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Tue 28th Oct 2014 - Propel Tuesday News Briefing |
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Story of the Day:Enterprise Inns makes rapid progress with managed division: The new Enterprise Inns managed estate is set to grow to 14 pubs by the end of next week, quicker growth than original indications that suggested the company would have ten managed sites by mid-November. The company, which owns more than 5,000 pubs, is focused on creating a cluster of managed pubs in London and Manchester, with under-performing pubs converted to one of three trading formats, community pub, family dining or premium. Among the latest conversions are two pubs near Manchester – The Waterhouse, in Ashton-under-Lyne, and The Eight Bells Hotel, at Failsworth. Enterprise has invested £100,000 refurbishing The Waterhouse – formerly The Pegs Tavern – which is now being run by manager David Edghill. A £50,000 investment in The Eight Bells, under manager Suzy Wass, has seen 15 new jobs created. The Waterhouse screens top sporting events, including football and cricket, boasts two pool tables and a dartboard, and features a competitively priced menu offering everything from pies to pizza. Two function rooms are available for events from family gatherings to Christmas parties. The two-bar Eight Bells is a value-led sports pub, featuring multiple screens showing Sky Sports and BT Sport, with pool tables, a dartboard, and other entertainment. Bar and food prices are ‘extremely competitive’ – a pint of Fosters is priced at £2.40, with a two-for-£10 offer on all main meals plus a carvery offer. To grow its managed division, Enterprise, the UK’s largest leased and tenanted pub company, will evaluate those pubs that become available, are closed, or which are not fulfilling their potential, with a view to turning them into managed pubs. Enterprise Inns commercial director Paul Harbottle has suggested the company could have a 50-strong managed division by next year. He said at the start of this month: “It is difficult to talk figures at this stage. It could be 50 by this time next year. As we learn something from each one we feed that into the next and that adds to our understanding of the different models.”
Industry News:Study claims pubs are failing to offer smaller wine option: One in seven pubs is failing to offer women a smaller glass of wine, a new study has revealed. Despite it now being a legal requirement for pubs to offer the smaller 125ml glass, more than one in seven pubs – 15% – of non-chain pubs failed to do so and instead pushed the 250ml option, equivalent to a third of a bottle, which has become the new "standard'. Almost one in three (29%) of those pubs that did offer the smaller sized glass failed to list it openly on the menu, another breach of the law, the report says. In more than four out of five cases (84%), it is cheaper to buy the 250ml glass than two 125ml glasses. In one instance "doubling up" cost just 30p extra, said the report, by Direct Line Car Insurance.
Kamm & Sons launches £500,000 crowd-funding push: The British aperitif maker Kamm & Sons, whose 33% bitter-sweet botanical spirit, launched by Alex Kammerling, is listed in 300 premium London bars and Greene King’s Metropolitan pubs, has launched a £500,000 crowd-funding push on Crowdcube in return for 18.2% of its equity. The pitch says: “Turnover increased by 64% in 2013 and we feel we are on track to do the same again in 2014. Growth will be accelerated from 2015 onwards by handing distribution to a UK distributor and expanding into on and off-trade multiples. Sales are estimated to reach 360,000 bottles by 2018. Overseas sales are continuing with distributors in France, Hong Kong and Australia, and with other regions under discussion. The funding is to be used primarily on sales, marketing and promotions. The sales force will increase to three, driving on-trade sales and distribution, and will allow attendance at trade shows, with a large national aperitif cocktail competition planned for 2015. It will also allow the brand to be present at various festivals, street-food markets and events. Money will be spent on supermarket sampling and price promotions to drive sales at key times of the year, to create a viral advertising campaign and to fund working capital."
Dozens of multi-siters sign up for Punch networking event: Dozens of the UK’s leading multi-site operators have confirmed they will be attending a Punch Taverns networking event taking place next Monday (3 November) at Fuller Smith & Turner's Parcel Yard site in Kings Cross, North London. The event is aimed at allowing multi-site companies to meet Punch Taverns' senior staff, to discuss opportunities within the estate. Both Punch operations directors, Stuart Ewen and Andrew Cowling, will be attending. Anyone who would like to attend should email James Watts, Punch partner resourcing consultant for North London and East Anglia, on james.watts@punchtaverns.com
The Hospitality Show returns to Birmingham: Registration is now live for the Hospitality Show 2015, as the UK’s largest tradeshow in its calendar year returns to Birmingham. New products, new exhibitors, new ideas and a new business focus will all be showcased when Birmingham NEC opens its doors from 19 to 21 Januarys. Toby Wand, managing director at the show's organiser, Fresh Montgomery, said: “We’re tremendously excited to welcome people from all corners of the UK to our doors, to yet again to help kick-start the business year into life. In 2015 our core focus is around the best of British – a launch pad for everything new and great in British hospitality. I urge anyone looking for that spark of inspiration to take time out, and experience the most relevant, business-focused trade show in the hospitality calendar.”
Company News:Wetherspoon seeks to side-step late-night levy in Newcastle: JD Wetherspoon is looking to avoid the late-night levy in Newcastle upon Tyne by not serving alcohol after midnight. The company wants to vary the licences for the Union Rooms near Central Station, the Five Swans near Newcastle Civic Centre, and the High Main in Byker. But both Northumbria Police and Newcastle Council have complained that the changes would not mean the pubs have to close any earlier. According to the wording the firm wants to add to its licences, the pubs would agree not sell alcohol during the late-night levy period, which is currently any time after 12am. But they would keep their licences, which legally allow the bars to serve until as late as 2am, should they wish. The council says such a move would be unfair to those bar owners that varied their licences so that they could only sell until midnight, while police say it would “not promote the licensing objectives” and that if Wetherspoon wants to avoid the late night levy “it should make an application to vary the licensable hours permitted.” Even if the bid succeeds, Newcastle Council has suggested it may still look to charge the company the levy anyway. Keith Smith of the council's licensing department said: “Should the applications be granted, it would nevertheless be ineffective to achieve the purported intention to avoid the liability of the premises licence holder to pay the late night levy as Newcastle Council considers the premises licences would still fall within the definition of a ‘relevant late night authorisation’ within the terms of the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011.” A similar application by Wetherspoon in Nottingham was successful.
Perfetto Food and Wine to open third site in former Sevenoaks Cafe Rouge with cookery lessons: The Italian restaurant and deli operator Perfetto Food and Wine, is to open its third site in the former Cafe Rouge site in Bligh's Meadow, Sevenoaks, Kent. Perfetto Food and Wine already has branches in Notting Hill, West London and at Udimore Farm in Ightham, Kent and is set to take over the French restaurant's premises after its doors close on 9 November. The brand offers a delicatessen stocking Italian foods and wines as well as a restaurant dining area. The manager of the Ightham store, Alessandro Zavarise, said: “We will be opening in Sevenoaks where Cafe Rouge is and because the premises are bigger than here in Ightham, we'll be offering many more things. For example, we'll be introducing cookery lessons and pizza-making lessons and much more."
Carluccio’s hires new digital agency: Carluccio’s has awarded its full-service digital account to Delete, replacing its previous agency, Indicia, The Drum has reported. Delete was hired after a two-phase pitch process that began with ten agencies in chemistry sessions followed by three shortlisted agencies, including McCann Ericsson, being invited to pitch. Its brief includes providing digital strategy, website redevelopment and digital marketing campaigns. Carluccio’s head of marketing, Alison Dilley said: “Our ambition is to develop best-in-class digital assets for our website, which is why we selected Delete to deliver against this.” Damon Mangos, group creative director at Delete, said: “We are delighted to be working with such an iconic Italian restaurant brand as Carluccio’s. Our goal is to help them build a stronger digital brand and exploit the best of what digital communications offers today and beyond.” The appointment comes as Carluccio’s looks for new ways to interact with its customers. The intention at the moment is for a new site to launch in mid-February 2015.
Luminar to move to smaller site in Basildon as restaurant scheme planned: Luminar will move its nightclub in Basildon, Essex to a smaller site as part of plans to redevelop the premises to accommodate three restaurants. Restaurant Group’s Coast to Coast brand, which has 12 sites across the UK, is one of three businesses signed up for the Festival Leisure Park revamp. Under the plans, Luminar’s Liquid, Envy, JJs and New York New York nightclubs will close, with the company opening a smaller club in the neighbouring former Sky Bar. James Doran of Luminar told the Halstead Gazette: “The development is good news for the late-night economy in the town. We are excited about the plans and confident this will be positive for local clubbers. In the meantime, it's business as usual at Liquid, with a fantastic line up planned for Christmas and the new year.” David Diemer, of the site manager Aviva Investors, said: “Festival Leisure Park has always been a mix of daytime and night-time visitors and the clubs’ move into their new building will provide clubbers with a fantastic new venue. All work should be completed and the venues open to customers in 2015.The changes are expected to make it an even more popular leisure destination.”
Harry Ramsden’s adds Welcome Break site: Harry Ramsden’s has added to its franchised estate with a new opening at Welcome Break's South Mimms services, at Junction 23 of the M25, near Potters Bar. It is Harry Ramsden’s fourth opening in partnership with the service station operator. Joe Teixeira, chief executive of Harry Ramsden’s, said: “The public’s appetite for our brand continues to rise, as confirmed by the 9.8% increase in Q3 like-for-like sales. The success of our outlets currently operating within Welcome Break’s network of service stations is such that we are delighted to further develop the partnership with this latest opening in South Mimms. This allows us to continue with our ambition to increase our visibility and accessibility across the UK, reminding and indeed, introducing the brand to millions of customers, many of whom are new to Harry’s.” There are currently deals close to being concluded in Yorkshire, Scotland and Worthing, which will mean more new Harry Ramsden’s outlets opening across the UK within the next six months. Internationally, as part of the franchise agreement signed with the Ahmed Hassan Bilal Trading and Contracting Company, a Qatari business operating in the hospitality segment, a new Harry Ramsden’s will be unveiled at The Pearl in Doha in spring 2015.
New Moon Pub Company places Cheshire free-of-tie site on the market: The New Moon Pub Company has instructed the property agent Fleurets to market its free-of-tie leasehold property, the Hanging Gate Inn in Weaverham, Northwich, Cheshire, at an asking price of £195,000. Paul Newman, who co-founded the multi-site operator with chef David Mooney, said: “The New Moon Pub Company has continued to expand and in doing so we have learnt more about the direction in which we wish to take the business. With recent openings in Chester and other sites in mind, we have decided to sell the Hanging Gate Inn. We feel the size of the property would lend itself to a private owner operator who could probably take the business further.” Lesley Watmough, from Fleurets, said: “This is a great opportunity to acquire a Cheshire gastro-pub with lots of character. With 74 covers plus reception area and ample parking and garden area, we expect this property to appeal to private operators. With turnover in excess of £500,000 this is a great start for an entrepreneur to perhaps further develop the business.”
Wetherspoon flushed with success at loo awards: A total of 447 Wetherspoon pubs have won recognition for the quality and standards of their toilets in the Loo of the Year Awards 2014. The company has been awarded a platinum rating for 365 of its pubs and a gold rating for a further 81 outlets, with one pub gaining a silver rating. Pubs are rated from bronze to gold, with extremely poor pub toilets not gaining a rating. The platinum rating is given only to outlets that offer "exceptional toilets". Loo of the Year Awards 2014 managing director, Mike Bone, said: “Wetherspoon’s pub toilets are setting the standard for the hospitality sector. Their unique design, cleanliness and range of facilities is a credit to the vision of Wetherspoon’s board and the pub management and staff who keep them in excellent condition.” Wetherspoon's chief executive, John Hutson, said: “This is a great accolade for the company. Credit goes to our architects for designing such excellent toilets and to our staff for maintaining them in first-class condition at all times.” The awards are aimed at highlighting and improving standards of "away from home" toilet provision across the UK. Authorised inspectors make unannounced visits to hundreds of toilets at sites across the UK in order to judge them.
AngelBerry opens Abu Dhabi store: The frozen yoghurt company AngelBerry, which started with an outlet on the Imperial Retail Park in Hartcliffe, Bristol, has opened its first store in Abu Dhabi. The business has sites in Mauritius and South Africa as well as Bristol and Brighton. Co-founder James Taylor said the firm had signed "a very big contract" with a South African cinema chain to roll out kiosks in its branches. A second Abu Dhabi store and a first in Dubai are under construction. Taylor said: "We will end this year on 12 stores globally, with a further 15 locations planned to open in 2015."
Cinema business set to sack 25% of staff after they won right to be paid the Living Wage: Cinema workers who won a campaign to adopt the London Living Wage have been told that a quarter of the workforce is now facing the sack. Picturehouse Cinemas said that the cost of increasing basic wages at the Ritzy Cinema in Brixton to £8.80 an hour would be absorbed by reducing the number of staff by at least 20, with a redundancy programme starting next month. Two management posts will be axed along with eight supervisors, three technical staff and other front-of-house workers from its workforce of 93. BECTU, the union that represents cinema staff, described the move, which came after a year of strikes and negotiations, as a “kick in the teeth”. The union is now preparing to ballot its workers on a further round of strikes at the popular arthouse cinema.
Cardiff Restaurant Company boss banned as director for six years: Simon Geoffrey Kealy, sole director of the Cardiff Restaurant Company (CRC), has been disqualified for six years by the High Court for trading to the detriment of creditors, in particular HM Revenue & Customs. His disqualification comes after an investigation by the Insolvency Service and prevents him from becoming directly or indirectly involved in the promotion, formation or management of a company for six years from 19 September 2014. Sue Macleod, chief investigator at the Insolvency Service, said: “This is a case where the director caused the company to continue to incur liabilities so that creditors were bearing all the risk of the company’s trading, breaching his duties to both HMRC and trade creditors. The investigation found that Mr Kealy failed to ensure that CRC complied with statutory obligations to submit Value Added Tax returns to HM Revenue & Customs and make payments in respect of VAT and Pay as You Earn and National Insurance Contributions from at least 30 September 2010 to 11 April 2012." The Cardiff Restaurant Company was incorporated on 29 April 2010. It traded as a hotel and restaurant from the Old Post Office, Greenwood Lane, St Fagans, Cardiff.
Auntie Ann’s franchise in Cardiff is offered: Auntie Anne’s, the world’s largest soft pretzel retailer, with 1,400 outlets in 24 countries, is seeking a franchise partner to take over its site in St David’s Shopping Centre, Cardiff. Mahasti Yavari, co-owner of the outlet said: “This is the largest regional shopping centre in South Wales, with footfall of more than 20 million each year. We have always done very well here and have a great team of staff that is more than capable of driving the business forward for the new owner. I think this will really appeal to a food entrepreneur who wants to add an international brand to their portfolio.” More details are available at www.auntieannesfranchising.co.uk or call Suzie McCafferty on 07793 054233 or email her on suzie@platinumwave.co.uk.
Adam Hyman – The Ivy to close for a refurbishment: Restaurant consultant Adam Hyman has reported that the Ivy restaurant in West Street, Covent Garden, Central London is to close in the new year for a refurbishment. In his weekly news bulletin, he wrote: “The Ivy is to close in January 2015 for a refurbishment. The iconic restaurant on West Street, which turns 100 years old in 2016, will undergo a complete renovation by Martin Brudnizki Design Studio. Richard Caring’s Caprice Holdings will open the Ivy Market Grill in Covent Garden later this year.”
Pizza Hut to close Harrogate site after landlord gets consent to redevelop site: Pizza Hut in Harrogate, North Yorkshire is set to close its doors before Christmas. The Parliament Street restaurant will close on 6 December after planning permission was granted to redevelop the building. A Pizza Hut spokesman said: “We can confirm that we are not able to renew our lease of our Harrogate Pizza Hut and the restaurant will close on 6 December. The landlord has decided to redevelop the property and as such we are unable to remain in Harrogate. We are working with staff during this time and where possible we will try to relocate to other restaurants.” Plans to redevelop 17-23 Parliament Street were approved earlier in the year, despite the Harrogate Civic Society’s concerns that the street was becoming too dominated by restaurants. Montpellier Lofts was granted planning permission in June for a three-storey rear extension on the building which dates back to 1870, and to change the unit from one shop and one restaurant, to two shops, one restaurant with terrace, one bar/restaurant and one other unit which could be a shop or a restaurant.
Britannia Hotels reports profit fall: The 48-strong Britannia Hotels, which saw media attention last week for its decision to house asylum seekers alongside paying guests, has reported pre-tax profit fell to £1.4m for the year to 31 March 2014, down from almost £3.6m the year before. Turnover rose to £73.3m from £69.8m in 2012/13. In a directors' statement with its annual accounts, filed in Companies House, the company said it recognised "that the current economic climate in the UK has placed additional demands on the business, which has resulted in the need to maintain provisions for onerous contracts relating to two hotels and carefully consider whether there is a requirement to write down the carrying value of others". The business, owned by entrepreneur Alex Langsam, was ranked the lowest among 29 hotel chains in a Which? consumer survey, which tested hotels on nine measures including cleanliness and customer service.
Wadworth managed pubs to serve crowd-sourced sausage during British sausage week: A crowd-sourced sausage, with chorizo, coriander and Horizon ale will be served in Wadworth managed pubs during this year's British Sausage Week (3-9 November). The "Chorizon" banger beat more than 70 entries to take first place in the Wadworth Sausage competition, which was open to pub staff (excluding chefs) and their customers. Entries came from across "Wadworthshire", with the top four entrants invited to the brewery for a "cook-off". The winning recipe was created by Nigel Holt, a customer of the Falkland Arms, Chipping Norton. His recipe will now be used in a signature dish throughout the Wadworth Estate during Sausage Week. Holt said: “I’m a real fan of spicy food, and Horizon is my favourite Wadworth ale, so ‘Chorizon’ seemed an obvious choice for me." The sausages will be produced by Devizes butcher Walter Rose & Sons, which supplies meat to all Wadworth managed pubs.
Aubrey Allen reports booking boost after installing LiveRES: The award-winning restaurant brand Aubrey Allen is reporting a bookings surge at its Warwickshire restaurant after choosing LiveRES for its online reservations system. The company, which claims to supply many of the top chefs in the UK as well as being butcher by Royal Appointment to the Queen, runs Oscar’s, a French bistro in Leamington Spa, and selected LiveRES to implement an online reservations system during the summer. Restaurant manager Pascal Caulle said: “We have already seen an immediate increase in bookings since we implemented the system. This is great news for the very popular restaurant and even better news for the customers who are now able to book conveniently online. The implementation process was simple and LiveRES gave us great support through the early stages. I hope it will make a big difference to the long-term profitability of the business.”
Two of Sittingbourne’s oldest businesses open a coffee shop to survive: Two of the oldest family-run businesses in Sittingbourne, Kent, the High Street store Blundells Furniture and the baker AE Barrow & Son, have joined forces to open a coffee shop. Lisa Blundell and her husband Robert decided to open the cafe after realising they not only had the space, but were already serving tea and coffee to many customers. Lisa Blundell said: “We are both [businesses] fighting for survival in the town – we need to add that extra element to survive. The idea was basically to offer something different to the town because it is a coffee lounge and not a restaurant."
Administrator hires Colliers to sell Somerset freehold: The administrator Begbies Traynor has hired the property agent Colliers International to sell the Full Moon at Rudge, near Frome, Somerset. Simon Wells, hotels director at Colliers International, said that although the pub had come under pressure after two hotel openings nearby it remained profitable, subject to restructuring debt, hence the sale. The Full Moon dates back to 1690, and has 18 letting bedrooms. Wells said: “The Full Moon makes the best of its rural setting and is about 20 minutes from Bath, handy for Longleat Safari Park and close to the thriving local towns of Frome, Trowbridge and Westbury. A pub for sale as well-located as this, with so many rooms, doesn’t come up for sale that often, so I’m expecting a good response. The Full Moon will rise again and I’m sure will prove to be a canny investment.” Joint administrators Simon Haskew and Neil Vinnicombe from Begbies Traynor’s Bristol and Bath offices were appointed on 9 October. Vinnicombe said: “All but two of the 24 staff have retained their jobs and early indications, including the fact that room bookings are running at a very high rate, mean that we are hopeful to secure a successful sale.”
Guardian columnist – Spirit board should give reasons for rejecting C&C Group approach: Nils Pratley, a business columnist on the Guardian newspaper, has argued that the board of Spirit Pub Company should provide an explanation for why it has rejected last week’s approach from C&C Group, owner of Magners cider and Tennent's lager. He wrote: “Don’t the directors of Spirit Pub Company know that, if you want to sell your company for the best price, it is generally better to have two bidders rather than one? Auctions work better with the spice of competition. Spirit’s chief executive, Mike Tye, may have good reasons for telling C&C Group, the would-be gatecrasher to Spirit’s talks with Greene King, to go away. But neither he nor the company was sharing them on Thursday. The refusal to explain is a mistake. If C&C is willing to pay the rumoured 115p a share, or £760m, give the Magners folk a hearing. They may not own any pubs currently, but they are hardly Johnny-come-latelys. C&C’s chairman is Sir Brian Stewart, former long-serving chief executive of Scottish & Newcastle. Greene King’s share-heavy proposal was worth 109.5p when tabled, but it is now worth 113p. At the headline level, then, there’s not much in it. But C&C, it is suggested, may be willing to offer a bigger cash component. Some Spirit investors may prefer that. At the very least, the board should explain its reasoning as soon as possible – meaning on Friday. Maybe its logic is watertight and compelling – but it must avoid the appearance of a cosy lock-in with Greene King.”
TGI Friday’s opens in Glasgow shopping centre with unique design: TGI Friday’s has opened its new 6,821 square foot restaurant at Silverburn, Hammerson’s flagship regional out-of-town shopping centre in Glasgow. Inspired by Charles Rennie Mackintosh and the world-famous Glasgow School of Art, the restaurant’s décor is unique to Silverburn. Chris Daly, catering leasing executive at Hammerson, said: “The new TGI Friday’s at Silverburn is a stunning restaurant whose design reflects the rich architecture, art and design heritage that Glasgow is famous for as the birthplace of Charles Rennie Mackintosh. The design creates a real sense of theatre and is a fantastic addition to the leisure extension.” TGI Friday’s is the latest restaurant to open in Silverburn’s new 100,000 square foot leisure extension, and follows the debuts of Carluccio’s, Patisserie Valerie and Pret earlier this month. Joining them will be Five Guys, Cosmo, Zizzi, Chimichanga and PizzaExpress. The leisure extension is anchored by a 50,000 square foot l4-screen Cineworld cinema, which opens next spring. Bruce Gillingham Pollard acted for Hammerson and CBRE represented TGI Friday’s.
Lender Liberis offers £10,000 pub revamp prize: Publicans have the chance to win a £10,000 pub revamp in the "Great British Makeover" competition launched by the small business funder Liberis. The winning business will receive £10,000 of refurbishment services including decorating, carpentry, glazing, plumbing, electrics, and landscaping. To enter, businesses need to submit their contact details via the competition FaceBook page, www.facebook.com/LiberisUK. Five finalists will be selected at random who will be asked to submit 100 words as to why they believe their business should win the makeover. The closing date for entries is 28 November. Entrants also have the chance to win spot prizes along the way. Paul Mildenstein, chief executive of Liberis, said: “We’re celebrating our first birthday as Liberis, and have helped over a thousand small businesses this year, including many pubs, with funding. One of the most common reasons our customers need finance is for refurbishment, so it seemed apt to end the year with our own take of a great British competition, but a makeover instead of a bake-off.”
Wyn Ellis – strong showing for Whitbread’s Premier Inn in Which? survey: Numis Securities' leisure analyst Wyn Ellis has reported a strong showing for Premier Inn in a survey by the consumer watchdog Which? He said: “Which? magazine has published the results of a survey of 5,888 of its members on their views on their experiences of staying in UK hotel chains in the prior year. Whitbread's Premier Inn did well, scoring 82% (versus 76% in 2013) and coming a close second behind Sofitel. The results highlight the significant gulf in customer satisfaction between it and its major budget competitors, Travelodge and Britannia; we believe that this is a highly satisfying result for Whitbread shareholders. Premier Inn moved up one place compared with the 2013 survey and its customer score improved by six percentage points. The lowest customer scores were given to Britannia Hotels and Travelodge, some of Premier Inn's main competitors, although Travelodge's customer score did improve to 60% from 50% in 2013 following considerable investment. Holiday Inn Express was places eighth with a score of 67%.”
Turkish-Cypriot chef takes residency ahead of crowd-funding push: The Turkish-Cypriot chef Selin Kiazim is taking a three-week residency in the kitchen of the Carousel restaurant at 71 Blandford Street, Marylebone, central London. The move is aimed at raising Kiazim's profile ahead of a crowd-funding push to open her first restaurant. She said: “I am brimming with pride at the thought of establishing my first restaurant. I hope the experience people have at Carousel will give them a taste for my food and that they will like it enough to help me raise the much-needed capital for my first site.”
MP writes to Nando’s to invite it to open in Kendal: The MP for the South Lakes constituency, Tim Farron, has written to major national retailers, including Nando’s, to try to attract them to Kendal. Farron said that he hoped the businesses would now start serious negotiations with South Lakeland District Council about opening a new venture in the area.
Dutch pranksters serve McDonald’s to food critics: Two Dutch pranksters have served McDonald’s burgers to food critics at a food convention in Houten in the Netherlands, and asked what they thought of their “new, organic alternative to fast food”. The critics told the pairs from Life Hunters TV, who posed as restaurateurs, that their offerings were “fresh” “delicious” "nice and firm” and “tasty”, with one even going so far as to say “It rolls around the tongue nicely; if it were wine I’d say it’s fine.” One critic praised the food as being “definitely a lot tastier than McDonald's, you can just tell this is a lot more pure", while another said it "had a good bite". The pair concluded that "if you tell people something is organic, they'll automatically believe it's organic."
Sector businesses in Scotland meet to pledge 300 jobs: Representatives from more than 100 Scottish businesses in the hospitality and tourism sector have pledged to create job opportunities which will build legacy for hospitality in Scotland, and give tourism the opportunity to succeed, grow and compete internationally. The companies met more than 100 young jobseekers at Glasgow’s Marriott Hotel on 22 October at the Big Hospitality Conversation, and made 342 pledges, which included 97 jobs, 65 apprenticeships and 180 work experience opportunities which will help to reduce youth unemployment among 16 to 24-year-olds in Scotland. Alastair Storey, chairman of BaxterStorey, said: “The spotlight has been shining on Scotland for most of 2014 with the Commonwealth Games, the Ryder Cup and the Year of Homecoming events, not to mention the political activities, so now’s the time for the Scottish hospitality industry to capitalise on its international notoriety. The Big Hospitality Conversation in Glasgow was inspiring and it was wonderful to see so many high profile businesses coming together to provide opportunities to the next generation of hospitality professionals.”
Patisserie Valerie completes St James's line-up in Manchester: A grade II-listed building in central Manchester is now fully let after a deal was agreed with the cafe chain Patisserie Valerie. The business has taken a 448 sq ft site in St James's Buildings on Oxford Road, which is owned by the property group Bruntwood. The development is also home to Pizza Express, Caffe Nero, First Taste, New York Deli, Changos, Tesco and Venus Flowers. Toby Sproll, head of retail for Bruntwood, said: "We have collaborated with Patisserie Valerie to create a great new addition to this thriving location. The brand's quality, both in terms of the offer and service provided, are the perfect complement to the rest of the offer in the iconic St James’s Building." Paul May, chief executive of Patisserie Valerie, said: "Bruntwood’s St James’s Building has the character we seek and is right at the heart of an area with a very strong customer base from morning through to evening. This is the perfect location for Patisserie Valerie and we are very pleased with the customer response so far."
Award-winning Canadian coffee franchise debuts in Manchester: An award-winning Canadian coffee franchise, Second Cup, is making its UK debut in Manchester’s Arndale centre today (28 October). The franchise, known for selling Fairtrade Rainforest Alliance Certified coffees and Artisan leaf teas, boast that it used "labour-intensive hand-picked cherry beans" to "make sure only the best make it to the coffee cup". It has 345 sites in Canada and franchised operations in 15 countries. The Manchester site, which is located next to Pizza Hut on Corporation Street, has room for 65 people. Jim Ragas, president of Second Cup International, said: "Second Cup cafees are designed to be a second home – there's plenty of space with plenty of varied seating for relaxation or work. Our cafes are designed to make everyone feel at home. Whether they are students, business people, families, or customers just wanting to relax and have a drink or hungry for great food, Second Cup is their place. Second Cup knows Mancunians are rightly proud of their great city. And when we were looking for a city to open our first UK branch in we could see why. It’s got great music, great football teams, great style, and now it’s got great coffee too. Masood Akbarzai, Manchester's franchise partner, said: "We designed the interior with plenty of wide spaces broken into several smaller, more intimate groupings, to provide the atmosphere of a traditional but much brighter coffee house. The natural light is uplifting and a stimulus to creativity, especially for those who are there to work." Earlier this year, the Canadian operation reduced its head office count to streamline decision-making and add back around $14,000 of profitability to each franchised store.
Artisan bakery Paul to make regional debut in Oxford in December: The French artisan bakery and patisserie Paul is opening its first shop outside London as the initial stage of a brand roll-out that will see a further five openings in 2015. The bakery on the High Street in Oxford, opening on Monday 8 December, will take the brand’s total number of UK sites up to 31 and will create 20 new jobs. Jean-Michel Orieux, chief executive of Paul UK, said: “Oxford is the ideal location for our first bakery outside London, as we believe it has a wonderful balance of cultural heritage, a well established local community and vibrant economic and tourism activity which can clearly embrace the growth of our business. We think that Paul will be a great addition to the busy High Street and that the people of the area will enjoy our exclusive range of traditional, hand-crafted bakery and fine patisserie products.”
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