Deltic Group reports like-for-likes up 4.9% as it returns to turnover and Ebitda growth: The Deltic Group, the UK’s largest operator of premium late-night bars and clubs, has reported like-for-like sales increased 4.9% for the year ending 24 February 2018 as it returned to turnover and Ebitda growth. Total sales were up 4.2% to £106.5m, compared with £102.2m the previous year. Underlying Ebitda exceeded the company’s forecast – rising to £14.5m compared with £13.2m the year before. The company had a record 7.5 million admissions during the year, beating last year’s 7.2 million. Pre-booked sales grew 8%. Having had some local market challenges in 2017, the group said it was pleased to have returned to turnover and Ebitda growth. During the year, the group invested £5.7m to refurbish and relaunch ten bars and clubs. The group plans to invest a further £5.5m in the coming year to complete the catch-up refurbishment programme. The company said this would enable it to divert more funding to use on strategic acquisitions – the first of which was completed in March with the addition of The Terrace, a restaurant and club in Exeter. The group has also continued to invest in its customer experience. It has launched dedicated social media and sales teams and invested in the development of an artificial intelligence chatbot – a first for the late-night industry. The product is being trialled ahead of plans to roll it out across the business later this year. The company said it had worked hard to mitigate increasing cost headwinds and had a strong platform for growth. Chief executive Peter Marks said: “Our strong performance is testament to the hard work of our staff and management, our continued investment in the estate, and our focus on providing up-to-date contemporary designed clubs and bars, most of which dominate their local target market. It also demonstrates what we already know – there is a continued appetite for a great night out – and we’re pleased to see performance has continued into this year. Current trading is in line with management’s expectations – we’re experiencing the usual seasonal downturn, which is exaggerated by the hot weather and England’s World Cup progress – but we’re confident this will pick up as we build to the peak trading period from September onwards.”

Social Media for Profit masterclass opens for bookings: The second Social Media for Profit masterclass has opened for bookings. Mark McCulloch, founder and group chief executive of WE ARE Spectacular and formerly of Pret A Manger, YO! Sushi and lastminute.com, will welcome you to a social media boot camp that will provide insights into how to build your sales and brand using social media. McCulloch will be joined by Alison Battisby, founder and director of social media consultancy Avocado Social. With almost ten years of social media experience, Battisby is a Facebook-accredited trainer and will bring the latest algorithm-busting insights to the afternoon. She will reveal the key trends you need to know – from Insta Stories stickers and IGTV to top hashtags and video hacks. Battisby will also reveal how Facebook, Instagram and Twitter algorithms work, what content is given priority and how you can get your posts seen by more people. She will also look at the best ways to use Facebook and Instagram ads to get a return for your business, including what makes a good advert and how to measure it. McCulloch will talk about designing your venue for Instagram and how to encourage user-generated content. He will also look at Instagram Stories and demonstrate the most interesting features and hacks to ensure your posts get seen. McCulloch will also talk about influencer marketing – does paying someone to post about your product really work? How are brands approaching influencer marketing and does the average customer trust a sponsored post on Instagram? There will also be a rundown of the ten key social media actions to take away. The half-day event takes place on the afternoon of Thursday, 13 September at One Moorgate Place in London. Tickets are £345 plus VAT for operators, £445 plus VAT for suppliers, and £295 plus VAT for Propel Premium subscribers. To book a place, email anne.steele@propelinfo.com or call 01444 817691.

Fall in EU net migration leading to ‘severe skills shortage’ for UK takeaway sector: A fall in EU net migration is leading to a severe skills shortage in the UK takeaway sector, the British Takeaway Campaign (BTC) has said. The campaign, an industry umbrella body led by Just Eat, responded to figures in the latest Quarterly Migration Report, which revealed a further fall in EU net migration. The BTC is calling for measures that include an immigration system that doesn’t discriminate between EU and non-EU migrants; an immigration system based not on country of origin or skill level but on areas of skills shortage; and an amendment to the Shortage Occupation List (SOL) to make it more functional. BTC chairman Ibrahim Dogus said: “With over a third of takeaway restaurants experiencing skills shortages, particularly for chefs in specialist cuisines, and more than a third saying Brexit will make it more difficult to recruit staff, it’s vital the immigration system enables the sector to access the skills it needs from inside and outside the EU. That’s why the BTC is calling for the development of a long-term immigration system that does not discriminate between EU and non-EU migrants and prioritises areas of skills shortage instead. We also urge the government to address the absurd anomaly in the SOL that allows the recruitment of specialist chefs for restaurants but, bizarrely, not for those working in takeaways. This needs to go hand in hand with investment in high-quality vocational training to build a pipeline of home-grown talent.” 

Investor appetite for UK hotels ‘geared towards more substantial deals’ despite rise in competition: Investor appetite for UK hotels is “geared towards more substantial deals” despite a rise in competition, according to agent Christie & Co’s half-year review of the market. The company said investment and demand in UK hotels remained strong as the market enjoyed a “stellar period” as one of the few sectors to fully benefit from the post-Brexit decline in sterling. As the demand continues to rise, big-ticket transactions are becoming increasingly frequent, with investor appetite “clearly geared towards more substantial deals”. Christie & Co said openings in London should add 9,000 rooms in the second half of the year, while the regions had enjoyed a 1.5% revpar increase in the first five months of 2018. Despite trading challenges due to cost pressures, optimism is high over the market’s ability to deal with these headwinds as investors continue to seek opportunities. Christie & Co said UK hotels should be able to maintain revpar growth during 2018. Exchange rate impacts are not as dramatic as last year, which might affect visitor numbers, but there is still strong demand from overseas. Additionally, staycations will continue to grow in 2018. Christie & Co forecast investor demand would remain strong from UK, European and Far Eastern investors this year. In the first half of 2018, Indian, Israeli and Asian investor funds had become increasingly active in the market, offering competition to traditional UK and European investors. The company pointed to some significant deals in the sector, including the Hallmark Hotel Bournemouth West Cliff, which was sold on behalf of Topland Group to Motoring And Leisure Services, and the Hilton Coylumbridge in Scotland, which was sold on behalf of US REIT, Park Hotels & Resorts.

Comptoir Group announces board changes: Comptoir Group, the operator of Lebanese and Eastern Mediterranean restaurants, has announced changes to its board. The company stated: “The company announces the appointment to the board of Mark Carrick as chief financial officer with immediate effect. Mark joined the group in April as chief financial officer and was formerly director of operational finance with Ten Entertainment Group. Mark started his career in hospitality at JD Wetherspoon in 1999, where he qualified as an accountant and has since held several senior roles within a diverse range of multi-site leisure businesses over the past 19 years providing finance, commercial and operational expertise. In addition, Jonathan Kaye has notified the board of his resignation as a non-executive director to focus on his other business interests, with his resignation to take immediate effect. The company has commenced the search for a suitably qualified independent non-executive director and will make a further announcement in due course.” Non-executive chairman Richard Kleiner said: “On behalf of the board I would like to thank Jonathan for his valuable support and contributions to the company over the past couple of years and we wish him well for the future.”

BrewDog opens fifth Swedish bar, in Norrköping: Scottish brewer and retailer BrewDog has expanded its presence in Sweden by opening its fifth bar in the country, in the eastern city of Norrköping. Sweden is the company’s longest-standing and largest export market in Europe and has more bars than any country outside the UK. The first opened in Kungsholmen, Stockholm, in 2013 and BrewDog has added bars in Göteborg, Malmo and a second site in Stockholm. BrewDog Norrköping is the company’s ninth bar to open in 2018. The venue has room for 100 people indoors and 80 on a terrace. The bar has 20 beers on tap alongside burgers and wings. Co-founder James Watt said: “Norrköping has been on our radar for a while now – we’ve been excited by the city’s vibrancy and pace of growth. We’re proud to add to an already buzzing beer scene.” BrewDog has so far raised almost raised £19.5m in its Equity for Punks V fund-raise, which the company launched in October to support growth in the UK and overseas.

Jewish soul food trader Monty’s Deli to embark on £150,000 crowdfunding campaign for roll-out: Jewish soul food trader Monty’s Deli is to embark on a £150,000 fund-raise on crowdfunding platform Crowdcube at the end of the month to roll out Monty’s sites in a number of new indoor food markets across London and the UK. Mark Ogus and Owen Barratt, who launched the concept as a market stall in 2012, raised £50,000 in late 2016 on crowdfunding platform Kickstarter to open the first bricks and mortar site, at a former bakery in Hoxton Street, Hackney. They have since opened a second site – in the new “Kitchens” development at Old Spitalfields Market. Now Monty’s, which is named after Ogus’ grandfather, is planning further expansion and will launch the fund-raise on Friday, 27 July to support its plans. The company stated: “The idea was to give London something it had been lacking for a very long time – a real ‘kosher-style’ Jewish deli, where the meat and mustard, bread and pastries are all made on-site. This place would hold all the secret recipes that make a great deli. We call this ‘Jewish soul food’ because, in essence, soul food is all about roots.” Ogus said: “Our experience in markets is proven and our love for the food we make is unrivalled. We have spent years perfecting recipes and we now have a year under our belts as restaurateurs. The stage is set for us to roll out Monty’s Deli across London.”

Subway reveals plans to extend partnership with Spar operator: Subway has revealed plans to extend its partnership with Gillett’s Callington, which operates 69 stores in the West Country under the Spar banner. There are nine Subway outlets within Gillett’s Callington Spar stores, with further sites planned. Venues are in development at stores in Pinhoe, Exeter and Bugle, near St Austell, with others planned for Wool and Wareham in Dorset later this year. Gillett’s Callington has been a Subway partner since 2012. Kevin Graham, regional development agent for Subway in the south west, said: “Gillett’s Callington is a valued partner for Subway in the south west and we are delighted with its ongoing commitment.” Gillett’s Callington operations director Phil Darch added: “We were attracted to Subway as we felt it would be a good, complementary fit for our stores and appeal to a younger demographic.” Subway recently unveiled its Fresh Forward format, which includes digital menu boards, free charging ports, and a revamped fresh vegetable display. The new look can be seen at Gillett’s Callington stores in Launceston and Hayle and will be extended to further sites. Through its partnerships, Subway has more than 800 stores in non-traditional locations in the UK and Ireland, including hospitals, transport hubs, universities and colleges, petrol forecourts and convenience stores.

Two Heads Beer Co eyes Gipsy Hill site as it reports ‘very strong’ trading period: Independent craft beer retailer Two Heads Beer Co, which is currently fund-raising on crowdfunding platform Crowdcube, is eyeing a site in Gipsy Hill, south London, as it reports a “very strong” period of trading. The company, which is led by former BrewDog head of retail acquisitions James Hickson, is also set to introduce pizza by the slice to its sites and plans to expand its coffee pop-up, launched in Putney, to other stores. It stated: “June was a bumper month of sales and July is shaping up to be even bigger as we continue to grow the momentum we’ve built going into the summer. Our coffee pop-up in Putney is proving very popular. Its initial performance has vindicated our belief our customers and locals were crying out for good coffee and we will be putting it into a couple of other stores. Meanwhile, we are working on our plan to introduce pizza by the slice into our stores, something we think would enhance the customer experience and grow incremental revenue. This is something we are really excited to introduce, initially in our Clapham Junction store, followed by Tunbridge Wells. Beer and pizza is a match made in heaven. We are also actively looking for new sites and have entered very early negotiations on a new site in Gipsy Hill.” Two Heads Beer Co has so far raised £372,800 from 311 investors in its crowdfunding campaign as it looks to open four stores. The company, which operates six sites, was initially looking to raise £350,000 and was offering 14.9% equity in return for the investment. The company remains in negotiations over potential sites in Herne Hill and Surbiton. Hickson founded We Brought Beer in 2014. It merged with fellow bottle shop business The Beer Boutique in January, with founder Jon Kaye becoming executive chairman of Two Heads Beer Co.

Hakkasan finds new home for Dubai venue: UK-based restaurant and nightclub company Hakkasan Group has found a new home for its Dubai venue. The company will open the restaurant at Atlantis, The Palm in September before moving to Royal Atlantis Resort and Residences after its completion at the end of 2019. The restaurant was previously located at Jumeirah Emirates Towers Hotel before the location closed on 1 July. The venue will offer Hakkasan signature dishes such as Peking duck and charcoal-grilled silver cod, as well as a number of menu items unique to Atlantis. Hakkasan Group chief executive Nick McCabe told Arabian Business: “We are excited to start this journey with Atlantis.” Timothy Kelly, general manager and senior vice-president, operations, for Atlantis, The Palm, added: “Hakkasan has redefined the approach to modern Chinese fine dining and, in turn, Atlantis has redefined what guests can expect from a world-class destination resort. It’s an exciting addition to the resort’s already diverse collection of restaurants and we see great synergy between the brands.”

Fledgling casual dining concept opens debut site, plans UK expansion: Fledgling casual dining concept Yoh Burger has opened its debut site with plans to expand across the UK. The company has launched at Fitzwilliam Services in Rotherham creating 20 jobs. The 25-seat retro restaurant features a dedicated dessert counter with fresh cakes, ice cream, milkshakes, waffles and cookie dough. A company spokeswoman said the Rotherham site was just the start of a planned UK-wide push for the concept. She told The Business Desk: “We genuinely believe our build-your-own burger concept and emphasis on fresh, quality, locally sourced products is something the region has never experienced. As a company we have ambitious plans to take this concept across the UK, not only to forecourts but also the high street as a standalone concept. Our aim is to drive our expansion in Yorkshire and we want this Fitzwilliam site to be the first of a long chain in the region.”

Hastings Hotels reports pre-tax profit boost as turnover nears £40m: Hastings Hotels, which owns and operates seven venues across Northern Ireland, has reported turnover increased 7.8% to £39,632,526 for the year ending 31 October 2017, compared with £36,763,548 the year before. Pre-tax profit was up to £5,235,783, compared with £4,918,796 the previous year. Gross margin rose to 85.98% compared with 85.79% the year before, according to accounts filed at Companies House. In their report accompanying the accounts, the directors described the financial results as “satisfactory” and pledged to continue to “seek every opportunity to increase profitable turnover”. They also paid tribute to group founder Sir William Hastings, who died in December at the age of 89. The group opened the £53m, 300-bedroom Grand Central Hotel in Belfast last month and the venue includes a Sir William Suite. Its other hotels include Belfast’s Europa, Stormont and Culloden hotels, while it also owns a 50% stake in Dublin’s Merrion Hotel.

St Andrews Brewing Company launches £400,000 crowdfunding campaign to expand pub estate and brewery: Craft brewer St Andrews Brewing Company has launched a £400,000 fund-raise on crowdfunding platform Crowdcube to expand its pub estate and brewery. The company, owned by Philip Mackey and Tim Butler, is offering 5.06% equity in return for the investment. It plans to use the funds towards the cost of its new venue in Dundee – Caird Hall – as it adds to its pubs in St Andrews and Edinburgh. It will also use the investment to expand production at its brewery. The pitch states: “Our vision is to establish our brand worldwide as a creator of brilliant beers and the perfect places to enjoy them. Running great venues in tandem with our brewery provides a showcase for 25% of our beer. Our St Andrews and Edinburgh pubs will soon be joined by our Caird Hall venue near Dundee’s new V&A museum and £1bn waterfront redevelopment. With this raise we aim to make this a flagship destination for the best of Scottish beer, food and hospitality. Since returning brewing to St Andrews after a 100-year absence, we’ve scooped a World Beer award, plus Society of Independent Brewers and Great Taste awards. To meet growing demand, we need to expand our brewery. Investment will fund kit capable of quintupling our production to one million pints in 2019.”

Former Tamarind executive chef to launch first solo venture, in Chelsea: Peter Joseph, former executive chef at the world’s first Michelin-starred Indian restaurant, is to launch his first solo venture. Joseph, who was in charge of the kitchen at Mayfair’s Tamarind for ten years, will launch Kahani in Chelsea in September. Inspiration for the 90-cover restaurant comes from the chef’s upbringing in Tamil Nadu in southern India, with diners encouraged to forgo the formalities of fine dining for the first course by using their fingers. Seasonal British ingredients will be cooked on a central Robata grill and in an Indian tandoor oven. The menu will focus on grilled meat, fish and vegetables, with only three or four ingredients used per dish and only two curries. The restaurant, which will also include a private dining room with ten covers above the main dining area, will make use of brightly coloured Indian-style fabrics for decoration. The drinks menu will feature a selection of carefully sourced wines from around the world as well as spice-infused cocktails. Joseph said: “Kahani means ‘story’ and I am thrilled to be embarking on this new chapter in my life. Love for food and a pursuit of excellence has taken me on a fascinating journey and I want to keep innovating and pushing boundaries with my food to ensure people keep following my story and coming back for more.”

Creams Cafe franchisee opens debut site, plans further venues: Franchisee Khawaja Hassan has opened his debut Creams Cafe – in Epsom in Surrey – and is planning further venues. Hassan funded the opening of the dessert parlour in High Street with a £284,000 finance package from HSBC. Creams serves waffles, milkshakes, freakshakes and 36 varieties of Italian gelato-style ice cream. It also offers a wide range of sundaes, including the hot chocolate fudge volcano, and crepes such as the Belgian banana burrito. Hassan said: “I am excited to be opening Epsom’s first Creams franchise with HSBC’s support. I can’t wait to hear what our customers think of the cafe and our Italian and American-inspired desserts.” David Hamblin, HSBC’s area director for south London business banking, added: “My team has worked closely with Khawaja to secure the most suitable funding package for this new outlet. He has big plans to open more sites in the future and we hope to continue our support.” Creams Cafe was founded in 2008 and operates more than 70 sites in the UK.

Team behind Brixton restaurant Salon to launch sister site in Peckham: The team behind Brixton restaurant Salon is to launch a sister site in Peckham. Levan will launch in October focusing on contemporary European dishes and taking inspiration from “new-wave bistronomy”. The restaurant will offer breakfast favourites such as pastries and croque monsieur in the morning, while the lunch menu will reflect European bistro classics such as potato, chanterelle and vacherin pie. The evening menu will consist of smaller sharing plates and heartier dishes such as smoked pollack with spinach and 50-day aged rump with wild garlic aioli. The drinks list will include French wine and bespoke cocktails, the Evening Standard reports. Levan will be housed in a converted warehouse and consist of two main spaces – a large dining area and a bar with high tables for walk-ins. As at its sister restaurant, Levan will be committed to sustainability with more than 90% of waste reused or repurposed. Unused food such as herb stalks will be incorporated into infusions, while spoilt milk will be used to make cheese curd.

Brewhouse & Kitchen to open Hoxton site this week: Brewhouse & Kitchen, the brewpub business led by Kris Gumbrell and Simon Bunn, will open its latest site – in east London’s Hoxton – this week. The site, which is the company’s 21st, housed former restaurant, cafe and bar The Beagle and is next to the newly developed Hoxton train station. The venue has been refurbished ahead of its opening on Thursday (19 July) and will feature a 50-capacity restaurant and outdoor seating. It will also feature two seated bars – one outside. The venue will offer the company’s new summer menu, complete with seasonal beer pairing suggestions and 23 vegan and vegetarian options. Bunn said: “We are excited to open a brewpub in Hoxton and look forward to making lots of local friends, providing a service to the growing community.” In May, Brewhouse & Kitchen exchanged contracts to buy the freehold of Wabi restaurant in Horsham, which will be its first site in West Sussex. The company told Propel it was also “in legals on two further venues”.

Purity Soft Drinks chief steps down: David Bell, chief executive of Black Country-headquartered Purity Soft Drinks, has stepped down from his role. Bell had held the position since 2014, when he succeeded Garry Nield having previously held roles at Mars and Young’s Seafood. Purity was founded in 1892 and has been backed by private equity firm Langholm Capital since 2012. Langholm Capital declined to comment on the news but a spokesman told Insider Media the split was “amicable”, describing the move as a “parting of the ways”. Purity did not respond to requests for a comment. Purity Soft Drinks owns tonics brands Juice Burst and Firefly. In April, the company reported an increase in turnover from £18.5m to £19.8m for the year to 31 March 2017. However, pre-tax profits fell from £1.3m to £928,961 during the same period. At the time, Purity blamed the decline in profit on the impact of the Brexit vote on currency and further investment in its brands.

Kensington-based Indian restaurant Chakra starts expansion with Kingston riverside site: Kensington-based Indian restaurant Chakra has started expansion by opening a second site in London, in Kingston-upon-Thames. The restaurant is perched on the banks of the river and offers a contemporary fine-dining take on Indian cuisine. Arjun Varma launched Chakra’s Kensington restaurant seven years ago. The site underwent a refurbishment and reopened last month sporting a new look and menu. The brand’s menu features dishes such as Chakra Channa (Assam tea-infused chickpea with channa masala and tomatoes), and fish moile (Kerala-style sea bream in coconut milk gravy). In May, Propel reported Chakra was looking to expand across London by launching a number of key delivery kitchens under the brand Chakra To Go and rolling out restaurants. The first delivery kitchen opened in Wimbledon in June.

Fish and seafood restaurant inspired by Wright Brothers opens in Hull: A new fish and seafood restaurant has opened in Hull inspired by the city’s maritime heritage and London’s Wright Brothers concept. James and Paula Stockdale have launched Humber Fish Co in the regenerated Fruit Market waterside district. Humber Fish Co features chilled seafood and fish displays, with customers dining at marble-topped tables or around a counter surrounding the open kitchen. The 1,350 square foot restaurant has 50 covers inside and 36 outside. The restaurant’s decor features an upturned “clinker” fishing boat. The venue also takes inspiration from Wright Brothers’ restaurant in London’s Borough Market. Stockdale said: “We want to bring the quality of food and surroundings you get at Wright Brothers and other leading seafood restaurants around the country to Hull.” The £80m Fruit Market regeneration is driven by Wykeland Beal, a joint venture formed by commercial developer Wykeland Group and housebuilder Beal Homes in partnership with Hull City Council.

Novus triumphs at UK Digital Experience Awards: Novus, the London bar and restaurant operator, has won the customer review and feedback category at the UK Digital Experience Awards. The company also took third place in the digital change and transformation – software category at the awards final in London. The customer review and feedback award identifies companies that have used customer reviews to generate sales. Novus developed a customer experience dashboard to review, respond to and analyse customer feedback from one central place, allowing it to track online review sites, customer surveys and social media. The digital change and transformation – software category recognises companies that are making huge changes across their customer and internal channels while retraining or transforming their capability and skills. Novus customer experience director Simon Gaske said: “As a business we are committed to revolution, with our customers at the heart of every decision we make. It is so important to us we take on board every piece of feedback and make the late-night experience as fantastic as possible.”