Colliers – foreign buyers are trawling West Country hotel market: Foreign buyers are trawling the West of England hotel market for new business opportunities in a search for value, according to hospitality sector experts at Colliers International. Hotels director Simon Wells said overseas investors and returning ex-pats were particularly active, targeting the region’s tourist hotspots. He said: “The hotel industry in the UK has always been diverse, not just in the businesses themselves but also their owners. The UK is regarded as a safe haven and while we have always had enquiries from all over the world, interest seems particularly keen at the moment.” Simon Wells has had enquiries in the last week from Thailand and India. He said: “I sold a hotel in Bath to Italians earlier this year and I have another Italian doing his due diligence on a hotel in the south west. Some buyers are returning UK nationals returning from stints in Brazil, the Middle East and even Australia. These buyers are pushing beyond the M25 in greater numbers in order to find a return on their investment. Tourism in the UK has been a key driver in the UK’s growth in the last two years, outperforming most other sectors. Revenue per available room is up in London but the regions are doing very well too. Banks are returning to the sector after years of closed doors and returns are attractive as the assets – the hotels themselves – are being bought off recession adjusted levels, so investment makes sense. Not only do new owners get the opportunity to operate a business in one of the country’s top visitor destinations – they also get to live there. This is fast becoming a major factor as property in tourist hotspots like Bath is particularly thin on the ground at the moment.”

Restaurants and bars saw surge in spending in August: The strongest annual increase in expenditure was recorded at hotels, restaurants and bars (up 9.2%) in August, followed by clothing and footwear retailers (up 5.2%), according to the Visa Europe Expenditure Index. Furthermore, food and drink retailers are currently experiencing their longest expenditure growth spell since the first half of 2010. Spending in food and drink categories also increased in the year (4%), and at the fastest rate since April’s near four-year high. Overall, the bounce back in spending on the high street helped UK consumer expenditure to continue to improve in August, with year-on-year growth recorded for the eleventh consecutive month. The Visa Europe UK Expenditure Index showed a 2% year-on-year increase in spending last month, and although that was an easing from July’s 2.6% growth, the rate was still one of the strongest recorded since spring 2010.

Bloomberg – Shake Shack set for £1bn IPO valuation: Shake Shack, the better burger chain started by restaurateur Danny Meyer that opened in Covent Garden last year, is preparing for an Initial Public Offering that could value it as high as $1 billion, Bloomberg has reported. At that level, Shake Shack would debut at 50 times projected earnings of about $20 million this year. The valuation would put it in line with other dining chains that have tapped into investor appetite for new stocks in recent years. El Pollo Loco Holdings, which raised $123 million in July, now trades at about 60 times projected 2014 earnings, while Potbelly trades at over 64 times estimated earnings. Shake Shack, which opened in New York’s Madison Square Park in 2004, has more than 50 locations worldwide – including in London, Dubai and Moscow. Its US sales were about $62.3 million last year, according to Technomic figures.

Draft House backs Tax Equality Day: Another high profile multi-site company, Draft House, has pledged its support to Tax Equality Day on Wednesday 24 September. It’s the second company backed by Luke Johnson to support the day after Laine Pub Company, the Brighton-based operator, signed up fortnight ago. Draft House founder Charlie McVeigh said: “It’s important to show solidarity – for young people without jobs, for communities losing their pubs. This tax discrepancy hits poor communities hardest and needs to go.” The day will see pub, restaurant and foodservice companies reducing their prices by 7.5% to show consumers the benefits of a reduced VAT rate in the sector. Jacques Borel said: “We are delighted to add Draft House to the growing list of operators who have decided to take part in our Tax Equality Day. It is still not too late for others to join in and make a difference on this crucial issue.”

Itsu eyes regional progress as it prepares to open in Brighton tomorrow: Itsu has identified Cambridge, Stansted Airport and Bristol as its next regional openings as it prepares to open its second site outside of London in Brighton tomorrow (Wednesday 10 September). The 112-seat Brighton shop introduces some new concepts to the brand, including a live action tea station. The new store also introduces Panda bento boxes for kids, which include Japanese rice, chargrilled chicken, edamame beans and teriyaki sauce. There is also a juice bar and a frozen yoghurt bar, where customers can choose to ‘go naked’ (no fruit) or opt for fresh strawberries or superseeds. The Brighton Itsu will also have an alcohol licence to sell Asahi beer, and it will be open until 10pm every evening and weekend. Itsu’s menu, which changes seasonally, includes protein-packed, low carbohydrate salads, low fat chicken noodle soups and hot brown rice ‘potsu’. Most of its main dishes are priced under £5. Speaking to Propel at the launch event last night, Metcalfe said he believes Brighton, which already houses two successful Pret A Manger stores, is a great fit for the brand. “If it can’t work in Brighton it can’t work anywhere,” he said. “We are going to take it slowly – we want to make sure Brighton goes well before we open in other cities. We’re hugely excited about the launch of Itsu Brighton. The city is a great trend leader in arts, culture and lifestyle, which fits strongly with our brand, and we’ve already had an enormously positive reception from people living and working in the city. There’s a huge amount of interest in healthy living and eating here but there’s nothing like Itsu available in the city. Our aim is to genuinely revolutionise the way Brighton eats.” Itsu first opened in Chelsea in 1997, and, Metcalfe said, the store is still a “roaring success”.

Wadworth to apply segmentation to its tenanted estate: Devizes-based brewer and pub retailer Wadworth is to apply a successful segmentation exercise to its tenanted estate. Five segments have been created within its 45 managed pubs each with its own defining features, customer profile and suggested food and drink offerings. The segments are Great Pub Great Food, High Street, Beer House, Community Local and Family Pub Dining. Within these segments, guidelines have been supplied on aspects of service and style, from menu design to coffee offerings and wine range. “This is a managed house initiative and implementation has already started,” said Wadworth trade marketing manger Emma Cottam. “However, we believe that it has also application in the tenanted side of our business, and we hope that as the project becomes established our tenanted pubs will choose to become a part of it. The Wadworth brand has power with the consumer as it is an acknowledged sign of quality. By opting to identify with one of our segments and taking on board the defining factors of that segment, our tenants could benefit from this brand awareness.”

Abokado hires head of coffee from Benugo: Abokado has boosted its management team to support its roll-out with the creation of a head of coffee. Ben Crosland, previously of Benugo, has been recruited into this position and has taken overall responsibility for coffee standards throughout the 22-store group. Founder Mark Lilley said: “We’ve made massive progress in our morning day-part over the past couple of years. Most of our new stores are delivering coffee and breakfast sales at more than 20% of total sales and this is growing. This hire underlines our commitment to embracing third wave coffee and extending our trading period outside of our frantic lunches.”

Costa Coffee unveils first new blend in almost 50 years: Costa Coffee has unveiled its first new blend in almost half a century – it has begun to offer customers a series of new roasts showcasing the flavours of different beans. The first of the limited edition coffees, all named after the street in Lambeth where Costa has roasted its beans for the last 43 years, is a 100% arabica blend of Colombian and Brazilian coffee called Old Paradise Street No.3. Costa’s Master of Coffee Gennaro Pelliccia, whose tongue is worth more than £10 million, has spent the last 18 months sampling hundreds of blends in his laboratory at the roasting plant to create the new roasts. He said: “We started off with a huge array of coffees on the table, from Indonesia, South Africa, washed and unwashed, lighter roasted and darker roasted. It looked a bit like Heston Blumenthal’s innovation table – everything was on there. For the No.3 we ended up with a predominantly Colombian blend and focused on its dark chocolate and peppery notes, which we hope customers will find interesting.”

Rock Salt Diner owners buy new site: The owners of renowned Plymouth restaurant Rock Salt diner have bought the closed-down former Sippers pub in the city. The Jenkins family paid an undisclosed sum for the Millbay Road building, which has been closed for about 18 months. They are starting extensive renovations with a plan to open the venue as a restaurant/cafe/bar next year, creating about 20 jobs. The family has yet to decide on a name for the new venture, or what sort of food it will be serving, but stress it will not replicate what they have done at Rock Salt, only a few minutes’ walk away in Stonehouse. Dave Jenkins, the chef who has overseen Rock Salt will oversee the kitchens at both restaurants. “We have purchased Sippers and within the next few weeks will start work,” said Jean Lightfoot, Dave’s step-mother and in charge of administration for the family-run business. “It’s pretty run down, we’ll revamp it, but won’t open it until next year.”

BrewKitchen to add Sheffield site: BrewKitchen, the partnership between Richard Smith and Thornbridge Brewery, is to open a new restaurant in Ecclesall Road, Sheffield. Richard Smith is going back into the kitchen to work alongside long-time friend and protegée Jack Baker. Smith & Baker is due to open on the site of Relish later this month. Said Smith: “It’s all about the ingredients and things cooked very simply. Buy today, cook today and sell today. Jack and I will have a chat and constantly evolve the menu. I’m only interested in delivering great service and simple good cooking.” The BrewKitchen portfolio also includes Graze, just down the road, and the Beauchief, where Baker will continue to oversee the restaurant alongside his role in the new venture. BrewKitchen also operates outside catering arm Larkspur Saint James, which caters for events from small, intimate dinners to weddings and music festivals.

Soft opening for Gordon Ramsay’s first Hong Kong site: Gordon Ramsay’s first site in Hong Kong, Bread Street kitchen, has launched with a soft opening. The venue is located in the Lan Kwai Fong area and has seating for 90 diners and another 30 at the bar. The interior mirrors the “lively warehouse feel” of the original London brasserie with a mix of vintage and modern decor. The restaurant will open properly on 18 September. The head chef of the Hong Kong venue is Gilles Bosquet, who has lengthy experience with the Gordon Ramsay Group in London and the Middle East, where he opened a restaurant in Doha and Opal by Gordon Ramsay at the St Regis Hotel. Ramsay said: “This is an exciting step, entering the amazing food culture of the Asian market with one of our successful London concepts. We’re drawn to Hong Kong, as the first place in the region to open, as it has a vibrant and welcoming dining scene with lots of food lovers and explorers looking for new food and drink experiences. I can’t wait to open the doors.”

Chicago Leisure marketing director steps down: Chicago Leisure marketing director Jae Hopkins has left the company after 18 months. Hopkins, who joined the company from Butlins, where she was head of communications, has joined Exodus Travels as its public relations and marketing manager. Last month, eight-string Chicago Leisure insisted it was business as usual at the company despite several approaches to its owner Sun Capital. A spokesman said at the time: “By nature, private equity investors buy, grow and sell companies. As such they are always working and monitoring the next steps for companies that they own. Following some expressions of interest in Chicago Leisure, we understand that Sun Capital is exploring a number of options in order to decide on the best way forward for the business. It is very much business as usual.”

Chinese Buffet to open ninth site in Blackpool: The Chinese Buffet brand will open its ninth site In Blackpool’s Church Street on a date yet to be revealed. The company’s other eight restaurants are in the North West, Yorkshire and Wales. It held a competition on Facebook this month following support of over 40,000 likes on its page which gave eight fans a £40 voucher in each of their other eight restaurants and a further £40 voucher to a nominated charity.

TV chef gets consent to convert a pub to homes: TV chef Colin McGurran, who runs Winteringham Fields and who has been a finalist on Great British Menu, has had his bid to turn an old village pub into houses passed by North Lincolnshire Council’s planning committee. He submitted a plan to demolish part of the Ferry Boat Inn, on High Burgage in Winteringham and turn it into three homes and four new dwellings with associated access. Elsewhere, McGurran is recruiting for around 20 positions at the Hope and Anchor pub in South Ferriby. He has started a £500,000 project to restore the venue, which was devastated by December’s tidal surge.

Tragus invests £800,000 in second Bella Italia site in York: Tragus Group, led by Steve Richards, has invested £800,000 opening a new generation Bella Italia off Stirling Road, Clifton Moor, York, next to Vue Cinema and close to the Flying Legends pub, Frankie & Benny’s, Harvester and Chiquitos. The Clifton Moor restaurant is part of Bella Italia’s on-going expansion and refurbishment project in the UK, which will see about 15 restaurants refurbished and another 20 new sites over the next year. The new site has the new generation “modern and bold Mediterranean colour scheme”. Jeremy Beasley, manager of the Clifton Moor Bella Italia, said: “We’ve already received fantastic feedback on our new look, and we fully expect the restaurant to go from strength-to-strength as people in York come to check us out. It’s the perfect location to catch up for a business breakfast, with friends after work, or for a meal out with the whole family.” The company has a Bella Italia site in Low Petergate, York.

Fuller’s eyes more bedrooms at Oxford site: Fuller’s is eyeing more bedrooms at Head of the River pub by Folly Bridge in Oxford. A planning application is yet to be submitted to Oxford City Council, but the company wants to convert existing space into more, less expensive, bedrooms. The pub currently has 12 ‘luxury’ bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms, which cost about £120 per room per night on a weekday and upwards of £180 on Fridays and Saturdays. A spokesman for Fullers said: “It’s all in the very early stages at the moment, the existing building and unused space we want to convert into extra bedrooms. Oxford is a good area for us and we’d like more bedrooms.”

Starbucks app averaging six million transactions a week in the US: The Starbucks app is on track to process over $1.5 billion in payment volume in the US in 2014. In the company’s second quarter it accounted for 15% of the transactions in US company-operated stores, averaging six million transactions per week. A report by BI Intelligence stated: “Customer loyalty to Starbucks plays a role: Starbucks stores are everywhere, coffee is purchased habitually, the app incentivises regular purchases through its rewards-loyalty program, and the app works on the majority of smartphones. The app’s success is not due to the ease of payment with a phone. So it has succeeded despite the fact that it is not more convenient than credit or debit cards or cash.” 

Brakspear applies to turn village pub into a post office, shop and tearooms: Henley-based Brakspear has applied to turn a village pub into a post office, shop and tearooms. The Four Horseshoes in Checkendon closed in October having had a number of tenants in recent years. Now pub company Brakspear, which owns the Grade II listed building, has submitted a change of use application to South Oxfordshire District Council. The pub would become The Checkendon Tea Rooms, run by Hannah Knight, a new business specialist, and Dee Biberian, a musician and landscape gardener. Brakspear chief executive Tom Davies said the application was prompted by conversations with residents about what they wanted. “The general feeling was the pub hadn’t been successful virtually in living memory and there were lot of other goods pubs in the area,” he said. “What they really wanted was a shop facility with a café and post office all rolled into one and we have found someone who wants to run it.” 

Burger King eyes site to be vacated by Burton in Rugby: An application for change of use for the current Burton men’s clothing store in Market Place, Rugby on behalf of Burger King has been made to the local authority. The menswear chain is one of several retailers leaving Rugby town centre for the soon-to-be revamped Elliott’s Field Retail Park on the edge of the town. Work is due to start later this month on the £35m redevelopment, with the scheme due to launch in time for Christmas 2015. Currently the nearest Burger King outlet to Rugby is in Coventry, 11 miles away.

Bats stop work on McDonald’s drive-through: Work has had to stop on building a new McDonald’s drive-through restaurant in Loughborough after a resident saw bats at the site. A spokesman for Charnwood Council told the local Echo newspaper: “The council’s ecologist has called the developers to tell them there is a possibility of bats. It is now up to them to find a licensed ecologist to investigate. No work can be carried out until they have done that.” All bats are protected by the Wildlife and Countryside Act. This makes it illegal to deliberately or recklessly kill, injure, capture or disturb bats, obstruct access to bat roosts or damage or destroy bat roosts, whether occupied or not. McDonald’s was given approval earlier this year to build a new drive-through restaurant on the site of the former Warwick Arms pub, off Warwick Way. The application was approved by officers using delegated powers, despite objection from local residents, which included a 70-signature petition. The restaurant was expecting to open in the autumn and create at least 65 new full and part-time jobs. It will be will be McDonald’s third in Loughborough, adding to its outlets in Shelthorpe and the town centre. 

Two iconic Dublin pubs come on the market: Two of the most iconic pubs Dublin, currently owned by Quinn International Property Management Limited, a division of the international Quinn group have been listed for sale. Agent CBRE has confirmed that they have been instructed to sell Quinn’s of Drumcondra and The Cat and Cage. Quinn’s of Drumcondra is synonymous with big match days at Croke Park and is an institution across the legion of GAA supporters who regularly flock to the area during the hurling and football championship seasons. The Cat and Cage occupies a prominent trading position on Drumcondra Road a busy main thoroughfare linking the city centre to Dublin International Airport and many other densely populated residential suburbs such as Santry and Swords.

William Grant reports phenomenal success of Hendrick’s gin: Scotch whisky company William Grant & Sons boosted operating profits by in excess of 10% in 2013, more than offsetting falls in the preceding two years, its latest account have shown. The family-owned company reported declared that its Glenfiddich brand continued to maintain its position as the world’s best-selling single-malt Scotch whisky. It added that The Balvenie single malt continued to grow rapidly in markets around the world. William Grant, meanwhile, highlighted a strong performance by its Hendrick’s gin, which is distilled at Girvan in Ayrshire, declaring that this brand had enjoyed “phenomenal success”. The distiller said its operating profits in 2013 were £138 million, up by 10.6% on 2012. William Grant had made operating profits of £132.4m in 2010, up 28% on the 2009 figure. Operating profits dipped to £126.3m in 2011, the year in which the distiller’s annual turnover topped £1 billion for the first time, and then to £124.8m in 2012. William Grant achieved turnover of £1.12bn last year, up by 5.2% on 2012. Yesterday, William Grant became the new owner of the Drambuie whisky liqueur brand. A family spokesperson for William Grant and Sons said: “We have always been secret admirers of Drambuie. We are very grateful to the MacKinnon family for entrusting the future of this iconic brand to our family, and we will do our best to make them proud in the decades ahead.”

Nando’s get planning consent to convert Chicago Rock site in Burton: Plans to turn a former Chicago Rock site in Burton into two restaurants, one of which will be a Nando’s, have moved a step closer. The building, in Middleway Park, will now be transformed into a Nando’s restaurant, with another food business yet to be confirmed, after plans were approved by East Staffordshire Borough Council. The building has been empty since Chicago Rock closed its doors in December 2010.

Cubana triples trading space with move to Leopold Street: London restaurant and Latin bar Cubana has moved into 5,800 square foot premises in Leopold Square. The tapas bar which serves up Spanish and South America cuisine, live music and dance classes has acquired a site formerly occupied by Platillos. Offering 120 covers, the property triples the capacity of its former Trippet Lane premises where it has operated since 2000, hosting regular visits by legendary Cuban outfit, Buena Vista Social Club. Owners Adrian Bagnoli and Brad Charlesworth and their team including head chef Fabian Cruz, have recreated the rustic style and authentic Cuban ambiance of their previous premises – and have plans to bring in some of the UK’s top Latino bands for special one-off events. Said Bagnoli, a well-known Sheffield entrepreneur who co-founded Sheffield’s Viva Salsa! night club in the mid-1990s: “The move to Leopold Square comes at a formative time in the business as we expand not just our square footage, but our offering – with the addition of a private function room, more DJ nights and dance classes.”

Marcus Wareing to open Covent Garden restaurant at the end of the month: Chef Marcus Wareing will open his new restaurant Tredwell’s, with 5,500 square foot of trading space, on Upper St Martin’s Lane in the Seven Dials area of Covent Garden on 25 September. The venue will offer an informal setting for diners to enjoy “British food with worldly influences”. For the first time, Wareing will take a back seat, making way for his team, led by group operations director Chantelle Nicholson, to take the reins of the new project. He said: “Tredwell’s marks the beginning of an exciting stage of growth. I am so proud of the team we have created, and with Chantelle at the helm I am able to step back and allow their skills and experience to drive the project forward, making a mark on the London dining scene. The future of our company is down to the team to create something for their future growth too.”

Tesco to re-open Gatwick site with Harris + Hoole plus fresh pizza counter: An extensive revamp of Tesco’s Gatwick store, in Hookwood, will be completed next week. The store, off Reigate Road, now features a new Harris + Hoole coffee shop and an Euphorium Bakery. There is also a new Beauty World department, with a nail bar. A fresh pizza counter has also been installed. The refurbished store will also provide a new community space, where groups and charities can meet. The revamp will be finished by Monday.

Electronic Arts hires Starbucks’ Chris Bruzzo as CMO to lead engagement drive: Battlefield Hardline and FIFA 2014 maker Electronic Arts has hired Chris Bruzzo, the man credited as being the architect of many of Starbucks’ successful digital engagement and loyalty platforms, as its first chief marketing officer as the company looks to execute its strategy of becoming a “players first” developer, Marketing Week has reported. In addition to marketing and communications oversight, Bruzzo will work with the digital and technology teams to “deliver personal and meaningful experiences” for players, the company’s chief executive Andrew Wilson said in a blog post announcing Bruzzo’s appointment.

Beer garden hours row threatens Wetherspoon’s plans for pub in Alnwick: JD Wetherspoon has warned that a restriction imposed by councillors on the hours customers can use the beer garden at its proposed pub in Alnwick, Northumberland “renders the development unviable”. One of the conditions of approval for the £1.3m scheme at the town’s Corn Exchange, granted in February by Northumberland County Council’s north area planning committee, was that “use of the external beer garden and smoking area by clients/guests shall not be permitted between the hours of 9pm and 8am”. Wetherspoon applied to have this altered so that drinkers would be barred from 10pm, but smokers could carry on using the beer garden up until closing time – 12.30am on weekdays and Sundays and 1.30am on Saturdays. Its application to change the condition stated that “the onerous nature of the imposed condition renders the development unviable” and at a planning committee meeting last Thursday night an agent for the pub company repeated that this was the case. A planning officer recommended approval of the change, as the only other area where smokers could go is at the front of the building immediately adjacent to a block of flats. However, the committee voted for a compromise, to allow the outdoor area to be used until 10pm rather than 9pm, but then it was to close completely. Wetherspoon is now considering its response, with the company’s spokesman, Eddie Gershon, telling the Northumberland Gazette: “Our planning consultants have been in touch with the case officer to discuss the decision made by council members. We will await the publication of the decision before we decide what action, if any, is required.”

Rooster Brewing Co claims UK brewing first: Rooster’s Brewing Co. has created, in what is believed to be a first for the UK, a beer that’s brewed with hops harvested a mere six hours before they were added to the boil. On 1 September, Oliver Fozard, Rooster’s head brewer, set off from the Knaresborough-based brewery at 4.30am to make the 350-mile round trip to Stocks Farm in Worcestershire in order to collect the hops as soon as they had been picked on the first day of the harvest. He then headed straight back to North Yorkshire, where the rest of the Rooster’s team had begun the brew process to coincide with their arrival.

Pizza Hut to debut in South Africa: Pizza Hut is opening to South Africa, with the first outlet expected to open in Johannesburg next week. The Pizza Hut outlet at the Honeydew Village Shopping Centre will open for the public on 18 September. In Africa, Pizza Hut already has a presence in Egypt, Morocco and Mauritius.

Luke Johnson – local authorities should spend more with small businesses: Sector investor Luke Johnson has argued that local authorities should spend more with small businesses. According to research from his think tank the Centre for Entrepreneurs, 78,128 small businesses are doing business with English and Welsh councils, earning more than £11.1 billion over the past three years. But, over the same period, 20 large businesses took a combined £9.9 billion. More than a quarter (25.6%) of Monmouthshire County Council’s spend goes to small firms but according to the study Barnsley Metropolitan Council spends just 4.2% with small companies. Johnson said: “One of the best ways that government can support small businesses is buying from them. Sadly, many entrepreneurs struggle to win business from government, finding the process to be complex, bureaucratic and tilted in favour of large incumbents. Although central government has an explicit strategy to do more business with small firms, the same cannot be said for local authorities, so performance varies widely. Given the opportunity, small, entrepreneurial firms are proving they can cut costs and drive innovation in the public sector, while boosting their local economies.”

Loungers hires Justin Carter as chief operating officer: Cafe bar brand Loungers has hired Justin Carter as chief operating officer. Carter will leave his current role as operations director at Fuller’s in December and join Loungers at the beginning of 2015. Carter previously founded the Elbow Room chain, which he ran for 13 years before selling it in 2008. He joined Fuller’s in February 2011. Carter’s appointment will bolster Loungers’ senior management team as the group continues to build on a sustained period of fast growth. Current chief operating officer Nick Collins will step up to work more closely with Loungers managing director Alex Reilley. He said: “We’re seriously delighted that Justin has agreed to join us. First and foremost we consider him to be the perfect cultural fit for the business and he is clearly an extremely experienced and well-respected operator. He also knows what it’s like to have your own business and in addition to a wealth of operational expertise we also see him bringing some major entrepreneurial thinking to the table. In our view Justin’s appointment is a clear statement of intent and we feel that with Justin on board coupled with Nick’s continued progression we are extremely well set to see the business grow to hundreds of sites.” Loungers opened their 51st site, Kino Lounge, in Kettering at the end of August and will reach 56 sites by the end of the year. A further 20 openings are planned for 2015. 

Giraffe appoints Andrew Jacobs as managing director: The original co-founder of Giraffe, Andrew Jacobs, has been appointed to managing director, succeeding Russel Joffe who announced his resignation along with his wife Juliette last month. Jacobs, together with the Joffes, founded the brand in 1998 and has successfully overseen it from conception to present day. His previous role saw him focus on property and acquisition during which time he has grown the group to 57 sites. As managing director, Andrew will oversee all facets of the business working with chairman Adam Fowle. Fowle, who is also chief executive of Tesco Family Dining, said: “Andrew was the natural choice as successor. He brings 20 years of experience with him and an unrivalled insight into the brand. His appointment ensures that the concept’s individuality and consistency will be retained and I am really looking forward to working with him more closely.” Andrew Jacobs added: “Having lived and breathed this business for 16 years, I feel very excited by this new challenge. I have had the privilege of working with the best in the business and I am completely committed, with the support of my team, to taking the brand forward.”