Sector like-for-likes up 2.5% over festive period as wet-led businesses lead the way: Britain’s managed pub and restaurant groups saw like-for-like sales grow 2.5% in the six weeks to 5 January 2020 compared with the previous year, according to the latest Coffer Peach Business Tracker. Trading was positive across all parts of the market. Restaurant chains saw a 2.3% uplift in like-for-likes, with managed pub and bar groups up 2.7% on 2018. Wet-led pubs outperformed their food-led counterparts, but food sales also did well. Across the managed pub sector, drink sales were up 2.4%, with food up 2.2%. “It has been a challenging year for the eating and drinking-out market so these figures will be a welcome boost for operators,” said Karl Chessell, director of CGA, the business insight consultancy that produces the Tracker in partnership with The Coffer Group and RSM. “Christmas and New Year is a vital time for the industry so to see positive growth is good news. These results underline the fact people still want to go out and enjoy themselves over the holiday period but also emphasise how important this time of year is to the health of the market and that operators have to keep creating good reasons for people to go out. For the first time, the Coffer Peach Tracker has been able to pull out separate figures for bar companies in the Tracker cohort, providing a more detailed analysis of the trading landscape. While the whole market performed well, the star performers were bar businesses, which saw a collective 3.9% uplift in like-for-like sales.” Mark Sheehan, managing director of Coffer Corporate Leisure, added: “There is a post-election sense of optimism, and food and drink consumers have driven the first wave of this during the pre-Christmas period. We are starting to see cautious confidence in the market, although we expect any uplift in trade and consumer confidence to be steady rather than spectacular. We expect market activity in 2020 to increase on 2019 levels.” Total sales during the six-week festive period, which include the effect of new openings since this time last year, were ahead 5.4% compared with the same period in 2018.

Propel Multi Club Conference opens for bookings, Simon Mitchell to present, two free places for operators: The first Propel Multi Club Conference of 2020 is open for bookings. The full-day event takes place on Thursday, 5 March at the Millennium Gloucester hotel in London. Simon Mitchell, chief executive of Kerb, will provide an overview of developments in the UK food market scene including how the company is working to identify and develop street food operators and the opening of the company’s first permanent street food site, at Seven Dials, Covent Garden. Multi-site operators of pubs, restaurants and foodservice outlets can book up to two free places by emailing Anne Steele at anne.steele@propelinfo.com

Wadworth reports Ebitda boost with full-year managed like-for-likes up 0.5%: Devizes-based brewer and retailer Wadworth has reported like-for-like sales in its 56-strong managed division increased 0.5% for the year ending 30 September 2019, with overall profit “broadly flat”. Like-for-like sales in its 124-strong tenanted estate were flat but the company said the division had delivered a “robust performance”, while it disposed of a package of 18 poorly performing pubs. Group turnover was down slightly to £66.6m from £67.1m the year before, which the company described as “disappointing but not unexpected in the current environment”. Ebitda rose to £9.6m from £8.8m the previous year. Pre-tax profit was down slightly to £2.2m, compared with £2.4m the year before. Operating profit before exceptional items was up to £5.2m from £4.7m the previous year. Profits in the beer business grew “significantly” on the back of strong wholesale channel sales. During the period the company transferred the Black Swan in Devizes to its managed arm. The company invested £3.5m in its estate and paid down £9m of debt, which has seen short-term borrowing fall to £40m. In the company’s annual report, chief executive Chris Welham said: “Trading has been mixed across the pub estate. Managed Houses has had a change of leadership, with Nick Young joining as operations director, which has driven a number of initiatives to improve ways of working and our consumer proposition. A significant upgrade of managed house systems is now under way. In the latter part of this year we embarked on a drive to improve the customer journey regarding how we communicate with customers and how we influence their behaviour. This is helping to improve the presentation of our managed pubs and will lead to improved sales. This development sits alongside a renewed drive to improve people calibre and operational execution and supports an 18-month improvement programme for managed houses, which is key to driving future growth and profitability in the business. The White House, Oxford, a leasehold property, was handed back to the head landlord with a provision for dilapidations and we also sold The Bell Inn in Seend and The Yew Tree in Conderton, both bottom-end tenanted pubs.” Last month Wadworth announced it intended to build a brewery as its current facility wasn’t “fit for the future”. 

Joule’s to focus efforts on growing tap estate as it reports pre-tax profit boost: Shropshire brewer and retailer Joule’s, which is headed by Steve Nuttall, is focusing its efforts on growing its circa 40-strong tap estate as it reported a boost in pre-tax profit. Turnover was up to £7.4m for the year ending 31 March 2019, compared with £7.3m the previous year. Adjusted operating profit increased 6.9% to £2.04m, compared with £1.91m the year before. Pre-tax profit rose to £921,000 from £605,000 the previous year. In October, Joule’s acquired The Offley Arms in the Staffordshire village of Madeley after answering community pleas to secure its future. The company also has financial interest in five further pubs that are unsuitable as brewery taps, which will be “rationalised over time”. Joule’s has started work on its first new-build pub along with a community theatre and heritage centre in Stone, which will see the business return to its spiritual home. The development is expected to complete in the autumn, although its brewery will remain in Market Drayton, Shropshire. In their report accompanying the accounts, the directors stated: “The size of our tap estate is now big enough to enable us to concentrate efforts on operating our brewery taps and focus less on growing the free trade area of the business. With this clear strategy in mind – of acquiring, developing and operating freehold brewery taps – we are actively looking at opportunities to acquire pubs in our heartland of Shropshire, Cheshire and Staffordshire. The brewery strategy, which is aligned with the overall business strategy, is to focus on producing great-quality beer for the tap estate.”

Heather joins Wahaca as operations director: Mat Heather, formerly of Mitchells & Butlers (M&B) and Pho, has joined Mexican restaurant brand Wahaca as operations director, Propel has learned. Heather joined Vietnamese restaurant group Pho at the start of 2018 before stepping down last summer. Before that he spent 14 years with M&B, including two years overseeing its 70-strong Castle Pubs division. Most recently he was operations manager for new concepts. Heather takes over at Wahaca from Clive Watkins, who left his role in October to become operations manager at Bill’s. Wahaca operates 24 sites in the UK, with the majority in London. Last year Mark Selby, co-founder of the Mexican restaurant brand, told Propel the company was focusing on building the business for the long term as it continued to recover from the aftermath of the norovirus outbreak in 2016, which led to the closure of nine restaurants.

Elan Café to make transport hub debut at St Pancras: Elan Café, the Instagram-friendly cafe concept led by Alexandra Miller, has lined up its ninth opening and first in a transport hub, at St Pancras International. The company has taken the former Benugo site at the train station for an opening next month. Founded in 2017, the concept opened its first site outside the capital late last year at Bicester Village. It also operates sites in Knightsbridge, Mayfair, Belgravia, Regent Street, South Kensington, Market Place and Selfridges London.

Pub format revamp helps boost Innis & Gunn’s festive sales: Scottish brewer and retailer Innis & Gunn is toasting the successful revamp of its pub estate, which helped drive strong sales growth during the festive period. With venues in Glasgow, Dundee and Edinburgh, December sales rose 16% across the board aided by a 35% year-on-year uplift in festive covers and a 42% increase in Christmas gifting. Sales of Innis & Gunn brewery fresh tank lager also grew 17% across the three bars. Steve Drew, retail operations director at Innis & Gunn, told Daily Business: “It is clear from the sales results and feedback we’ve received that the refurbishment programme of our bars has been a hit with our fans and recruited a raft of new supporters.” Following the relaunches, Innis & Gunn intends to expand its retail portfolio in 2020 and is on the lookout for suitable sites in Scotland. A further brewery taproom will also open at Innis & Gunn’s new Edinburgh brewery in 2021. The company aims to raise £3m towards the move through a crowdfunding campaign on Seedrs. The campaign, under the banner This Is Beer Money, is offering 1.96% equity in return for the investment, giving the company a pre-money valuation of almost £150m. So far, 1,764 investors have pledged £2,369,963 with 17 days of the campaign remaining. The transformation of the retail arm of Innis & Gunn’s business from the Beer Kitchen brand to brewery taprooms was completed in August.

Taster teams with UK chefs as it launches three delivery-only food concepts: Delivery-only kitchen concept Taster, which was founded by early Deliveroo executive Anton Soulier, is adding three food concepts to double its portfolio. Taster will launch Take-Out-Thai, Stacksando and A Burgers. Take-Out-Thai is a collaboration with former Som Saa chef John Chantarasak and takes inspiration from regional Thai street food, Stacksando has been created with Nanban owner and MasterChef winner Tim Anderson and offers katsu sandos, and A Burgers is Taster’s new standalone concept that showcases plant-based burgers with an “Asian twist”. Taster provides restaurant-quality meals for home delivery in London, Brighton, Paris and Madrid. Take-Out-Thai, Stacksando and A Burgers will join Taster’s established food brands Mission Saigon (Vietnamese), O Ke Kai (Hawaiian poke bowls) and Out-Fry (Korean fried chicken). Soulier said: “For the past three years we’ve explored exciting Asian cuisine, with a mission to deliver great flavours to Europe’s cities. With the help of two incredible chefs, John and Tim, we are excited to launch Take-Out-Thai, Stacksando and A Burgers in our kitchens.”

Loughton-based wings concept heads to London after securing former Mother Clucker site for pop-up: Loughton-based wings concept Wing Shack is heading to London for its second site. Founder Joshua Jarvis will open the pop-up in Clerkenwell in early February after securing the former Mother Clucker premises in Rosebery Avenue. The venue will have 30 covers and the same menu as its Loughton counterpart, which opened in 2018. This will include its signature Jarvis tangy Buffalo wings and boneless chicken fillets covered in southern rub as well as vegetarian options such as the Edgy Veggie burger with charred halloumi. The site was previously home to Mother Clucker’s first bricks and mortar restaurant, which opened in May 2018.   

North London-based fishmonger to expand seafood bar offering as it eyes third site: North London-based Bourne’s Fishmongers is to expand its seafood bar offering while looking to open a third site in the capital. The company, which opened its first store in Highbury in 2017, expanded to launch Bourne’s Fishmongers & Seafood Bar in Belsize Park. The venue is a fishmonger by day and seafood bar at night and, following its success, owners Lee Bourne and John Long will add a seafood bar to their debut Highbury site. From Saturday, 24 January the Highbury Park store will be transformed in the evenings to seat 16 diners on a long table in the centre of the room. Dishes will be dictated by the catch from Newlyn dayboats and “what’s good at Billingsgate market that morning”, reports Hot Dinners. In addition to freshly shucked oysters, snacks will include squid ink grissini and curried cod croquettes alongside larger plates such as red mullet with pak choi; scallops with coconut; and lobster mac ‘n’ cheese. The drinks list will focus on wine. Bourne’s recently opened a kitchen and private dining room at its Belsize Park site and is looking to open a third London venue, in Highgate.

Ainsworths to relaunch Rojano’s after acquiring Padstow restaurant’s freehold: Restaurateurs Paul and Emma Ainsworth are to relaunch their Rojano’s In The Square restaurant in Padstow as a New York-style Italian cafe concept. The Ainsworths have been leaseholders of the Mediterranean-inspired venue for the past nine years but, after acquiring the freehold, will relaunch the site as Caffè Rojano by Paul Ainsworth on Monday, 10 February. Caffè Rojano will draw inspiration from New York’s family-style Italian restaurants and feature a marble counter. Homemade pasta will be available to take away alongside cakes, scones, pizza and gourmet sandwiches from the in-house deli. The venue will open daily for breakfast and Sunday brunch, while the main menu will feature American diner-influenced dishes such as buttermilk chicken waffles and Cornish hotdogs. The a la carte menu will feature sourdough pizza, homemade pasta dishes and seasonal small plates, while the drinks list will focus on wine and cocktails. Paul Ainsworth, who has a Michelin star, said: “We are confident we can create a new family dining experience in Padstow.” The Ainsworths are also behind restaurant Paul Ainsworth at No.6, guest house Padstow Townhouse, The Mariners pub and Mahé Cookery School and Chef’s Table, all in Padstow and Rock, Cornwall.

Bar Douro to open second London site, in Broadgate this month: Portuguese food and wine concept Bar Douro is to open its second London site, at the new Finsbury Avenue development in Broadgate. The concept, led by Max Graham, will open its wine bar and restaurant on Tuesday, 28 January offering a more extensive menu of regional dishes and national classics. The petiscos (snacks) selection will include croquettes and fried eels, while the small plates section will be divided into “garden, land and sea”. Additions to the menu will include traditional copper pots containing a rotating selection of seafood stew, rice dishes and braised meat, while drinks will include one of the largest selections of Portuguese wine in London accompanied by gin, spirits and liqueurs. Larger than its London Bridge sister site, Bar Douro City will feature bespoke furniture, hand-painted wall tiles, an open kitchen with counter seating, a 44-cover dining room and a sheltered outdoor terrace for 24 diners. Graham said: “With our second, larger space we are excited to further explore the wealth of Portuguese cuisine.” Graham opened the debut Bar Douro at Flat Iron Square in November 2016. His Churchill’s Port family business has been making wine in the Douro Valley for two centuries.

Halewood reports Ebitda boost as turnover jumps to £335m, incurs costs of £8.9m after calling off potential sale: Halewood Wine and Spirits has reported turnover grew 26% to £335.0m for the year ending 29 June 2019, compared with £265.2m the year before. Adjusted Ebitda increased 15% to £26.3m, compared with £22.9m the previous year. Pre-tax profit was down to £6.8m, compared with £14.4m the year before after the company incurred one-off costs of £8.9m when a potential sale of the business was called off. During the period the company opened a gin distillery in Liverpool. In her report accompanying the accounts, Halewood Wine and Spirits chairman Judy Halewood stated: “During 2019 the group invested in production capability in distilling and craft beer as well as brand acquisitions. Halewood has de-listed non-profitable lines, particularly in the low-margin ‘ready to drink’ category, resulting in artisanal spirits becoming the leading category. In addition, international expansion in North America, Russia, China and Australia through acquisitions and investment in sales infrastructure will yield positive results in the coming years. The shareholders and senior managers decided the sale of the business wasn’t in the best interests of the group due to significant growth opportunities in artisanal spirits. This decision resulted in one-off deal costs and contractual management incentive payments in return for a long-term commitment from senior managers.” In October, Halewood opened a rum distillery and bar in the former Jamie’s Italian site in Bristol.

Boxpark unveils four new operators: Boxpark has unveiled four new operators across its three London sites. Vegan cookie dough concept Humbledough has added to its outlet in Acklam Village Market, just off Portobello Road, with an opening at Boxpark Shoreditch. Meanwhile, pan-Asian street food trader Kanji has landed at Boxpark Croydon, offering Korean dish bibimap and adding to its two other pop-up sites in the capital. Taiwanese bubble tea brand T4 has added to its UK portfolio by launching at Boxpark Wembley. It will be joined by Filipino concept Spoon & Rice on Monday, 27 January.

Peter Sanchez-Iglesias to launch The 3rd in Bristol: Michelin-starred chef Peter Sanchez-Iglesias has unveiled details of his new concept, which will launch in Bristol in March. Sanchez-Iglesias will replace his pizza concept, Pi, which closed in 2018, with The 3rd. The concept will sit between Casamia and Paco Tapas, his Michelin-starred restaurants housed in the former General Hospital, reports Bristol Live. Sanchez-Iglesias wrote in his newsletter: “Some of you may remember our pizzeria Pi. Since closing this we have been busy dreaming up a new concept to connect Casamia and Paco Tapas. Enjoy the vibe before or after your meal in our bar, eat at the creative chef’s table or chill during the day with a coffee and a pastry. All will be possible at The 3rd.” Sanchez-Iglesias also operates Decimo, which opened on the top floor of The Standard Hotel in London in October.

Team behind Cardiff events space to launch restaurant, bar and crazy golf concept: The team behind Cardiff events space The Depot is to open a bar, restaurant and crazy golf concept in the city. It will launch Par 59 in the basement of the Capitol Shopping Centre. When complete, the 18,000 square foot site will feature two permanent independent kitchens, two adults-only crazy golf courses, two large bar and dining rooms, and a separate area for private bookings. Nick Saunders, founder and managing director of The Depot and Par 59, told Business News Wales: “We have been throwing around ideas for the Capitol for some time as we always felt there was an opportunity to do something really exciting there. We’re so pleased to be breathing new life into a forgotten part of the centre.” The venue, which is being developed in partnership with a private investor, is expected to open in late April. Edward Richards, asset manager at NewRiver, which manages the Capitol Centre, added: “This letting marks the first of a number of exciting new operators to come to the Capitol as part of our wider development plans.” Saunders and his team are also investing £300,000 to move The Depot from its original warehouse in Dumballs Road to a 22,000 square foot venue in Williams Way, which will open on Friday, 31 January.

Paris Society reveals more details of debut UK site: Paris Society, the French restaurant group led by Laurent de Gourcuff, has revealed more details of its debut UK site. The company, which is behind Parisian eateries Perruche, Loulou and Girafe, is taking over the former L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon site in Covent Garden. The company is joining forces with Guillaume Glipa, who has been behind the openings of Zuma, Coya and Chiltern Firehouse, to launch Louie in March. The three-storey townhouse, named after King Louis XIV and Louis Armstrong, will feature a 150-cover French-Creole restaurant with a wood-burning oven and an oyster bar. New Orleans chef Slade Rushing will be in charge of the kitchen. Above the two-floor restaurant there will be a bar with a roof terrace hosting live music including jazz pianists and brass bands, London On The Inside reports.

Blackpool Pleasure Beach operator narrows pre-tax losses following turnover boost: The parent company of Blackpool Pleasure Beach has narrowed its pre-tax losses after seeing a boost in revenue despite a fall in attendance. Blackpool Pleasure Beach (Holdings), which includes the amusement park, Big Blue Hotel and South Shore Mutual Insurance Company, reported turnover rose to £34.9m for the year ending 24 March 2019, compared with £32.6m the previous year. Revenue for Blackpool Pleasure Beach was up 8.9% to £30.5m from £28.1m the year before following a review of its pricing policy. Turnover at the hotel fell 3% to £4.3m, compared with £4.5m the year before. Rooms sold dropped by 4% to 36,451, resulting in an overall occupancy of 64%. Despite the drop in occupancy, total yield per room increased to £119 from £118 the year before. Group pre-tax losses fell to £1.2m, compared with £1.6m the previous year. In their report accompanying the accounts, the directors stated: “The post-Brexit economic climate remains uncertain and individual disposable income is still a risk. The group continues to ensure all its guests receive a quality experience and value for money. A programme of continual review and a clear understanding of the park’s socio-demographic mix and market penetration has assisted the board in making informed decisions. This gives the directors confidence and optimism for the new financial year.”

Japanese restaurant Taka confirms May opening for second London site: Restaurateur Andrey Datsenko and sister Anastasia have confirmed they will open a second London site for their contemporary Japanese restaurant Taka in May. Following its success in Japan, the Datsenkos opened their debut London site, in Mayfair, in 2017. As revealed by Propel in November, they have secured the premises in Marylebone High Street that was formerly occupied by The Providores. Taka offers tataki, tempura, salads, sashimi platters, inside-out rolls, and yakitori alongside cocktails featuring sake, Japanese whiskey and liqueur. Andrey Datsenko said: “We are thrilled to expand and open our second site in London.” Restaurant Property acted for Taka in securing the 3,000 square foot, three-floor site, while Shelley Sandzer represented The Providores. Owned and run by chef Peter Gordon and general manager Michael McGrath, the Antipodean-style eatery closed after 18 years as the pair looked to travel and pursue other projects.

Beds and Bars backing bushfire appeal by donating Belushi’s Australia Day profits: Pan-European hostel and bar operator Beds and Bars, led by Keith Knowles, is to donate all profits from its Belushi’s bars on Australia Day to the bushfire appeal. The company is asking sites to collect donations locally and run other fund-raising activities. An internal fund-raise will also take place with the aim to raise another £2,000. All proceeds will be distributed to the Australian Salvation Army, World Wildlife Fund and Red Cross. In an email to staff, Beds and Bars marketing director Sophie Herbert wrote: “As you are all aware we are seeing unprecedented scenes in Australia in terms of the destruction and devastation caused by the bushfires, which are ravaging communities and wildlife around the country. During the Christmas and New Year period we know many of you and your teams have been directly affected along with many of our guests, with friends and families having it tough in Australia. While there might be a feeling of hopelessness being so far away, we would like to try to do something practical to assist those in need.” Australia Day takes place on Sunday, 26 January and will be observed in the UK on Monday, 27 January.

Highbury-based laksa bar Sambal Shiok to launch ‘economy rice’ takeaway: Laksa bar Sambal Shiok, which launched its debut bricks and mortar site in Highbury in north London in June 2018, is to open an “economy rice” takeaway next door. Owner Mandy Yin opened the Malaysian-focused venue in Holloway Road at a site formerly occupied by Mexican restaurant Amigos. The takeaway will open in March and April and offer affordable Malaysian rice boxes inspired by economy rice eateries, with each box around the £5 mark. Yin told Hot Dinners: “My mission in life is to introduce as many people as possible to Malaysian food. I think I have done my job with laksa, now it is the turn of economy rice with its wide variety of hearty Malay, Chinese and Indian dishes resulting in an endless combination of flavours in one meal. It is exactly the food I want to have when I finish work – food my mum would cook for me that I don’t have to cook myself. I want to feed people a convenient but highly nutritious balanced meal at an affordable cost.”

Searcys achieves three-star SRA award: Searcys has been awarded the top three-star rating by the Sustainable Restaurant Association (SRA). The award comes after the restaurant and events company increased its SRA score by 16% in 2019. Criteria include sourcing, society and environment with Searcys scoring particularly well in “celebrating local and seasonal produce”, “sourcing fish responsibly”, “valuing natural resources” and “supporting the community”. Searcys said it would continue to improve on its sustainability pledges this year. Managing director Matt Thomas said: “Our focus in 2020 will be to bring sustainability messages to our consumers and focus on the impact of our actions on the community, our partners and suppliers. We are excited to announce 1p from every cup of coffee sold in our cafes and restaurants will be given to sustainable and ethical coffee projects in conjunction with Extract Coffee. So far we have collected £13,000 for the Beyond Food initiative.”

North west-based hotelier acquires fourth site, in Shropshire: North west-based hotelier Raj Handa has acquired his fourth site, this time in Telford, Shropshire. Handa, who operates three hotels in the north west under his R&A Hotels and OPH vehicles, has acquired the Telford Whitehouse Hotel from Telford College. The hotel comprises two parts, with Handa acquiring the freehold of the 90-bedroom hotel while Knight Frank is the sole selling agent of the hotel’s ground-floor gym and spa and first-floor restaurant and conferencing facilities, which are held on a 999-year lease. Handa said: “Telford is a great acquisition for us. The limited-service aspect of the business allows our management team to focus on delivering good-quality accommodation while driving costs.”

Catapult partners with technology consultant to help employers access shared workforce: Global technology consultant REPL has partnered with on-demand artificial intelligence staffing platform Catapult. The system allows people to choose when they work and who they work for by offering specific shifts while helping employers match labour to demand. REPL will integrate Catapult’s operating system with existing technology to allow its clients to access the system. REPL executive chairman Mike Callender said: “By introducing our customers to Catapult and helping them integrate its functionality into their systems we can unlock even more power for them. Increasingly, employers need a flexible workforce. There’s a growing group in society who don’t want to commit to a contract and also want the freedom to work at more than one place. Catapult is all about offering them that freedom of flexibility. In return, employers can access high-quality candidates without the time and money involved in a traditional recruitment process.”