Wagamama reports Ebitda of £30.3m, turnover nears £200m: Wagamama has reported underlying Ebitda up 19.8%, resulting in an adjusted Ebitda of £30.3m for the brand for the 52 weeks, ending 26 April 2015. The results saw a 10% sales growth on a like-for-like basis. Turnover increased by 17.9% to £193.3m in comparison with £164.0m in the 2014 financial year. The company stated: “The group has now been trading ahead of competition for 60 consecutive weeks and is well placed for continued growth both in the UK and internationally. The results are released amidst the rollout of an extensive UK-wide expansion and refresh plan, which will see circa 45 new restaurants and 50 refurbishments take place across the UK in the next three years. Currently the group operates 150 sites in 15 countries worldwide. Alongside UK plans, international franchise openings are being rolled out across Europe and the Middle East. The results come as Allan Leighton joins the restaurant group as chairman, bringing another dimension of expertise to the board at an important time for the brand. Having been described as one of the most connected businessman in the world, Leighton brings vast international expertise from the retail industry to his role at Wagamama.” David Campbell, chief executive of Wagamama, said: “I’m delighted to report these strong results. The whole team has been working tirelessly to ensure our brand and UK-wide expansion plan is a great success, with a flagship restaurant on Great Marlborough Street in London opened already this financial year. Exciting things have been happening for Wagamama; such as welcoming Allan Leighton to the company as chairman, opening the doors to a stunning new Gatwick restaurant, launching an industry leading payment app in the form or qkr! by masterpass and being first to market with Apple pay. The next financial year will see us introducing Wagamama to a series of new, key locations and an exciting programme of customer innovations.”

Punch Taverns short-listed for national business award: Punch Taverns has been shortlisted for the Market Gravity Innovation Award for the 2015 Lloyds Bank National Business Awards. Punch Taverns has been recognised for the work carried out by its New Business Development team. Going up against other finalists, Punch Taverns will compete for the prestigious award, with the winner being revealed at the Lloyds Bank National Business Awards gala dinner held on 10 November at Park Lane’s Grosvenor House Hotel in London. Duncan Garrood, chief executive of Punch Taverns, said: “We’re very proud to have been shortlisted for the Market Gravity Innovation Award at this year’s Lloyds Bank National Business Awards, and this is testament to the hard work and dedication of our New Business Development team. This recognition demonstrates the invaluable support provided to Punch Taverns licensees from the point of entry through their first critical year of business.” An all encompassing range of industries are represented in the shortlists for this year’s awards, with companies from recruitment and children’s clothing, to pet food and online marketing being selected for the chance to win a coveted Lloyds Bank National Business Award. The scale of the finalists is just as varied, with companies turning over less than a million pounds to over £25 million, employing 20 people or over 70,000 people. Finalists were chosen from the hundreds of businesses that entered or were nominated across 18 award categories. They will now prepare for live presentations to expert judges who will decide the overall winners that will be revealed at the awards ceremony on 10 November. Visit www.nationalbusinessawards.co.uk for a full list of all finalists or for details on how to attend the event.