Upham attracts potential investor partners, seeing another ‘new normal’ emerge: Ian Dunstall, director at Upham Inns, the Hampshire operator, has said the 15-strong company has attracted interest from potential investor partners. Propel revealed earlier this year the business, which is led by executive chairman Kevin Todd and managing director David Butcher, was “actively exploring opportunities for further growth”. Writing in Propel Premium, Dunstall said: “We have been actively seeking new growth opportunities, as we believe we have the drive and capabilities to significantly expand our estate. We have attracted potential investor partners who are confident in our business and the team, and we have emerged positively from their due diligence. The backdrop of the negative market outlook from the hospitality industry is inevitably making investors cautious, however. We have an incredibly supportive banking partner (HSBC) and an engaged group of existing shareholders, so we have a positive plan to achieve our expansion objectives – but the caution related to the market outlook means this has been a significantly more challenging journey than we had planned.” Dunstall also said the business was increasingly seeing “another ‘new normal’ emerging in our demand patterns”. He said: “Clearly all consumers are being more cautious on expenditure currently, and while we are in affluent catchments, our guests will still be concerned with the inflationary impact on their disposable income. Our local drinking market is especially price sensitive. But beyond that we are seeing a shift towards less traditional dining occasions – brunch continues to strengthen, and we are belatedly entering the delivery market as the infrastructure stretches towards our more rural locations. Also, we are witnessing significantly more event-based occasions, with many guests needing more stimulus from additional activity or entertainment to attract them.” Dunstall said against the Coffer CGA Business Tracker, Upham continues to outperform the sector by 20%, and “has done since the end of lockdown in spring 2021”.

Sponsored message – Toggle launches Toggle Time 2 to ‘grab Christmas by the snowballs’: Hospitality gift card company Toggle is on target to generate £35m-£40m in gift card sales this year for hospitality businesses. With just over a month to go before the festive season starts, it has launched a campaign to help operators maximise revenue this Christmas. As part of the campaign, it’s built a resource grotto packed full of support to help operators. Toggle chief executive Dan Brookman said: “Each year we’ve quadrupled revenues over Christmas since we launched. The public appetite to buy a shared experience through a gift that creates memories is higher than ever. Gift cards for hospitality are in massive demand and we are here to support the sector. For new customers signing up to Toggle before 1 November, we’re removing all onboarding fees and you’ll pay no licence fees until January 2023. Let’s help you have a merry Christmas.” You can book a Toggle demo here or email Sam Brown at sam.brown@airship.co.uk. If you have a sponsored story you would like to see featured in this newsletter position, email paul.charity@propelinfo.com.

Alex Reilley to speak at final Propel Multi-Club Conference of 2022, three free places per company for operators: Alex Reilley, co-founder and chairman of Loungers, will be among the speakers at the final Propel Multi-Club Conference of 2022, which takes place on Thursday, 10 November, at the Millennium Gloucester Hotel in London, and is open for bookings. The all-day conference will focus on “new ways of working”. Reilley will discuss what comes next for the 200-strong listed company, as it cements its position as one of the UK’s leading hospitality businesses and continues to play a key role in reviving the high street. Operators can book up to three free places per company by emailing jo.charity@propelinfo.com.

Host of hotel operators to join updated Premium Database of Multi-Site Companies, 60 businesses being added: A host of hotel operators are among the 60 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 (30 September), at midday. The updated Propel Multi-Site Database, which is produced in association with Virgate, features Centre Island, a Liverpool hotel group led by managing director Mark Foster, which operates nine hotels across Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham, Preston and Ellesmere Port. Also added this month is JMK Group, a family-run hotel business founded by John Kajani, which operates three hotels in the UK and four in Ireland, alongside two coffee houses called Guud Day, which are also in Ireland. In addition, nine-strong Dorchester Collection, a luxury hotel collection led by chief executive Christopher Cowdray, which operates three hotels in London – Coworth Park, The Dorchester and 45 Park Lane – as well as hotels in Paris, Milan, Rome, Beverley Hills, Los Angeles and, opening in 2023, The Lana in Dubai, will be featured. Premium subscribers will also receive a 4,100-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 now features 2,677 companies. Premium subscribers will also receive the next edition of the New Openings Database on Friday, 7 October, 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 12,000-word report on the new additions to the database. Premium subscribers also receive access to the Propel Turnover & Profits Blue Book, which is produced in association with Mapal Group, and the UK Food and Beverage Franchisor Database. 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 Propel group editor Mark Wingett.

Liz Truss plans to loosen immigration rules to boost UK economy: Prime minister Liz Truss is expected to loosen immigration rules in an attempt to stimulate economic growth amid warnings of a recession. She is set to expand the government’s shortage occupation list in order to help businesses fill vacancies by recruiting overseas workers with less bureaucracy. Truss has faced industry demands for more migrant workers to be given visas to come to the UK with labour shortages one of the main concerns voiced by employers across a range of sectors. Businesses, particularly in the hospitality sector, have been frustrated the visa system for skilled work has not been responsive enough to alleviate the shortages they have experienced. The cap is expected to be lifted and the six-month time limit extended. A Downing Street source told The Sun: “We need to put measures in place so we have the right skills that the economy, including the rural economy, needs to stimulate growth. That will involve increasing numbers in some areas and decreasing in others. As the prime minister has made clear, we also want to see people who are economically inactive get back into work.” Kate Nicholls, chief executive of UKHospitality, said: “A sensible and pragmatic approach – we cannot have economic growth with acute labour shortages hampering productivity. Hospitality businesses are curbing capacity, occupancy and opening hours because they don’t have sufficient staff – leaving £22bn unearned and £7bn lost tax. Government should look at adding new sectors to the shortage occupation list or seasonal worker schemes; expand existing youth mobility options as per Australia trade deal; and new visa routes for graduates from top 100 universities should be expanded to top hotel schools, like Cornell.”

Job of the day: COREcruitment is working with a multi-brand national and international sports and leisure retail betting company that is looking for a regional manager in the Midlands. A COREcruitment spokesman said: “As regional manager, you will lead a team of up to five area managers and their sites, coach these area managers to effectively manage labour cost, food cost, loss prevention procedures, inventory systems and cash control; create and execute effective action plans and conduct follow-ups that drive accountability; and ensure full compliance with all required statutory and legislative standards and internal policies and procedures.” The salary is up to £65,000. For more information, email sonny@corecruitment.com

BrewDog secures first US franchise location with franchising ‘a big part’ of 2023-24 expansion plans: Scottish brewer and retailer BrewDog has secured its first franchise location in the US, which is due to open in mid-2023. The pub, situated in the RiNo neighbourhood of Denver, Colorado, comes via a partnership between BrewDog USA and HopDragon Holdings. Founder of HopDragon Holdings, Juan Carlos Mondragón, said he was organically drawn to BrewDog as the next expansion of his hospitality portfolio following family trips to BrewDog’s flagship brewery in Scotland. Mondragón, who has also previously been a McDonald’s franchisee in Mexico, added the new pub will be the first of three Denver locations to open over the next four years. Mondragón said: “Ever since we first tried BrewDog beer in Scotland, we’ve been so impressed by the product and the brand. BrewDog beer is delicious, consistent and representative of deeper values, like bold ideas and sustainability, which are important both to our family and our Coloradan neighbours.” BrewDog USA chief executive Jason Block added: “We are thrilled to welcome HopDragon Holdings and Denver, Colorado, to the BrewDog USA family. Juan Carlos, his family and their city align perfectly with our brand’s three foundational pillars of people, planet and beer, and we are looking forward to their contributions to these initiatives as they welcome each new location in Denver over the coming years.” Speaking at the Propel Multi-Club Conference, BrewDog president and chief operating officer, David McDowall, said the company has a growing franchise business internationally “that we’re really excited about, and that’s going to be a big part of what happens in 2023-24 as well”. Its forthcoming opening in Las Vegas, which will cover 30,000 square feet once completed, will also form a key part of the company’s overseas expansion plans, which will be ramped up over the next few years. Closer to home, there will also be an expansion of BrewDog’s partnership with Red True Barbecue, which launched in 2019 and now operates out of four BrewDog bars. McDowall said the most recent opening, in Hull, is “trading its socks off”. 

Brunning & Price reports turnover and profit boost as it builds back from pandemic: Brunning & Price, the pub operator owned by The Restaurant Group (TRG), has reported turnover increased 66% to £82,399,000 for the year ending 2 January 2022 compared with £54,602,000 the previous year. However, this was still below the £93,424,000 reported in 2019 – the last full year before the pandemic. The business saw pre-tax profit before exceptional items rise to £10,359,000 from £3,831,000 the year before (2019: profit of £13,921,000). Ebitda was up to £25,959,000 from minus £5,499,000 the previous year. In their report accompanying the accounts, the directors stated: “The impact of covid and related government restrictions continued to have a significant impact on the performance of the company, with full trading only resuming from 17 May 2021 and subsequently the adverse effect of the Omicron variant in December 2021. There has been no valuation conducted in the year but the latest market valuation of the freehold assets as at 27 December 2020, which is not expected to have materially moved, is £125.5m. In March 2022, the pub site Crabmill Claverdon was damaged in a fire resulting in a write off of £1.4m of net assets, and an insurance claim of £1.4m was made. The outlook for the sector remains challenging, however we remain confident in our ability to identify opportunities and manage through the challenges ahead.” In July, TRG chief executive Andy Hornby said it was slightly pulling back on its expansion numbers for Brunning & Price and sees the business having circa 150 sites in the long term. Brunning & Price has circa 80 sites and is set to reopen the 18th century The Nelson pub in Harrogate, on Wednesday, 16 November.

Nottingham-based McDonald’s franchisee reports turnover exceeds pre-pandemic levels, profits up by nearly £2m: Nottingham-based McDonald’s franchisee Blades Restaurants has reported a 62% increase in turnover for the year ending 31 December 2021, with profits up by nearly £2m. Revenue was up to £37,767,289, compared with £23,305,170 in 2020 and turnover also exceeded the pre-pandemic figure of £32,159,987. Pre-tax profits rose from £292,806 in 2020 to £2,819,390. It received £290,301 in government grants compared with £1,843,423 in 2020. The company said: “Following the previous year’s difficult trading experience caused by the effects of the covid-19 pandemic, the year ended 31 December 2021 proved to be much improved, with all company stores remaining open throughout the year and with demand for ready-to-eat home delivery foods increasing significantly throughout the year. Turnover for the year increased by 62%, with an increase in gross profit of 64% compared with the previous year.”

200 Degrees to open Derby site: Coffee roaster and retailer 200 Degrees, which is backed by Foresight, has secured a new opening in Derby. The 17-strong business will open a site in the Derbion shopping scheme in the centre of the city. Earlier this year, the company’s co-founder Rob Darby said the brand was looking to add roughly five stores a year to its estate. The group opened a site in the Glass Works development in Barnsley earlier this spring, followed by its third Nottingham venue in May. Darby said at the time the company had a few more stores in the pipeline while the wholesale business was turning over just under £2m a year. 200 Degrees also has a subscription online business, which is “growing well”.

Andrew Brownsword Hotels restructures, reports increase in turnover and narrows losses: Andrew Brownsword Hotels, the operator of 13 UK sites including four Adobe hotels and several manor houses and country inns, has restructured. A share for share exchange saw The Bath Priory take on 100% of the share capital of the group, while the wholly owned subsidiary Foursquare Associates will be liquidated, the company said. It comes as the group reported turnover increased to £7,243,974 for the year ending 2 January 2022 from £5,516,104 in 2021, but this was still down on the £13,807,243 in its last pre-covid year in 2019. Pre-tax losses narrowed from £3,053,280 in 2021 to £587,823, (2019: loss of £7,502,822). The business also received £287,965 in furlough income (2021: £1,230,097) and £199,955 in other government grants. (2021: £5,325). The company said: “Once reopened, the city centre hotels took several months to recover trading levels. The board are satisfied with the overall trading performance throughout a period of challenging market conditions.” No dividends were paid.

Berberè secures second UK site: Berberè, the independent Italian company founded by brothers Salvatore and Matteo Aloe, has secured its second site in the UK, in London’s Kentish Town, Propel has learned. The business, which acquired a majority share of Radio Alice, the joint venture it set up with Azzurri Group in 2016, at the start of 2020, is understood to have secured The Rabbit Hole near Kentish Town station. Founded in 2010, Berberè is rooted in the brothers’ “desire to serve simple, honest pizza in beautifully designed spaces”, and also operates 15 sites in Italy. It opened its first UK site in October 2020, in Venn Street in Clapham, south London. Jake Bernstone, of Stonebrook London, and Josh Rose, of Raven Rose, acted on the Kentish Town deal.

Showcase Cinemas operator narrows losses as it builds back from pandemic: The UK arm of the company behind Showcase Cinemas saw pre-tax losses narrow to £11,519,967 for the year ending 30 December 2021 from £30,113,256 the year before as it builds back from the pandemic. NATL Amusements (UK), which also operates the Cinema De Lux brand, reported turnover increased 95% to £55,895,618 compared with £28,662,374 the previous year. But the figure was still almost half the £105,799,659 reported in 2019 – the last year before the pandemic. The company received £3,567,457 from the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (2020: £5,795,456). No dividend was paid (2020: zero). The business closed one site at the beginning of 2022, leaving it with 17 cinemas. A report accompanying the accounts stated: “The company's attendance in 2021 was 78% higher than in 2020, which combined with an Increase in average ticket price and food and beverage spend per head has resulted in a 95% increase in turnover.”

Island Poke plans Bath opening: Island Poké, the White Rabbit Projects and Hero Brands-backed business, is eyeing an opening in Bath. The business, which earlier this year made its regional debut with an opening in Bicester Village, has applied to open on the ex-West Cornwall Pasty Co site in Burton Street in Bath. Last month, the James Gould-Porter-led business, which also has 11 locations in France, opened its 19th UK site, in The Broadway, Wimbledon. Island Poké plans to open 100 locations across the UK in the next five years, including plans for four new restaurants in Edinburgh. It is also set to expand its presence in Europe, and is understood to be exploring opportunities in the Benelux region and Scandinavia. 

Gordon Ramsay to convert The Narrow to Bread Street Kitchen format: Chef Gordon Ramsay is to convert his The Narrow pub site, which is situated on the Thames near Limehouse, east London, into his Bread Street Kitchen concept, Propel understands. The Narrow is currently closed but is due to reopen later this autumn as Bread Street Kitchen on the River, which will feature an all-day dining restaurant, bar and terrace with panoramic views of the Thames. It will become the seventh site to open under the Bread Street name. Ramsay recently converted his Street Burger site in London’s Islington to his Street Pizza concept. The chef opened a Street Burger restaurant on the former Byron site in Upper Street, last summer. 

Hostmore launches Green Mission initiative, appoints first brand ambassador: Hostmore, the parent company of Fridays, 63rd+1st and Fridays and Go, has launched a Green Mission initiative to improve how it manages its energy usage in-house. The company introduced three new campaigns under the initiative – save while you sleep by turning off equipment that does not need to be left on overnight in store; a perfect setup – ensuring equipment only turned on as and when required; and trading slow, keep it low – turning off equipment that is not being used in-store periods. Chief executive Robert Cook said so far, the fledgling initiatives have resulted in 3.7 million kilowatts of less electricity being used across its estate. He said: “And that number will only grow given the initiative has been well received and adopted by each store.” He also said a pillar of the group’s marketing is around appealing more to a female audience. As part of this, the company is working with its first influencer brand ambassador. Cook said: “Ferne McCann is now on board, who is known on reality TV, and we've done a bit of work with her and her daughter around engagement in the stores and around social media.” The company announced last week the second half of its financial year will see the launch of a number of new initiatives including the “Show your Stripes” campaign, a digital-first media activation to showcase Fridays’ credentials as “a renowned social hangout, and to champion inclusivity and liberation”. Cook said: “We are also collaborating with Sky Sports to trial live sports TV coverage in a small number of our sites, helping to drive our local community focus and increase continued visits. This development ties in with our move to a more focused ‘local’ store approach with associated pay-per-click and paid search spend being made on a store-by-store basis.”

Welsh luxury holiday park returns to profit, turnover almost back to pre-covid levels: Welsh luxury holiday park business Bluestone Resorts returned to profit in the year ending 6 January 2022, with turnover almost back to pre-covid levels. The Pembrokeshire resort turned a pre-tax loss of £1,607,000 the previous year into a £7,509,000 profit. This compares with a £3,346,000 profit in the last year before covid. Revenue was up 57% from £16,179,000 in 2021 to £25,325,000 due to the resort being open longer, for higher yielding periods and through an increase in revenue per lodge. This is just behind the last pre-covid turnover figure of £26,111,000. Company Ebitda increased from £1,637,000 in 2021 to £10,445,000, which was also an increase on the last pre-covid figure of £6,032,000. The company received £1,235,000 in Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme payments (2021: £2,625,000), plus £2m in insurance payments and £636,000 from the Economic Resilience Fund (2021: £365,000). A further £1,457,000 was received in remediation payments towards turning a temporary field hospital made available to the local health authority back into a soft play facility, in July 2021. Guest numbers were up 54% on the previous year and occupancy rates rose to 71%, compared with 46% in 2021. Occupancy levels were at 97% between May and December 2021. Post year-end, the company has begun construction of 80 new lodges, as the business looks to “focus on developing the resort and maintaining momentum to become Britain’s favourite short break destination”. Dividends of £1m (2021: zero) were paid.

Big Table Group to open debut Las Iguanas in Kent with Canterbury launch this month: The Big Table Group will open its new Las Iguanas restaurant in Canterbury this month. The 200-cover restaurant and bar on the corner of High Street and Longmarket will be spread over 7,000 square feet, with two terraces and a late-night cocktail bar on the ground floor. The opening on Monday, 26 September marks the brand’s first site in Kent and will create more than 30 jobs. The menu will include stacked-up fajitas sizzling in Las Iguanas’ top secret spice mix, and the classic north Brazilian curry, Xinxim – chicken and crayfish in a creamy lime and peanut sauce cooked from scratch in-house. There will also be a multitude of veggie, vegan and plant-based options.

Döner Shack confirms October opening for Scottish debut site: Döner Shack, the fast casual kebab concept, has confirmed it will open its fourth site, and first in Scotland, this week. It will open a 3,122 square-foot site in Glasgow’s Silverburn shopping centre on Saturday (1 October), following in the footsteps of its locations in Leeds, Manchester and Leicester. The 65-seater restaurant will serve authentic Berlin kebabs using freshly baked traditional Turkish pida, with a choice of salads and home-made sauces. The menu will also offer a variety of German street-food items including kebaps, currywurst, schnitzel and fries alongside milkshakes and beer. Originally from Glasgow and Ayrshire, co-founders Sanghera Sanjeev and Laura Bruce also own Döner Haus in Glasgow city centre. “Glasgow will always be home to us and holds a special place in our hearts,” said Bruce. “Having opened multiple restaurants in England, we are proud to be able to open Döner Shack’s Scottish debut here in Silverburn, which is our local shopping centre. We feel it is a perfect fit for our fresh and tasty brand.” Döner Shack’s next opening will be its first in London – in the former Gourmet Burger Kitchen site in Baker Street – the first of four sites it is planning in the capital. The company last month appointed former Chaiiwala UK and international franchise director Nil Naik as its new global franchise director, as it looks to grow to 150 UK sites over the next five years, as well as expanding abroad.

North Brewing Co to open Birmingham site in November: Leeds brewer and retailer North Brewing Co will open its new site in Birmingham in November. As revealed by Propel in June, North Brewing Co is expanding outside its West Yorkshire heartland having secured a site at One Snowhill in Queensway. Leeds concept Little Bao Boy will be making the move with North Brewing Co, serving up a menu of contemporary Asian street food. The 2,500 square-foot taproom will seat 100 covers inside, with space for an additional 30 standing guests, and an extensive covered outdoor seating area that will seat a further 50. A large bar will offer 24 draught lines, including 18 lines of keg beer, showcasing North Brewing Co’s ever-evolving range alongside guest breweries. There will also be a rotating selection of cocktail lines, as well as wine and no and low-alcohol options. The taproom will also offer a selection of takeaway cans and mini kegs as well as North Brewing Co merchandise. The company currently operates nine sites across Leeds, Harrogate and Otley and is also set for an opening in Manchester. 

Hidden Gem Restaurant confirms October opening for Hampshire village pub: Hidden Gem Restaurant has confirmed an October opening for the Hampshire village pub it acquired in February. As reported by Propel, the company, run by Jon and Carole Taylor, bought the leasehold for The Shoulder of Mutton pub in Hazeley Heath, near Hartley Wintney, from Tavern Property Company off a guide price of £600,000. The pub, a 19th century former post office with a 75-cover dining room, will reopen in October under the new name of The Mutton, restored by the Taylor family with help from close friend Ashley Hatton and hospitality consultants Nigel Sutcliffe and James McLean, who run The Oarsman in Marlow and The Crown in Bray. The kitchen will be headed up by Rob Boer, who began his career working under Nathan Outlaw before going on to work as sous chef at The Montagu Arms in Hampshire, and under Matt Tomkinson as head chef at Betony at The Kings Head in Wiltshire. He will deliver a menu of “pub classics reimagined to champion local producers”, driven by “high quality ingredients that roll with the seasons”. This will include small sharing plates such as mutton fat crumpets with pickled red cabbage and torched mackerel in spiced pakoras, and mains such as venison with salt-baked celeriac, rainbow chard, beetroot and pepper jus. The Taylors said: “We are excited to bring new life back to this beloved building, which has long been a favourite spot for locals. For us, it was extremely important we support local businesses. The Mutton is a piece of north Hampshire history, and we hope to do it proud through our ownership.”

Where The Pancakes Are to open at Battersea Power Station development for third site next month: Where The Pancakes Are, the buttermilk pancakes and cafe concept founded by Patricia Trijbits, will open its third site, at the Battersea Power Station development next month. The outlet, on the upper ground floor level of phase two of the scheme, will welcome customers from Friday, 14 October. The venue will offer a range of sweet and savoury pancake options alongside drinks including cocktails. Trijbits said: “We invite everyone to help us celebrate our opening in Battersea Power Station, which must be one of the most striking landmarks in London.” In July, Trijbits told Propel she was focusing the concept’s growth on London before looking to expand to the regions.

The Salad Project confirms October launch for second site: The Salad Project, the all-day dining concept which launched in London last year, has confirmed an October launch for its second site. Propel revealed in June that the business, which was founded by Florian de Chezelles and James Dare, had secured the former Hawes & Curtis site at 1 Old Broad Street. It will now open on 7 October, offering nutritious salads and bowls and an all-new ‘build your own breakfast’ bar. This will allow guests to customisable their breakfast by choosing a base (porridge, oats or natural yoghurt), topping (including apple, blueberries, strawberries, banana, chopped dates and dried apricots), headliner (nutty granola, maple walnuts, seasonal compote, toasted hazelnuts or peanut butter) and premium (including honey, cinnamon, cacao nibs, and toasted coconut chips). Co-founder Florian de Chezelles said: “After such a positive reception to our Spitalfields site, it’s amazing to be opening a second site already. The response to our first site proves that we have created something truly special, which we’ll be looking to recreate across the city. Our all-new breakfast offering, which takes the same ethos as our current set-up, is perfect for a busy morning and showcases some truly fantastic flavours.” The new opening is part of The Salad Project’s plans for wider expansion across London, as reported by Propel in August, when the business scooped a £100,000 prize for winning top restaurant the inaugural UberEats UK & Ireland Restaurant of the Year Awards. 

New York-inspired bar and eatery to open in Warrington next month: New York-inspired bar and eatery concept Parlour will open its debut site, in Warrington next month. Parlour is the brainchild of directors James Wrigley and Warrington-native Tom Buckley, who have joined forces to bring their collective hospitality and finance experience together to form Parlour Bar and Eatery. The business partners raised more than £500,000 of private investment including from three local investors to support the launch. Parlour will open its 3,869 square-foot site on Friday, 7 October at the £142m Time Square development, offering 100 covers inside with outside seating coming in the spring. The concept is centred around New York-style 22-inch pizzas to share, small plates, burgers and salads. The drinks menu will feature craft beer, cocktails and wine, and also offer coffee, tea, smoothies and brunch. There will also be live music, DJs and a constantly changing programme of events. Wrigley has more than 15 years of experience within the hospitality sector, previously owning numerous bars and launching several new venues and concepts across Greater Manchester. Buckley has a rich family history working within the hospitality industry and has a wealth of financial knowledge working within owner managed businesses as a qualified accountant. Time Square has been delivered by Warrington & Co on behalf of Warrington Borough Council, with Muse Developments appointed as development manager.