Lane7 eyes 15 openings over next 18 months, plans London opening: Boutique bowling company Lane7, which runs 11 bowling alleys across Britain and made sales of £26m last year, is planning to open about 15 venues over the next 18 months. The Times reports that some of Lane7’s planned openings will be under its new brand called Level X, which offers family entertainment such as go-karting, bowling, escape rooms and virtual reality games. Although Lane7 has enjoyed strong growth without one, founder Tim Wilks believes having a venue in London would bring advantages when negotiating with landlords because of the influence the city wields as “one of the two global food and beverage capitals”, along with New York. He said: “When we talk to landlords, it’s almost like because we don’t have a site in London, we can’t be relevant. There are a lot of very good brands that in the last five or six years have decided they can go and trade and make very profitable businesses outside of London. We are trying to find a site [in the capital], but only when the finances are right. It’s got to be the right business decision. I believe if we’d had a London site five years ago, we could have grown the business quicker and probably got better [property] deals. When we do land that London site, it becomes almost a showroom for new landlords.” While the cost of renting premises outside London is significantly cheaper, finding the right location is arguably even more important, particularly in smaller towns or cities, because footfall and average salaries are generally lower. When Wilks considers a new location for Lane7, he will talk to landlords and property agents before spending a weekend there to get a sense of the place for himself. 

 

Number of pub operators set to join updated Premium Database of Multi-site Companies: A number of pub operators are among the 36 new multi-site companies being added to the next edition of the Propel Premium Database of Multi-site Companies, which will be released on Friday, 26 August, at midday. The updated Propel Multi-Site Database, which is produced in association with Virgate, features Pubs Limited, the brainchild of Jerry Brunning, the co-founder of Brunning & Price, which portfolio includes The Swan at Marbury, The Black Bear in Whitchurch, The Hare in Farndon and the recently opened The Henry Potts in Watergate Street, Chester. Also added this month is Midlands micro-pub brand Ale Hub, which is owned by Connor McDiarmid, and opened its first branch in Dickens Heath, Solihull, in September 2020, and has since expanded to Shirley, Worcester, Sutton Coldfield and Droitwich. In addition, New Dawn Pubs, which was founded by Mark Robson, Mark Williams, Julian Clarke and Julie Phipps, who founded Red Mist Leisure in 2004, will be featured. Also included this month is Clement Ogbonnaya, the operator of the Prince of Peckham and the Queen of the South, in Tulse Hill, which will open later this year. Premium subscribers will also receive a 2,500-word report on the new additions to the database. The comprehensive database is updated monthly and 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. The database currently features 2,572 companies. Premium subscribers will also receive the next edition of the New Openings Database, which is produced in association with StarStock, on Friday, 2 September, at midday. It focuses on newly announced openings and upcoming launches in the sector and is updated every month. The next edition also includes a 10,000-word report on the new additions to the database. Premium subscribers also receive access to another database – the Propel Turnover & Profits Blue Book, which is produced in association with Mapal Group. The Blue Book, which is also updated monthly provides an insight into UK operator turnover and profitability over five years, profit conversion and directors’ earnings. Premium subscribers have also been given exclusive access to a new database. The UK Food and Beverage Franchisor Database is an exhaustive guide to the companies offering a food and beverage franchise in the UK and will be updated every two months. The third edition features 140 companies and almost 60,000 words of content, providing insight on the offer, locations, cost and other key details. 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. 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 Mark Wingett.

McDonald’s looks to ease recruitment crisis by hiring more over-50s: McDonald’s has begun a recruitment drive to hire more over-50s, amid a scramble by businesses across the country to fill jobs with retirees. It is among companies launching fresh recruitment campaigns targeting older workers, with adverts posted by McDonald’s showing a grey-haired worker who “isn’t the retiring type” enjoying a job with the chain. A spokesman for McDonald’s said: “We are exceptionally proud of our inclusive and diverse workforce, and our latest recruitment campaign reflects that. We have a long history of employing older workers, who are an integral part of our restaurant teams across the UK & Ireland.” It comes after Dame Sharon White recently urged the government to encourage over-50s to rejoin the workforce. She said introducing flexible retirement plans and skills courses for older workers to retrain in different jobs could encourage people back into work. The Office for National Statistics found late last year that there were 180,000 fewer over-50s in work than before the pandemic. Last September, 362,000 over-50s were unemployed and 3.5 million 50–64-year-olds were economically inactive, reports The Telegraph. See Company News to read about the McDonald’s UK IT director set to join The Restaurant Group, and the Birmingham-based McDonald’s franchisee reporting a return to profit.

Price of wine could soar by 10% this year: The price of wine could soar by 10% this year as soaring temperatures continue to wreak havoc on Europe’s vineyards. David Gates, chief executive of Direct Wines and parent company Laithwaites, says bottles from countries like France, Spain and Italy will only get more expensive if the droughts continue much longer. Prices for both wines and spirits have already risen by more than 6% in the past year, according to government figures, but Mr Gates fears a further increase of 4% by the end of the year is now a possibility. “Hot weather and low rain tends to lead to lower yields, which leads to increased prices,” he told The Telegraph. “On top of that costs of all the dry goods, so items such as bottles and cardboard, are significantly up due to supply chain and energy cost issues.” It comes as winegrowers across Europe are being forced to harvest earlier this year due to the hotter temperatures, meaning they are producing far less than usual, with many in Spain predicting a 25% drop in yield.

York voted best city for UK staycation: York has come out on top in a poll to find the best city for a UK staycation. The survey of 3,600, by Which? Travel, saw York score an 86% rating, just ahead Belfast (85%), Edinburgh and Liverpool (both 83%). Respondents were asked to rate 56 cities and towns across seven categories – food and drink, accommodation, cultural sights, shopping, ease of getting around, lack of crowds and value for money. Their answers also saw Cambridge voted the highest-ranking medium-sized city for a staycation, and Wells first in the small city ranking. At the other end of the table, Aberdeen is the worst-ranked big city, Ipswich is last in the medium-sized cities and towns ranking, and Hastings is bottom in the small cities and towns list. Which? Travel said: “York has always pulled in the punters with its unbeatable mix of historical and cultural attractions. These have now been matched by excellent food and drink options and great independent shops.”

Job of the day: COREcruitment is working with a growing multi-site operation seeking to hire an interim commercial head of finance. Part of your responsibilities will be to operate in a finance business partner role, support the managing director to manage their business to ambitious financial targets, and use trend analysis and forecasting techniques to highlight risk and opportunity in a timely manner to maximise benefit to the business. You will also provide support and training to operational teams to ensure operations managers and location managers can maximise the operational efficiency of their teams and contracts. The salary for this position is up to £80,000/£100,000. For more information, please contact Oliwia@corecruitment.com.

 

Barworks earned £16m from 13-site sale to Urban Pubs & Bars, company has ‘significant funds to support future development opportunities’: Urban Pubs & Bars paid £16m for the 13 sites it acquired from Barworks last year, Barworks’ accounts for the year ending 30 June 2021 have revealed. Listed in post-balance sheet events, Barworks said the sale helped it repay all bank debts, shareholder loans and preference shares. It said: “The group is now bank debt free at the date of approval of these financial statements, with significant funds to support future development opportunities.” Propel revealed exclusively in October 2021 the sale of 13 of Barworks’ 19-pub portfolio, increasing the size of Urban’s estate by 50%. Co-founder Marc Francis-Baum told Propel at the time of the sale that he intends to “grow Barworks” and “do interesting things”, and has since partnered with casual tennis concept Happy Padel. That same month, Barworks reopened Gas Station in Kings Cross following a refurbishment, having acquired it on a five-year lease two months earlier. In April 2022, it surrendered the lease at Two Floors as landlord Shaftesbury Estates intends to develop the site, along with adjacent ones. A new lease was agreed for the future developed site, which it is anticipated will be available from April or May next year. Barworks’ pre-tax losses for the year to 30 June 2021 fell to £2,164,087, from £3,994,914 the year before. Turnover dropped from £16,753,591 in 2020 to £7,479,943. It received £3,740,000 in government grants (2020: £1,859,000) and £341,000 in insurance payments (2020: nil). No dividends were paid.

McDonald’s UK IT director Stefan Beavis to join The Restaurant Group: Stefan Beavis, who has stepped down as McDonald’s UK’s IT director, is to join The Restaurant Group (TRG), the Wagamama, Brunning & Price and Barburrito owner, in a similar role, Propel has learned. Beavis, who joins TRG next month, has spent the past four years at McDonald’s as its IT director. Previous to that he was chief technology officer at book publisher Penguin. It is thought that Beavis will replace Richard Tallboy, the company’s former chief information officer, at TRG. Propel reported earlier this summer that Tallboy was to join Côte, the French brasserie chain backed by the Partners Group, in the same role. Tallboy spent 15 years working at TRG and Wagamama, where he revolutionised the digital experience for the teams and guests.

 

Hofma – the government needs to realise that this isn’t some sort of magic cash machine that can keep on giving: Jens Hofma, chief executive of the Heart with Smart Group, which operates Pizza Hut Restaurants and is an Itsu franchisee, has said the government needs to realise that the hospitality sector “isn’t some sort of magic cash machine that can keep on giving”. Hofma told Propel: “The combination of energy inflation, the cost of sales inflation, wage inflation, rents haven’t come down – in fact they’ve gone up since covid – VAT is back up at 20%, and the cost-of-living crisis, it is a completely toxic mix of influences that are going to be hitting the sector. Covid in particular has sort of disturbed what was a fairly level playing field, and there are clearly players in the sector that have benefited from covid, and there are players that have been disproportionately affected. There’s no merit and no fault in either. We’re in a very different situation. Some of the industry players have filled their pockets during covid and others have had to suffer disproportionately, and that’s creating a very unbalanced situation right now in the market. It’s not that I’m sitting here thinking about how we are going to survive. We are going to be able to navigate through somehow, with some damage, but it will be painful and I think many others in the industry that may be less well prepared for this particular onslaught are going to be suffering tremendously. I don’t think it’s going to do any good for the vibrancy of the eating out environment. Consumer choice, affordability – all of these things are going to suffer tremendously. It’s worth pointing out that the hospitality sector has taken the brunt of a whole number of things – the covid lockdowns, restrictions on immigration, increases in national minimum wage, amongst the highest VAT rates in Europe when it comes to hospitality. All of these things have been inflicted onto the hospitality sector, and at some point, the government needs to realise that this isn’t some sort of magic cash machine that can keep on giving, but that we are at a point of rupture here, and something needs to be done very, very urgently.”

Scoffs Group acquires ten Cornwall-based Costa sites: Scoffs Group – the largest Costa Coffee franchisee in the UK, has acquired ten additional Costa Coffee stores, expanding its business in Cornwall. The ten sites were previously owned and operated by Costa as “equity” stores. The company said: “In addition to the nine stores we purchased in February and our new Costa Van Cornwall, we now operate 20 stores in the region. Across the UK, we own and operate a grand total of 111 Costa Coffee stores, cementing our position as Costa Coffee’s largest UK franchise partner. Our growth in Cornwall is not limited to our existing stores, however. We have a strong pipeline of new stores coming to the region, helping us deliver more great coffee and food to the people of Cornwall and creating further jobs across the county. We’re honoured to have been able to purchase more Costa Coffee stores which sees us continue to expand our presence in Cornwall and demonstrates our commitment to the region. But Scoffs’ commitment doesn’t stop there! We will be supporting the further career growth of our new team members as part of our journey to becoming a world-class franchisee. We look forward to welcoming customers to our stores and engaging the wider community in Cornwall.” Last month, the company appointed Paul Turner, formerly managing director of You Me Sushi, to the newly created role of chief operating officer.

Bourne Leisure founders make £300m bid to buy back Butlin’s: The family which jointly founded Bourne Leisure, owner of the Haven Holidays and Warner Leisure Hotels brands, is finalising a £300m-plus deal to retake control of Butlin’s. Sky News reports that a vehicle connected to the Harris family, which helped establish Bourne Leisure in the 1960s, is close to signing a transaction with Blackstone, the group's current owner. A deal, which could be struck as soon as next week, would take the total proceeds from the sale of Butlin’s to more than £600m. It comes 18 months after the Harris family sold Bourne Leisure to Blackstone, the American private equity firm, for more than £3bn. Bourne Leisure has owned Butlin’s since 2000, when it bought the business along with sister brands Haven and Warner Hotels in a deal reportedly worth £600m. Butlin’s sites are at Skegness, Minehead and Bognor Regis. 

 

BrewDog makes first profit share payment: BrewDog has confirmed the first Blueprint bonus to all bar staff has been paid. BrewDog’s Blueprint was launched in May 2022 to celebrate its 15-year anniversary, detailing a new rewards scheme for all employees. In a ground-breaking move for hospitality, BrewDog confirmed from May 2022 that each bar would share 50% of its profits with crew members, paid twice a year. The revolutionary scheme is the first of its kind. As part of the Blueprint, James Watt, founder and chief executive, has also donated a fifth of his personal stake in the business to BrewDog’s 750 salaried crew members. Based on the most recent fundraising valuation of £1.8bn, the award will be worth around £30,000 a year over four years to each qualifying crew member. The first new Blueprint bonus (covering May and June) was paid last week to more than 1,700 bar staff, resulting in an average £188 per team member (and up to £1,500 for full time crew in the more profitable locations). More than a third of BrewDog’s bar crew have received over £250. The total bonus payment to all crew totaled over £300,000. BrewDog has also seen lower staff turnover and absenteeism after launching the scheme, and it is expected individual bar performance (including measurable metrics such as waste, sales, and profitability) will also be materially improved over time. Watt said: “We have been overwhelmed by the positive reaction to the Blueprint and this new bonus scheme. It’s early days, but in just two months, the scheme is paying out material bonuses, which on an annualised basis will help not only to attract and retain the very best in our industry, but also will provide much needed support to our people as we all face huge increases in the cost of living. This is a revolutionary reward model, but one which we hope will ultimately be used as an example to the rest of the industry and we invite others to follow our lead.”

McDonald’s Birmingham-based franchisee returns to profit: McDonald’s franchisee Dean Chapman, who operates four McDonald’s restaurants under franchise within his HFLC Restaurants business, has reported turnover rose 61.48% to £14,779,016 in the year ended 31 December 2021 (2020: £9,152,128). Pre-tax profit was £1,461,258 compared to a loss of £148,114 the year before. The company stated: “The year ended 31 December 2021 proved to be much improved, with company stores remaining open throughout the year, and with demand for ready-to-eat home delivery foods increasing significantly. One of the stores closed on 27 November 2021 due to a compulsory purchase order to allow for the Metro line extension.” The company received government grants of £736,634 (2020: £1,271,839). Directors’ remuneration was £2,603,000 (2020: £7,973,0000). Chapman, from Leicester, took his first McDonald’s job aged 17 job to generate cash for a college canoeing holiday. In 2010, he was appointed head of McDonald’s Franchising UK, helping franchise owners run and manage their restaurant more effectively. In 2015, he resigned as a McDonald’s employee to buy his own restaurants as a franchisee. He said: “When I started, only around 20 to 25% of UK McDonald’s restaurants were franchises. It was not the UK model then. Now, around 85% of McDonald’s restaurants in the UK are franchises. It has grown hugely.”

Island Poké opens 19th UK site: Island Poké, the London-based White Rabbit Projects and Hero Brands-backed business, has opened its 19th UK site, in Wimbledon. The James Gould-Porter-led business, which also has 11 locations in France, has opened at 8 The Broadway, furthering its expansion across the capital. As well as the usual poké bowl range and “build your own” bowl options, the site will also feature the brand’s new bao range, introduced in June. Gould-Porter said: “We are so glad to be opening our doors in Wimbledon and bringing our Fresh Pacific Flavours to the area. It’s our mission to bring people a great and fresh alternative to the traditional lunch and dine-out offering, and we think that the residents of Wimbledon are going to love it.” Island Poké plans to open 100 locations across the UK in the next five years, including plans for four new restaurants in Edinburgh. 

Inamo launches fully touch sensitive tables, with capability to place orders and deliver entertainment: London-based futuristic restaurant brand Inamo has launched fully touch sensitive tables, with the capability to place orders and deliver entertainment, across its Covent Garden restaurant. After using it to order their meal, guests can further employ the technology to play games like air hockey, pool, space invaders and archery while waiting for their food. It follows the recent introduced of a new menu of Asian fusion and sushi dishes at the restaurant, including soft shell crab tempura, miso salmon with mango and papaya salad, and pork tonkatsu. Earlier this year, the group renewed the lease on its original location, Inamo Soho, after 15 years. It also developed a sushi and fusion street food sub-brand, Inamo Sukoshi, for use in food courts. The concept’s first two site opened in March, at Market Halls Oxford Street and Canary Wharf, both with mid-term contracts.

Wagamama introduces recyclable packaging to reduce brand’s carbon footprint by 62%: Wagamama is introducing recyclable packaging which will reduce the carbon footprint of its katsu curry brand by 62%. It is replacing more than 8 million delivery bowls with the new eco-friendly material, which it says will remove up to 330 tonnes of virgin plastic from the supply chain every year. The new packaging will roll out from August 15 and will be live across all restaurants and delivery kitchens by October. Alongside this, Wagamama will also be launching a bowl return programme where guests will be invited to return their packaging to their local restaurant, and which will be available in every Wagamama restaurant by October. Wagamama chief executive Thomas Heier said: “Reducing our use of virgin plastics is a complicated mission – but one we have been dedicated to for four years. This has been driven by the belief that we needed do better for our guests, teams and the planet. Months of trial and error, conversations with leading experts and research into UK waste streams has resulted in a moment where we can finally say we’re proud of our packaging. This is an exciting and overdue step for us, but only the beginning.”

Larkin Cen to take Woky Ko concept to Birmingham for fifth site: Former MasterChef finalist Larkin Cen is set to bring his Asian fusion concept, Woky Ko, to Birmingham for its fifth site. Cen, who reached the MasterChef final in 2013, currently operates four Woky Ko sites in Bristol, but this will be his first outside the city. Available exclusively on Deliveroo, the delivery-only offering will be opening in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter in mid-September, featuring a host of brand-new dishes. Cen, who also featured on this year’s Great British Menu, launched the concept in Bristol’s Wapping Wharf in 2016. He said: “We’ve been working towards expanding for a while now, and Birmingham was a firm choice for us. The city has such a vibrant food scene with so many incredible concepts – it’s definitely somewhere we can’t wait to be a part of. Bristol has been amazing, and everyone’s been incredibly supportive of our journey so far, and now we feel we’re more than ready to bring our food to Birmingham.”

Staycation trend boosts profits of caravan and leisure park operator Shorewood Leisure Group: The staycation trend saw Shorewood Leisure Group, operator of six country and leisure parks, report turnover increased to £23,160,000 in the year ended 31 December 2021 (2020: £13.96m). Profit before tax more than doubled to £4,677,682 from £2,028,465 the year before. Government grants of £385,606 were received – compared to £330,856 the year before. The company has distributable reserves of £27,790,311 (2020: £24,034,629 within its retained earnings. Its sites are Witton Castle Country Park, Tocketts Mill Country Park, White House Leisure Park, Hornsea Leisure Park, North Bay Coastal Park and Aldbrough Leisure Park. David Allison has ultimate control of the company, which was founded in 1989. Managing director Neil Willson said covid lockdowns had produced “heightened demand”.

 

JMK Group plans £36m Belfast aparthotel for eighth site, opens second Guud Day Coffee House: Family-owned JMK Group is planning to open a new £36m aparthotel in Belfast’s Titanic Quarter. It was granted permission in 2020 to build a 276-room hotel on land located off Queens Road. The application has since been updated to incorporate 162 hotel beds and 94 aparthotel beds alongside conference facilities, a restaurant, bar and gym. The application will be scrutinised by Belfast councillors next week, and planning approval has been recommended. The site will be JMK’s first location in Northern Ireland and will create 70 jobs once open. Its current portfolio includes four hotels in Ireland and three in London, while further schemes are being lined up in Cork. The group has also doubled up its Guud Day Coffee House brand with a second opening. The latest site has opened at the group’s Hampton by Hilton Dublin City Centre hotel in Chancery Street. It follows the brand’s launch in September 2021, at the group’s Holiday Inn Express Dublin City Centre in Upper O’Connell Street.

 

Holdsworth Foods reports return to profit: A company which supplies products to restaurants, bars and catering companies across the UK returned to pre-tax profit during its latest financial year, new documents have confirmed, with turnover increasing by approximately £50m. Holdsworth Foods has reported a turnover £96.3m for the year to 28 February 2022, up from £46.3m in 2021. Accounts filed under Holdsworth Holdings also show pre-tax profits reached £5m, rising from losses of £3.2m. The business was formed by Michael Holdsworth in 1969 and now operates from ten depots in Derbyshire, Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Bedfordshire, Worcestershire, Powys, Essex and Dorset. A spokesperson for the company said: “The results are obviously very encouraging considering the challenges we have faced over the last couple of years. We suffered significant losses during the pandemic as our industry was one of the hardest hit. We maintained our workforce through the pandemic, supplementing the government furlough scheme to give employees 100% salary, so this meant that when industry opened up, we were in a stronger position than most to be able to return to normal operations. This meant less disruption for our customers and no doubt helped to boost the sales and profitability of the business, as we were able to capitalise on being able to immediately offer a full service to customers.”

 

Hydes wins consent to convert former police station into premium pub: A former police station in Heswall which dates back to 1911 is set for conversion by Hydes into a premium pub. The “distinctive arts and craft-style building”, on Telegraph Road, was previously home to Heswall Police Station, but has been vacant since the station closed in 2014. Hydes Brewery has been granted planning permission by Wirral Council to turn the site into a new pub. Managing director Adam Mayers said: “The idea is to open a premium pub and dining site to offer food and good quality drinks. We will keep the façade of the building, most of the work will be internal to make it more appealing to diners and local drinkers. We’re yet to decide on a name, but it’s usually something to honour a local well-known individual, dignitary or something related to the building.” The Heswall venue will fall under Hydes’ premium pub dining and is the tenth site under the category. It is expected to create about 30 jobs and an opening is scheduled for mid-2023.

 

Ellen Chew opens second Arome Bakery: Singaporean restaurateur Ellen Chew has opened a second site for her Arome Bakery concept. Co-founded by French pastry chef Alix Andre, the French and Asian-inspired concept launched as a pop-up in 2019 before opening its first permanent site, in Covent Garden, the following year. A second site has now opened at 27 Duke Street, just off London’s Oxford Street. Chew, who launched Singaporean restaurant Rasa Sayang in London’s Chinatown in 2008, oversees the Chew On This restaurant group, which has a growing portfolio of contemporary halal Singaporean and Chinese eateries that also includes Shan Shui at Heathrow Airport T2 and Bicester Village. Last month, she opened a third site for her Mrs Chew’s Chinese Kitchen concept, at Westfield Stratford. She also operates Lotus Leaf in Westfield Stratford; Lobos Tapas in London Bridge and Soho; and Simply Noodles in Bicester Village.

Z Hotels plans further regional expansion with Oxford opening: Z Hotels, which operates 14 mainly London-based luxury hotels, is planning further regional expansion with an opening in Oxford. The company – which currently has three sites outside the capital, in Bath, Glasgow and Liverpool – wants to convert two historic buildings on Littlegate Street into a 130-bedroom hotel, creating 25 jobs. The 17th century cottage and 19th century Baptist chapel have most recently been used as the Oxford Deaf and Hard of Hearing Centre. The application will go back before the local planning committee on Tuesday (16 August), with a recommendation for approval.