Carlsberg survey shows pub remain UK’s favourite out-of-home leisure activity: Visiting the pub remains the number one out-of-home leisure activity for UK adults, a new study from Carlsberg UK has revealed. 34% of consumers choose to frequent them – this compares to 31% visiting retail locations, 30% choosing coffee shops and 20% using the gym. Restaurants ranked at 17%, with 6% visiting the cinema. The findings are taken from the Carlsberg UK Consumer Insights Report 2014 which explores the trends, habits and behaviours of almost 2,000 of today’s pub and bar users. Pubs and bars were found to be popular across a variety of demographics, and rather than diminishing, weekly pub visits have risen 1% since 2010. The pub is proving particularly appealing to singles between 36-54 years old (those visiting weekly has increased 5%), families (up 3%), and those whose children have grown up and fled the nest (up 2%). But the report backed up recent claims that the consumption of alcohol is becoming less important to younger people, with the popularity of pubs and bars among 18-25-year-olds falling from 42% in 2010 to 36% in 2014. The report highlights the key to attracting young adults is to create social and shared experiences, and prompting occasions beyond the ‘big night out’. It also shows that drinking at home – often perceived by the trade to be growing – declined by 2% since 2010 to 48% in 2014. And again, younger drinkers rank the lowest for this activity with just 43% versus 74% of retired adults whose children have left home and 59% of 36-54-year-olds who are single with no children. Kathryn Purchase, director of customer marketing at Carlsberg UK, said: “The findings of our research are good news for the on-trade. Even in the face of negative Press surrounding the prospects for pubs and bars, average weekly visits have increased. Pubs and bars remain central to people’s leisure choices and are by far the favourite out-of- home activity for the UK adult. However, as with even the greatest insight, headline statistics add little value unless we collectively take action according to the results. For instance, our research warns the pub is in danger of being less relevant to the next generation. The on-trade visitor is definitely changing and pubs need to be flexible enough to adapt and cater for them.” Designed to help support Carlsberg UK customers in identifying ways to drive incremental visits, spend and profit among pub consumers, the report is now in its third year – having previously run in 2010 and 2012.

City Pantry produces 29% monthly growth connecting street food to corporate market: City Pantry, which was founded at the start of the year to improve the quality of corporate catering, has reported 29% monthly compound growth. The online service, headed by former Cantor Fitzgerald executive Stuart Sunderland, provides an online solution that allows companies to easily order catering from 88 of London’s most innovative chefs, cooks, delis and street-vendors, including Mother Clucker, Wild Game Co and Christabel’s pop-up. It allows customers to ‘order interesting food quickly and easily’ and provides meal planning for regular orders. Total order values have risen eight-fold in ten months to just under £80,000-a-month. The company is currently seeking £250,000 of additional funding and has £125,000 fully committed. It estimates the value of the London corporate catering market at £594m per annum, with 28,000 businesses employing ten or more people. City Pantry estimates that it’s customer base will expand to around 1,500 customers by December 2015 with monthly food sales of £1.1m. Sunderland told Propel: “I guess the problem that we are attempting to solve is really two-fold – how do I entice the best employees and how do I impress a client? You’d be surprised at how far a locally sourced 18 hour pulled-pork sandwich goes to solving these.”

Filmore & Union to open eighth site in Skipton: Independent Yorkshire-based healthy eating company, Filmore & Union, is opening its eighth cafe and restaurant this month in the West Yorkshire market town of Skipton. Over £200,000 has been invested in to the new three floor development by the two and half year old company, which already has six other cafes and restaurants in Yorkshire as well a site at Newcastle Railway Station. The new healthy eating cafe, situated on Skipton High Street opposite the Town Council offices, has taken over a month to renovate and is providing up to 25 new jobs for the local area. The company has taken on local Michelin-trained head chef, Marcin Kuc, from neighbouring Addingham, to lead the kitchen. Filmore & Union will officially open its doors to the public at 8am today (Monday 10 November), serving freshly prepared healthy breakfasts, wholesome lunches, organic coffee and gluten free cakes, as well as fresh juicing and smoothies, all made with seasonal ingredients sourced from local suppliers.

Soupologie hits crowd-funding target: Soupologie, the fresh “free-from” soup company that has received a significant investment from the founder of the Apostrophe cafe chain, Amir Chen has hit its crowdfunding target of Crowdcube. The company has raised £122,030 compared to its £120,000 target, in return for 16% of its equity. Chen said: “I have been so impressed with Soupologie’s products, the speed at which the company has grown, and the loyal following that the brand has acquired so quickly with the likes of Ocado and the major health food retailers. It is a testament to the dedication and uncompromising attitude of Soupologie’s founders, Stephen and Amanda Argent, and I look forward to working with them to make Soupologie a leading player in the health food market.”

Luminar focus remains on estate investment despite Chicago Leisure deal: Luminar chief executive Peter Marks has told Propel that the focus at the company remains on completing investment in the estate within the next two years despite the weekend’s acquisition of the eight-strong Chicago Leisure estate. Marks, who ran Chicago Leisure’s Chicago Rock brand ten years ago when it had 65 sites and was owned by Luminar, said four of the eight Chicago sites had very stable trading but four would need capital investment. Formed in 2013 after Atmosphere Pubs & Bars went into administration, Chicago Leisure recently reported a 60% sales increase at its new-look trading format in Yeovil with a view to duplicating it elsewhere. “Our first job is to understand what Yeovil is all about. It has a strong food trade during the day before morphing into a late-night venue,” he said. Marks said he would be sitting down with Chicago Leisure managing director Christian Rose today to discuss a possible future role at Luminar. Meanwhile, Marks reported that trading on Halloween had beaten budget by 30% on the night, with admission income 70% over budget. “It was an incredible night – 80% of people were in fancy dress.” Luminar currently operates a total 53 nightclubs nationwide and was voted the 2014 Best Late Night Operator at the prestigious Publican Awards.

Bill’s doubles in size in a year to hit 50 openings: Bill’s opened its 50th site last week, this one located in Berkhamsted. Exactly 52 weeks earlier, the company opened its 26th restaurant in Salisbury, meaning it has doubled in size in just one year. A spokesman said: “In this time we have welcomed just shy of 1,000 new team members to the business. The journey to 50 sites hasn’t always been easy, and there have been some challenging points along the way. But we have persevered with the help of our very talented teams to create some fantastic restaurants. From finding new team members, to securing props for the fit-out of our sites, we’ve risen to every challenge along the way in typical Bill’s fashion. We will soon be releasing our financial results for the year ending July 2014, and these show continuing strong like-for-like growth in the estate, in addition to the growth achieved from new openings.” Founder Bill Collison said: “I never dreamt we would one day be announcing the opening of our 50th Bill’s! The fact that we are is down to a strong identity and lots of hard work from a very dedicated team, by which I mean everyone who works for Bill’s. Bringing Roberto Moretti and Scott Macdonald on board as our co-managing directors has been amazing for us. Two driven and talented people steering us forwards, who are always approachable from the top to the bottom of the business. For the future, we are planning to continue the expansion. 2015 should see our first forays into Scotland, and the site pipeline for the first half of 2015 is already looking very strong.”

Birmingham’s Yorks Bakery Cafe opens Yorks Espresso bar with UK’s first cold coffee “kegerator”: The team behind Yorks Bakery Cafe in Birmingham has opened Yorks Espresso Bar boasting the UK’s first cold coffee “kegerator”. Inspired by the craze that is sweeping across the US, the owners of Colmore Row’s new Yorks Espresso Bar have built a beer-style keg system into their bar, serving coffee from a tap that comes complete with its own pub-style pump-clip label. Brewed for 14 hours at room temperature, the tap’s highly-caffeinated cold brew coffee really packs a punch. The brand’s corner unit at the entrance to Great Western Arcade used to be a Julian Graves health food shop. The new venture served Yorks’ own cakes, pastries, sandwiches and muffins alongside its highly-rated Caravan coffee.

RBS puts four coaching inns on the market: Agent Christie + Co has been instructed by RBS to market four freehold coaching inns, located across the south of England. The freehold properties, located in Berkshire, Oxfordshire, Surrey and Wiltshire, have 71 individual letting bedrooms between them. Three of the properties are Grade II listed. They are: The Talbot Inn is prominently located on the High Street in Ripley, Surrey – it has 43 letting rooms; The Carnarvon Arms, with 23 rooms, is in Burghclere, Berkshire; The Horse and Groom on the edge of the Cotswolds, Wiltshire with five letting bedrooms, and The Black Boy Inn is in Banbury, Oxfordshire. Prices range from £625,000 to £4,000,000. Simon Stevens, hotels director at Christie + Co said: “The quality and location of this portfolio of properties is unique in the current market place and we anticipate high levels of interest from both pub and hotel operators as well as property investors.”

JD Wetherspoon pub plan rejected in Scottish seaside resort of Largs: Plans for a JD Wetherspoon pub to be built on the site of the Escape bowling alley in the Scottish seaside town of Largs (population: 11,241) have been rejected by North Ayrshire Council. A North Ayrshire Council spokesperson said: “The application failed to comply with a number of key criteria of the general policy of the adopted development plan. It was determined that the proposed external terrace on Gallowgate Street would restrict the free-flow of pedestrian movement.” Eddie Gershon, a spokesman for Wetherspoon, said: “We respect the views of the planning authority, However, we are still keen to open in Largs, and we will decide whether to submit a new application in due course.”

Faucet Inn set to launch Neighbourhood beer shop and eatery with takeaway this month: Faucet Inn, the growing collection of eclectic venues in south east England, is to launch its newest concept, Neighbourhood, a beer shop with all day dining on Saturday 22 November on Celebration Avenue in East Village, Stratford City. Neighbourhood will offer an exciting range of artisan beers, both bottled and on tap, a hand selected international wine list and innovative cocktails. The focus of the menu will be heavily on meats cooked on a rotisserie, together with fish and meats on a large Robata Flame grill with a selection of small plates, complimentary salads and side dishes. Customers will also be able to take advantage of a take-away menu featuring a free-range corn-fed chicken, fresh from the rotisserie. Coffee, together with a large range of artisan and craft bottled beers, can also be taken away to enjoy at home. Faucet Inn founder and managing director Steve Cox said: “Neighbourhood represents a really exciting chapter in our history. The site presents a huge opportunity with the growing local residential developments and close proximity to Westfield. We gained a great deal of insight into the area when we set up Podium in conjunction with Heineken for the Olympics in 2012. It was the largest licensed capacity open-air venue and a huge success and highlight for Faucet Inns. What we have achieved with Neighbourhood is an urban cool bar, influenced by the surrounding area that provides a hub for the locals – a place where food, drink and community matters.”

£2m South American barbecue restaurant opens in Manchester: A £2m South American barbecue restaurant, Fazenda, has opened its third site, this one located in Manchester. It offers 15 types of all-you-can-eat skewered “churrascaria” meats served by roaming passadores or meat chefs, and also has sites in Leeds and Liverpool. The Spinningfields venue will serve 230 covers and has three private dining areas. To order meats, diners have a round disc that they display on its green side to indicate they’re ready for more meat or red if they wish not to – at set lunch and dinner prices for all you can eat. Vegetables, salads, a range of sushi and meat and cheese platters are taken from a self-service bar.

Dylan’s eyes iconic building for second site: Dylans, the Menai Bridge-based concept specialising in freshly baked pizza and seafood plus high quality artisan bread, is eyeing an iconic building in Criccieth for its second site. It wants to open in the Morannedd building, which was designed by Portmeirion architect Sir Clough Williams Ellis. Subject to planning permission, Dylan’s could potentially occupy the building from Easter 2015, with up to 30 jobs created in the first year. David Evans, one of the directors of Dylan’s, said: “Morannedd is the perfect location for us, and we are delighted that we will soon be in a position to take over the lease. We understand how important and special this iconic building is to the community in Criccieth, and our plans fully respect its unique architecture and location.”

Anatolia opens second site: Turkish restaurant Anatolia is to open its second site at former Clinton Cards in Maidenhead Street, Hertford. Anatolia currently has a branch in St Albans. The card shop closed some time ago and applicant Agility PR had initially sought to attract Carluccio’s or Nando’s.

Papa John franchisee eyes estate of five after opening second site: Papa John’s franchisee Kashif Michael has opened his second outlet in Cardiff. Michael, who joined the chain in 2012, has added the Canton-based outlet to his portfolio and now plans to open an additional two to three stores by the end of 2015. He already owns an outlet on City Road, which he purchased following a re-sale opportunity. The franchise entrepreneur has benefitted from Papa John’s 2014 franchise incentive scheme, due to end on December 31, which offers savings of up to £50,000 for new stores opened in Wales, the Midlands, the North East, the North West, and Scotland. Discussing his franchising experience, Michael said: “I worked for Papa John’s when I was at college and so, a long time ago, I decided I would like to run my own store one day. I worked hard, saved up and took a small business start-up loan to finance the franchise initially. Once I had bought the first franchise and the lawyers were paid I had just £50 left in my bank account! However, I knew I would be able to cash-in pretty soon. Within two years, the profit generated has enabled me to buy my second outlet.”

Jimmy’s World Buffet set for Brighton opening this month: Jimmy’s World Buffet is to open in Brighton Marina with capacity for 500 diners, making it the biggest restaurant in the city. It will employ 70 staff, including 15 chefs. It will be the tenth UK restaurant in the chain, which specialises in dishes from around the world. Jimmy’s will open on Palm Drive, The Waterfront, at the end of the month. It occupies 12,000square foot of space, part of a four-storey complex which includes Hotel Seattle. It takes up space formerly occupied by a Calvin Klein outlet and a large late-night bar. Nick Mosley, managing director of Brighton and Hove Food and Drink Festival, said: “A new destination restaurant at Brighton Marina is a very welcome addition to the food and drink offering already there, and it’s good to see accessibly priced dining for families. Brighton’s burgeoning restaurant scene is certainly bucking the national trend and this new opening will create significant jobs in our sector.”

ETM Group reports turnover and profit boost: Gastro-pub operator ETM Group, led by Ed and Tom Martin, has reported turnover rose to £18,051,429 in the year to 28 February 2014, up from £16,497,599 the year before. Pre-tax profit was £885,552 compared to £607,966 the year prior. The company sold its Prince Arthur pub after the year-end, and has signed a lease to open another site in central London in March 2015. The company reported its Canary Wharf, One Canada Square site is “growing steadily after a slow start”. Overall gross profit percentage rose from 40.8% to 41.6% in the year.

Wahaca eyes Bristol opening: Mexican restaurant chain Wahaca is set to open in Bristol – it’s applied for a licence at a site in Clifton. The chain is founded and run by Masterchef winner, Thomasina Miers. She opened it up after winning the cooking show in 2005. She has also made two series of cookery programmes for Channel 4 and has penned several books. Wahaca has applied for an alcohol licence for a site at Maggs House, Queens Road in the Clifton. The chain has 16 outlets, mainly in London. Its first branch outside the south-east was in Cardiff and a Manchester opening is planned.

Manchester Corn Exchange confirms dozen brands: A dozen restaurants have been confirmed for the new and improved Grade II listed Corn Exchange in Manchester, which is currently undergoing a £30m renovation and is due to open in by the end of June 2015. They are Wahaca, Vapiano, making its debut outside London, Pho, Cabana, Loungers’ Cosy Club, and Arc Inspirations’ Banyan Bar & Kitchen. Individual Restaurants is set to open a brand new and exclusive concept in the new Corn Exchange called Eclectic Grill. The Corn Exchange will also house the city’s second Byron Burger, former Corn Exchange residents Tampopo and Salvi’s, alongside the other two former Corn Exchange brands, PizzaExpress and Zizzi Ristorante. Five of the Corn Exchange’s previous external restaurants – Eclectic Grill (formerly Zinc), Tampopo, Salvi’s, PizzaExpress and Zizzi’s – will take up their former positions facing out onto Exchange Square. Salvi’s – which recently opened a successful second restaurant on John Dalton Street – will expand to nearly three times the size under new plans.

Giraffe wins Junior Design Awards gong for Best Family Restaurant: Restaurant group Giraffe has been awarded Best Family Restaurant in the Junior Design Awards 2014. The inaugural awards, which went digital for the first time this year, “aims to showcase the very best in beautifully designed products and lifestyle brands for the discerning and style conscious parent”. The winners were judged and awarded by the team at parenting publication, Junior magazine after a nomination process in which entrants had to communicate their design vision for their brand. Giraffe founder Andrew Jacobs said, “How our restaurants look and feel is a huge part of the process at Giraffe – particularly when it comes to creating a fun, interactive and stylish spot for families. For us to be officially recognised by this award in a heavily competitive market is fantastic.”

Former professional ice hockey player to open second Lola Jeans site, this time in Newcastle city centre: Former professional ice hockey player Paul Sample is to open a second Lola Jeans cocktail bar and restaurant, this time developed on the site of the former Godfather Italian restaurant in Newcastle city centre’s Market Street. It’s a twist on Sample’s existing Lola Jeans site in Tynemouth. Sample told the local newspaper: “We spent a lot of time looking for a property that we could totally make our own. We wanted to almost start from scratch with something we could totally make our mark on. The building is so old it’s got loads of great features. We’ve stripped everything back and now we’re working to create something that stands out from the pack in Newcastle.”

Domino’s scoops Best Fast Food brand for second year running at Youth 100 awards: Domino’s Pizza UK has been awarded ‘Best Fast Food’ brand award at the 2014 ‘Youth 100: The UK’s Top Brands According To 18-24s’ for the second year running. Domino’s secured the top spot for its commitment to engaging with youth market and growing focus on students. Nick Dutch, head of digital at Domino’s Pizza, said: “We’re chuffed to be recognised by one of our core audiences and to win this fantastic award for the second year running. It seems that our approach of combining national advertising with local, street level marketing and student deals is really paying off. Online and digital marketing is also a huge focus for this group – from our award-winning mobile app through to targeted SMS messages and sharing fresh content with our social media community; we’re always looking for ways to push the boundaries and speak to our younger fans on their level.”

Loungers submits change of use application in Falmouth: Cafe bar concept Loungers has submitted a planning application to change the use of the former Remedies nightclub in Falmouth. The building on The Moor is a former town hall, county court, registrar’s office and judges apartments dating back to 1864. As the building has had “modern unsympathetic” work done over the past few years, the company wishes to make some internal changes. A planning statement to accompany the application states: “All of the important architectural features of merit are retained and enhanced by the proposals.”

World’s cheapest Michelin-starred restaurant to expand to Australia: The Hong Kong restaurant named the world’s cheapest Michelin-starred restaurant will open three outlets in Sydney next year, including a flagship outlet on George Street in the Central Business District. Tim Ho Wan will also open in late March in Melbourne’s Chinatown, with Brisbane also on the radar. The restaurant with its diminutive dumplings, was started by former Four Seasons Hong Kong dim sum chef Mak Kwai Pui. It now has satellite restaurants in south-east Asia. “At most of our restaurants, you can queue for up to an hour and a half. In Sydney we’ll be offering a reserve option,” said Vince Howe, who is heading up Tim Ho Wan’s Australian operations.

Starbucks increases UK prices by 10p: Starbucks has increased UK beverage prices by 10p – except for two products. A spokesperson for the company said: “The cost of doing business continues to rise – from wages to milk to energy – so our prices have increased slightly. However prices for our most popular Tall and Grande sized drinks, including Latte and Cappuccino, remain the same.”

Molson Coors signs four-year National Football Centre deal: Molson Coors has signed a new partnership with St. George’s Park, The Football Association’s National Football Centre near Burton-Upon-Trent in Staffordshire. In a four-year deal until 2018, Molson Coors will become official beer supplier to St. George’s Park. Alpesh Mistry, UK customer marketing director at Molson Coors, said: “This provides a great platform to share the facilities with our customers, consumers and shoppers, both at a local and national level. Brewed locally near St. George’s Park, Carling, alongside Molson Coors, has created a highly visible brand in this region across the on and off trade. Through our association with St. George’s Park we hope to help further establish both the Carling and Molson Coors name amongst the local community and play a small part in the success of the facility, over the duration of the next four years.”

Whole Food Markets reports 3.1% like-for sales increase: Whole Food Markets, the US grocer and foodservice operator that has nine sites in the UK, has reported like-for-like sales increased 3.1% in the company’s fourth quarter ended 28 September and the company said its first quarter is off to a strong start with same store sales up 4.6% through 2 November thanks to balance of traffic and ticket growth. Total company sales increased 9% during the fourth quarter to a record $3.3 billion while profits increased 5.8% to $128 million from $121 million. Earnings per share increased 9.4% to 35 cents from 32 cents, three cents better than analysts expected. For the year, the company opened 38 new stores to end with 401 stores and reaffirmed that the US can ultimately support 1,200 stores.

Krispy Kreme set for roll-out as UK turnover passes £50m: Krispy Kreme is set for a sustained roll-out after transforming its performance in the most recent financial year. The company has reported a 16% increase in turnover in the UK to hit £52,393,000 in the year to 2 February 2014 – turnover was £45,073,435 the year prior. Adjusted Ebitda before exceptional items of £9,419,000 (18% of sales) compared with £1.674,000 (4%) of sales in the previous year. Return on investment rose to 31.2% compared to 5.3% the year before. Pre-tax profit was £3,166,379 compared to a loss of £2,797,244 the year before. The company stated: “The business has made significant progress during the year increasing sales by 16%. The company opened new retail stores in Edinburgh and London Bridge and operated 50 retail stores at 2 February (2013: 51 stores). The company continues to expand its off-premises business through the introduction of in-store cabinets with its long-standing partners – Tesco, Moto, Welcome Break and Roadchef. The directors are pleased with the trading performance, in particular the strong performance of its growing business in Scotland and the significant improvement in gross margin to 53% (2013: 47%). (It) provides a stable and cash generative base on which the directors intend to build a sustained and measured roll-out over the coming years as suitable sites become available.” The number of employees increased to 1,034 from 991 the year before.

Northcote’s sommelier joins 220-strong Master Sommelier elite: Country house hotel and Michelin-starred restaurant Northcote’s head sommelier Adam Pawlowski has become a Master Sommelier. It is widely regarded as one of the hardest diplomas in the world, with only 220 passing the exam since its inception in the UK more than 40 years ago. Broken down into three components – theory, practical and tasting – candidates have only three years to pass before they must start again if they do not succeed. Adam – now the first master sommelier from Poland and the 220th in the world – passed his theory last year and both his practical and tasting on 31 October. Pawlowski said: “It’s been a journey but I really enjoyed the process – this year I was the only successful candidate out of the 24 who sat the exam. I wouldn’t have been able to achieve it without the help of my friends and the support that I have been kindly given by Craig, Nigel and the team at Northcote.”

Alchemy eyes stock market return for Inventive Bar Company: Private equity firm Alchemy is eyeing a return of a stock market return for Revolution vodka bar operator Inventive Bar Company, according to Sky News. The company has been in private ownership for almost a decade. Sky News reported that Alchemy Partners, which acquired Revolution’s owner The New Inventive Bar Company under its previous name in 2005, is close to appointing Numis Securities, an investment bank, to work on the listing. Inventive, led by Mark McQuater, operates a number of other leisure concepts including Rift & Co under its Nightjar Bars division. There are circa 70 Revolution venues across the UK. Alchemy launched an agreed takeover of Inventive in December 2005, when the company’s shares traded on London’s junior AIM market. Inventive made a post-tax loss of £3.44m in the year to 30 June last year, according to accounts filed at Companies House. In December 2013, the company, which management said had performed “in line with expectations”, undertook a refinancing of its borrowing facilities, including securing a £15.5m bank loan. Sources said a deal could value Inventive at somewhere in the region of £100m.

Moulton vehicle buys Walkabout operator: Private equity veteran Jon Moulton has acquired Walkabout operator Intertain in a £20m deal. The deal has been completed through Moulton’s Better Capital vehicle. The acquisition paves the way for Intertain expansion – the company operates 26 Walkabout sites, five Jongleurs comedy clubs and six unbranded bars. Intertain was formed in October 2009 to acquire the prime trading assets previously owned and operated by Regent Inns. Five years on, it has been achieving excellent returns from its investment in the Walkabout brand through a rolling programme of refurbishments. The most recent Walkabouts to benefit – in Derby, Carlisle and Lincoln – have seen trade increase by an average of 52%. In August, the company started a marketing process to attract new investment. Chief executive John Leslie said at the time: “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. 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. Things never stand still for very long at Intertain and the whole team is looking forward to the next stage of our development.” New owner Moulton previously headed Alchemy Partners, which made investments in TCG and Revolution vodka bar operator Inventive prior to his departure to set up Better Capital. Of the Intertain deal, Moulton told The Sunday Telegraph: “The major issue the company had was the lack of investment – this deal de-gears the balance sheet. I’m not going to be making radical changes to the company – making it for teetotallers and serving just hot drinks. As for Jongleurs – maybe I’ll just improve the quality of its jokes.” Intertain has reported Ebitda of £5,264,000 (2012: £4,880,000) in the year to 2 February 2013. Sales were £57,580,000.

C&C Group eyes Mitchells & Butlers dream deal: C&C Group is eyeing an approach to Mitchells & Butlers after its preliminary approach to Spirit Pub Company was rebuffed, according to The Sunday Times. The newspaper has reported that the drink producer has told shareholders that a tie-up with M&B would be the ‘dream deal’ although it remains keen to buy Spirit. It is thought that C&C Group has not yet approached M&B about the possibility of a deal. C&C Group is valued at £1bn while M&B has a market value of £1.5bn.