PizzaExpress to debut motorway service site: PizzaExpress has announced its first foray into the motorway service network, via a new partnership with leading motorway service operator Welcome Break. The first restaurant opening to culminate from the partnership will be at the operator’s Oxford M40 (Junction 8A) site this October, which will create 40 jobs for the area. It will mark the first PizzaExpress restaurant on a motorway service network. The 88 seater restaurant will offer table service to both hotel guests and motorway service visitors, and will be open for 11 hours per day (11am – 10pm), 364 days a year. With the full menu on offer, guests can fully expect to enjoy the delicious food and top quality service that they have come to expect from the restaurant brand. Richard Hodgson, chief executive of PizzaExpress said: “We are always keeping our fingers on the pulse of the ever-changing wants and needs of our customers; however, the challenge with entering the motorway service network has been to find a partner where we can ensure that the food and in-restaurant quality for which we are renowned is replicated. We are confident that Welcome Break is the perfect partner to help us make this transition.” Welcome Break, chief executive Rod McKie, added: “I am very excited about this partnership with PizzaExpress, it further strengthens the extensive portfolio of leading brands and choice we offer our customers. I am confident they will welcome the addition of one of the UK’s most popular and much loved restaurant brands to Welcome Break. In recent years we have witnessed a growing trend with our customers, both business and leisure, to spend more time at our service stations and to be able to enjoy a dining experience comparable to that on the high street. I am delighted that PizzaExpress will be able to offer that experience to our customers. Our joint aim is to open many more Pizza Express restaurants across our motorway amenities.”

Fever-Tree chairman to report progress at AGM: Bill Ronald, chairman of Fever-Tree, the supplier of premium carbonated mixers, will make the following statement at the group’s annual general meeting to be held at 11.30am today: “2016 was another exceptional year for Fever-Tree which saw the group continue to gain market share in both the on and off trade across all our markets. Fever-Tree remains the pioneer and market leader of the premium mixer category and the momentum seen in 2016 has continued in the first four months of 2017. Given the strong sales in the period to date, the board anticipates that the results for the full year ending 31 December 2017 will be comfortably ahead of current market expectations. We look forward to reporting further on our progress at our interim results in July.”

Eviivo reports Ryanair partnership: Eviivo, the online booking specialists for independent hotels and B&Bs, has announced a new partnership with Ryanair. From today, Eviivo’s 6,200-strong customer base of boutique independent hosts and hoteliers are now able to offer their rooms directly to Ryanair’s 120 million passengers when they choose to book their accommodation through Ryanair’s website. The partnership gives Ryanair customers immediate and direct access to a wide range of diverse and exceptional properties using Eviivo’s booking technology. Eviivo’s all-in-one cloud-based booking service enables smaller independent hotels, often favoured by discerning travellers, to compete on an equal footing with leading hotel chains online. Guest houses, inns and boutique hotels, many with fewer than 10 rooms, will now be able to work directly with Europe’s leading airline. Thomas Messett, chief marketing officer, Eviivo, said: “We’re delighted to be bringing the best of independent accommodation to Ryanair’s customer base. A stay in a unique B&B or independent hotel is often a richer and more memorable experience, and we believe our customers represent the very best of hospitality. This new partnership will enable even the smallest of B&Bs to sell their rooms directly to Ryanair’s extensive international customer base for the first time.”