Chaiiwala has ‘more than 100 partners’ waiting to expand the business in US: Street food cafe franchise Chaiiwala is to make its move into the US and has “more than 100 partners” waiting to expand the brand across the country. Speaking at the Propel Multi-Club Conference, Simon Hooper, international business director of Chaiiwala, which has grown to circa 85 sites in the UK since its debut in Leicester in 2016, said the company was set to build on its success in Canada, where it launched in 2021. He said: “In Canada, we've got eight trading stores of different formats, but we now have 180 stores already committed to our opening programme there. We hit the US next month. We've got more than 100 partners waiting, and they’re on investment levels of anything from £1m to £155m. So, America is looking very attractive. We also have partners signed up in Germany, France, Switzerland, Austria and Belgium. I’ve met three teams from South Africa, who have already committed to more than 50 sites, and we opened our first store in the Middle East, at the end of last year, and we're partnering up with some of the big teams in that region.” Hooper said the initial success of the brand in Canada, and the levels of interest generated there, has provided the company with confidence it will succeed in the US. He said: “The sheer volume of inquiries from Canada was too big to ignore. When we started to meet people from there and looked at their levels of commitment and passion, it was hard to say no to launching the brand there, especially as there are a lot of similarities to the UK market. And the beauty is we now have got a number of partners who are so happy with the brand and are now identifying spots over the border they wish to trade in. So, we've already got Las Vegas and New York covered. We've got potential partners who've got experience with the brand, who want to invest and take it further across the US.” Hooper said part of the brand’s success was “our franchise partners believe we don't have a natural competitor”. He said: “We are the only quick service restaurant concept in the Indian food space here and internationally. When I talk to people around the world, who are on a halal diet, they have difficulty in Europe, the USA and the Middle East to get halal food. So, I think that's given us a real competitive advantage that we didn't realise.” Hooper’s presentation will be among the videos from the Propel Multi-Club Conference that Premium subscribers will be given exclusive access to on Friday, 21 April at 9am. Chaiiwala features in the 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 version will be released next Wednesday (19 April). Companies can now have an unlimited number of people receive access to Propel Premium for a year for £995 plus VAT – whether they are an operator or a supplier. The single subscription rate is £495 plus VAT for operators and £595 plus VAT for suppliers. Email jo.charity@propelinfo.com to upgrade your subscription.

Latest edition of Propel Turnover & Profits Blue Book shows 718 largest sector companies turning over total of £43.4bn: The latest edition of the Propel Turnover & Profits Blue Book, which will be sent to Premium subscribers on Friday (14 April), shows 718 of the largest sector companies are turning over a total of £43.4bn – up from £40.2bn the previous month. A total of 475 companies are making a profit while 243 are making a loss. The Blue Book is updated each month and ranks companies by turnover, profit and profit conversion, listing directors’ earnings for the past five years. Premium subscribers also receive access to four other databases: the Propel Multi-Site Database, produced in association with Virgate; the New Openings Database; the Who’s Who of UK Food and Beverage; 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 £995 plus VAT – whether they are an operator or a supplier. The single subscription rate is £495 plus VAT for operators and £595 plus VAT for suppliers. Email jo.charity@propelinfo.com to upgrade your subscription. Premium subscribers are also to be given exclusive access to the recording and slides to Propel Multi-Club Conferences. 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.

Concept Taverns boss – it’s getting better, but there are definitely still barriers to women in leadership roles: Concept Taverns’ new managing director Victoria Hatton has told Propel although it’s getting better, there are definitely still barriers to women landing leadership roles in the industry. On being appointed last month, Hatton said she hoped joining the small number of female bar group directors in Yorkshire would open the door for more women to land similar positions in the industry. “I’ve worked at places where there are definite barriers, and it is still quite a big challenge, with only 30% of leadership roles taken by women,” Hatton said. “I feel in certain companies it needs an adjustment of attitude. I think it’s getting better – it just needs more people to realise that you can, in fact, be a parent and run a business.” Hatton said no such barriers exist at Concept Taverns, which is also this year putting a real focus on training and “getting young people into the industry”. She said: “We built a people plan a few years ago that moves people up a level when they hit certain targets, where they get better staff discounts and more money. We think if people are trained and know what they’re doing they’re a lot more passionate about it. You get so many people in it for a job while they’re at university, but we want people to be in it as it’s a cracking industry. We’re even okay with people getting jobs with other companies once we’ve trained them, as we want to help develop the industry, not just Concept Taverns.” The business will later this year open its 12th pub, then focus on refurbishments before looking for new properties in 2024, but could soon hit its natural limit. “We’d have to change the way the company worked if it got much bigger,” Hatton said. “Once you get to 18 or 20 you have to turn more corporate, and we prefer to be more hands-on, so that probably would be the ceiling.” One area the group could keep growing is its beer and gin hall concept Pinnacle, which launched in Leeds last year. Hatton said: “It has very much gone beyond expectations and is a concept we can not only put in other cities, but also suburbs.” Of all the challenges currently facing the industry, this month’s National Minimum Wage hike was the one Hatton feared the most. “From last year it adds an extra £84,000 on to our wage bill,” she said. “We’re going to have to put a little bit on price, which we’ve been trying to put off, and we’ve tried to save costs in other ways like cutting kitchen hours.”

Team behind Cafe Route launches investment arm to support next generation of hospitality businesses: AEI Music, which is behind hospitality concept Cafe Route, has unveiled AEI Ventures, a dedicated investment arm to support the next generation of founders in the sector. AEI Ventures will focus on investing in companies “created by those with little experience in the traditional hospitality industries”. Emphasis will also be placed on working with those from historically excluded or marginalised backgrounds. AEI said its operations have always been 100% independent, with funding raised by reinvesting profits from AEI Music, and this will continue with AEI Ventures. Founders and businesses backed by AEI will join a collaborative network of innovators, receiving mentorship, peer support and funding. AEI Ventures launches two years after the opening of The Halley, its east London shared workspace and production studios. As well as The Halley, AEI has also overseen the growth of Cafe Route, the Mediterranean restaurant concept that has sites in Dalston, Haggerston and Broadway Market and offers catering services in London. It sits alongside its growing selection of festivals, such as El Dorado, Let It Roll and Detonate. Diluk Dias, co-founder and chief executive at AEI Music, said: “We’ve always found the most success when working with those that come from outside of the traditional sectors we operate in, whether that’s founders or even our internal staff. With the launch of AEI Ventures, we’re expanding this approach beyond the niche dance music industries we’ve traditionally operated in, to bring more outsiders inside across music and hospitality.” Marking 25 years of business this year, AEI was founded by James Cotterill and Dias following the launch of the online drum and bass website and community Drum&BassArena by Cotterill two years earlier. Having had no previous experience in the music industry themselves, the pair have now spent more than two decades developing businesses and partnerships with founders “that take a fresh and disruptive approach”. 

App offering ‘fresh take on dining’ by giving cashback on customer orders launches in UK: A new food discovery and ordering app has launched in the UK that gives customers cashback on their orders. Places App said it is looking to “revolutionise the way people discover and order their food, making it easier for customers to order and discover their favourite places to eat”. Places App allows customers to order food for collection, leave a restaurant review, and discover local food places to try to visit. The platform is location based and allows customers to discover restaurants and cafes through the map view, as well as being able to filter restaurants with any allergy requirements or by a specific cuisine. The app also gives 2% cashback on every order placed for customers to spend on future meals out at restaurants. NFC tags are also given to customers for accumulative promotions such as stamps on loyalty cards and coupons with instant discounts or free food. Vlad Selitbovskyi, founder of Places App, said: “Our goal is to build up a community of foodies, bringing the latest trends in cuisine all together in one easily discoverable place. We want to make it easy for people to discover new places to eat, support local businesses, and save money through special promotions and cashback offers in the app.”

Job of the day: COREcruitment is working with a company that leads on the production and delivery of large-scale sporting and leisure events across the UK that is seeking a head of health, safety, environment, quality and risk. A COREcruitment spokesperson said: “This role will be diverse, past-paced, and highly collaborative. You will lead across all fire, food, environment, well-being and safety, health, environment and quality (SHEQ) matters, including reporting on performance and providing coaching and direction on compliance. Working with and reporting to the SHEQ director, you will develop the compliance framework as part of the larger regional plan and ensure an aligned approach, drive a positive culture of safety, and promote the ethos of ‘one team’ to achieve excellence within both company standards and legislative parameters.” The salary is up to £75,000 and the position is based nationwide. For more information, email sheila@corecruitment.com

Club Mexicana plans three openings in London before exploring regional launch: Club Mexicana, the vegan restaurant concept that offers Mexican and Californian-inspired street food, plans to open three more sites in London over the next 12 to 18 months, before looking to launch regionally. Speaking at the Propel Multi-Club Conference, Club Mexicana founder Meriel Armitage said the three-strong, Edition Capital-backed, business has got a new site coming in the third quarter of this year in the capital, “two more in 2024 and then after that we'll be looking outside of London”. The business opened on the former HotBox site in Commercial Street last November. The concept started out as a sold-out supper club in east London in 2014. Armitage said: “We had been looking at sites all throughout the pandemic and saw hundreds. We finally found one that I thought was perfect for us. I wanted to take us back east because it's where we started and it's where a lot of our audience was. It is triple the size of our Soho site and allows us to stretch out a bit, to do a slightly bigger menu and a bigger bar, and really push that concept a little stage further.” Armitage said the business has “sort of achieved the goal to rebrand veganism and bring it into the mainstream”. She said: “It wasn't just me, but I feel super proud to have been a part of that revolution that's happened in London and the UK. We just want to take what we do to more places and more people. We're succeeding on our mission to shatter people's perceptions of vegan food. We're making it exciting and accessible and colourful, housed in vibrant places.”

Brasserie Bar Co appoints Joanna Richardson as new marketing director: Brasserie Bar Co, the Brasserie Blanc and White Brasserie Company operator, has appointed Joanna Richardson as its new marketing director, Propel has learned. Richardson joins the Alchemy Partners-backed, Richard Ferrier-led business, after five years with Kent brewer and pub operator Shepherd Neame as its director of marketing and communications. Prior to that she was an international brand director at Quintessential Brands Group and a marketing manager at Bacardi. She replaces Kathryn Coury, who was with Brasserie Bar Co for ten years. Last month, Propel revealed White Brasserie had further enhanced its openings pipeline, after securing a site in Long Ditton, Surrey. The business acquired the freehold of The George Evelyn for its 21st pub site. Following a multimillion-pound investment, the pub will reopen in November with a new name. Earlier this year, Propel revealed Brasserie Bar Co had secured the freehold of the Black Swan in Henley-in-Arden, Warwickshire, with a reopening of the site planned for July this year following a major extension. Last December, the company outlined “Operation Thrive”, its strategy to build a UK pub business of scale that will see it look to build a portfolio of 50 freehold premium pubs over the next five years. Since being acquired by Alchemy last February, the company has acquired ten of the freeholds of its 20-pub estate. It said it had also prioritised acquisitions of “additional distinctive freehold pubs” and is currently under offer on six further sites that will open in 2023 and early 2024.

Middletons closes Leamington Spa site, FY turnover tops £11m: Middletons Steakhouse & Grill has closed its site in Leamington Spa, just over a year after its launch, which saw the company make its debut in the West Midlands. The eight-strong business opened on the former Gusto Italian site in Regent Court, last February, after a £500,000 investment. It had secured the site the summer before. The company opened its first Middletons Steakhouse and Grill in King’s Lynn in 2010. Its other sites are in Chelmsford, Colchester, Leicester, Milton Keynes, Norwich, Peterborough and Cambridge. The closure comes as the company reported turnover for the year to 1 May 2022 of £11,120,310 (2021: £4,394,409), and a pre-tax loss of £659,678 (2021: loss of £38,740).

NQ64 secures first site in south west: NQ64, the immersive retro arcade bar concept backed by Imbiba, is to make its debut in the south west of England, after securing a site in Bristol, Propel has learned. The nine-strong brand, which is gearing up to open its second site in London, in Shoreditch, is understood to have secured the ex-Opa site at 14-16 Baldwin Street, Bristol, for an opening later this summer. Earlier this month, NQ64 announced that Manchester-based burger concept Burgerism will be the food partner for its upcoming venue in Shoreditch. The site in Old Street will be the first in NQ64’s portfolio to serve food, and the menu will be provided by Burgerism, which will offer its premium smashed patty and fried chicken burgers, chicken wings, and seasoned skin-on fries. As previously reported, NQ64 in Shoreditch will be the company’s biggest venue yet, with a capacity of up to 450, when it opens next month. 

Cinnamon Collection narrows losses as it builds back from pandemic: Cinnamon Collection, which operates four restaurants in London and is owned by Boparan Restaurant Group, has reported turnover increased to £6,728,000 for the year ending 2 January 2022 compared with £4,186,000 the previous year. In the last full year before the pandemic – year ending 31 December 2019 – revenue stood at £11,096,187, although the Cinnamon Collection also operated a site in Oxford that shut during lockdown. Pre-tax losses narrowed to £615,000 from £2,892,000 the year before (2019: loss of £1,994,822). In his report accompanying the accounts, director Satnam Leihal said: “The existing business and future growth are funded from free cash flow and the continued financial support of its owner, and he has committed to provide sufficient liquidity and capital expenditure when needed. The business continues to commit in investing in its core assets – its people, property and product – through excellence and innovation to ensure customers receive the very best experience delivered with quality and provenance. Cinnamon Collection will look to expand at a sustainable rate, with restaurants suitable for the environment, continuing its ethos of evolution, innovation and creativity.” The business received government grants of £686,000 (2021: £1,174,000). No dividend was paid (2021: nil). Cinnamon Collection operates Cinnamon Club in Westminster, Cinnamon Kitchen sites in the City and Battersea Power Station, and Cinnamon Bazaar in Covent Garden.

Parogon secures loan to kick off new growth phase: Staffordshire pub operator Parogon Group has kicked off a new phase of growth after securing a loan to finance the acquisition of its tenth site. The company – which operates premium dining country pub restaurants across Staffordshire, Cheshire, and Shropshire – secured the loan from Cynergy Bank for its latest acquisition, The Cheshire Tavern in Congleton. The loan will be used towards a combination of refinance, acquisition and capex. It was structured with an initial 12-month interest-only period followed by a 24-year repayment profile. Richard Colclough, managing director of Parogon, said: “Our new banking relationship with Cynergy Bank marks the start of an exciting phase for Parogon and the facility will allow us to achieve our goals for growth.” Earlier this year, Colclough told Propel that Parogon is looking to appoint an experienced non-executive chair to help with its “aggressive expansion” plans, as its refinancing is set to free up a £5m pot for new sites. Colclough admitted his target of doubling the Parogon estate over the next three years, as told to Propel last April, may have to be revised – but he is still confident of two further openings, on top of Congleton, in 2023.

BaaBar reports customer appetite remains following post-covid bounce back: BaaBar, the Liverpool bar and pub company, has said customer appetite for its venues has remained following the post-covid bounce back in trade. It comes as the business reported turnover increased to £9,549,107 for the year ending 31 July 2022 compared with £3,450,461 the previous year. The company – which operates Modo, Baa Bar, Frederiks and Café Tabac in Liverpool and Baa Bar in Nottingham – saw pre-tax profit rise to £2,028,340 from £87,929 the year before. In her report accompanying the accounts, founder and chief executive Elaine Clarke said: “The original bounce back post-covid closure was extremely encouraging. The appetite of customers to come back shows how strong the brand is. Following enforced closure there were queues unlike anything ever seen before, and this appetite has remained.” The business received government grants of £84,424 (2021: £1,040,977). No dividend was paid (2021: nil).

Sheldon Inns acquires lease of Moseley pub: Midlands pub management company Sheldon Inns has acquired the lease of The Prince of Wales in Moseley. The pub has been reopened by Sheldon Inns following a £400,000 investment by brewer and retailer Greene King, which owns the site. It has been refurbished, including a revamp of the garden to include firepits and an outside bar. The Prince of Wales is a wet-led, traditional pub known for its selection of real ale and premium beer. Sheldon Inns director Martin Cartwright said: “We are delighted to be taking on The Prince of Wales. The refurbishment has brought the pub back to its former glory, while retaining its character and charm.” Dan Robinson, managing director of Greene King Pub Partners, added: “We are thrilled with our investment in The Prince of Wales and to be continuing our successful partnership with Sheldon Inns.” Sheldon Inns operates about 25 sites across the Midlands.

Everyman reports 2023 performance ‘in line with expectations’, six openings planned this year: Cinema operator Everyman has said performance so far in 2023 has been “in line with expectations”. The business said it has “growing momentum” in its expansion strategy with six openings planned this year and an “exciting pipeline of further opportunities for 2024 and 2025”. Group sales for the year ending 29 December 2022 were up 62.5% to £78.8m (2021: £49.0m). Group adjusted Ebitda was £14.5m (2021: £8.3m). The business made an operating profit of £402,000 (2021: loss of £2.2m). Pre-tax losses narrowed to £3.5m from £5.4m the previous year. Admissions increased to 3.4 million (2021: 2.0 million). Average ticket price was £11.29 (2021: £11.00), while food and beverage spend per head of £9.34 was a 3.0% increase (2021: £9.07). Everyman has an estate of 38 venues, with two new venues opened in the year, in Edinburgh and Egham. At the year end, the group had £3.7m of cash (2021: £4.2m) and net debt of £18.5m (2021: £8.7m). The company stated: “Financial performance in the new financial year has been in line with expectations. Admissions in 2023 are expected to benefit from an increased number of wide releases, commitment to the theatrical window from distributors and new investment from streamers. We have successfully navigated inflationary headwinds in FY22. We anticipate continued financial improvement from higher admissions, strong management of costs and new site openings, despite the current difficult macroeconomic environment and its impact on consumer spends. Management is confident of another year of strong operational and financial progress.” Chief executive Alex Scrimgeour said: “Everyman remains a popular and affordable choice for consumers, combining great film, hospitality and atmosphere to provide an exceptional cinema experience. We are excited to welcome audiences to new openings in Durham, Salisbury, Northallerton, Plymouth, Marlow and Bury St Edmunds in the second half of 2023. As a result of our strong performance, we are actively returning to an agenda of managed organic expansion. The company is also assessing acquisition opportunities of existing cinemas that are suitable to be converted into Everyman venues. Supported by an increasingly strong pipeline of new releases, commitment to the theatrical window from studios and new investment from streamers in films for theatrical release, we view our prospects with increasing confidence. Moving through 2023 and beyond, the Everyman proposition feels as relevant as ever.”

Subway may lower sale price to ‘upwards of $7bn’: The planned sale of Subway, originally priced at about $10bn (£8.03bn), may be lowered. “Insiders are now pegging a takeout price for the fast-food giant at upwards of $7bn – well short of the $10bn it had been seeking when news of the auction was first reported,” according to the New York Post. Sources told the publication the Subway auction “has drawn lacklustre interest from prospective buyers” – forcing the company to push back bidding deadlines and raising the possibility of a lower sale price. “After taking an initial round of bids in late February, sources said Subway has failed to set a deadline for second-round bids, which typically comes a few weeks after indications of interest are submitted,” the New York Post noted. Among earlier reported bidders showing interest in Subway were private-equity firms including Bain Capital, Clayton, Dubilier & Rice, Goldman Sachs Asset Management and TPG Capital, Further reports indicated interest from Atlanta-based Roark Capital Group, owner of Inspire Brands and the parent company to Arby’s, Buffalo Wild Wings, Dunkin’, Jimmy John’s and Sonic. Other interest had been reported from the EG Group. “Committed offers won’t likely be due until late this month – a delay meant to give suitors more time to conduct due diligence,” said sources close to the process. “It wants to prevent everyone teaming up and driving the price down,” a source close to the situation told the New York Post. “Subway is likely to be sold but price is an issue.”

Searcy’s partners with Richard Corrigan to relaunch The National Portrait Gallery restaurant: Restaurateur and events caterer Searcy’s is partnering with chef Richard Corrigan to relaunch The Portrait Restaurant at the National Portrait Gallery, which will reopen following a major refurbishment and transformation this summer. The new destination restaurant and bar will open on the top floor of the gallery, “in an intimate space with panoramic views that take in Trafalgar Square and the Houses of Parliament”. The menus will showcase only the best of British and Irish ingredients. Corrigan, who champions British and Irish produce as well as wild fish in his restaurants, will take “inspiration from some of his most memorable dishes in his culinary career, reintroducing forgotten classics to the gallery’s guests”.

The Depot team to open outdoor food court in Cardiff: The team behind Cardiff independent warehouse events venue The Depot is to open an outdoor food court in the city. Tiger Yard will be developed on the site of the former Dr Who museum in Cardiff Bay. A total of £650,000 is being invested into the site, with plans for six permanent shipping container kitchens and two bars, creating up to 35 jobs. Tiger Yard will hold a total of 1,000 covers with a seating plan that includes three covered dining areas. It will use 25 rainbow-coloured shipping containers to create the bars, kitchens, toilet blocks and some seating areas. It is envisaged the venue will be open Wednesday to Sunday, every week. Peter Cro, director at The Depot, said: “We are excited about this opportunity to bring something different to Cardiff Bay, which has long been dominated by the bigger chains. We're hoping to attract a local collection of chefs, restaurateurs and traders to occupy our custom-built shipping container kitchens – and bring a taste of independent Cardiff to the bay.” The team hopes to announce the full trader line-up for Tiger Yard next month, and open the venue in June.

Carlsberg Group acquires rights to Kronenbourg from Heineken: Carlsberg Marston’s Brewing Company (CMBC) has announced a deal in which Carlsberg Group will acquire the UK rights for French beer brand Kronenbourg from Heineken UK. The deal will see Carlsberg Group acquire all rights to produce and distribute the premium lager in the UK, via CMBC. The transfer of the licence will be effective from 1 June. The Kronenbourg 1664 brand is owned globally by Carlsberg Group. Under the agreement, Heineken UK will continue to brew and pack Kronenbourg 1664 under contract, before it moves to CMBC in 2024. A three-year commercial arrangement has also been agreed to continue to list and provide the brand to Heineken UK’s Star Pubs & Bars business. Heineken UK has held the licence for the lager since 2008, following the acquisition of Scottish & Newcastle by Carlsberg and Heineken. CMBC chief executive Paul Davies said: “Supporting brands and innovating in the premium category is a key pillar of our strategy, and adding Kronenbourg 1664 to our enviable portfolio is an incredible opportunity to achieve this. Kronenbourg 1664 is an excellent beer with a distinctive provenance that is growing in both volume and value with strong brand awareness among consumers. We look forward to sharing our exciting plans to relaunch the brand with our partners in the on and off-trade and cementing Kronenbourg 1664 as a leader in the category.”

Former Geronimo Inns MD Ed Turner confirms acquisition of his ‘perfect pub’: Ed Turner, the former Geronimo Inns managing director and current Brakspear non-executive director, has confirmed he has secured a third site for his Neighbourhood Pubs & Bars vehicle, which he called his “perfect pub”. As previously revealed by Propel, Turner has secured the Haven House Inn and Cafe – a pub, café and gift shop – in Christchurch, Dorset, from the Rolph family. The site, which is surrounded by water on three sides, comprises a pub and restaurant, a coffee shop, as well as a gift shop. Turner said: “The Haven House Inn has the most fantastic location and with the combination of a pub and a cafe, we have the ability to trade through the day and to a wide variety of customers, which is crucial to a successful hospitality business at the moment. Mudeford is a really beautiful spot with views over Christchurch Harbour and across to the Isle of Wight, appealing to day trippers, premium holiday makers as well as plenty of locals for both eating and drinking. We're very protective over the history and what has made this business so successful but there is plenty of opportunity to raise the quality, and to build the loyalty and the destination appeal. In a nutshell…it's my perfect pub!” In 2016, Turner and his wife Buffy launched the Old Ale and Coffee House in Salisbury, Wiltshire. Two years later, the Turners and business partner Shane O’Neill reopened The Dolphin pub in Newbury, Berkshire. Christie & Co acted on the Christchurch deal. 

International hotel and spa operator narrows losses as it builds back from pandemic: International hotel and spa operator Shanti Hospitality, which manages a growing portfolio of properties across the globe including the UK, has reported turnover increased 67.6% to £16,451,168 for the year ending 31 March 2022 compared with £9,817,864 the year before. Revenue remained well below the £23,113,973 reported for the year ending 31 March 2020 when the final few weeks of trading were impacted by the covid pandemic. Group Ebitda before other operating income was minus £1.8m (2021: minus £3.86m). Pre-tax losses narrowed to £5,371,254 from £7,322,325 the previous year (2020: £3,223,221). The group's net current liabilities for the year was £145.8m (2021: £145.3m), which includes shareholders loans of £149.7m (2021: £144m). The cash at bank and in hand increased by £3m to £5.6m. The business received government grants of £104,586 (2021: £306,108). No dividend was paid (2021: nil).

Aspinall's more than halves losses as turnover recovers but remains way off pre-pandemic levels: London private gaming club Aspinall's more than halved its losses in the year ending 30 June 2022, as its turnover recovered but remained way off pre-pandemic levels. The period saw turnover rise from £1,324,000 in 2021 to £7,604,000 but lags way behind the £30,959,000 reported in the last full year before the pandemic, ending 30 June 2019. Of the 2022 figure, £7,272,000 came from gaming and £332,000 from food and drink. Pre-tax losses of £13,473,000 in 2021 narrowed to £6,020,000 (2019: profit of £1,693,000). The company received £142,000 in government grants compared with £2,562,000 in 2021. No dividends were paid. The company had net assets of £14,947,000 at year-end (2021: £21,112,000) and net current assets of £2,534,000 (2021: £4,607,000). It said funding from parent company Crown Resorts will help it meet its liabilities.

PureGym to expand Liverpool presence: PureGym, Britain's biggest health and fitness club operator, is set to further expand its presence in Liverpool. The company has secured a site at Liverpool Shopping Park after agreeing a deal with landlord, Derwent Group. PureGym will open in a 15,000 square-foot space this summer having signed a 15-year lease with a ten-year break. Steve Elrington, head of acquisitions for PureGym, said: “There is a huge appetite for affordable gyms in Liverpool and we are delighted to be expanding our presence in the city.” McMullen Real Estate and CSP are the appointed letting agents for the scheme and represented the Derwent Group. PureGym represented itself.

 

Fried chicken concept Buck’s Bar to make Edinburgh debut this week for fourth site: Glasgow American-style fried chicken restaurant Buck’s Bar is to make its debut in Edinburgh on Friday (14 April). The concept, which was founded by Michael Bergson in 2016, will open at 32-34 Grindlay Street. The first Buck’s Bar opened in Glasgow’s West Regent Street in 2016, which was followed by an opening in the city’s Trongate in October 2019 and then in Cathcart Road in Glasgow’s southside in February 2022. The company pulled out of a fourth opening in Glasgow, in the city’s West End, last summer. Buck’s Bar specialises in buttermilk fried chicken, wings and huge burgers served on wooden trays.

Leisure company makes major investment in North Wales holiday parks: Leisure company SF Parks is making a major investment in two of its North Wales holiday parks, including plans for a gym, cinema and bowling alley. The company has received planning permission from Conwy County Borough Council to build a high ropes course, spa, sauna, gym complex and wine bar at White House Leisure Park in Towyn. Also included in the development is an upgrade to the Jakes family restaurant and pub, an amusement arcade, a cinema room, and soft play. It comes as directors Jonathan and Oliver Seldon put forward proposals to construct a rooftop bar, bowling alley, reception area and extend the arcade at the neighbouring Golden Gate Holiday Centre. The business has five parks in North Wales, employing up to 120 full time and seasonal staff. It is also looking to increase the current seven-and-a-half month season to ten-and-a-half months at Golden Gate. This is in a bid to employ more full-time workers and increase spend in the local area all-year round. Jonathan Seldon said: “Our vision is to keep enhancing the customer experience, keep investing in our parks and most importantly, contribute to the local economy through jobs and tourism.” As well as White House and Golden Gate – which host more than 830 caravans – SF Parks owns Riverside and Sun Valley in Rhuddlan, and Sirior Bach in Moelfre, Abergele.