Middletons plans steady expansion as founder says business is in a ‘sweet spot’ when it comes to funding: Stephen Hutton, the founder and managing director of Middletons Steakhouse & Grill, has told Propel the business is focused on further steady expansion into the Midlands and South Yorkshire, after reaching a “sweet spot” where it can self-fund its future openings. Hutton said the nine-strong group’s approach to property – on average it spends £70,000 on annual rent per site and targets sites that are off the main eating circuits – has allowed it to get to a stage where it can self-fund its expansion plans. He told Propel: “We have had plenty of investment interest, but we have taken a steady approach to our growth plans over the past nine years, and there is no reason why we won’t continue in that vein over the next nine years. We have got to a sweet spot where the success of our existing sites means we can self-fund our expansion plans, which will be one or two new sites a year going forward. We will now look at locations in places such as Nottingham and Sheffield, plus towns like Stratford-upon-Avon.” Hutton was speaking as the business gears up to open its ninth site on Monday, 21 February in Leamington Spa. The business has invested £500,000 to revitalise the Warwickshire town’s vacant Gusto site. Hutton said: “It’s been a difficult time for hospitality with all the restrictions during the pandemic. But we’ve managed to take our business into Cambridge and now Leamington Spa and I think our survival and progress is due to the strength of the brand and what it offers. It’s all underpinned by a sensible and sustainable expansion model. We know this year won’t be easy. We’re expecting a strong spring but have obvious concerns about the summer with everyone wanting to finally go on holiday as well as the cost-of-living squeeze reducing disposable household income. This will have an effect on the high street and eating out but we’re still confident we can have a strong 2022. We’re confident our expansion plans will continue with a pipeline of properties into 2023 and beyond.”

One day to go before sixth edition of The New Openings Database release, to show details of 495 new sites: The sixth edition of The New Openings Database, which is produced in association with StarStock, will show the details of 495 newly announced site openings and upcoming launches for Premium subscribers when it is published tomorrow, (Friday, 4 February), at midday. The database, which is published monthly, shows the details of which company has opened a site or its plans to open one in the future. It will have details on what type of site it is and its location. There will also be a website link to the businesses so you can find out more about them. The sixth edition of the database features new and expanding leisure and hotel concepts, unique cuisine and regional brands in growth. Premium subscribers will also receive a 26,100-word report on the new additions to the database. Premium subscribers also receive access to two other databases. The latest Propel Multi-Site Database, which is produced in association with Virgate, was sent to Premium subscribers last Friday (28 January). The database contained 87 new companies, bringing the total number of businesses listed up to 2,293. The 918 sites run by those 87 new additions means the entire database of sites has reached 63,489 sites. Premium subscribers also received a 6,500-word report on the new businesses added. The go-to database provides company names, the people in charge, how many sites each firm operates, its trading name and its registered name at Companies House if different. There is also a synopsis of what the business does and significant news associated with it. Premium subscribers also receive the Turnover & Profits Blue Book, which is produced in association with Mapal Group. The Blue Book, which is also updated every month, provides an insight into UK operator turnover and profitability over five years, profit conversion and directors’ earnings. Subscribers also receive access to Propel’s library of lockdown videos and Friday Wrap interviews and now also have access to a curated video library of the sector’s finest leaders and entrepreneurs, offering their insights on running outstanding businesses in the sector. Premium subscribers also receive their morning newsletter 11 hours early, at 7pm the evening before our 6am send-out; regular video content and regular exclusive columns from Propel group editor Mark Wingett. Companies can now have an unlimited number of people receive access to Propel Premium for a year for £895 plus VAT – whether they are an operator or a supplier. The single subscription rate is £445 plus VAT for operators and £545 plus VAT for suppliers. Email jo.charity@propelinfo.com to upgrade your subscription.

West End to receive millions in recovery support fund: Westminster Council has announced it is to inject millions of pounds into reviving the West End, including funds to help hospitality businesses recruit new staff. The council has set aside £190m for a support fund to help the West End’s recovery post-pandemic. A total of £1m has also been allocated for a recruitment drive to bring waiters, baristas and bar staff to struggling hospitality businesses. Under the recruitment drive, restaurants and bars will be connected with local jobseekers, colleges, and training centres. Around £150m of the support fund will be invested in redesigning Oxford Street and Strand Aldwych, to make the area more pedestrian friendly. The council said it was trying to future proof the district for the next two decades, as well as supporting its immediate covid recovery. Funding will also be used for a series of free public outdoor art installations and performances, promoting the West End to international tourists, and a deep clean programme to spruce up the streets. The council is also calling on the government to introduce an online sales tax to level the playing field for bricks and mortar retailers. It will also launch a campaign lobbying for the return of VAT free shopping and calling on ministers to ease visa restrictions for foreign tourists. Rachael Robathan, leader of Westminster City Council, said: “At the heart of the capital, Westminster has a special role in the nation’s economy – we generate more than £60bn a year and support one in eight jobs in the capital. Westminster and the West End were hard hit by lockdown. As the local authority area with more restaurants, bars and cafes than any other in the country, we feel we have a special obligation to support the hospitality industry, which is why we have today announced our new £1m recruitment scheme. The venue owners work night and day to support jobs; the council can play its part by providing trained staff for those jobs.”

PM assembles new cohort of business leaders to turbocharge UK economy with Whitbread boss Alison Brittain among members: Prime minister Boris Johnson has launched a new Business Council following the two-year Brexit anniversary, as part of ambitions to assert the UK as the best place in the world to do business. The revamped Business Council, co-chaired by Johnson and chancellor Rishi Sunak, features 28 business leaders from across the spectrum, including Whitbread chief executive Alison Brittain. Meeting at least quarterly, the council will work in partnership with the government, “helping to drive a high productivity, high growth economy over the next 12 months and level up local economies around the country”. Building on last year’s Build Back Better Business Council, the prime minister’s Business Council will retain and implement the three core pillars of the Plan for Growth framework – infrastructure, innovation, and skills – against which council members will continue to translate goals into measurable action. Johnson said: “We’ve got one of Europe’s most open economies thanks to our vaccine rollout programme, and with ‘Plan B’ restrictions firmly behind us we can now go further to turbocharge the economy and unleash the benefits of Brexit. Harnessing the extraordinary powers of our new Business Council, together we will knuckle down on creating new high skilled, high wage jobs, driving innovation in science and tech, and mobilising investment to deliver the green industrial revolution – all while levelling up and securing the UK as the best place to do business.”

Job of the day: COREcruitment is working with a London multi-brand hospitality business that is looking to hire a chief operating officer. The company requires a luxury hospitality operator to join the business, which has multiple new openings scheduled for London – and is looking further afield. A COREcruitment spokesman said: “The role will be great for someone who is used to working within an owner-led environment with a high degree of accountability. The business’ client base is very much at the top-end of the market and has high expectation levels. You will be an excellent leader of large teams, have an amazing eye for detail and have the drive and passion that will be always visible across the business.” The salary for the role is circa £200,000 and is London based. For more information and to apply, email stuart@corecruitment.com

 

Fulham Shore lines-up five ex-retail sites for new Franco Manca openings: Fulham Shore has applied for planning to convert five ex-retail sites across the country to its Franco Manca pizza brand, Propel understands. The David Page-chaired business is believed to be planning to open sites in Esher, Chichester, Salisbury, Liverpool and Lewes. On the latter, the business is understood to have submitted an application to convert the former Sussex Stationers site in the East Sussex town’s high street. If successful it would become the smallest location by demographic that the brand has opened in. It is also thought to be exploring an opening in nearby Hove. Fulham Shore currently operates 57 Franco Manca outlets and 21 Real Greeks in the UK, and said in December it had another 21 potential sites in solicitors’ hands for both concepts. As part of its opening pipeline, Franco Manca is understood to have secured the former Bill’s restaurant in North Street in Bishop’s Stortford, while it has also applied to open a restaurant in Cardiff’s Church Street, on the former site of the Cornish Bakehouse.

Black Sheep Coffee adds eight new sites to openings pipeline: London-based speciality coffee shop operator Black Sheep Coffee, which has around 50 sites including circa 30 in London, has added a further eight sites to its openings pipeline, Propel has learned. The new sites, which will open over the coming weeks, including the brand opening its first outlets in Chester, Guildford, Reading and St Andrews. It will also add a third site in Edinburgh, in Princes Street, and three more sites in London – Cowcross Street, Wembley and Fenchurch. Co-founder Gabriel Shohet told Propel last autumn the fast-growing business had 30 new openings planned by this spring. Last week, the company revealed it was part of the government’s Future Fund scheme, which offers financial help for often loss-making but fast-growth “innovative” businesses. Shohet said the taxpayer would see “great return” alongside its other investors. He said the company was looking to raise further funds this year at almost double the value the Future Fund converted, with 46 new shops being planned. Last year, the company received investment from NBA basketball player Kristaps Porzingis, as it looks to break into the North American market.

RedCat appoints Ed Little as property director: RedCat Pub Company, the investment vehicle from ex-Greene King chief executive Rooney Anand, has appointed Ed Little, formerly of Hawthorn and Stonegate Pub Company, as its new property director, Propel has learned. Little joins RedCat after over six years as property director at Hawthorn, spread over two stints in the role. During that time, he spent a year as head of acquisitions at MOD Pizza. He also previously spent time as a national asset manager at Stonegate and Pizza Hut, respectively. In his new role, Little will work alongside Donald Stevenson, former group property director at Greene King, who joined RedCat on its launch last February. RedCat currently operates circa 100 sites, after securing a number of individual deals at the end of last year. Anand told The Times in November: “Prices have probably got a little firmer for the vendor than they were six months ago, but let’s see how things pan out over Christmas. During the notoriously lean months of January, February and March, I would hope there would be a few more assets we can persuade owners to part with.”

Johnson – UK ‘contributing meaningfully’ to Starbucks’ revenue growth: Kevin Johnson, chief executive of Starbucks, has said the brand’s UK business is “contributing meaningfully” to the company’s revenue growth. Starbucks reported higher quarterly profits, but said an unexpectedly costly hit from the latest covid-19 wave would lead to further price increases this year. For the quarter, the company said profits jumped 31.1% to $815.9m on a 19.3% rise in revenues to $8.1bn. Like-for-like sales in the international division declined 3%, reflecting a 14% drop in China. However, Johnson said: “A number of our international markets across our global portfolio saw a sustained recovery in the first quarter, including Japan and the UK contributing meaningfully to our revenue growth.”

BaxterStorey reports sales now at 70% of pre-Christmas levels as people return to the workplace: Ronan Harte, chief executive of contract catering company BaxterStorey, has said sales are now at 70% of pre-Christmas levels as people start to return to the workplace. Harte said over the next two weeks he expects to see sales back at the same level they were before prime minister Boris Johnson announced the introduction of “Plan B” restrictions. “One week on from working from home restrictions lifting, we are seeing an incredibly positive impact on our business – this was certainly the update many hospitality businesses were waiting for,” Harte said. “Unlike the previous return to the workplace in September, which saw a slow return for many businesses, this week we have seen a much faster return to the office, particularly within corporate offices in the financial and professional services sectors. Public sector office workers have been slower to return to the office, however, we know people have craved the social buzz of office working, and this has been reflected in an immediate return for many. Although it’s still too soon to have a true picture, we are seeing a trend for Tuesday to Thursday office working, with most continuing to work from home Monday and Fridays.”

Leon to open new King’s Road site next week: Natural fast food brand Leon, which is owned by the EG Group, will open its new site in King’s Road, Chelsea, next week. The outlet, which will welcome customers from Tuesday (8 February), will have 18 seats inside and create 25 jobs. Managing director Glenn Edwards said: “We are delighted to be opening our first Leon in the King's Road, a celebrated neighbourhood. We've had our eye on this site since before the pandemic, so to be able to make it happen with the support from EG Group is exciting.” Among the offering will be carbon neutral burgers and grilled wraps as well as new additions, including the vegan everyday dahl. It will be a digital-first restaurant, with kiosks for ordering and payments. In December, Leon, which opened a site in the Bluewater shopping centre in Kent earlier this week, announced plans to accelerate its expansion plans from an original target of 20 new UK restaurants to more than 50 over the next three years. This will include new formats like drive-thrus and smaller branches on petrol forecourts and in Asda stores, plus Leon To Go coffee shops, while a series of openings in the Netherlands will be followed by a wider European push.

Heavenly Desserts set to make its Scottish debut: Artisan dessert restaurant Heavenly Desserts is set to open its first Scottish site, in Edinburgh, this month. The company’s 36th store will launch at Fountain Park, in Dundee Street, on Monday, 14 February. It opened sites in Preston and Birmingham last summer and has several more in the pipeline, including Glasgow and Dublin. Having opened its first site in 2008, the business is aiming to open 50 stores in the UK by the end of 2022 is even planning global expansion through a franchise model. Heavenly Desserts’ menu includes pancakes, waffles, fondants, cakes and slices as well as tea, coffee and soft drinks. The company’s marketing executive, Paige Hilliard, said: “Despite the challenges the hospitality industry has faced over the last year, we’re so happy with the company’s growth, how we’ve adapted and our continuous development as a brand. We’re excited to make our debut in Scotland, and there’s no better place to start than the capital. We really can’t wait to see the city's reaction to what we have to offer, and hope this will be the first of many stores in Scotland. Heavenly Desserts is excited to include Edinburgh on its journey on becoming the most recognised franchise globally within luxury desserts.” Last year, founder Nizam Mohamed sold the rights to the brand to focus on the expansion of his Haute Dolci and IceBurg concepts.

Liverpool-based premium gym brand opens flagship venue for third site and second in the city: Liverpool-based premium gym brand Absolute Body Solutions (ABS) has added to its portfolio with a new location in the city, which will become its flagship venue. The 2,000 square-foot site, at 14 Castle Street, has undergone a £200,000 refurbishment that has seen state-of-the-art gym equipment installed. ABS, which offers bespoke nutrition and exercise plans tailored to each client, also operates sites in Speke and Manchester city centre. Its latest site was formerly a club for civil servants in Merseyside nicknamed The Civvy, and then became a pub called Castle Court, owned by former Liverpool defender Tommy Smith, before falling into a state of disrepair. Connor O'Brien, owner and founder of ABS, said: “The new facility is an incredible space for our clients to train in, and we have worked extremely hard to ensure the gym is finished to the highest standard.”

 

Restaurant advisory firm Whitespace makes two senior appointments: Restaurant and hospitality advisory firm WhiteSpace Partners has appointed Jonathan Doughty as non-executive chairman and promoted Rebecca Viani to partner. Doughty joined WhiteSpace in 2019 as a special advisor, and his current role as director special projects (ext) marks the culmination of a 40-year career in the property and restaurant sectors. Viani, meanwhile, is a franchising professional with more than 15 years’ experience in the industry, specialising in international development, new market entry and franchise operations. Vincent Mourre, chief executive and co-founder, said: “WhiteSpace Partners had a longstanding relationship with Jonathan, special advisor to our team since 2019, and with Rebecca, who joined as a senior consultant and head of international development and franchising advisory in 2020. Jonathan will continue to bring his unique vision of the industry and unrivalled strategic guidance to our advisory mandates and Rebecca will continue to manage and maintain our international development practice, working closely with our clients on European and Middle East expansion.” 

Meal kit company HelloFresh set to continue UK expansion: Meal kit company HelloFresh will expand its presence in the UK when it opens a new distribution centre in Derby later this year. The 118,000 square-foot facility will be located at SmartParc Segro Spondon, a sustainable food manufacturing campus in the city, and will be the third distribution centre the Berlin-based company has opened in the UK. It follows quickly in the footsteps of a similar facility at Nuneaton, which HelloFresh opened in late 2020. It will open “in response to the ongoing demand for HelloFresh’s meal kits in the UK” and as the company “continues to strongly invest in its long-term growth capabilities”. HelloFresh currently employs more than 2,000 people in the UK, with a further 450 to follow at the new site in Derby. HelloFresh UK chief executive, Laurent Guillemain, said: “Our plan is to further grow our Derby presence, offering even more jobs in the future. It’s also fantastic to be one of the first major brands to join SmartParc, which sets a precedent for the best in sustainable design and collaboration. Its ethos of bringing people and businesses together to meet the challenges of sustainable food production, while providing opportunities for the local area, align perfectly with our own values.” All carbon emissions from production and distribution will be offset by HelloFresh, and it plans to set up a partnership with a local food bank to distribute unsold food.

Norfolk restaurant owners double up with new coffee shop and cocktail bar: The owners of The Old Bank restaurant in Snetisham, Norfolk, have opened a new coffee shop and cocktail bar in the same village. Ania Wadolwska and Stefanos Boukas have launched The Old Store in Pedlars Mews, which is a coffee bar by day and cocktail bar by night. It also houses a micro-bakery, where all the bread, cakes and pastries are made. Ania told Lynn News: “I ran a similar business in Cambridge, and we wanted something like this nearer. It is a quieter place and more mellow, to enjoy a conversation, with jazz in the background and cocktails and nibbles in the evenings. No children are allowed in the evenings, where adults can enjoy the atmosphere.”

Liverpool community bakery opens second site: A community ownership bakery set up in Liverpool ten years ago has opened its second site. Homebaked Bakery opened its first shop, at Anfield, in 2013, a year after being formed to save a much-loved neighbourhood bakery from demolition. Its latest site, in the iconic St George’s Hall, takes the bakery to a new Liverpool city centre customer base. Angela McKay, Homebaked Bakery’s operations manager, said: “We are proud to have the opportunity to bring Homebaked Bakery to one of our city’s most beautiful buildings. We pride ourselves on constantly moving the goalposts for what a community that comes together can achieve, and bringing our community business to the heart of our city centre is the next step.” Liverpool City Council's cabinet member for culture and visitor economy, Cllr Harry Doyle, added: “Homebaked Bakery is a business with purpose – it goes above and beyond to improve the lives of those around it and really strives to make a difference to Liverpool. We are delighted to provide it with a new home in one of the city’s most prestigious buildings.”

Plymouth-based operator shuts restaurant after lease expires to concentrate on other hospitality ventures: Plymouth-based operator, the Hajiyianni family, has shut its restaurant premises at the city’s Drake Circus shopping centre after deciding not to renew the lease. Cafe Curva, which also had an outside terrace, opened on the top floor of the complex in late 2006. The Hajiyianni family said it had decided not to continue with the lease when it expired so it could concentrate on other business ventures. These include the New Continental Hotel, The Dock and Kuku restaurants and several nightclubs. A spokesman told Business Live: “The lease was up, and it felt like the right time to end that chapter after a great 15 years at Drake Circus. Where it’s been possible, employees have been redeployed in the other businesses.”

Scottish baker and former caterer opens debut cafe: Greenock baker Billy Gray has opened his debut cafe, Café Gray, in the town. Gray and his family have taken a long-term lease of the former Orangefield Cafe building in Holmscroft Street, which dates to the 1920s, with long-time operator Dino Pieri retiring in 2013. He left his role as transport and delivery manager at Aulds the Bakers after 14 years to run the cafe alongside his wife, Charmayne, and their two daughters. The husband-and-wife team have also been operating their Gourock Bakers business for the past six years. “We are delighted to finally open the cafe and see this as a natural progression for the business following the success of the Gourock Bakers over the past few years,” Gray told Inverclyde Now. “For it to be based at such a local landmark is fantastic, and everything just felt right about the location and the opportunity with great footfall from locals, trades, and school children. We provide for both sit-in and takeaway with lunchtime daily specials, fish and chips, curries, lasagne, and all the local favourites including burgers, pies, sausage rolls, and bridies. Given my background, we have a selection of cakes and scones, as well as an extensive list of Italian ice cream.”

Herefordshire-based brewery to shut after trade ravaged by coronavirus: Herefordshire-based Swan Brewery is calling time after its trade was ravaged by coronavirus. Founded by husband-and-wife team Jimmy Swan and Gill Bullock, the Leominster-based business has spent the last six years brewing ale but will shut in the spring. Swan said the pandemic has had a big impact on the business. He told the Hereford Times: “In the first 12 months of the pandemic, our brewing volumes were down by around a half. We recovered to a point in 2021, but then Omicron hit and, once again, adversely affected the pub trade at what should be one of the busiest times. The majority of our beer is sold in pubs, and while we have added other ways of bringing beer to lips, trade has been, at best, erratic. We have also seen significant increases in the cost of raw materials, fuel, rent, energy and transport. While we have somehow managed to keep in the black, we foresee it is unsustainable for us to carry on trading in such uncertain times.”

York city centre set for new aparthotel: Plans to launch a new aparthotel in a prominent York city centre building have been given the go-ahead. Local property companies Grantside and North Star put the plans for the upper floors of the 15,530 square-foot site at 4-6 Parliament Street forward after they acquired the building last year. The plans also include a reconfiguration of the ground and basement levels of the building, which are currently occupied by The Vintage Store. Separate entrances will be built for the retail and accommodation spaces. Steve Davis, chief executive at Grantside, said: “This approval will enable us to provide a new sustainable long-term future to this fantastic building, as well as creating high-quality visitor accommodation in a great location. For many years the upper floors have been underused and these plans will maximise the benefits this important street in the heart of York.”

New plans for Camden ‘lifestyle hotel’ get green light: Pan-European investor and developer RE Capital has secured planning consent from Camden Council for new plans for a “lifestyle hotel” in Camden. Planning consent had already been granted for a hotel scheme at 7ABC Bayham Street, but RE Capital appointed hospitality design specialist Dexter Moren Associates (DMA) to maximise the scheme’s potential “to both optimise space and guest experience”. The four-floor hotel will contain a cafe, speakeasy bar, private dining spaces and shared work space alongside 70 guestrooms and a dedicated floor of suites. DMA partner, Paul Wells, said: “As a lifestyle offering, [the scheme] will compete with young brands and independent properties in the general market, but will differentiate itself through bespoke interiors and unique guest experiences.” RE Capital, which has a global portfolio of leisure, retail, office and residential schemes, also has a hotel project in Clerkenwell in the pipeline.