Pubs, restaurants and bars grow sales again in February but battle soaring costs: February sales at Britain’s leading managed restaurant, pub and bar groups were 3.9% ahead of last year on a like-for-like basis, the latest Coffer CGA Business Tracker reveals. The tracker, produced by CGA by Nielsen IQ in partnership with The Coffer Group and RSM UK, has now recorded year-on-year growth for five consecutive months. However, the figure is substantially down from 10.1% in January and is well below the current rate of inflation in the UK. Pubs performed the best of the tracker’s three market segments to continue a solid start to 2023, with like-for-like sales 6.9% ahead of February 2022. Restaurants achieved modest growth of 1.9% but the bars segment continued to struggle, with sales down 10.1%. Continuing the pattern of recent months, sales in London comfortably outpaced the rest of the country in February. The tracker shows sales within the M25 were 7.6% ahead year-on-year, well over twice the growth of 3.1% outside the M25. Karl Chessell, director hospitality operators and food, EMEA at CGA by Nielsen IQ, said: “Hospitality trading is now consistently ahead year-on-year, and consumers’ appetite for pubs in particular remains undimmed. That demand allows the sector to be optimistic when planning for the long term. However, the real issue the sector faces is the cost of doing business right now. It was therefore disappointing to hear about the lack of energy support in the budget. This risks the future of many businesses to survive this period of cost pressure and benefit from the positive demand that exists.” Mark Sheehan, managing director at Coffer Corporate Leisure, added: “Hospitality sales continue to grow but still lag inflation. London continues to rebound strongly. There is strong demand for the best sites in London and we expect this to continue. We expect to see sales growth, mainly on the back of price rises, but what operators need to see across the board is increased volume, which is difficult to see until wage rises outstrip inflation.”

 

Host of hotel and aparthotel operators set to join updated Premium Database of Multi-Site Companies: A host of hotel and aparthotel operators are among the 24 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, 31 March, at midday. The updated Propel Multi-Site Database, which is produced in association with Virgate, features Antoinette Hotels, which is co-owned by brothers Paul and Adam Buzasi, and operates three sites in London and the New Forest. Also added this month is hotel and leisure group Crazy Bear, which operates hotels in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire; and Stadhampton, Oxfordshire, with a total of 71 bedrooms, four restaurants, two bars, eight function rooms and four massage treatment rooms. In addition, luxury serviced apartments group Mansley Leisure, which is led by chief executive Sir Richard Rowley, and operates properties in Mayfair, Kensington, Cheltenham, Edinburgh (Old and New Town) and Inverness, will be featured. Premium subscribers will also receive a 3,000-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 features 2,769 companies. Premium subscribers will also receive the next edition of the New Openings Database on Thursday, 6 April, 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 6,000-word report on the new additions to the database. Premium subscribers also receive access to three other databases: the Propel Turnover & Profits Blue Book; 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. Premium subscribers also receive their morning newsletter 11 hours early, at 7pm the evening before; regular video content and regular exclusive columns from Propel group editor Mark Wingett.

UKHospitality boss hopes Network Rail pay deal signals end of train strike ‘misery’: UKHospitality chief executive Kate Nicholls has said she hopes the pay offer agreement between the RMT and Network Rail deal will signal the end of almost a year of train strike “misery” for the sector. Thousands of signal workers and maintenance staff in the RMT have voted overwhelmingly to accept an offer from Network Rail to end its dispute, meaning they will not take part in any more strikes in the long-running dispute over pay, jobs and working conditions. RMT members who work for 14 train operating companies are still due to walk out on 30 March and 1 April, but the Network Rail result offers a significant breakthrough. Nicholls said: “This is encouraging news for hospitality businesses, who may dare to hope that their role as collateral damage in this dispute could be coming to an end. There’s plenty still to be done, of course, with ongoing negotiations between other employee groups, but I hope that this agreement paves the way for rail and tube strikes to end completely. Venues across the country have so far incurred lost sales upwards of £3bn and would have struggled immensely to deal with that level of ongoing disruption. I would encourage everyone involved to continue their urgent negotiations and bring to an end to strikes that have heaped misery on businesses, consumers and workers for almost a year.”

Sacha Lord praises Manchester’s late-night recovery but warns ‘still a long way to go’: Sacha Lord, the night-time economy adviser for Greater Manchester, has praised the city centre’s ongoing recovery as footfall data revealed the strength of the sector, but he warned there was ‘still a long way to go”. The latest data by Manchester BID and CityCo has revealed that footfall between 5 March and 11 March was up 5.8% year on year, double the average national footfall levels of 2.4%. Furthermore, the research found the total number of visitors to the city centre for the year to date is 6.2 million, up 27.3% on the same time last year. Footfall on Saturday, 11 March was up 49.4% on 2019 figures, when the city welcomed more than 124,000 visitors in comparison with 70,605 in the same week in 2019. The data follows statistics by Northern Restaurant & Bar and CGA by NIQ, released earlier this month, which revealed restaurant and bar sales growth since 2019 has been ahead of the UK average of 4.1% in most key northern cities. Average sales per venue in Manchester were 6.9% higher in 2022 than in 2019, outstripping most cities including London, where sales dropped by 6.5% versus 2019. Lord said: “While footfall in the city centre and across our urban boroughs is above expectations, there is still a long way to go. The tapering off of business energy support from the end of March has been forecasted to add £4.5bn to bills compared with the current scheme, and simply put, this will place the industry in an unsustainable predicament and create a sinkhole of financial difficulty for venues across the sector.” In Greater Manchester, the sector employs more than 448,000 people, with the city centre accounting for 11% of all night-time economy businesses.

Be Inclusive Hospitality to expand outside of London with Birmingham launch: Be Inclusive Hospitality, the sector social enterprise founded in London in 2020 by former Corbin & King head of procurement Lorraine Cope, is set to expand its reach to Birmingham. The not-for-profit organisation has a mission to accelerate race equity within the industry through conducting annual research and delivering initiatives to advance change. Since its inception, Be Inclusive Hospitality has supported more than 2,000 employees and 50 founders through mentorship, scholarships and funding, and has delivered educational workshops for more than 900 industry leaders on culture, race equity and fostering inclusion. It is now expanding into Birmingham, which will be marked by an event at The Grand Hotel on Monday, 24 April, including a panel discussion, scholarship launch and networking opportunities. The panel discussion will include Michelin-starred chef Aktar Islam; culinary director of the Grand Hotel, Adam Bateman; managing director of 2 Much Passion CIC, Vanessa Kelly; and wine director of the Wilderness Restaurant, Sonal Clare. Copes, who founded Be Inclusive Hospitality due to her own lived experience of lack of representation of black, Asian and ethnic minorities within positions of influence or the supply chain, said: “I am so very happy to be launching Be Inclusive Hospitality within my home town of Birmingham. As we approach our third year of trade, my goal is to ensure we deliver an increased social impact up and down the country, and an important way to do this is to have a physical presence in cities outside of London.” Be Inclusive Hospitality is on the lookout for Birmingham-based ambassadors who can help to champion its work within the Midlands.

Job of the day: COREcruitment is working with a growing high-end hospitality and flexible office space provider that is seeking a general manager. A COREcruitment spokesperson said: “The business is about to launch its largest London site to date, and it needs a general manager of note to run the 60,000 square-foot space. You will live and breathe hospitality operations and be a natural leader. With extensive knowledge of food and beverage, you will be able to innovate and deliver to the highest standards. You will lead and develop your team across front of house, community and operations.” The salary is between £80,000 and £100,000. For more information, email sheila@corecruitment.com

 

Ex-Wagamama CEO and Coco Di Mama founder backing new ‘neighbourhood workspaces’ concept: Emma Woods, the former chief executive of Wagamama and current chair of Tortilla, is the among the investors behind neighbourhood workspaces concept Patch, which has raised £3m of new funding to expand into two new sites. Patch, a company on a mission to reignite UK high streets by “empowering thousands of people to work near home”, was founded by Freddie Fforde in 2020 and opened its first site in Chelmsford, Essex, at the end of 2021. At its Chelmsford workspace, the upstairs is furnished with desks, phone booths and meeting rooms, but the downstairs is used for event spaces, a coffee bar and pop-up shops. The new round of funding was provided by JamJar Investments – the fund launched by the founders of Innocent Smoothies, Blue Wire Capital, Vectr7 Investment Partners, Soho House and Caravan backers Active Partners, Triple Point Ventures – and a host of angel investors including PureGym founder Peter Roberts, Woods, and Coco di Mama co-founder Jeremy Sanders. Fforde will use this latest round of funding to open two new offices this summer, one in High Wycombe and the other in Twickenham. The Twickenham site will include a 2,000 square-foot public access space on the ground floor and house a locally run cafe, pop-up retail space and public library. Fforde said: “Our belief is simple, that great people are everywhere, and they deserve the same opportunities too often sequestered in our major cities. The internet has been enabling this shift to a talent-centric world for a long time but was accelerated by the pandemic. We think this creates an exciting opportunity to ‘work near home’; a more flexible model of working and living that’s accessible to all, unleashing the potential of millions of people in hundreds of towns.” Roberts said: “We are at a pivotal moment for our high streets. We need to back bold, creative and innovative companies like Patch if we want to reignite local areas and transform them for the better. There is so much talent and potential in every corner of the UK, and Patch is creating a new way for that talent to thrive. I’m proud to be backing this brilliant team and can’t wait to see Patch spaces open up on every high street over the next few years.” The new investment has also been used to expand the company’s operational team, with Ben Newton, formerly of Gentlemen Baristas, joining as head of operations, and James Connop, ex-commercial director at Soho House, appointed chief financial officer.

Turtle Bay set to open biggest London location and first in west of the city as it approaches 50-site mark: Turtle Bay, the Piper-backed Caribbean restaurant brand, is set to open its biggest London location, and first in the west of the capital, as it fast approaches the 50-site mark. The company said last year it is aiming to open 40 new restaurants over the next five years as part of a runway to 120-plus eventual UK openings. It will launch its 48th location, a 500-capacity venue at 245 Hammersmith Road, on Friday, 31 March, alongside a new menu launch. It comes after Turtle Bay reported its highest ever sales of £85.4m and record adjusted Ebitda of £17.8m in the year ended 27 March 2022. Turnover was up from £32,536,973 in 2021 to £85,420,578. This compared to £63,768,084 in the last full year before the pandemic, ending 29 February 2020. Ebitda was up from £1.6m in 2021 and £5.7m in 2020. It made a pre-tax profit of £12,890,949 compared to a loss of £3,293,366 in 2021 and a loss of £6,307,613 in 2020. New dishes on the menu, from executive chef Collin Brown, will include slowly-simmered butternut squash, sweet potato and coconut stew, served with classic rice and peas. Turtle Bay chief executive Nick Crossley said: “We’re proud to have created over 77 jobs, with this being one of our largest restaurants to date, and with summer around the corner, we very much look forward to hosting guests in our summer terrace – and bring our ‘good times’ to West London!” Turtle Bay features in the Propel Turnover & Profits Blue Book. Its turnover of £85,420,578 is the 78th highest in the database. Its pre-tax profit of £12,890,949 is the 32nd highest in the database. The Blue Book ranks companies by turnover, profit and profit conversion, listing directors’ earnings for the past five years. 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.

Sheffield gourmet burger bar that gained four million YouTube hits by ‘sending food into space’ aiming to grow to 20 sites by 2030: Sheffield gourmet burger bar Unit, which went viral on YouTube when it delivered orders via “sending them into space” during lockdown, is now aiming to grow to 20 sites by 2030. Founded in 2016 by Mohamed Adbulrub and Nabeil Asker as an independent restaurant catering for families and students in Sheffield, Unit is looking to expand after its online fame led to sales “going through the roof”. It was in 2020 that the duo teamed up with YouTuber Niko Omilana and Sent Into Space to send a pizza, burger, fries and milkshake 19,000 metres into the atmosphere (officially “near space”) via weather balloons, and then to paying customers. “With one store in Sheffield and a first franchise store in the works, we are now aiming to grow to five stores by the end of 2025 and 20 by 2030,” Adbulrub told Propel. “Since being founded, we have gone from strength to strength, refining and streamlining every aspect of our brand, from funky store designs to creative menu items, with a relaxed and accessible approach to service. To accommodate future development, we have invested in a robust infrastructure capable of building and supporting a multi-site franchise system. We believe Unit has a bright future ahead, and the sky really is our limit. In terms of the space video, we got our followers to reach out to a YouTuber who was making a video in Sheffield and wanted to work with a restaurant in the area, and they inundated him with messages to pick us. We wanted to get our customers to use our delivery service during the lockdown restrictions. After the video came out, our delivery sales went through the roof, and it has had over four million views on YouTube. We have not done anything like it since but have some ideas in the works for our new store openings, so watch this space!” Unit has also partnered with the British Franchise Association (BFA) as an “emerging brand”, meaning it will be able to benefit from the BFA’s expertise and share its support and resources with its franchisees. Unit will feature in the next Propel 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 available exclusively to Premium subscribers. The database is updated every two months and the latest edition features 185 companies. 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.

Costa Coffee signs deal to make ‘full-scale entry’ into the Japanese branded café market: Costa Coffee, owned by Coca-Cola, is to make its “full-scale entry” into the Japanese branded café market after signing a new franchise agreement for the country. Sojitz Royal Café, which is a newly launched joint venture between Japanese conglomerate Sojitz Corporation and restaurant group Royal Holdings Co, has acquired the exclusive franchise rights to operate Costa Coffee across Japan. The joint venture said it will gradually expand locations primarily in the Kanto region and plans to grow the franchise across Japan, with the aim of establishing Costa as one of the country’s main coffee chains. It said: “Sojitz Royal Café will introduce Costa Coffee’s authentic, high-quality coffee, hand-brewed by baristas, and expand store locations in Japan to meet the diversifying needs of café customers, enrich people’s lives, and realise sustainable growth.” Costa already has a presence in Japan through its Costa Express, which launched in the country three years ago.

The Real Greek set to kick off 2023 openings pipeline with second Scottish location: The Real Greek, the Fulham Shore-owned brand, is set kick off its 2023 openings pipeline with a second Scottish location. Opening on Friday, 27 March, the 160-cover restaurant in Glasgow’s Silverburn shopping centre will be The Real Greek’s 27th site overall and 15th outside of London. The brand only made its Scottish debut three months ago, when it opened in Edinburgh’s St James Quarter. The company said the new opening outlines its “robust expansion plans” as it “continues to expand its portfolio of restaurants around the UK and London, with future openings around the UK already in the pipeline”. Nabil Mankarious, managing director at The Real Greek, added: “2023 has got off to a great start, opening our second site in Scotland, following our strong stint of openings in 2022. We’re excited to continue to roll out our ambitious plans across the country, and for the future of The Real Greek in Scotland, which we believe will no doubt prove a popular destination to local residents and visitors alike.”

Doubts surface over future of Extrawurst concept in the UK: The future of Extrawurst, one of the leading German bratwurst fast-food to go brands, in the UK has been placed in doubt after the closure of both its sites here. The brand, which signed a UK master franchise agreement in 2021 and planned to open “hundreds” of sites over here, has closed its site in Birmingham’s New Street. It follows the closure of its debut UK site in the Merry Hill scheme in Brierley Hill, Dudley. Founded in 1981 by Lothar Hagebaum and now run by his son, Kim Hagebaum, Extrawurst has several overseas master franchisor agreements. The business sells more than 2.5 million sausages a year and expanded its food-to-go concept to a global audience, with sites in Asia, South America and Europe.

Mowgli eyes Knutsford opening: Mowgli, the Nisha Katona-led, Indian street food concept backed by TriSpan, is planning to open a second site in Cheshire. The 15-strong business, which already operates a site at Cheshire Oaks, has applied to turn the former Barclays bank site on Knutsford’s King Street into a restaurant. The company is currently gearing up to open in Brighton’s Dukes Lane, with further openings lined up in Bristol, Beverley and Edinburgh. Propel revealed in January that TriSpan was to back the continued expansion of Mowgli after acquiring a stake in the business, which Katona founded in 2014, in Liverpool.

Burger & Sauce opens two new sites in a day to take footprint into double figures: Burger franchise concept Burger & Sauce has opened two new sites in a day to take its footprint into double figures. It has opened locations in Bearwood Road, Birmingham, and High Street, Sutton Coldfield, to take its estate to 11 sites. While the Sutton Coldfield restaurant was opened by new franchisee Shahid Hamid, the Bearwood Road venue is a second for Kamil Munir, who also runs the Burger & Sauce in the city’s Bullring shopping centre. “I’m excited to help deliver our expansion plans with the addition of Bearwood Road,” said Munir, who plans to open a further Burger & Sauce in the region within the next year. “The process of fit-out and opening the Bearwood Road store was really quick – we only secured the site just prior to Christmas.” Burger & Sauce, which was founded by Saad Masood during the pandemic, has already targeted reaching 20 sites by the end of 2023. Franchise director Anthony Round added: “As we continue to grow, we are looking for more franchisees to join us on our journey. We are particularly welcoming applications from potential franchises who live within two hours of Birmingham or who live in Bradford or Sheffield.”

The Coffee House to open in Kirkby for 14th site: North west independent coffee shop The Coffee House is to open its 14th site, in Kirkby town centre. The venue will launch this summer in two of the newly built units, occupying 1,668 square feet in Telegraph Way, and will include an outdoor seating area. This will be its second site in the borough of Knowsley, having opened in Huyton village centre in 2019. The Coffee House has a central production facility in Warrington where its menu items are made. In November, co-founder Chris Shelmerdine said the then 12-strong business was looking to double its estate in the next three years. 

Yori enhances regional estate with two new openings: London-based Korean barbecue brand Yori has further increased its presence outside the capital with an opening in Brighton, and a second opening in Cambridge. The company, which made its regional debut at the start of last year in Cambridge, has opened on the ex-Café Rouge in Brighton’s Prince Albert Street. At the same time, the business has launched a new concept, Yori BBQ, in Cambridge’s Green Street. It already operates a site under its eponymous brand on the former Varsity site in Cambridge’s St Andrew’s Street. Yori, which means “cooked food” in Korean, was founded in 2016 by Jong Soon Kim, who is also behind Japanese restaurant Nori and Korean dessert cafe Cake & Bingsoo – both in New Malden, Surrey – and Japanese dessert parlour Cafe Mori in Wimbledon. Yori also operates eight sites in London, plus one in Staines. 

Small Batch Coffee shutters three sites: Small Batch Coffee, the Brighton-based company backed by the former owners of Coffeesmiths Collective, has reportedly shuttered three of its sites. The Argus reports that the company has permanently shut its branches in Seven Dials, Norfolk Square and Wilbury Road in Brighton and Hove. Its sites in Goldstone Villas, near Hove station, and its Wellington House café and roastery in Camden Street, Portslade, remain open. It also operates a stand at Brighton Station. A note on the Seven Dials storefront read: “We are sorry to announce that Small Batch Seven Dials has closed its doors. We will be focusing on our coffee and roastery, where you will be able to order your coffee online. Our Goldstone and Wellington House cafes are still open, and we would love to see you there. Thank you for all your support over the years, and we’ll miss you very much. Love, the Seven Dials team.”

Caring to add private members’ club to Bacchanalia site: Serial sector investor Richard Caring is to open a private members’ club in Bacchanalia, the restaurant he launched in London’s Mayfair last November. Called Apollo’s Muse, the new club, which will open next month, will be located within Caring’s Greco-Italian concept restaurant on Mount Street. A spokesperson said: “Apollo’s Muse will be the most private of private members’ clubs and unlike anything you’ve ever seen before. Serving the finest of everything, it is classically beautiful but mixes old and new to create the perfect atmosphere.”

  

Burger King added to Caledonia Park line up: Railpen, one of the largest pension managers in the UK, has announced that Burger King has opened at Caledonia Park, its designer outlet village in Scotland. It said the new 1,900 square-foot Burger King compliments the existing food and beverage proposition at the destination, including Cornish Bakery, and Starbucks, which is set to open in the coming weeks. The restaurant has 43 covers, offering takeaway and dine-in. The arrival of Burger King follows Caledonia Park’s “stellar start” to the year, with retailers experiencing a +20% uplift on like-for-like sales versus 2022. Mike Williams, director of acquisitions at Burger King, said: “We are delighted to have opened our location here at Caledonia Park and bring our iconic menu to a variety of consumers.”

Kent hospitality group takes on lease of Stonegate hotel for third venture: A Kent hospitality group has taken on the lease of a Stonegate Group hotel for its third venture. Bowes Hospitality, founded during lockdown by former Hush Heath Estate operations director and Dreamland Margate food and beverage director Laurence Bowes, has taken on The Royal Oak Hotel in Hawkhurst, in a deal brokered by leisure property specialists Fleurets. The grade II-listed property has 12 en-suite bedrooms, two function rooms and a bar and restaurant, with outside seating, including a beer garden, at the rear. Bowes also operates The Leicester Arms in Penshurst and The Rock Inn at Chiddingstone, making The Royal Oak the group’s third venture in as many years. “We are attracted to historic buildings, lots of character, good energy and a raft of our boxes that The Royal Oak ticked”, said Laurence. “Not least of which was that it needed some much love and care to reach its potential, which happens to be our superpower.” Simon Bland, senior associate at Fleurets, added: “Living locally, I am particularly pleased to have been involved in the successful letting of the Royal Oak. I know Hawkhurst is a thriving community with the Royal Oak at its heart and wish Laurence and his team every success.”

Luton airport signs up two new F&B concepts: Airport Retail Enterprises (ARE) will operate two new food and beverage concepts, which are set to open at Luton airport in coming weeks. Premium Italian dining venue Nolito and Avalon, an Australia-inspired coffee and grab-and-go offer, will open airside, in March and April respectively. Nolito will offer a classic Italian menu including a range of antipasti, pasta, meat and fish dishes, as well as pizzas which will be handmade in-house. ARE said that Avalon will highlight the “innovation and passion of the Australian coffee and brunch scene”. It will feature coffee from premium antipodean supplier Allpress and a grab-and-go menu comprising wraps, sandwiches, salads and nourishing bowls, as well as traditional breakfast pastries and cakes. London Luton airport chief commercial officer Jonathan Rayner said: “We are delighted to be opening the doors to these two exciting new food and beverage brands in the London Luton airport departure lounge. The arrival of these new eateries couldn’t be better timed as our preparations continue for the busy spring and summer months ahead.” As previously revealed by Propel, Chopstix is also set to open a site at Luton Airport later this year.

Honi Poke gears up to open Manchester site: Hawaiian poké specialist Honi Poké is set to open its first permanent site in Manchester. The 14-strong business is set to take on the former EAT site on the city’s St Ann's Street. It currently operates a delivery service in the city and in Bristol, but this would be its first bricks and mortar site outside of London. The business was founded by Vladimir Martynov and Kosta Varesko in 2017.

Northern Ireland hotel group narrows losses as it builds back from pandemic: Northern Ireland hotel group Loughview Leisure has reported turnover increased to £8,616,491 for the year ending 30 June 2022 compared with £1,585,801 the previous year. In the last full year before the pandemic – the year ending 30 June 2019 – the group turned over £11,644,361. The company, a subsidiary of aparthotel developer and operator Kilmona Group, saw pre-tax losses narrow to £713,877 from £2,781,920 the year before (2019: loss of £464,146). As previously reported, during the period the company acquired the former Hilton hotel in Templepatrick, which the business intends to develop into a “luxury five-star destination”, and is expected to “add significantly to the profitability of the group”. Loughview – which includes Ten Square in central Belfast, Chimney Corner in Newtownabbey, and the Loughshore Hotel in Carrickfergus in its portfolio – received government grants of £218,634 (2021: £3,139,632). No dividend was paid (2021: nil).

Former Duck & Waffle executive chef and Maslow’s founder open new Soho bistro: Former Duck & Waffle executive chef Tom Cenci and Maslow’s founder Guy Ivesha have opened their British bistro Nessa in London’s Soho. As previously reported, the 98-cover restaurant sits on the ground floor of the 1 Warwick members’ house, on the corner of Brewer Street and Warwick Street, divided into a bar and dining area, plus outside tables for alfresco dining. Executive chef Cenci, previously of Duck and Waffle and Loyal Tavern, leads a seasonal menu using produce from Britain and across the channel. Small plates include brioche with black pudding and brown butter noisette; and celeriac carbonara with confit egg, parmesan breadcrumbs and truffle. Mains include bulgar wheat stuffed cabbage, parsnip purée and herb oil; and seabass with Beurre Blanc, pickled dulse and pink fir potatoes. A breakfast menu is also available, featuring English muffin with a sausage patty, fried egg and cheese; and crab benedict with poached eggs, crumpet and béarnaise sauce. The bar has its own wine and cocktail list as well as a selection of snacks and small plates, also from Cenci.

Green & Fortune pushes sustainability agenda with new executive appointment: Independent restaurant and hospitality company Green & Fortune has appointed Dominic Potts to the newly created position of head of systems, supply and sustainability. He brings significant experience to Green & Fortune gained through his most recent position with Bocca di Luppo and through a decade of his formative career being spent with Company of Cooks (now part of CH&Co) in a similar role. Potts will be part of Green & Fortune’s leadership team and he will develop new best practices, innovate procedures, and drive efficiencies to support and improve the operations of the company. Potts will work across Green & Fortune’s London estate including Kings Place, Sea Containers Events, Rose Court Events, Central Hall Westminster, as well as retail operations in King’s Cross and on the Southbank. Potts said: “While our farm in Northumberland has always been at the foundation of Green & Fortune’s approach to sustainable sourcing, and we have embedded ourselves in our local communities – we are now hoping to go one step further with our sustainability actions and outcomes by bringing a conscientious approach to all we do with our people, suppliers, and partners.” Chief operating officer Emma Williams added: “Dominic is a welcome addition to the executive team and brings a new outlook and proven expertise as we seek to embed and innovate around issues that affect our people and the planet.”

Carbon management software company to the sector raises €4.2m to continue international expansion: Klimato, a carbon management software company for the food industry, has raised €4.2m to continue its international expansion. The business, which works with a variety of UK restaurants including Wahaca, Mowgli and KFC, enables companies to measure, report, and reduce carbon emissions from food. The financing round was led by Global Cleantech Capital, a Netherlands-based investor in growth-stage companies focused on sustainability and clean technology, with continued participation from existing invest Almi Invest Greentech and other existing shareholders. Klimato has developed a cloud-based software platform that helps foodservice providers, restaurants and food producers measure, report, and reduce their carbon footprint. Using research-based data, the software automates the carbon accounting process. The €4.2m investment will accelerate Klimato’s growth – both with existing customers and into new markets, such as Germany, France, and the US. Klimato will also expand its product offering with more sustainability indicators. Anton Unger, chief executive and co-founder of Klimato, said. “This investment will help us strengthen our market position and achieve our mission of reducing the climate impact of food.”