Krispy Kreme to launch Insomnia Cookies brand in UK: Krispy Kreme, owned by European investment company JAB Holdings, is to launch its late-night bakery brand Insomnia Cookies in the UK, Propel has learned. Krispy Kreme acquired a majority stake in Insomnia Cookies, which specialises in the late-night delivery of warm baked goods, at the end of 2018. Propel understands Krispy Kreme now plans to launch the concept in the UK, with an opening in Manchester in development. Krispy Kreme UK has applied to open a site under the Insomnia Cookies brand in the city’s Royal Exchange in Cross Street. A new company, Insomnia Cookies UK, has also been recently set up, which counts Caroline Wüllrich and Emma Colquhoun, Krispy Kreme UK’s chief financial officer and chief marketing officer respectively, as directors. Insomnia Cookies was founded in 2003 by University of Pennsylvania student Seth Berkowitz. Its stores, which stay open and deliver until 3am, are often situated near college campuses, helping it to cater to late-night revellers. It has circa 220 locations across the US, where it sells cookies, brownies and cold milk. Last month, Krispy Kreme appointed Jamie Dunning as its new president and managing director for the UK & Ireland. The former managing director and president at Mars Retail Group and sales director at Cadbury Schweppes took over from Richard Cheshire, who recently took the decision to step down from his role as Krispy Kreme’s UK & Ireland chief executive after almost 20 years of working in leadership roles at the company. Having entered the UK market in 2003, Krispy Kreme now operates 133 shops in the UK and Ireland and has a presence in more than 1,500 outlets. 

 

Number of experiential concepts to feature in next edition of The New Openings Database, 18,300-word report included: A number of experiential concepts will feature in the next edition of The New Openings Database, which is produced in association with StarStock. The database will show the details of 356 newly announced site openings and upcoming launches for Premium subscribers when it is published on Friday (5 August), at midday. The database 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. It is published on a monthly basis. The next edition features Oche, a Norway-headquartered, interactive, darts-based competitive socialising concept, which made its UK debut, in London’s The Strand, last month. Also added is Wonderville, which will open in London’s West End next week, and is dedicated to presenting magic and illusions shows alongside an all-day cafe and bar. In addition, Liverpool operator Pub Invest Group, which has launched an “interactive games and party venue” called Top Darts Club, in Bold Street, will be featured. Meanwhile, steampunk-themed experiential concept Phantom Peak, which has opened in Canada Street, off Surrey Quays Road, London, and includes a full Wild Western town, is included. Premium subscribers will also receive a 18,300-word report on the new additions to the database. Premium subscribers also receive access to three other databases. The latest Propel Multi-Site Database, which is produced in association with Virgate, was sent to Premium subscribers last Friday (29 July). The database contained 43 new companies, bringing the total number of businesses listed up to 2,572. The 217 sites run by those 43 new additions means the entire database of sites has reached 66,223 sites. Premium subscribers also received a 3,200-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, and the UK Food and Beverage Franchisor Database, which is an exhaustive guide to the companies offering a food and beverage franchise in the UK and is updated every two months. 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. 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. 

 

Propel video series – facing up to supply chain fragility: In a new series of Propel videos in partnership with Fourth, leading industry provider of inventory and workforce management solutions, Propel group editor Mark Wingett talks to leading supply chain experts about the current challenges facing the sector and how they are navigating them. In the latest video in the series, he is joined by Graham Kirk, executive chef at Gusto Italian, to discuss how the business is sourcing vital ingredients from Europe, balancing cost efficiencies with the need to invest in innovation and the role technology is playing in helping back-of-house teams. The video will be available today (Wednesday, 3 August) at 9am.

 

Family of mother who died from allergic reaction after eating Pret sandwich that contained dairy say food testing was ‘inadequate’: The family of a mother-of-five who died from an allergic reaction after eating a “dairy-free” £3.75 sandwich from Pret A Manger have said testing of the food after she died was “inadequate”. Celia Marsh, 42, suffered a fatal anaphylactic reaction after eating a “super-veg rainbow flatbread” from a Pret store in Bath, in December 2017. The sandwich's yoghurt dressing was supposed to be vegan, but was later found to have traces of dairy protein in it. A pre-inquest review hearing on Tuesday (2 August) was told the lack of investigation into the food item by Pret had “caused both the family and others great concern”. A lawyer for the family also told the hearing it was “deeply regrettable” that “contents were not kept and properly analysed”, adding the testing was “inadequate”. Avon and Somerset Coroner's Court heard there was a “mismatch” between the information held by Australian-based coconut yoghurt firm CoYo and Planet Coconut, which was licensed to supply CoYo branded products in the UK, about the potential for dairy contamination in its products. Coroner Maria Voisin said she will request a statement from Henry Gosling, the founder of CoYo. But Voisin also emphasised the scope of an inquest is only to establish how someone died, and was not to place blame or replace civil litigation. Mrs Marsh's inquest is due to begin on Tuesday, 6 September and is expected to last between two and three weeks. Bath and North East Somerset Council had earlier taken legal action against Pret and supplier Planet Coconut, but the prosecution concluded with the council’s decision not to continue, given the absence of evidence. A Pret spokesperson said: “Our deepest sympathies remain with the Marsh family over their terrible loss and we are doing everything we can to support this inquest. Over the past few years, Pret has established an industry-leading approach to helping customers with allergies, through the Pret allergy plan. We will continue to do everything we can to make sure that every customer has the information they need to make the right choice for them.” Mrs Marsh's death came a year after Natasha Ednan-Laperouse died when she ate an unlabelled Pret baguette purchased at Heathrow airport. There was no legal requirement for full ingredient labelling on pre-packed food at the time. Following her death, her family campaigned for the introduction of Natasha's Law, which requires all food retailers to display the full ingredients and allergens on every food item made at that locations and pre-packed for sale.

Job of the day: COREcruitment is working with a client looking for a looking for a strategic and operational global human resources director. Duties will encompass maintaining an effective level of business literacy including company goals, mission, financial position, strategy, competition, technology and culture, as well as playing a role in the strategic deliberations of the executive team and developing inclusive and diverse cultures with high levels of respect for leadership and staff. The salary is up to £200,000. For more information, contact gemma@corecruitment.com. 

 

Greggs increases prices for second time this year, evenings strongest growing daypart, customisation to play greater role: Food-to-go operator Greggs has increased prices for the second time this year, even though it had “worked hard to mitigate the impact of rising costs on customers”. The circa 2,200-strong company increased the price of its sausage rolls by 5p in January, as part of a wider increase that saw some products rise by 10p. In March it forewarned of further “necessary” increases due to higher staff, energy and material costs. The latest price increase came in May, when 5p to 10p was added to some items. However, the business, which now predicts overall cost inflation of about 9% in 2022, said the “small” price increases it had made so far have not appeared to have affected sales. New chief executive Roisin Currie said the business expects inflation to stay higher toward the end of this year and “probably” into 2023. However she said the business isn’t seeing shoppers cutting corners to save money at the moment and the group’s average transaction value is just under £4. She said: “Value and price is uppermost on the consumer mind. We’re not at all complacent about how important this is to customers in terms of pricing. We are constantly watching the competitive market and we’re constantly managing the cost inflation that we’re having to deal with.” In the first half of 2022, the company extended trading hours in its company-managed estate, with 300 shops now trading until at least 8pm (July 2021: 130). Currie said: “In the second half of 2022, we will extend trading hours in more shops as we better understand the extent of demand in different locations. The evening daypart is now our strongest-growing trading time, albeit from a low base.” Currie said ranging trials have “reinforced the importance of hot food options in the evening daypart, as well as the demand for our core food and drink range”. To meet demand for hot food options, the company continued to roll out hot food cabinets, particularly to those shops that are targeting the evening trade. A total of 867 company-managed shops now have hot food cabinets and it plans to add a further 400 in the second half of the year. Currie said: “To support further our objective of growing the level of trade in the evening we have added two new pizza flavours, Mexican Chicken and Pepperoni Hot Shot. Customers can customise their pizza toppings when ordering through our digital channels and we intend to trial the customisation of sandwich fillings in the second half of 2022.” Customers will only be able to customise cold baguettes – it doesn't apply to hot sandwiches. They won’t be charged for creating their own sandwich, but will be for any extra ingredients. Currie said: “In time we expect customisation to be extended to other elements of our made-in-store range.”

 

Doughnut Time plans 50 new UK stores over next three years, regional expansion to start this week with 15th opening: Doughnut Time has announced plans to open 50 new UK sites over the next three years. This will follow the opening of its 15th site over here, in Oxford’s Westgate Shopping Centre, on Saturday (6 August). It will kick off a regional expansion and new focus on operations outside of London, with the next opening in Windsor later this summer. The company, which said it has enjoyed 20% per annum growth over the last three years, will also aim to grow the e-commerce side of its business, with the online store now accounting for 30% of sales. Doughnut Time will also roll out its first line of cookies this month and is currently working on a range of made-to-order drinks to complement its doughnut range. Thomas Anderson, founder and chief executive of Doughnut Time UK, said: “We’re excited to roll out Doughnut Time to the rest of the UK, having built up a loyal following in London. Now we’ve emerged out of the pandemic and built our online store, we’re able to accelerate the expansion of our stores. We were also able to successfully navigate the pandemic without needing to restructure, and we now employ 200 people as a business, which gives a solid foundation to build from. Doughnut Time can operate from a wide range of locations and formats, from high street stores to shopping centre kiosks, retail and leisure parks, and even pop-up drive-thru locations.”

McDonald’s franchisee reports ‘strong recovery in trade’, driven by demand for delivery and reduced rate of VAT: McDonald’s franchisee Loizou Restaurants, which operates eight branches in north east London and Essex, has reported a “strong recovery in trade” in its accounts for the year ending 31 March 2022. This, it said, was driven by a significant increase in demand for delivery, the reduced rate of VAT (at 5% to 30 September 2021 and 12% to year end) and the addition of one new store to its portfolio. Its pre-tax profit increased from £1,523,571 in 2020 to £2,609,778, while revenue was up from £23,332,262 the previous year to £32,888,917. The company said it also made use of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, “though to a much lesser extent than in the previous year”.

 

Landlord forces Wolseley Hospitality Group to close Bicester Village cafe despite ‘exceptionally strong’ trading, focusing on new London openings: The Wolseley Hospitality Group (TWHG) has expressed disappointment at its landlord’s decision to close Café Wolseley at Bicester Village “on a lease technicality”, despite reporting “exceptionally strong trading”. The London restaurant operator, which changed its name from Corbin & King in June, has said the venue will be closing within the coming days and no later than Wednesday, 10 August. This is against the wishes of TWHG, it said, and is being done at the insistence of Bicester Village owner, the Value Retail Group. A statement said: “The situation is highly regrettable as TWHG created the Café Wolseley concept specifically for Bicester Village, at the request of Value Retail, and it has operated with great success for more than four years. Trading in 2022 has been exceptionally strong, with sales figures well in excess of 2019 and prior year results. Despite the continued success of Café Wolseley, Value Retail has taken advantage of a technicality in the lease to force the closure of the restaurant following Minor International’s acquisition of the 26% minority interest in TWHG in April 2022 (it was already the 74% majority shareholder).” TWHG added: “Many of the dedicated team members who work at Café Wolseley relocated themselves and their families to Oxfordshire to open Café Wolseley, and they will be highly impacted by this move. TWHG is working closely with them to offer solutions to mitigate the severe disruption to their personal lives. TWHG has lobbied Value Retail extensively to try to get it to change its decision, but to no effect. We asked Value Retail to justify its decision to prematurely terminate the lease in order that we could explain it to our team and our stakeholders. However, no satisfactory commercial reason was given.” TWHG said it will now focus on its expansion plans and the successful operation of its other restaurants – The Wolseley in Piccadilly, The Delaunay in Aldwych, Brasserie Zédel in Soho, Colbert in Chelsea, Fischer's in Marylebone, Soutine in St John’s Wood and Bellanger in Islington. “We continue with our plans to open further restaurants in London and in new locations,” it added. “We are highly encouraged by the strong popularity and trading results across the entire group and look forward to continued success.”

 

Turnover at Farmer J set to hit £12.5m this year: All-day market concept Farmer J, which is backed by Imbiba, is set to report turnover of £12.5m this year, as it eyes a regional debut. Speaking to the Evening Standard, Jonathan Recanati, founder of the eight-strong, London-based business, said it now plans to open six sites per year – in London to start, including suburban areas, then in affluent areas across the UK; with Oxford, Cambridge, and Manchester on its target list. He said: “We certainly want to expand into international markets but this is a longer-term goal. We’re proud to have gone from four to eight sites in the last 12 months, during the most challenging time for the hospitality industry.” In 2019, Recanati raised £2.5m from Imbiba, which also backs Pizza Pilgrims, with Farmer J motoring along until covid hit. He said: “We were very reliant on the office worker market. We shut at the start of the first lockdown but decided after three weeks to reopen one site, and were surprised by the high level of deliveries into people’s homes. So we reopened the other two sites [which it had at the time] and managed to trade three sites during covid [despite] the City being completely empty.”

 

Signature Group reports encouraging start to FY2022 after reducing losses by more than £2m: Signature Group has reported an encouraging start to FY2022 after reducing its losses by more than £2m. The company, which is owned by Nic Wood and operates 21 sites in Scotland, reported a pre-tax loss of £222,409 for the year ending 31 October 2021, compared with a loss of £2,542,972 in 2020. Turnover was £11,822,382, down from £14,444,563 in 2020. It received £2,556,820 in Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme payments (2020: £3,151,383) and £1,288,900 in other government grants (2020: £162,470). Its subsidiary, Scot Brew, also suffered as 90% of its volume is sold into Signature Group’s venues. Signature Group added: “Through a combination of government support, strong customer demand in periods where we able to trade, and tight control costs, the group was able to limit its operating losses. With covid-19 restrictions lifting as we entered FY2022, the company made an encouraging start to the year. The operating environment is extremely challenging…but the directors are confident the group is well positioned to overcome these challenges.”

 

Australian steakhouse concept to make its UK debut next week with London opening: Australian steakhouse concept The Meat & Wine Co will make its UK debut next week with an opening in London’s Mayfair. The site, which will open in Curzon Street on Monday (8 August), will be the brand’s 12th restaurant overall. The group has its origins in South Africa, the home of founder Bradley Michael, who transformed his original Afro-centric restaurant concept 35 years ago into an award-winning steakhouse brand in Australia. The Mayfair site’s menu focus will be a combination of Australian and British beef “energised by Afro-centric flavours and cooking techniques, underpinned by the famous meat programme that showcases superior cuts, offering even the most discerning guests a completely unique dining experience”. Michael said: “We’re excited and grateful for the opportunity to expand into the London restaurant market. We know Mayfair is an area where people appreciate and regularly enjoy great food and service, so we look forward to contributing our unique offering.” Meat from select British farmers and suppliers will be handpicked by executive head chef Sean Hall, who has worked under the likes of Jamie Oliver, Graham Harrower and Neil Dixon. Pescatarian and vegetarian dishes will also be available, with the whole menu complemented by a list of both local and international wine.

 

Team behind Taka and Maru to launch bakery concept: The team behind London restaurants Taka and Maru is to open a new bakery concept in Notting Hill, Propel has learned. Hachi will be a new Japanese bakery from Andrey Datsenko. It will open on the former American Dry Cleaners site at 11 Blenheim Crescent. Beyond a traditional bakery, Hachi will offer “a unique experience, delivering premium loaf bread, imbued with a refined Japanese spirit, in the heart of London”. Datsenko opened Maru, which is led by executive chef Taiji Maruyama, in Shepherd Market, Mayfair last year. Datsenko and his sister Anastasia are also behind Japanese restaurant Taka in Marylebone Village. Tom Richards, of ARC, acted for Hachi.

 

Liverpool hotel group reports positive outlook for 2022, city centre property rent rises more than four-fold: Liverpool hotel group Centre Island has reported a positive outlook for 2022, with midweek and weekend demand forecast to remain strong across its locations. The group, which operates nine hotels across Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham, Preston and Ellesmere Port, narrowed its pre-tax losses to £82,908 for the year ending 31 December 2021 from £10,158,987 in 2020. Turnover almost doubled to £20,060,261 from £11,080,840 the previous year. It received £594,941 in government grants compared with £2,752,519 in 2020. The company stated: “Midweek and weekend leisure demand is forecast to remain strong across all locations and is predicted to continue throughout the year. The first and second quarter of 2022 show signs of improved recovery from the similar period in 2021, and the overall outlook remains positive, while still being viewed with some caution.” Post year-end, the group’s Holiday Inn Lime Street in Liverpool was subject to a rent review, and from 1 April 2022, the annual rent rocketed from £120,000 to £560,000. Revpar increased 37.7% year on year through an increase in occupancy year on year of 3.7%, and an increase in average daily rate of 26.2%. The group also said the return of large-scale sporting and music events has driven demand into 2022, increasing average daily room rates over peak periods, but key corporate demand remains lower than pre-pandemic levels, impacting overall occupancy, and this is forecast to continue until late in 2022. Recruitment challenges have stabilised, but the rise of food and utility costs has “put additional pressure on profitability”, it added.

 

Xi’an Biang Biang Noodles to open second site in London: Chinese restaurant concept Xi’an Biang Biang Noodles is to open its second site in London, in Covent Garden’s Opera Quarter, Propel has learned. The concept will open on the former On The Bab site in Wellington Street. The first Xi’an Biang Biang Noodles site opened in Wentworth Street, near Spitalfields, in 2019. DCL acted on the Covent Garden deal. 

 

Stevie Parle shuts Pastaio Westfield: Chef Stevie Parle and business partner Liam Nelson, the team behind fast casual pasta concept Pastaio, has announced the closure of its Westfield site. The duo opened the site, their second Pastaio venue, in January 2020 following the success of its debut site, which opened in Soho three years earlier. The Soho site, in Ganton Street, remains open, and all staff from the Westfield restaurant have all been offered jobs there. It comes after Parle closed his pop-up restaurant Joy, at London’s Portobello Dock, in June 2021 after being denied the opportunity to take a longer lease. Joy, which briefly reappeared in Marylebone last August, had launched in July 2020 as a spin-off of Parle’s Ladbroke Grove restaurant Dock Kitchen, which shut in 2017.

Soho House opens first south London site: Membership Collective has grown its Soho House estate to 36 sites worldwide with the opening of Little House Balham, in Bedford Hill near Balham station. The 242 square-metre House, its first in south London, includes a main club lounge and bar, Club Cecconi’s – Soho House’s Venetian-inspired restaurant serving handmade pasta, wood-fired pizzas and seafood. It also has a snug on the raised mezzanine offering Italian-inspired drinks. Founded in 1995 by Nick Jones, Soho House last month opened its first Scandinavian site, in the Danish capital of Copenhagen. Earlier this year, it submitted plans for a site in Glasgow’s George Street, which would be its Scottish debut. Jones has targeted growing Soho House to 85 sites by 2027.

Yard & Coop closes Leeds site: Fried chicken concept Yard & Coop, owned by former Revolution Bars Group employees Carl and Laura Morris, has closed its site in Leeds, three years after its opening. The company, which continues to operate sites in Manchester and Liverpool, said: “After three years of slinging chicken in Merrion Street, it is with a heavy heart that we have decided to close in Leeds. We’ve made so many friends and loyal customers over the years but we just need to pause and reassess all the costs thrown at us. Our team mean the world to us and we are so sad to be closing. Manchester and Liverpool will be open as usual.”

 

Da Terra team set to double up with second east London restaurant: Chef Rafael Cagali, who is behind two Michelin-starred Da Terra at the Town Hall Hotel in Bethnal Green, is set to open a second restaurant at the same venue. Cagali will this autumn take over the east London hotel’s other restaurant, which used to be The Corner Room, and reopen it as Brazilian-Italian concept Elis. “We will be serving more rustic dishes, with a selection of elegant snacks and good wine,” Cagali said, adding that Elis will draw on “everything from my favourite street food to family meal celebration dishes that my grandma used to make”.

 

London plant-based restaurant Holy Carrot opens Bicester pop-up: Holy Carrot, the plant-based restaurant that opened in London’s Knightsbridge in June 2021, has opened a pop-up in Bicester. The brainchild of former Vogue producer Irina Linovich, the original Holy Carrot opened within wellness and beauty destination Urban Retreat, at 2-4 Hans Crescent. The pop-up is located within the Bicester Village shopping centre and will trade there for six months. It will offer tea, coffee, pressed juice, and smoothies alongside a menu of healthy breakfast, lunch and snack items – all sourced from seasonal produce and free from preservatives, refined sugar, gluten and additives. Linovich said: “We are excited to bring Holy Carrot to Bicester Village and share our passion for healthy, plant-based dishes. With our globally inspired menu, we hope visitors will come with us and explore the delicious possibilities of plant-based dining.”

Manchester hospitality group to expand portfolio with canteen-style concept bar and restaurant: Manchester hospitality group All Work & Social is set to expand its portfolio with a canteen-style concept bar and restaurant in the city’s former Granada Studios. Located in Lower Byrom Street, The Stables will offer “curry, pies, chippy lunch and dinner”, and will cater for the thousands of workers set to move into the Enterprise City district. The venue is soft launching this week and will then be open fully from Tuesday, 9 August. Phil Dove, food and beverage director at All Work & Social, said: “We set out to create a casual, canteen-style dining experience, and we have delivered that with The Stables.” All Work & Social specialises in hospitality, workspace and events projects in and around Manchester’s Spinningfields and Enterprise City districts. Its portfolio includes the ABC Dome and Roofdeck, The Lot, Department Store, The Street, The Annex, The Workshop, Studio 1, Dept Coffee, Breeze Studio and Dark Kitchen.

Liverpool hotel previously operated by Signature Living taken off market after failing to attract £12.5m asking price: Liverpool hotel, 30 James Street, has been taken off the market after failing to attract viable offers. The property was offered for sale last year with a £12.5m asking price. It was previously part of aparthotel operator and developer Signature Living’s portfolio. It was marketed after the collapse of the company’s hotels division. The site was originally offered for sale in May 2019, along with sister hotel The Shankly, with a combined valuation of £51m. The 30 James Street site was believed to be worth £17m at the time. Signature Living opened the 63-room hotel in 2014. It includes a spa, conference and events hall and is home to the “Carpathia” restaurant. A special purpose vehicle that controlled 30 James Street was being managed by administrators Moorfields Advisory. In June 2020, the site was reopened under the management of Legacy Hotels, after Julian Clarke and Matthew Nagle were appointed as receivers of the hotel. Savills, in the role of receiver and sales agent, was appointed to find a buyer in October 2021, to recoup cash for creditors. However, the £12.5m asking price has not been met.

 

Deliveroo extends Co-op partnership with plans to expand service to 1,400 stores: Deliveroo has extended its partnership with Co-op for a further three years, with plans for the service to be available from up to 1,400 of the convenience retailer’s stores by the end of the year. Co-op and Deliveroo first joined forces in 2017. Following the three-year contract renewal, plans have been confirmed for 110 additional Co-op stores to become available via Deliveroo this year. Deliveroo customers can choose from around 2,300 Co-op items. Following a successful trial, Deliveroo Signature is also being rolled out across hundreds of Co-op stores, making Deliveroo’s UK-wide network of riders also available to deliver orders placed directly with Co-op through its own online shop. Carlo Mocci, chief business officer UK & Ireland, Deliveroo, said: “Co-op is one of Deliveroo’s largest on-demand grocery partnerships and it continues to be a huge success. We’re delighted to be extending our partnership and bringing more choice into people’s lives and easier ways to shop.” Chris Conway, e-commerce director, Co-op, added: “Co-op is committed to exploring new and innovative ways to serve our members and customers.”

 

New World Hospitality acquires Loch Lomond hotel in partnership with private investor: Independent operator New World Hospitality, which has a portfolio of nine hotels across the UK, has begun running a Loch Lomond hotel following its sale to a private investor. The unnamed investor has acquired The Winnock Hotel, an 18th century hotel in Drymen, in the heart of Loch Lomond National Park. Formerly a coaching inn, it has been restored into a tourist hotel popular with international visitors, with 73 bedrooms, a restaurant, function room and public lounge bar. The previous owner, David Warnes, is retiring, having run the hotel since 1989. Christie & Co and Smith & Clough both acted on the deal. 

 

London micro-bakery opens second site: London micro-bakery, Charles Artisan Bread, has opened its second site. Owner Daniel Burke has added to his outlet in Clapton with an opening in Stratford. Located in front of the Velodrome, in Abercrombie Road, the bakery offers pastries, fresh bread and sandwiches. Using a slow 24-hour fermentation process, the bakery produces a finite number of goods daily. Burke said: “After the increasing success of our small micro-bakery in Clapton and the support of all our customers, we thought it was the perfect moment to take the next step and spread further east, in Stratford.” The bakery also stocks several products from local producers including honey, vegan cheese and chilli sauce.