Wingstop UK weekly sales revenue exceeds £1m, to open its first standalone retail unit: Lemon Pepper Holdings, which is rolling out Wingstop across the UK, saw average weekly sales exceed £1m at the end of 2022, as it secured its first standalone unit on a retail park. The company, which operates 29 sites across the UK, also said “2023 shows no sign of growth slowing”, with like-for-like sales in January 2023 at 50%-plus versus 2022. It comes as the business said it had acquired the former Bella Italia at Gallions Reach Retail Park, Beckton, east London. The unit was acquired off-market and is located directly adjacent to Nando’s and McDonalds. The 100-plus cover restaurant is expected to open late March/early April. Gallions Reach is the largest shopping park in Greater London and the M25 at 325,000 square foot. Tom Grogan, co-founder and director of Lemon Pepper Holdings, said: “Off the back of an extremely strong year of trade in 2022, we’re delighted to have started the year with another great acquisition. The location of the scheme and prominence of the unit is ideal. We have a young target catchment on our doorstep, with more than 66% of the catchment population under 40.” Last year, the business opened 11 new locations, with its headcount increasing to circa 1,000 and saw more than 2.2 million customers served across the country. Lemon Pepper Holdings said it expects to exceed 2022 development numbers with several new locations already secured for the year. Propel understands Lemon Pepper Holdings is in talks on its first site in Wales, in Cardiff.
Restaurant Marketer & Innovator videos to be sent to Premium readers on Monday, next edition of Blue Book to feature 705 companies: Propel Premium subscribers are to be given access to the entire recording of the 2023 Restaurant Marketer & Innovator European Summit Conference. Subscribers will be sent 30 separate video presentations, featuring more than 80 speakers. on Monday (13 February), at 9am. The videos include:
Gail’s Bakery property director Brett Parker talking about how it is approaches the subject of sustainability, with particular focus on store fit-outs;
The Food People co-founder Charles Banks discussing food trends, foresight and global inspiration;
Katy Moses, founder and managing director at KAM, revealing exclusive new research focused on an often-forgotten customer group, aged 65 years-plus; and
purpose expert Victoria Page exploring the point of purpose and why embracing this era of responsible business is critical to the future of your brand. Meanwhile, the next edition of the
Propel Turnover & Profits Blue Book, which will be sent to Premium subscribers on Friday (10 February), will feature 705 companies. The Blue Book reveals 438 companies in profit and 267 reporting losses. The Blue Book is updated each month and ranks companies by turnover, profit and profit conversion, listing directors’ earnings for the past five years. Subscribers also receive the
Propel Multi-Site Database, produced in association with Virgate; the
New Openings Database; the
UK Food and Beverage Franchisor Database; and the
Who’s Who of UK Food and Beverage. 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 Friday Wrap interviews and 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.
Carlsberg warns trouble is brewing over beer prices: Carlsberg sounded a warning on rising beer prices as it predicted “another challenging year” on the back of soaring commodity and energy prices. The Times reported the Danish brewer said the combination of higher prices and high inflation “may have a negative impact on beer consumption in some of our markets, particularly in Europe”. In addition to pushing up prices, it said it would offset the higher costs in part through pricing and “continued tight focus on costs”. The brewer cited uncertainty from the war in Ukraine and the covid-19 recovery in China as factors in its decision to issue a wide guidance range for the coming year. It predicted organic – or underlying – operating profit for the year ranging from down 5% to up 5%. It also cited a likely currency hit of DKr 550 million (£66bn). Carlsberg confirmed it hoped to find a buyer for Baltika, its Russian beer business, “before summer” with a view to having a deal agreed by the end of June, although Cees ‘t Hart, the chief executive, said he hoped to be able to retain a buy-back clause. “I think one of my responsibilities is to keep options open,” he said, although he admitted a return to Russia within the next decade was unlikely. The Dutchman said it remained “too early” to judge the impact Carlsberg’s price increases and high inflation across western Europe could have on demand for its beer. He confirmed, however, the majority of the group’s 7% increase in revenue per hectolitre in the final quarter could be attributed to price rises imposed in the third quarter. For the year to the end of December, Carlsberg reported revenue up 16.9% to DKr 70.3 billion as volumes grew 5.7%. Operating profit grew 12.2% on an organic basis, or by 13.2% to DKr 11.5 billion on a reported basis. Adjusted net profit rose by 39.6% to DKr 9.7 billion.
Neat Burger secures first permanent US site: Lewis Hamilton-backed plant-based concept Neat Burger has secured its first permanent site in the US, with an opening scheduled for this spring. The company, which has been operating a pop-up in midtown New York, in UrbanSpace Vanderbilt, has secured a site in the city’s Nolita area, with the build on the location currently underway. The company, which operates eight sites in London, said last year that the US will take its lead from its UK strategy, with a mix of bricks and mortar sites and delivery kitchens. Last November, it partnered with Baker Street Hospitality to bring its concept to the United Arab Emirates, with a restaurant opening in the food court of Dubai Mall. It is also gearing up to launch in Italy. The business has previously stated a plan to expand to 1,000 corporately owned, franchise and dark kitchens by 2030.
