: Celebrity chef Marco Pierre White plans to open two more restaurants in the Midlands, bringing his total to four, the Birmingham Sunday Mercury has revealed. The restaurateur operates Marco Pierre White Steakhouse Bar and Grill at the top of Birmingham’s Cube complex, and next month opens an Italian restaurant in Stratford-upon-Avon. But talks are underway with another two venues in the region, with a view to expanding the franchise. Details of the new ventures are being kept secret, but a spokesman for White confirmed: “Marco’s New York Italian is due to open in Stratford-upon-Avon next month and we are currently having detailed discussions with another two venues in the Midlands to open MPW franchises. It’s a very exciting time for our company to be investing in the vibrant West Midlands region.”

Luminar opens Jongleurs in Brighton: Luminar has opened a Jongleurs comedy club at its Pryzm site in Brighton. Marios Lourides, of Jongleurs, said: “We’ve always had a great following on the south coast and it’s fantastic to be coming to Brighton. The association with Luminar has been perfect for us; we are using space that is ideal for a comedy venue and our guests will be able to enjoy a total night out, from a great evening of entertainment and drink to dancing the night away in Pryzm until the early hours.” The comedy club opens every Friday from 7pm until 10:30pm and will be adding extra shows in the near future including open mike nights, tour shows, student shows and urban comedy shows.

Critically acclaimed restaurant in Birmingham’s Chinatown for sale: Shanghai Shanghai, rated by many as the best Chinese restaurant in Birmingham, is for sale with agent Christie + Co. The site offers circa 3,000 square feet and can accommodate over 140 people. The present owners have refurbished the business to a high standard. Paul Reilly, of Christie + Co, said: “It is rare to find a business like this for sale in the Chinese Quarter and we expect plenty of interest with an ever-increasing, multicultural population coming to the second city to study and work.” Christie + Co is seeking £150,000 for the leasehold interest.

Pizza Hut invests £400,000 in Bluewater flagship: Pizza Hut has reopened a flagship store following a £400,000 makeover, creating 15 jobs. The new outlet at Bluewater is the first to launch in the county under new designs. Pizza Hut managing director Jens Hofma said: “Bluewater is Europe’s leading retail and shopping destination, so this is a hugely important site for us. It attracts over 28 million shoppers every year, so we’re extremely excited to be offering our guests here the ultimate Pizza Hut experience.” The investment in Bluewater is part of a broader £60m refurbishment and restructuring programme paid for by private equity group Rutland Partners.

Guinness scraps Arthur’s Day in favour of music gigs in hundreds of pubs: Guinness has scrapped its controversial “Arthur’s Day” promotion in Ireland after five years in favour of a new music promotion that will see live events take place in hundreds of pubs across Ireland. The annual Arthur’s Day, celebrating stout, which started in 2009, was tied in with music gigs around the country but had become contentious because of allegations that it encouraged over-drinking, drawing particular criticism last year, when the singer Christy Moore wrote a song deriding the event. Now the brewer has replaced Arthur’s Day with Guinness Amplify, a new programme aimed at supporting emerging musical talent, which will also be introduced in Asia and the Caribbean. Lisa Fitzsimons, marketing manager at Guinness, said the move was simply designed to freshen up the company’s ongoing involvement with the music industry and that questions surrounding Arthur’s Day played no part. “We felt that after five years [of Arthur’s Day] it needed a refresh,” she said. The Guinness Amplify promotion will offer emerging artists the chance to perform live, to share a stage with well-known acts and to benefit from workshops and studio time. The live events will take place in hundreds of pubs, rotating to different parts of the country over five weekends, beginning in September. Sixty days of free studio time will be offered to musicians, chosen by an expert panel, to record or rehearse, in studios located around Ireland.

Star Pubs spends £750,000 rebuilding ‘eyesore’ pub: Star Pubs & Bars is spending £750,000 repairing and refurbishing what the local paper called “one of Penzance’s long-time eyesores”. The historic Star Inn on Market Jew Street in Penzance has been closed since September last year, while Star Pubs & Bars planned its revamp and sought the necessary approvals from the local council for the listed building’s restoration and transformation. Problems with the gable wall at the pub have required extensive structural work to prevent it collapsing. The project will completely refurbish the Star inside and out, including installing new toilets and a new kitchen. Chris Jowsey, Star Pubs & Bars’ trading director, said the project would transform the Star, restoring it to a traditional pub serving the whole community. He said: “It’s great to be able to start work on this investment, which has required months of planning. We’d like to thank neighbouring businesses and residents for their patience during the pub’s closure and apologise for any inconvenience caused by works to make safe the Star’s structural problems. We hope they find the changes worth the wait.” It is estimated that the work will take four to five months to complete, with the Star scheduled to reopen in November.

Arc Inspirations invests £1m in third Pit, plan fourth: Arc Inspirations, the highly profitable Yorkshire bar and restaurant operator led by Martin Wolstencroft, has invested £1m in its third The Pit opening, this time located in Harrogate. The company, which now operates 11 bars and restaurants, will open its fourth The Pit in August within its Trio Bar in Headingley, Leeds. The Pit Harrogate is partly buried within the newly reconstructed Harrogate House on The Ginnel, off the main thoroughfare of Parliament Street. The main bar, created from sheared concrete, and dining area, is situated below street level and the space also includes two exclusive private dining rooms, one complete with its own bar. The Pit’s food offer reflects the traditional American way of cooking: dig pit, light fire, cook meat and is overseen by executive chef John Richold. Wolstencroft said: “We are really pleased with our customers’ reaction to the design, our range of drinks and menu. We wanted an architecturally stimulating design that contrasts with the heritage of the Victorian architecture of Harrogate, and The Pit provides a unique backdrop for our discerning Harrogate customers. We have combined our expertise of running a quality location in Harrogate with our experience of managing other Pit sites in Leeds. We look forward to opening our fourth Pit, within Trio in August.” The Pit provides seating capacity for 170 customers. The first floor includes The White Room, a private dining room complete with windows overlooking The Ginnel and an intimate balcony area leading from a public area where table tennis tables and a football table are located.

Hook Norton wins marketing award: Hook Norton Brewery was won the marketing excellence award at the Oxfordshire Business Awards 2014. It was given to the brewery for its brand development and the campaign for the newly launched beer, Lion. It is brewed using only English ingredients, with a blend of four malts and four hops, and has been popular through every area of distribution. Hook Norton managing director (commercial) Adrian Staley said: “The Oxfordshire Business Awards is one of the highlights of the business calendar in the area and we were delighted to win the Marketing Excellence Award, particularly this year as the event celebrated its 20th Anniversary.”

Morrisons to roll out new in-store cafe concept: Morrisons has launched a new cafe concept at its Crawley, West Sussex site, which will be built into all new stores from September and fitted into a number of other existing ones as well. The supermarket chain says it is investing in its cafes as it attempts to engage the 10.7 million customers who shop in its stores but do not currently use the cafe. It says the format produced a footfall increase of 40% within the first week when it was installed in its Ripon store. As well as a redesign involving more modern decor, free Wi-Fi and a patisserie-style counter, the cafes have also seen an overhaul of the offer. More low-calories meal options have been added and more of the fresh ingredients used will come from Morrisons’ own Market Street range. Free coffee refills are also available, and the seating is now moveable to allow buggies and wheelchairs to be wheeled up to tables. Darren Smith, Morrisons’ cafe customer planner, said: “The way customers use cafes has changed and we have responded to that. Today’s discerning shoppers want free Wi-Fi, healthy meal options and an environment where they feel comfortable alone or with friends or family. The new concept builds on the formidable reputation our cafes already enjoy.”