Pod reports Ebitda doubled, like-for-likes up 9.1%: The 22-strong London-based healthy eating brand Pod has reported sales rose to £17.3m in 2015, a like-for-like increase of 9.1%, with Ebitda almost doubling to £631,000 for the year. The company stated: “This positive performance has continued into 2016 and in support of this and the ambitious plans the brand has for the remainder of the year, further strength has recently been added to the management team with John Postlethwaite moving from his role as chairman to become executive chairman, managing the day-to-day affairs of the company, whilst Tim Bartram, after an interim spell as managing director, will focus on finance and operations as chief financial officer/chief operating officer. Pod has recently completed on a new site on Kingsway with store number 23 expected to open for business in Summer 2016. This marks the start of the planned expansion plans for the brand which is set to continue in the coming months with a number of further sites also close to completion.”

Mark Reckitt to stand down as JD Wetherspoon non-executive director: Mark Reckitt, a non-executive director of JD Wetherspoon, has been appointed a non-executive director of Hill & Smith Holdings. Reckitt has informed the board of JD Wetherspoon of his intention to resign as a director of JD Wetherspoon with effect from the 26 May 2016. The chairman of JD Wetherspoon, Tim Martin, said: “I would like to thank Mark for his contribution to JD Wetherspoon over the years he has been a director. On behalf of the board, I wish him well for the future.”

Coca-Cola – sugar tax is not the answer: Coca-Cola general manager for UK and Ireland, Jon Woods, has argued that a sugar tax is not the right way to reduce sugar levels in drinks. In an opinion piece in The Daily Telegraph, he stated: “While we agree with the Government that obesity rates are too high and need to be reduced, we do not believe additional taxes are the solution. There is no reliable evidence from anywhere in the world that shows taxing food and drink – let alone just some soft drinks – has changed people’s behaviour and made them thinner. We are a consumer-led business. We listen to and respond to our consumers, and for several years they have been telling us they want a greater choice of lower and no sugar drinks. We have responded to this by reformulating many of our drinks to reduce their sugar content, introducing smaller packs and increasing the marketing investment in our no sugar options. We know that these changes are having a positive impact. We see from our own sales figures, but also in the Government’s data, that people are switching from regular (full sugar) drinks to no sugar alternatives. Figures from Defra’s Family Food Survey show that between 2004 and 2014, purchases of regular soft drinks declined by 44%, with the same volume made up by increases in no sugar drinks and water. Even more recent data from Kantar shows that the sugar from soft drinks bought in shops for consumption at home has fallen by 14% between 2012 and 2016. The combined actions of soft drinks manufacturers and consumer education and awareness is powerful and proving effective. While progress is clearly being made, we also understand that more is required. But we want to see action based on evidence of what works. Taxes did not make the top 10 most effective interventions to reduce obesity in the McKinsey Global Institute’s obesity report, which came out in November 2014; top of the list were reformulation and smaller portions. Our reformulations of popular drinks like Fanta, Sprite, Dr Pepper, Lilt and Oasis have removed thousands of tonnes of sugar from the British diet. Since 2005, we have launched 27 new or reformulated drinks with lower or no sugar and today every drink we sell has a lower or no sugar alternative. All of our new product development work is focused on creating great tasting lower and no sugar drinks. We want more people to be aware of this, which is why we are talking about it in the adverts we are currently running in several newspapers. All of this activity requires significant investment. Since 2012, we have invested almost £30m in research and development to create new lower and no sugar drinks. We have made this investment because we know that to succeed and grow our business here in the UK we need to provide consumers with the drinks they want. As well as being ineffective, the sugar tax will not just impact the manufacturers of soft drinks, but also the thousands of businesses – the sugar farmers, suppliers, pubs, restaurants and newsagents – for whom soft drinks are a vital part of their trade. It will also hit consumers in the pocket regardless of what they drink. The Office of Budget Responsibility (OBR) has reported that it will cost more than £1bn in its first year due to an increase in interest payments on inflation-linked Government loans. That’s almost twice the amount the Treasury claims it will raise and a bill the taxpayer will presumably have to pay – and it does not factor in the increase in the cost of a weekly shop. Finally, the regressive nature of the tax means those least able to afford it will be hit the hardest. Over the coming months we will continue our work – the work that we know actually helps people to reduce the sugar they consume from our drinks. This summer we will launch new, improved Coca-Cola Zero Sugar. It’s our biggest new product launch in a decade. We have very deliberately made it look more like Coke and taste more like Coke, but without sugar, as we seek to encourage more people – including those who love Coca-Cola Classic – to choose a no sugar drink. This is a core part of the growth plan we have for our business here in the UK in the years ahead. We believe our actions will prove more effective in helping people reduce their sugar intake than a tax. We will continue to listen and respond to our consumers and through our marketing encourage more people to choose one of our many no sugar options.”

Dalata plans €26 million investment in Dublin hotel: Dalata Hotel Group, Ireland’s largest hotel operator, has exchanged contracts on the purchase of a hotel development site on Kevin Street, in Dublin City Centre, for a consideration of €8.1 million. The site at Kevin Street is superbly located at the high profile junction of New Street South and Kevin Street Upper, 600 metres west of St. Stephen’s Green. Planning Permission for a hotel development, granted by An Bord Pleanála in November 2015, includes a basement car park of 23 spaces, a reception area, cafe/bar and restaurant and 137 bedrooms over five floors. Construction of a Maldron Hotel is expected to commence in the fourth quarter of this year with the aim to have the hotel operational mid 2018. Total investment upon completion will be circa €26.0 million and will result in approximately 70 new jobs when open. The transaction is expected to complete late May / early June. Dermot Crowley, deputy chief executive business development and finance, said: “The purchase of this property is a very exciting opportunity for the company and is consistent with our stated strategy of securing development sites for further new hotels in Dublin. The Dublin hotel market continues to perform very strongly in 2016, and we look forward to this Maldron Hotel contributing significantly to the Company performance in the future.”

Eagle Eye hires Helen Slaven as chief sales officer: Eagle Eye, the SaaS technology company that validates and redeems digital promotions in real-time for the grocery, retail and hospitality industries, has hired Helen Slaven as chief sales officer. The company stated: “Helen’s arrival strengthens Eagle Eye’s commitment to driving its commercial success as a leader in the digital marketing industry. As an experienced operator in both retail and technology sectors, Helen will leverage her extensive experience and international network of contacts, to help connect retailers and brands to the Eagle Eye AIR platform. Helen will report directly to CEO Phill Blundell, further strengthening Eagle Eye’s senior management team which was bolstered recently by the appointment of former Tesco deputy CEO, Tim Mason, as non-executive chairman. Helen was formerly CEO of BT’s retail technology arm, BT Expedite, as well as VP Retail for Torex as part of their UK turnaround and subsequent sale to Micros. She joins from Ascential Group Plc where she latterly served as CEO for Planet Retail, the leading Global Retail Intelligence portal working with major grocery retailers and FMCG brands.” Phillip Blundell, chief executive of Eagle Eye, said: “Helen’s sales background and industry network will be invaluable as we continue to extend our sales capability to support our rapid growth plans and better serve our existing customers. I am delighted to welcome Helen to the Eagle Eye senior management team and look forward to working together as Eagle Eye continues to deliver its growth strategy.” Slaven added: “Eagle Eye has demonstrated strong momentum in the last 12 months, signing both UK and international tier one grocers to its platform. I’m excited to be joining at such a pivotal time for the business and the wider sector and I’m looking forward to working with the team to explore new avenues of opportunity both in the UK and overseas.”