Company News:

The Restaurant Group hires Savills to find sites for Joe’s Kitchen: The Restaurant Group has hired Savills to advise on new acquisitions across the UK for the development of its Joe’s Kitchen brand. An all-day casual dining concept, Joe’s Kitchen is focusing on expanding in prime high street locations, as well as shopping centres and major mixed-use schemes. The brand is targeting national cities including London, Edinburgh, Manchester and Birmingham, as well as other key regional locations and affluent market towns. Ben Chislett, retail director at Savills, said: “Starting with the first store in Borough a number of years ago, Joe’s Kitchen has been very successful and has scope to open up to 100 restaurants over the next eight to ten years. We’re looking forward to working closely with The Restaurant Group.” Paul Hitchcott, group property director at The Restaurant Group, added: “We are delighted to have instructed Savills retail team to act on our behalf in a measured roll out of our new all day casual dining brand Joe’s Kitchen.”

Nando’s head of learning and development Tamara Griffin joins Leon: Nando’s head of learning and development Tamara Griffin has joined Leon as head of people. Leon co-founder and chief executive John Vincent said: “When companies grow fast, culture can suffer. One of the things we think about in the shower is how to improve how we live at Leon as we grow. We knew we needed someone world-class to help us do that. Tamara is the one. We looked at all sorts of candidates in brilliant organisations of all shapes and sizes – and Tamara won the dance off. Can we be the best place in the world to work? We won’t stop until we are.” Griffin added: “That Leon puts the well-being of its people at the heart of everything it does is consistent with my own beliefs about life and business. To come on board at this pivotal stage of Leon’s growth is hugely exciting. We will be looking for brilliant people to join our family, and getting ready to welcome them to a place where they can develop, work hard and laugh a lot.”

Charles Dunstone – MOD Pizza has the ability to disrupt the UK pizza scene: Charles Dunstone has claimed MOD Pizza, which he will launch in the UK in a joint venture with founders Scott and Ally Svenson, has the power to disrupt the UK pizza scene. He said: “With its compelling combination of superior food quality, value, speed and its culture of leveraging the business as a platform to do good, I believe MOD will translate extremely well across the United Kingdom. As one of the fastest growing food concepts in the United States, I see a tremendous opportunity for MOD to disrupt the UK pizza scene with its ‘super fast’ pizza experience.” Ally Svenson added: “Launching MOD in the United Kingdom feels, in many ways, like we are bringing it home. While we are very proud of the incredible pizza that we serve, the MOD movement is about so much more. We judge our success not by the number of stores we open, but the number of lives we can impact, which is why we are so excited to continue our growth. Our product may be pizza, but our purpose is people.” To date, MOD has supported over 60 non-profit organisations with a focus on at-risk youth and families in need. MOD Pizza will reach 2,500 MOD Squaders and approximately 100 stores by the end of 2015.

Muffin Break to launch first grab-and-go store: Artisan bakery Muffin Break is launching a new grab-and-go initiative to further expand its offering and cater to the growing needs of busy commuters who are looking for quick and healthy food options. The first store to implement the initiative will be opening at the Grand Central Shopping Centre in Birmingham on 24 September – it will also be the first Muffin Break store to open in a train station location. Recently appointed general manager at Muffin Break Lisa Brook said: “There’s a real demand for quick meal options from busy commuters who will be passing through the train station every day, so our new grab-and-go service will give them access to healthy on-the-go dishes. The introduction of modern street food, combined with increasingly busy lifestyles, has made grab-and-go food options an expectation for almost all catering establishments.” Muffin Break is planning to open 16 new stores before the end of the financial year, some of these will be offering the grab-and-go service and the company is also keen to open further stores in transportation hubs.

Gideon Joffe secures second Chooks site: The son of the founders of the Giraffe chain, Russel and Juliette Joffe, is expanding his Chooks restaurant brand. The Aussie slang for chicken, Chooks was created to offer customers the perfect union of marinated and grilled chicken, all at a great price. Chooks has taken a 20-year lease on a 1,900 sq ft unit at Haven Green in Ealing. London-based Restaurant Property advised on the deal. The rent is not disclosed. The new 60-cover eatery is due to open on Monday, 19 October and will replace Pizza on The Green. The brainchild of Gideon Joffe, Chooks is a chicken-centric restaurant and takeaway that offers the eponymous bird fried or grilled by the quarter, or half or whole. Chooks also serves a secret family “buttermilk fried chicken” recipe. Gideon, who operates two other restaurant concepts, MonkeyNuts, a steakhouse in Crouch End and Whetstone, and Chez Bob, a bistro in Belsize Park, plans to launch a number of Chooks units in the UK. The first Chooks restaurant opened in Muswell Hill in 2012 and the new Chooks in Ealing will be the brand’s second restaurant.

Robinsons opens second managed pub this morning: North west brewer and retailer Robinsons has unveiled its second managed pub, The Bulls Head at Hale Barns, following the launch of The Airport pub, which is five miles away. Featuring a lodge with 21 bedrooms that were refurbished earlier in the year, the brewery has returned a much-loved local pub to the village with a refurbishment scheme as part of its pledge to plough company profits back into its pubs. William Robinson, managing director (pubs division) for Robinsons Brewery, said: “2015 has been a phenomenal year for our emerging managed house business. The Airport pub, which opened in January, and The Bulls Head are both examples of the high level of quality that Robinsons is known for. We are proud of everyone who has contributed to this project so far and know that these developments along with our future plans will continue to solidify and raise the perceptions of Robinsons as an industry leader.” The Bulls Head, Hale Barns opens from 7am today (Tuesday, 15 September) serving a premium food offering, along with breakfast menu, and a rotating range of award-winning Robinsons cask ales.

Starbucks UK launching Youth Action 2015 programme today: Starbucks UK is launching its Starbucks Youth Action 2015 programme today (Tuesday, 15 September). The programme, now in its fifth year, supports young people aged 16-24 from across the UK not in education or employment to make a difference in their communities by applying to Starbucks Youth Action for funding to get their projects off the ground. Successful applicants are given access to an app that guides them through the planning and delivery of their project. As well as a copy of UK Youth’s employability toolkit, they are provided the opportunity to accredit their project through UK Youth’s leadership unit and learn about job opportunities available at Starbucks. The programme runs until next March. Starbucks communications director Simon Redfern said: “Many young people start their career with us and through our partners and through Starbucks Youth Action we know they want an opportunity to work and to succeed more than anything else. Our message to those young people is: ‘If you’ve got a bright idea, we’ll back it’. So get in touch.” Since launching in 2011 across the UK and Ireland, the Starbucks Youth Action programme has supported 260 projects with over £450,000 worth of funding.

Sharp’s Brewery reports turnover up, profit down: Cornwall’s Sharp’s Brewery, owned by Molson Coors, has reported sales rose to £7.9m in the year ending 31 December 2014 from £36.9m in 2013. However, pre-tax profits reduced to £1.5m from £2.3m the year before. The directors said profitability dipped as “more sales were made to the parent company as opposed to being made directly to the end customer at a higher margin”. During the year the company increased its tank farm with four new 150-barrel fermenting vessels and a 390-barrel conditioning tank. The new racking line has been delayed but is expected to increase capacity by late 2015. The brewery took on its first pub following the acquisition of The Mariner’s in Rock, which is managed by Nathan Outlaw Restaurants. The company stated: “Since acquisition in 2011, the company has maintained a continued strategy of capital investment to increase the company’s brewing capacity to the current maximum of 195,000 barrels. As a result of this investment, Sharp’s has been able to grow volume in 2014 and will continue to do so in 2015.” It added the strategy going forward was to increase capacity to “meet consumer demand for the main brand Doom Bar, whilst continuing to develop a wider portfolio of brands”.

Prezzo and Dean’s Diner to join Frankie & Benny’s and Nando’s at new Yate development: Prezzo and Dean’s Diner, which is owned by Richoux Group, are to join Nando’s and The Restaurant Group brand Frankie & Benny’s at the new 100,000 sq ft £25m Yate Riverside development in Gloucestershire. They have agreed to take up units at the complex owned by Crestbridge Corporate Trustees, which is being built on the former overflow car park in Link Road. Shopping centre manager Andy Lowrey told the Gloucestershire Gazette: “Frankie & Benny’s are looking to open on November 16 and others will open in the first two weeks of December. We are really pleased with it and although we still have one retail unit and one restaurant still to lease, we are confident we will do that very quickly.” The site will also be home to a six-screen Cineworld cinema, which is due to open next Easter.
 
JD Wetherspoon buys Grays site: JD Wetherspoon has acquired a site in Grays, Essex (population: 36,600). The company has bought the former State Cinema in George Street for an undisclosed sum. Chief executive John Hutson told the Thurrock Gazette: “We have been keen to open a pub in the town for a number of years and are pleased that this is now moving in the right direction. Our aim is to invest £3m in developing the former cinema into a pub, creating up to 100 new jobs. We believe that a Wetherspoon pub would be a great asset to the town and also result in further investment from other businesses.”
 
Manchester-based On The Wall to launch second restaurant next month: Manchester-based On the Wall will launch its second restaurant in the city on Friday, 30 October. The company, which also owns the Chalk Bar and Grill in Didsbury, is opening fine-dining restaurant Quill in King Street. It is investing more than £1m to transform the former Duo unit into what it describes as an “opulent oasis” in the heart of the city. Split over two floors of the four-storey building, the restaurant will seat up to 60 diners upstairs and feature an open kitchen. The 200-capacity venue will also boast a 21-cover private dining room as well as a ground floor bar and cocktail stations. Diners will be able to choose an eight-course tasting menu as well as an a la carte selection, both following a modern British theme with European influences. On The Wall chief executive Chris Longmate told the Manchester Evening News: “King Street really is the new location when it comes to high end venues and Quill will be an integral and central part to this. I see it as the place to escape to, an opulent oasis in Manchester. Now as the opening approaches we are just really excited and can’t wait to see guests inside enjoying Quill.”

Agent offers three freehold investment pubs in London with total value of £7.5m: Agent James A Baker have been instructed to sell three central London public house investments. The properties are all located in prime north and east London locations, Angel, Islington and the City of London. The Old Red Lion, Angel, has barrelage of around 469 and £3,100 per annum rental income from Vodafone. The pub is let until January 2043 and there are annual CPI linked reviews and it has a guide price of £3,500,000 plus VAT. The total income is £79,990.16 plus barrelage. The tenant is the Old Red Lion Theatre Pub and benefits from a personal guarantee. The Chapel, Islington, has a passing rent of £78,785 and additional income from Vodafone of £3,100 per annum. The pub is let until November 2023 with annual CPI linked reviews. The property is being sold on a freehold basis of £1,800,000 plus VAT. The tenant is Public Arms and benefits from a personal guarantee. The Brown Bear, Leman Street, City of London, has a passing rent of £48,437 with additional income from a tie with barrelage of around 225. The pub is let until July 2023 and there are annual CPI linked reviews. The property is available on a freehold basis with a guide price of £2,200,000 plus VAT. The pub is let to individuals and also benefits from a personal guarantee.

Hogs Back Brewery appoints Gordon Thompson as sales director: Surrey-based Hogs Back Brewery has appointed Gordon Thompson as sales director. Gordon Thompson has worked for a number of years across the drinks industry, launching Red Bull and Sol at Ubevco before moving to Bulmers and then Heineken, working in a number of regional and national sales roles for both. More recently, he has worked at soft drinks start up company Freedrinks, giving him first-hand experience of a smaller, entrepreneurial business akin to Hogs Back. Gordon Thompson said: “Working in the drinks industry – and living just minutes from the brewery in Farnham – I was aware of Hogs Back and impressed by both the quality of their established ales such as TEA and their more recent product innovation, particularly Hogstar English Lager, Montezuma’s Chocolate Lager and Hazy Hog Cider. These non-traditional beers, and other developments such as the hop garden, set Hogs Back apart from other brewers of similar size. The brands, and the business, have huge potential and I’m confident I can help them to realise it over the next few years.” Hogs Back Brewery managing director Rupert Thompson added: “We’re delighted Gordon is joining us. He brings with him a wealth of experience and an evident passion for beer and cider that will help us to take the Hogs Back range to a wider audience. He joins us at a pivotal time, following significant investment in the business over recent years, and with plans for more to follow, including new product development.”

Krispy Kreme to open new Swindon store today: Krispy Kreme will open its new store in Swindon, Wiltshire, today (Tuesday, 15 September). The company is opening a venue at the Swindon Designer Outlet shopping centre in Kemble Drive. Chief marketing officer Judith Denby told the Swindon Advertiser: “We are excited about bringing a taste of Krispy Kreme to Swindon, the Designer Outlet is a fantastic location and we can’t wait to welcome shoppers in for doughnuts and coffee.” Swindon Designer Outlet centre manager Tina Cumpstey added: “The new addition will fit seamlessly to the current selection of cafes and restaurants on offer such as Patisserie Valerie, Soho Coffee Co and Wagamama. We’re confident the opening of the Krispy Kreme store will prove to be a big attraction for our shoppers, enabling us to enhance our eating and drinking experience at the centre with their fantastic doughnuts and coffee.”

Young’s and Geronimo launch recruitment roadshow: Young’s and its gastro-pub sub-brand Geronimo have launched a new recruitment drive to find the rising stars of the hospitality industry with a series of roadshows throughout September and October. From entry-level management, chef apprenticeships and hotel receptionist jobs to head office positions in marketing and finance, potential candidates can head to The Windmill, Clapham (23 September), The Bull, Westfield (30 September) and Finch’s in the City (7 October) from 10am to 8pm, to find out more about working with the company.