Jamie’s Italian reports pre-tax profit of £5,603,711: Jamie’s Italian, which celebrates its fifth anniversary this year, has filed Companies House accounts for the year to 5 January 2014 that provide more detail on the company’s performance. The company reported pre-tax profit dropped to £5,603,711 compared to £7,763,224 the year before. Turnover rose 8.5% to £101,814,477 compared to £93,869,992 the year prior. Ebitda declined 9.6% to £12m because of investment in its international division and the roll-out of its Gold Club customer rewards scheme. The company stated: “We are delighted that the investment in both these areas is already evident during 2014 through a highly engaged Gold Club audience visiting more and more frequently and an increasingly strengthening international operation and pipeline.” The company reported a £22m revolving credit facility and £2m overdraft with the HSBC was increased to £27m in January and extended by a further three years. The company added: “While the market remains incredibly competitive and the economy still fragile, the directors are confident that as a result of the world class product offered by Jamie’s Italian and Jamie’s Trattoria, which is differentiated by passionate, knowledgeable staff and the freshest of ingredients, ethically sourced, the business will continue to thrive into the future.” The accounts show £2,352,875 of turnover coming from outside of the UK – £99,461,204 of turnover was generated within the UK. The company employs 2,531 staff. The company reported it beat 20 other high street brands in a survey by the Soil Association of children’s meals in terms of nutritional quality and provenance. It was the only brand in the survey that could reliably tell secret diners where their meat came from. The company quoted the Soil Association, which stated: “Jamie’s Italian is streets ahead of the rest of the pack when it comes to serving fresh food you can trust.”

Sunday Telegraph – ‘business rates in chaos’: The Sunday Telegraph has reported on the chaotic state of UK business rates, with the government expecting to pay back £4.2bn to businesses that appeal against their bill. Businesses have appealed the rates bill for one in three commercial premises in the UK. The British Property Foundation said the number of appeals is “indicative of how business rates are crippling small businesses”. Since 2010, there have been 590,850 appeals on business rates out of a total of 1.8m commercial properties in the UK eligible to pay business rates. In July, Star Pubs & Bars called for better resourcing of the Valuation Office Agency and a simplification of the business rates appeal process when changes come into force in October as analysis of 500 of its appeals revealed the average time taken to settle an appeal is two years two months and the maximum to be four years. 16% of Star Pubs & Bars appeals delays were compounded by postponement and rescheduling of appeals by the Valuation Office. Star Pubs & Bars believes delays could be worse for other licensees as it was one of the first to review its pubs ratings assessments when the Rating List came out in April 2010 and therefore has only 1% of its original appeals outstanding, whereas some operators still have 25% unresolved. 

Leisure bosses – ‘shorter summer holidays are a threat to tourism’: A group of 28 bosses of UK tourist attractions have co-signed a letter to The Sunday Telegraph calling for a re-think of the Deregulation Bill, in its final stage in the House of Lords. The group claims the Bill will allow schools to shorten the six-week school summer holiday break which will threaten economically marginal tourism businesses. The letter stated: “The tourism industry relies on the summer months for its success. We call on the government to engage with the tourism industry, consult and properly assess the impact of this ill-conceived legislation.”

Mintel forecasts US craft beer sales could double in the next five years: Sales of craft and craft-style beer are likely hit the $20.4 billion mark in the US this year, according to a new report from market research firm Mintel. Of the $20.4 billion in craft sales, Mintel believes more than 84% ($17.2 billion) will come from Brewers Association-defined craft brewers. Mintel had originally forecasted that craft beer sales could exceed $18 billion by 2017, but now believes that figure could actually double in the next five years. Citing consistent year-over-year growth trends, an improving economy, product innovation and an engaged consumer base, the firm said that combined sales of craft and craft-style beer could surpass $36 billion in 2019. According to the report, 70% of 24 to 34 year-olds surveyed said the brand of beer “says a lot about you”. “Craft beer is not only a beverage choice, it appears to be a lifestyle choice,” said Mintel’s food and drink analyst Beth Bloom. The Mintel report found household income to be the “strongest determiner” of a craft beer purchase. One third of respondents from households earning more than $150,000 annually drink craft products while just 11% of those earning less than $25,000 do so. “Keeping affordable offerings available will be important to engaging a wider consumer base,” the report stated. “Where this is not possible, presenting offerings as an occasional worthwhile indulgence should be considered.” 

Canadian coffee and donut behemoth Tim Hortons offers second coffee type: Canadian coffee and donut chain Tim Hortons, which has offered only one coffee blend in its 50-year history, hopes to lure new coffee drinkers and fend off rivals such as Starbucks and McDonald’s with the launch throughout North America of a second coffee type, a new dark roast blend, after a successful trial. Tim Hortons, which has 3,588 sites in Canada and 859 in the US, may also increase prices to tackle rising costs. “Looking at the coffee market, I would suggest that, given the degree of cost increases, that we are looking at prices going up sometime in 2015,” Tim Hortons chief executive Marc Caira said. Tim Hortons, which says it serves nearly eight out of every ten cups of coffee sold in Canada, outlined a plan in February to kick-start growth and improve returns by fine-tuning its menu to encourage more spending, improving service and opening new restaurant formats. “There’s about 38 to 40% of coffee drinkers that are looking for a darker roast,” said Caira. “Those are very intriguing numbers for us. If we weren’t pleased with the (initial) numbers, we wouldn’t be launching it.” 

The Independent – digital roulette, poker and blackjack games in pub offer vastly lower returns that casino equivalents: Thousands of roulette, poker and blackjack gambling machines in Britain’s pubs are offering vastly lower returns than their real-life casino and betting shop equivalents, The Independent has claimed. Fairer-gambling campaigners have warned that tens of thousands of gamblers are being “misled” into wagering their cash at terrible odds in pubs. The Independent claimed: “Roulette and blackjack are often favoured by gamblers because they offer a reasonably gamer-friendly “edge” – the term for the margin the casino or machine operator takes from each bet. However, digital gaming machines in pubs offer far inferior odds, sometimes up to ten times worse than in a casino. The so-called mathematical “edge” in roulette in favour of the house, when played correctly, is 2.7% over a long period of betting. This means that the house keeps £2.70 for every £100 in bets. Digital games seen by The Independent and operated by major high street pub chains work with margins of up to 24%, often with little hint to gamers that they are playing at such inferior odds. In cash terms this means the games-machine operator keeps £24 for every £100 in bets.” 

Wellington Pub Company reports 5% rent uplift on review: Wellington Pub Company, the UK’s largest free-of-tie pub company with an estate of 758 pubs, has reported that it has achieved an average 5% uplift on rent reviews undertaken in the year to 30 June. The company reported that in its first quarter of the 2014 to 2015 financial year, which ended on 30 June, the estate had dropped in size by one pub. It stated: “The disposal strategy remains to sell bottom end and/or problem properties and those that have a higher alternative use value. 665 pubs (85% of the estate) are let on a long lease. Seven properties were re-let on a long lease during the quarter and there were nine lease forfeitures. The estate is producing an annual income of £26.7 million, which is a 0.7% reduction from last year. The average level of rental uplift achieved at review in the year was 5.0%. Quarterly Bond interest of £2,608,782 (‘A’ Class loan notes – £2,047,680 ‘B’ Class loan notes – £561,102) was paid in April. The issuer surplus at that time was £1,049,640, which was paid to the issuer. ‘A’ Class loan notes to the value of £1,188,480 were repaid and ‘B’ Class loan notes to the value of £510,000. Following these payments the company retained circa £18 million of cash on deposit. The annualised Ebitda for the 12 months to the end of June 2014 was £18.1 million.” 

Marston’s wins approval for 13th Scottish site: Marston’s has won approval for its 13th new-build site in Scotland. It has sites now open and trading in six locations, a site in Dumfries due to open in September and five additional sites fully approved. Last Friday, the Glasgow Licensing Board approved plans for a 180-cover carvery pub restaurant in Darnley, just outside Glasgow in spite of local residential opposition. The development is planned to open in October 2015. Yesterday, chief executive Ralph Findlay claimed, in The Mail on Sunday, that Marston’s is unique in tapping into UK pension funds to secure funding. “We’ve raised £155m over the last 18 months in this way. It’s (debt) over 35 to 40 years, there are no covenants, no reporting, an average yield of 5.1% – they see it as very secure long-term funding and I don’t think anyone else is doing what we are doing.” 

Bill’s co-founder earns rave reviews with down-sized project Café Marmalade in Brighton: Two experienced sector executives who worked for many years at Bill’s, Louise Carter and Tania Webb, who co-founded the brand, have won rave reviews for their new project Café Marmalade in Brighton. Café Marmalade was opened just over a year ago on Brighton’s Eastern Road and has averaged 4.5 out of five on TripAdvisor – 24 of its 31 reviews rank it as excellent. Louise Carter spent eight years doing retail design, displays and events for Bill’s. Tania Webb co-founded Bill’s with her brother-in-law, Bill Collison. “Neither Lou or I wanted to travel the country working with Bill’s,” Webb said a year ago when she launched the project. “We both have kids and this is a lifestyle thing for us. Bill, Lou and I are all real foodies. So it isn’t about the fact we have copied or are trying to copy Bills – this is what our lives are like. We love food. We cook like this at home.” Webb had always wanted to open a little coffee shop that also does food. “When I lived in London there was this cafe I used to go to and there was a woman who used to cook every morning. It was tiny, and I always used to say that one day I wanted my own little cafe and that I’d like to do the cooking myself. I’d like to have a white shirt, white apron, and to be making people breakfast. No stress, nothing else. It’s never going to be a huge, dynamic restaurant. It’s a little coffee shop that does a little bit of food. We get real pleasure out of people saying, ‘I really liked that’, even if it is just a quiche and salad or a sandwich, pie or tart. We make it all in the morning then it sells out.”

JD Wetherspoon site confirmed in Helston, Cornwall: A site for JD Wetherspoon in Helston, at the northern of the Lizard Peninsula in Cornwall (population; 9,870) has been lined up. Oliver & Son, a home furnishing store on Coinagehall Street, has confirmed it is to close at the end of the year after 80 years trading in the town. A conditional sale has been signed with the company, although the opening of a branch in the town is still subject to planning and licensing consent.

New opening Paleo offer modern take of paleolithic diet: A new restaurant in Leamington Spa, Paleo, in Warwick Street, will offer a modern take on the paleolithic diet of cavemen ancestors who “lived off the land and ate fresh, seasonal and natural produce which encouraged energy and vitality”. Opening later this month, it will use ethically sourced meats from Coventry butcher Aubrey’s – which has won the National Catering Butcher Award three times. The venue boasts of only buying the top 10% of the best meat available. Restaurant owner Jayne Hateley said: “Our focus at Paleo is to strip back food to how it should be eaten using wholesome and natural ingredients. We’ve become accustomed to eating food, at home or when we’re out, that can often be the product of food science rather than nature and which our bodies are simply not designed to digest properly. By removing the unhealthy food influences that have crept into modern day living and changing preparation and cooking methods, our chefs have developed a menu of clean food choices that look and taste delicious without anyone necessarily being aware how good it is for them.”

Greene King’s Hungry Horse brand launches live sport season ticket: Greene King’s Hungry Horse brand has launched a season ticket for customers watching live sport at selected venues across the estate. Customers signing up are offered a free pint, the chance to win prizes in exclusive members competitions and 10% off selected drinks. The offer on the brand’s website states: “To celebrate the launch of the new season, we’re offering you the chance to join the Hungry Horse season ticket and receive great drinks deals whilst watching live sport with us. Fill out the registration form and collect your card. Shortly afterwards you’ll receive a voucher for a free pint via email.”

Nando’s rival Bird and Beast lines up second UK site for Manchester: Rotisserie chicken concept restaurant Bird and Beast is to open its second UK site in Manchester. Aiming to, in their words, “take a peck at a popular well-known chicken restaurant” the independent firm plans to open on Deansgate in early 2015. The Manchester branch will be the second in the UK, following the restaurant’s successful launch in Leeds earlier this year. Over £750,000 will be spent on the 4,000 square foot restaurant including a custom-made British rotisserie – which customers can view as they dine. The firm is also keen to tap into Manchester’s thriving bar scene by also opening a “sister lounge bar” named Bird and Beats alongside the new restaurant. The chickens themselves will come from Sykes House Farms, in the Yorkshire Wolds, and will be double-marinated overnight in the restaurant’s signature rub, steamed, then roasted over cherry wood chips and charcoal on a custom-made rotisserie spit. Bird and Beast’s co-director Jonathan Parkinson said: “Premium free-range rotisserie chicken will be our main ingredient and I believe that the simplicity of this new concept in a stylish, modern setting will be a winning formula with Manchester diners.” 

Spirit Pub Company to re-open site just over a year after it was destroyed by blaze: Spirit Pub Company will re-open its Hartford Mill site at Hartford Marina, Huntingdonshire, this Friday just over a year after it was destroyed by fire on 8 August last year. The Fayre and Square pub, at Hartford Marina, will reopen its doors after a £2.5 million rebuild. The inside has been updated to include a soft play area for under-12s, replacing the former function room which was the only part left standing after the blaze. New manager Paul Beales said: “It’s completely different inside now. The layout is more modern and it is much lighter. The kitchen has been redesigned and the toilets have been moved. There is nothing anywhere else in the Fayre and Square portfolio that is anything like this.”

Survey reveals high level of contentment at Cote: A survey of managers in the French brasserie group Cote has revealed that 81% of its top staff are either happy or extremely happy with their jobs and that the main reasons for this is the group’s ‘passion for good food’ and the chance to work with enthusiastic and energetic colleagues. The group surveyed over 40 of its senior management and what really stood out when they were asked ‘what do you love most about working at Cote?’ was their appreciation of Cote’s passion for delivering good food (68% of those asked used this response) and then in equal measure the chance to work with people who shared their passion and energy. Scott Williamson, head of recruitment for Cote, said: “Naturally, we are delighted with these results. There is a family ethos here at Cote and everyone who joins us has already bought into that philosophy. When we recruit, it is hugely important to us that a passion for good food is evident.”

Dorchester Collection appoints “director of global guest experience”: Luxury hotel company Dorchester Collection has promoted Ana Brant to director of global guest experience. Brant, who has worked at the Dorchester Collection since 2010 as director of organisational performance, will be responsible for ensuring that the guest and employee experience is aligned with Dorchester Collection’s brand promise of ‘iconic hotels in iconic places’. Brant’s previous roles include productivity manager for the New York Palace and director of quality and productivity at the Beverley Hills Hotel and Hotel Bel-Air. Eugenio Pirri, vice president of people and organisational development for the Dorchester Collection, said: “By Appointing Ana to this new role we are reinforcing our core strategy of looking at employee and guest experience as a single entity.” Brant added: “I am deeply honoured to have the opportunity to enliven the heritage of Dorchester Collection’s iconic hotels and ensure those precious memories bridge the generations of our loyal guests.”

£2m Red Hot World Buffet site in Leicester serves 25,000 people in first six weeks: The new £2m Red Hot World Buffet opened in Leicester has reported serving more than 25,000 people in its first six weeks. In this initial period, the venue has made 6,000 sushi rolls, which when stacked up on top of each other, would be twice as tall as Leicester Cathedral. The 400-seater venue, part of the Highcross Shopping Centre, cost £2 million to develop, making it the most expensive restaurant in the city. Offering cuisine from ten different countries, the venue has so far served over 1,000 pizzas, 600 litres of curry and 48 gallons of ice cream. “It’s been an incredible start for everyone involved with the venue,” said Mellissa Rynn, manager of Red Hot World Buffet Leicester. “The response from diners has been great and they have been impressed with the quality of the food at a price, which is great value for money. I have been especially happy with how much of a hit we have been with families. The first few weeks of the school summer holidays have been the busiest since we opened, and we predict this to continue right through until September.”

Agent offers Gordon Ramsay-rated restaurant for £1,695,000: Agent Christie + Co is offering the freehold of a well-known Southampton restaurant nominated by Gordon Ramsay’s ‘The F Word’ programme as one of the best eateries in the region for £1,695,000. Situated in Oxford Street, Southampton’s fashionable eating district, The Oxford Brasserie is a 100-cover restaurant that recently underwent major refurbishment. For the year ending December 2013, The Oxford Brasserie achieved net turnover of £640,000. Aside from the restaurant, which is situated on the ground floor of the three-storey property, there are also four apartments split over the second and third floor generating £33,000 in rental income per annum. Tim Widdows, of Christie + Co’s Winchester office, said: “The Oxford Brasserie is well-known in Southampton and the business is improving year-on-year due to its excellent reputation and prominent location. It serves high quality, modern cuisine and offers a great opportunity for either an owner operator or a private investor.”

BT Sport opens viewing crèche at Westfield Stratford: BT Sport is opening a viewing area in Westfield Stratford City, London. The BT Sport “Fan Crèche” will be open seven days a week, between 2pm and 10pm Monday to Friday and from 10am at weekends, allowing around 100 people at a time to sample – for free – the BT Sport line-up in a specially-created, interactive environment. Entry will be on a first come first served basis, with free refreshments available at selected times. The area is intended a rest or a distraction from ‘retail therapy’ at Westfield Stratford City. Those who gain entry to the area will be able to sample other BT products including superfast BT Infinity broadband, BT TV and make free calls.

Pub Minster praises successful community-run pub in York: Community pubs minister Kris Hopkins has praised the community-run Golden Ball in Bishophill, York as helping to revive the industry. He said: “Pubs aren’t just about drinking beer, it’s about the community, and if you walk into a pub you know straight away if it’s a nice place and has a good atmosphere.” About 180 investors raised more than £75,000 by investing £400 each to buy the pub – they receive an annual dividend of up to 5%. Robin Wooffitt, who is on the board of the Golden Ball’s co-operative, said: “The concern was that someone would come in and change the character, so we wanted to preserve its identity and subtly transform it so it would become an engine of community activity. We are a success story. We have massively improved our takings and increased the use of the pub by community groups.”

New north east pub group acquires first site: A new north east pub group, Four & 20, set up by Chris Armstrong and Lee Douglass, has acquired its first site, the Grade II listed The Blackbird at Ponteland. Chef Glen David Robson who has worked at restaurants around the world, has joined the team after working as head chef at Terry Laybourne-owned eaterie Café Vivo for over six years. The original staff of nine has been increased to 19. Armstrong said: “When it came on the market we moved fast and met with the owner and management. Other pub groups were interested, but we were incredibly enthusiastic about what we could do here. We feel we are bringing something new and refreshing to Ponteland through a mix of great food and beer, and superb wines.”

Spirit reports reduction in customer complaints after new software system deployment: Spirit Pub Company has reduced the number of customer complaints after extending use of its ServiceNow IT service management (ITSM) system across its estate. The UK pub chain first deployed ServiceNow within its IT department in 2010, with modules for incident, change and knowledge management. Following the success of this relatively “basic” use, Spirit rolled out the software as a service tool to its Guest Services division, building an incident management application to replace its manual handling of customer complaints. By allowing complaints to be dealt with more quickly, customer satisfaction levels have increased, said Simon Clarke, service delivery manager for IT at Spirit. “Sites are now having a reduced number of complaints, and it has allowed us to target the sites that are having the most and make sure that training is going there,” he told Computerworld UK. “By monitoring the complaints, and being able to trend those, we are able to see where they are most frequent across our brands, whether because of the slow service or cold food, or whatever the problem is.”

D&D Restaurants reveals details of Quaglino’s refurbishment: Refurbishment work underway at D&D Restaurants iconic Quaglino’s site in Bury Street, Mayfair, will see the restoration of the staircase, balcony bar, main restaurant and mezzanine private dining rooms. A new central cocktail bar and a stage for live music performances will also be added. According to a Quaglino’s spokesperson, the “Art deco touches will remain, with furniture and colour palettes alluding to the era Quaglino’s was first established.” The restaurant is due to re-open in October.

Developer Artisan opens Ainscow Hotel at former Brown Brothers brewery in Manchester: Developer Artisan has opened a four star boutique hotel in the former Browns Brewery site in Manchester. The Ainscow Hotel, on Trinity Way, stands at the gateway to Manchester city centre in the heart of Salford’s Chapel Street regeneration area. The 75-bedroom hotel includes a ground floor bar and third floor restaurant with terrace open to the public as well as hotel guests. The building was bought in 2006, but construction was delayed due to the recession, and work was able to begin in 2012.

Blackstone looks to sell Burger King portfolio: Blackstone Group is seeking a buyer for Heartland Food, the second-biggest owner of Burger King restaurants. The private equity firm is looking to unload the business, which it acquired through its GSO Capital Partners LP unit. Heartland, founded in 2003, owns about 330 Burger King locations in eight Midwest states. Based in Downers Grove, Illinois, the company has annual sales of more than $420 million, according to its website. While declining to discuss Heartland’s future plans, Burger King Worldwide Inc. (BKW) spokesman Miguel Piedra said the franchisee has been evaluating its business.

Historic Birmingham pub to open this weekend for the first time in 20 years: A historic Birmingham pub, just yards from Villa Park, is set to reopen for the bank holiday weekend after a major refurbishment. The 1904-built Grade II listed Aston Tavern has been restored and will open on 23 August, to coincide with Aston Villa’s first home match of the new football season. It has been derelict for more than 20 years and has been restored under a joint venture between the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) and the pub’s new owner and operator Chelle Property – run by entrepreneur Michelle Monaghan. Chelle Property had been sold the Aston Tavern in exchange for its existing pub The King Edward on Lichfield Road, which is set to be demolished to make way for a new industrial estate – the Aston Advanced Manufacturing Hub. The historic pub, in Aston Hall Road, has been fully restored and extended to create a restaurant, pub and bed and breakfast.

Three new restaurants planned for Landudno: The developer behind a £10 million Llandudno hotel transformation that will provide three new restaurants has promised the project will provide a “massive boost” to the town’s economy, North Wales News has reported. Opus North has been given the green light to redevelop the derelict Tudno Castle Hotel on the corner of Mostyn Broadway and Vaughan Street by Conwy Council planners. The scheme also involves the site’s transformation into a 63-bedroom Premier Inn and two retail units. A spokesman for the developer said: “The once-proud Tudno Castle Hotel has fallen into disrepair and has not been occupied for several years. The hotel’s listed façade, however, remains extremely impressive and will form an integral part of our development. We were absolutely delighted that Llandudno officers and councillors were so positive about our development. They took less than five minutes to approve our plans and there wasn’t a dissenting voice.” The 30,000 sq ft project, named Tudno Point, will link the town centre to the Parc Llandudno shopping area, creating 110 new jobs when it is completed by the end of 2015.

Newport music venue offers incentives to raise £10,000: A well-known Newport’s music venue, Le Pub, has started a campaign to raise the £10,000 to sound-proof the roof and has come up with a number of novel fundraising ideas such as the ability to dedicate a urinal or toilet cubicle. Le Pub opened in the city 22 years ago and since then has hosted bands ranging from Goldie Lookin’ Chain to British Sea Power, along with many up and coming local artists. Owner Samantha Dabb said: “We are extremely disappointed in finding ourselves in the position where we are having to crowd fund to ensure our venue stays open. But this is where we are at: Le Pub will not remain open unless we are able to soundproof the building and we need to raise £10,000 to do so.” Those contributing are offered incentives such as free entry to gigs for a year, a private party, Le Pub branded glasses and the chance to name your own cocktail which will go on sale.

iNTERTAIN seeks new investment to fuel growth: iNTERTAIN, the owner and operator of 32 bars trading principally under the Walkabout brand, has appointed advisors to help secure new investment in the business to finance its expansion plans. iNTERTAIN was formed in October 2009 to acquire the prime trading assets previously owned and operated by Regent Inns. Five years on, it is able to report excellent returns from its investment in the Walkabout brand and programme of refurbishments. The most recent Walkabouts to benefit – in Derby, Carlisle and Lincoln – have seen trade increase by an average of 52%. Chief executive John Leslie said: “The decision to seek new capital reflects the opportunity for significant growth. Our work done on the evolution of the Walkabout brand over the last 18 months has delivered exceptional returns. We have identified many development opportunities in the existing estate as well as expansion opportunities through new Walkabout sites. We believe this will generate considerable investment interest. Discussions are at a very early stage and there are many different options open to us now,” he added. While Walkabout forms the core of the iNTERTAIN portfolio, it also operates Jongleurs comedy clubs as well as individual bar concepts. “I am delighted that the business is now in a position where we can see real value in continuing to invest in the existing estate and the potential for further site acquisitions,” said Leslie. “Things never stand still for very long at iNTERTAIN and the whole team is looking forward to the next stage of our development.”