Currie – Greggs working hard to offer great value, to focus expansion on transport hubs and supermarkets: Roisin Currie, chief executive of food-to-go operator Greggs, has said “inflation is cooling but it is still out there,” and the business is “working hard to protect customers and offer great value”. It comes as the business reported a 16% increase in like-for-like sales across its company-managed shop estate for the 26 weeks to 1 July 2023. Currie said it had benefited from a “softening” in food and energy inflation but was still being hit by “significant” inflation from rising labour costs. Currie said the cost of living continued to be “front of mind” for the consumer but Greggs’ affordable menu was winning new customers. She said the business pushed through a 5p-10p price increase on some items in June. Last year, Greggs lifted prices on three occasions. The group does not currently plan any more price rises for its customers but Currie said she expected costs to rise by about 7% in the six months ahead, down from an 11% rise in the first half. Currie said the company’s steady growth in the first half of 2023 had been down to its “value position”, which had driven continued demand from customers with squeezed household finances. She said: “Consumer disposable income is still under pressure and that’s why we need to continue to be the price leader and offer great value deals. Inflation is cooling from where it was over the past 12 months, however, looking back to historical levels, it is still very high.” She said the business is planning for 100 new sites over the next six months focusing on travel hubs, and locations where the brand is under-represented, such as supermarkets. The brand recently said it would be opening further sites in partnership with Sainsbury’s. It adds to Greggs’ existing supermarket tie-ups with Tesco and Asda. Currie said Greggs’ first 24-hour drive-thru would also open before the end of the year. Its post-4pm sales grew more strongly than any part of the day in the first half of the year as it introduced new hot foods such as pizza. Currie said the brand’s suburban shops offer a “significant opportunity” to grow its share of the evening delivery market. She said: “Delivery sales remain an important opportunity and we made good progress in the first half improving operational service levels through our existing partnership with Just Eat. Our 30-shop trial with a second delivery aggregator [UberEats] is progressing well.” Currie reiterated the business had a small research team to investigate potential international expansion plans, but said it was “very focused on the UK opportunity as a priority”.

Sponsored message – Mowgli, Honest Burgers, Caravan and North Brewing Co announced in first line-up of Casual Dining speakers: Casual Dining – the definitive trade event for the restaurant, pub and bar sector – will feature free-to-attend interviews, talks and panels with the biggest names in the business, when it returns to ExCeL London on 27-28 September. Nisha Katona, chief executive and founder at Mowgli Street Food; Tom Barton, co-founder and director of food at Honest Burgers; Laura Harper-Hinton, co-founder and chief executive of Caravan; and John Gyngell, co-founder of North Brewing, are just a few of the big names who will feature across the show’s three keynote theatres (sponsored by Uber Eats). “In such a broad and important industry, it is so important to have a place that unifies and nurtures us – Casual Dining is that place,” said Katona. More speakers will be announced in the coming weeks. Casual Dining together with lunch! and Commercial Kitchen will take place on 27-28 September. Together they will feature more than 600 exhibitors across the hospitality sector. You can access all three shows for free when you register in advance. Click here to register. If you have a sponsored message you would like to see featured in this newsletter position, email paul.charity@propelinfo.com. 

Heartwood Collection to speak at Propel Talent & Training Conference, open for bookings: Helen Melvin, people director at Heartwood Collection, will be among the speakers at the Propel Talent & Training Conference. The all-day conference takes place on Tuesday, 3 October at One Moorgate Place in London and is open for bookings. Melvin will discuss the challenges of recruiting and retaining high-class chefs. The conference will showcase examples of outstanding people culture among companies within the sector and how the industry is attracting talent. For the full speaker schedule, click here. Tickets are £295 plus VAT for operators and £395 plus VAT for suppliers and can be booked by emailing kai.kirkman@propelinfo.com.

Two days to go before next edition of The New Openings Database release, to show details of 108 new sites, 6,000-word report included: The next edition of The New Openings Database will show the details of 108 newly announced site openings and upcoming launches for Premium subscribers when it is published on Friday (4 August), at midday, including which company has opened a site or its plans to open one in the future. It will have details on what type of site it is and its location, and there will also be a website link to the businesses. The database is published on a monthly basis, and the next edition features growing restaurant and café brands, niche cuisine, and expanding experiential concepts. Premium subscribers will also receive a 6,000-word report on the new additions to the database. Premium subscribers also receive access to four other databases: the Propel Multi-Site Database, produced in association with Virgate; the Propel Turnover & Profits Blue Book; the UK Food and Beverage Franchisor Database; and the Who’s Who of UK Food and Beverage. This month, Propel will launch the UK Food and Beverage Franchisee Database – the first time that profiles of 100 of the top food and beverage franchisees have been available in one place in the UK. The go-to database, which features many of the big franchise operators running Costa Coffee, McDonald’s and Domino’s sites, brings together a wealth of information on an increasingly important part of the market, and the first edition will feature more than 32,000 words of content. The sixth major database exclusive to Premium subscribers, it will be sent out bi-monthly, including new entries and updates to existing entries. The companies, listed in alphabetical order, will have their most recent results reported as well as broader information around the company’s background, site numbers and board make-up. 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 being given exclusive access to the recording and slides to Propel Multi-Club Conferences. They 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. 

Job of the day: COREcruitment is working with a country hotel group with sites across England that is looking for a group revenue manager. A COREcruitment spokesperson said: “The business is looking for a strategic and entrepreneurial-minded individual to optimise revenue growth. You must have people management skills and a passion for analysing trends. You will be working alongside the key stakeholders, implementing pricing strategies across the various channels, and effectively managing the hotel rooms and restaurant availability to ensure the sales targets are achieved. Among your duties, you will also develop, manage, and lead the forecasting process for all departments supported by a set of standard tools and meeting schedules.” The salary is up to £60,000 and the position is based in Somerset. For more information, email fabian@corecruitment.com.

Domino’s Pizza Group plans 2024 loyalty scheme launch: Domino’s Pizza Group plans to launch a loyalty scheme next year after talking to customers about developing a programme that suits their needs. The company, which reported first-half like-for-like system sales, excluding splits and the impact of VAT, up 9.7%, said it had been looking at ways in which to reward customers for their loyalty, and that a programme should be available for customers to join in 2024. It comes as the business said it was also preparing to start a delivery trial with UberEats in the first half of next year in a limited number of stores. It follows a successful implementation of its agreement with Just Eat, which it said was delivering incremental customers and orders. Domino’s said its first-half results also demonstrated progress on strategic initiatives, such as app penetration and delivery times, with the average delivery time now under 25 minutes thanks partly to the introduction of GPS. The company also said it had seen a material acceleration of new store openings as it continued to reap the benefits of franchisee alignment with 29 new openings in the first half of the year with 11 franchise partners versus 12 openings in 2022 from seven franchise partners. It said its pipeline is circa 70% larger than in FY22 across 30 different franchisees. The business launched four trials across the UK and Ireland to test consumer demand for new innovations, which it said were all performing ahead of expectations. These new additions to the menu included: “Domishakes” – milkshakes in traditional flavours such as vanilla and chocolate as well as collaborations with Oreo and Biscoff; wraps – while already available in 250 stores, 26 stores trialled new flavours, including ham and cheese, and tuna melt, at £3.99; and fries – Domino's said it had developed an “exceptional product” that it is gearing up to launch later in the year. The company said its Ultimate Chicken Mexicana was the best-selling innovation in the last five years, selling more than 667,000 pizzas during its limited run and adding an extra £5m in incremental sales. It said it had two further new pizzas in the pipeline designed to cater to changing consumer demand. The business also announced a new £70m share buyback programme, following the disposal of its German associate, which will commence when the current £20m programme has completed. 

Creams Cafe signs retail franchise agreement to open in Tesco Cafes: Tesco Family Dining has signed its first nationwide franchise agreement, with the dessert parlour operator Creams Cafe, to introduce a new offering alongside its in-store Tesco Café sites across the UK. Following the success of the opening of a standalone Creams Cafe in Tesco Extra Streatham in November last year, the new partnership will see Creams launching within Tesco Cafés as shop-in-shop spaces – a first for both brands. Currently, there are more than 300 Tesco Cafés across the country. The first Tesco Café-run Creams Cafe will open at Tesco Extra Gateshead on Thursday (3 August), followed by Tesco Extra, Maryhill, Glasgow on Friday (4 August) with further sites planned to open later this year. Under the new agreement, the co-branded cafés will offer Creams' full 24-flavour gelato selection, alongside its dessert range of waffles, milkshakes, cookie dough, crepes and sundaes. Tesco Café will continue to provide customers with its core selection of breakfasts, light meals, hot and cold drinks as well as an extensive range of baked goods. Everett Fieldgate, chief executive of Creams, said: “We are delighted to be chosen as Tesco Café's first franchise partner – it marks a significant moment for Creams and provides a huge opportunity to expand our reach to new audiences and cement our position as the UK's favourite dessert restaurant brand.” Creams 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 features 210 businesses. 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.

Pure appoints Dhara Stead as new FD: Healthy food-to-go concept Pure has appointed Dhara Stead, formerly of Prezzo, Pret and McDonald’s, as its new finance director, Propel has learned. Stead joins the Spencer Craig-led, 19-strong business after more than a year at Prezzo, where she was head of commercial finance and financial planning and analysis. Previous to that she spent a year at Pret as its commercial and financial planning and analysis lead. She also spent more than six years at McDonald’s, including a stint as its strategic finance accountant. At the same time, Andrea Errington, partner at Kingfisher Partners, has joined Pure’s board as an independent non-executive director. Earlier this year, Pure said it was set to go back on the expansion trail after reopening its flagship site in London’s Waterloo station. Most of the food and beverage and retail sites in the station were closed for refurbishment last year, and Pure was among a number reopening. Pure operates 16 sites across London, plus a site at Gatwick airport and two catering hubs for corporate clients.

Big Easy returns to profit as it ‘recovers well’ from covid: Big Easy, the London barbecue concept, has said the business has “recovered well” from the covid pandemic. The company, which operates five sites, reported turnover increased to £18,101,472 for the year ending 31 July 2022 compared with £5,041,033 the year before. For the year ending 28 July 2019 – the last full year before the pandemic – the business turned over £20,595,992. Group Ebitda increased to £1,140,000 from £813,000 the previous year despite a number of its restaurants not fully opening until November 2021. The business made a pre-tax profit of £32,491 compared with a loss of £307,139 the year before. In his report accompanying the accounts, founder Paul Corrett said: “Food and beverage and associated costs amounted to 31.9% of turnover compared with 40.1% for the comparative period, and net staff costs amounted to 34.4% of turnover compared with 23.8% for the comparative period, which resulted in a gross profit margin of 33.7% compared with 36.1% for the comparative period. The group’s restaurant that operates under the Clos Maggiore concept is now owned and operated in a separate group company from its Big Easy branded restaurants, which will allow the group to commercially develop further the brand successes of both Clos Maggiore and Big Easy independently as opportunities arise. The board is confident in its trading brands and continues to invest in its operations and future talent to strengthen the executive team. During the period following mandatory closures as a result of the covid-19 pandemic the group continued to meet its leasehold obligations and continued to meet all overhead and costs. While cognisant of the economic challenges in the current climate, we continue to remain optimistic and expect the group to achieve reasonable profitability in the forthcoming year and beyond. The group continues to look at opportunities and future new openings will be considered based on market conditions.” At the end of the period, the group had net assets of £2.3m (2021: £2.4m). The business received government grants of £3,525 (2021: £946,299) No dividend was paid (2021: nil).

Bistrot Pierre launches new members club scheme: Bistrot Pierre, the Nick White-led business, has launched a new app-based members club scheme. Called Club Bistrot Pierre, diners earn 5p of “Bistrot Pounds” for every £1 spent at a Bistrot Pierre as well as receiving exclusive deals and rewards each month. The 17-strong company said that Bistrot Pounds “cashback” can be earned on all food and drink, with guests able to redeem their Pounds off their bill at any time, choosing to redeem all their pounds, or just use a certain amount. White said: “The launch of Club Bistrot Pierre marks an exciting new chapter for Bistrot Pierre. This new scheme will give our members the opportunity to enjoy delicious, high quality, affordable food, and earn money back, at a time when many are struggling with the cost-of-living crisis.”

Chipotle opens at The O2 for fourth launch in as many months: US brand Chipotle has opened its fourth site in as many months, at The O2 in London. It follows its debut site in Surrey, in Guildford – its first venue outside Greater London – launching last month and openings at Westfield White City in June and Twickenham in April, taking Chipotle to 17 UK locations in total. Jacob Sumner, director of European operations at Chipotle, said: “We are always looking for new communities to expand access to our real, fresh ingredients and The O2 is the perfect venue. As an innovator in the food industry, our fast-casual offering and purpose to cultivate a better world complement the dynamic pace of the destination and its eclectic mix of operators.” Chipotle is the only company of its size that owns and operates all of its restaurants in North America and Europe. Following last week’s second-quarter update, chief executive Brian Niccol said once the business gets its performance consistent in Europe, “we'll start building much more aggressively”.

Portuguese restaurateur Olivier da Costa to make UK debut: Portuguese restaurateur Olivier da Costa is to make his UK debut. Costa is to bring his Guilty by Olivier concept to nhow London, located on the Intersection of Islington, Clerkenwell and Shoreditch, and owned by Minor Hotels. The “vibe-dining” concept will open on Thursday, 7 September, joining Guilty by Olivier sites in Bangkok, Lisbon and Porto. The menu will features dishes such as Shameless – an “indulgent” beef burger with baked tomatoes, pesto and crispy pancetta; and Galant Calzone, consisting of confit duck, mushrooms, truffle-flavoured olive oil and cream. The atmosphere gently evolves throughout the day and “as the sun fades the tempo rises to lively nights hosted by a resident DJ”. Olivier Group consists of seven concepts across 26 restaurants, including Yakuza, SEEN and XXL Lisbon.

Yorkshire Pub Stuff eyes further Midlands expansion after acquiring lease of Arnold site: Multiple operator Yorkshire Pub Stuff is eyeing further expansion across the Midlands after acquiring the lease of the Major Oak in Arnold, Nottinghamshire. It marks the company’s sixth long-term lease with Heineken-owned Star Pubs & Bars and brings its estate to 32 sites – 18 on permanent leases and 14 on temporary agreements. A joint £325,000 investment with Star Pubs & Bars will see the pub upgraded to a separate spacious bar; a revamped sports room with screens, pool and darts; a lounge with its own toilets that doubles as a function room; and a new kitchen to enable food to be introduced. Outside there will be a 120-seater garden complete with children’s play equipment. Garry Astle, Yorkshire Pub Stuff managing director, said: “In the past we’ve funded improvements to the pubs we lease. We have developed a close working relationship with Star and are excited to be building on that by investing together. The plans are spot on and will deliver a great range of income streams. Running pubs on a temporary basis allows us to get to know them and identify those with potential that we want to take on permanent leases.” While the company operates a wide spectrum of sites, including rural food-led pubs with letting rooms, it said it is most interested in wet-led community locals in which it specialises. 

Arrow Hospitality to launch ‘vibe-dining’ concept in London’s Knightsbridge for third site: London operator Arrow Hospitality is to launch a “vibe-dining” concept for its third site. The company, founded by Neha Beriwala, has teamed up with Salvatore Broccu and Marios Louvaris, from Mayfair restaurant Novikov, to open Geode in Knightsbridge. Spanning three floors of a Georgian townhouse in Beauchamp Place, the 7,000 square-foot venue will include a cocktail bar at entry level, a mezzanine conservatory with an open-plan kitchen and a late-night upper-floor dining space. Geode – which will open on Thursday, 14 September – will also feature live music and DJs once a curtain is drawn to symbolically “close the kitchen”. Executive chef Francesco Scala, who is previously of Novikov, will oversee the food, which will have Mediterranean and Asian influences. Dishes will include Mock Duck and beef tartare on roasted bone marrow. The main focus of the drinks menu will be cocktails. Arrow Hospitality also operates Manthan in Mayfair and Kutir in Chelsea.

Dinner for 100 secures ex-400 Rabbits site for second opening: Dinner for 100, the fledgling pizza concept, has secured its second site in London. The concept, which is the brainchild of Jake Bucknall and Jacob Stuttard, has secured the 400 Rabbits site at 143 Evelina Road, Nunhead. Dinner for 100 signed a new lease on the 1,270 square-foot site, which is due to open later this month. The lease was assigned with a premium of £60,000 and the rent on the new lease was £30,000 per annum. Dinner for 100 operates a site in Tele Hill. In June, Propel revealed south London sourdough pizza and craft beer restaurant concept Four Hundred Rabbits was to open a site in Battersea Rise. It secured the ex-Pi Pizza site at 4-6a Battersea Rise for an opening later this summer. Founded by ex-DJ brothers Daniel and Duncan Edwards in 2015, Four Hundred Rabbits has neighbourhood pizza restaurants in Crystal Palace and West Norwood and a brunch-focused cafe in Brockwell Park, Herne Hill. Marc Rogers, of MKR Property, acted on behalf of 400 Rabbits.

Family-owned Lancashire hotel group falls to loss due to escalating costs despite turnover exceeding pre-covid levels: Family-owned Lancashire hotel group Paragon Hotels has reported turnover increased to £18,428,000 for the year ending 30 March 2023 compared with £13,819,000 the year before. Revenue also exceeded the £14,362,000 reported for the year ending 30 March 2020 when the final few weeks of trading were impacted by the covid pandemic. The business made a loss of £1,531,000 compared with a profit of £814,000 the previous year, mainly due to escalating costs (2020: loss of £741,000). The business received no government grants (2022: £477,000). No dividend was paid (2022: nil).

Escapism Bars to open two Manchester venues: Escapism Bars, the Leeds bar business founded in 2004 by husband-and-wife team Phil and Mel Harrison, is to expand with two new Manchester venues. Operating under The Mean Eyed Cat and Tiki Hideaway concepts, the bars will open next month and be located in one establishment in Oldham Street in the Northern Quarter. Escapism Bars currently operates seven venues in Leeds, two in Liverpool, and plans to expand into Nottingham and Sheffield. Managing director Grant Dexter said: “With many hospitality firms and venues feeling the pinch due to the energy crisis and cost-of-living challenges, it's exciting to be able to open these two new venues in this thriving area in Manchester. We opened The Mean-Eyed Cat in Leeds in 2004, and it has stood the test of time. We can't wait to see what Manchester's revellers make of the venues.”

Harrogate luxury hotel reports ‘strong demand’ as turnover exceeds pre-covid levels: Harrogate luxury hotel Rudding Park has reported it saw “strong demand” as turnover increased 48% to £27,861,873 for the year ending 31 October 2022 compared with £18,782,467 the year before. Revenue also exceeded the £20,465,810 reported for the year ending 31 October 2019 – the last full year before the covid pandemic. Pre-tax profit was up to £3,747,642 from £1,965,768 the previous year despite “inflation in every cost line” (2019: £1,435,248). The business did not receive any government grants (2021: £1,323,261). A dividend of £300,000 was paid (2021: £150,000). Rudding Park has been owned by the Mackaness family for 50 years.

Coast and Country Hotels sells Weston-super-Mare seafront property: Coast and Country Hotels has sold the Grand Atlantic Hotel in Weston-super-Mare for an undisclosed sum. Hospitality investor Fragrance Group has acquired the 72-bedroom seafront hotel, with RBH Hospitality Management appointed to operate the venue. Jeremy Jones, head of hotel brokerage at Christie & Co, who acted for the seller, said: "The property is one of the 33 leisure-focused hotels that we are currently marketing on behalf of Coast & Country, which have received very strong interest to date. Positioned in leading resort and leisure destinations across England, Scotland and Wales, the portfolio represents some of the best-known hospitality businesses in their respective markets.” A Fragrance Group spokesperson said: “The Grand Atlantic Hotel is a wonderful addition to Fragrance Group's growing portfolio, and we are delighted to be able to continue investing in the UK regional markets, in particular seaside destinations.” James Greenslade, director of hotel capital markets at Savills, acted for Fragrance Group on the sale. 

Accor and Ennismore-owned hotel brand Mama Shelter set to open first UK site outside London with Liverpool launch: Accor and Ennismore-owned hotel and restaurant operator Mama Shelter is set to open its first UK site outside London, in Liverpool. Fresh plans have been submitted for the development of the hotel along with a casino and sky bar at the former home of John Lewis in the city centre. Acting on behalf of Landlab Developments, planning consultancy Roman Summer is seeking a change of use permission for the former George Henry Lee buildings in Basnett Street, off Williamson Square. The property, which has been vacant for about 15 years when John Lewis moved to Liverpool ONE, comprises more than 153,000 square-foot of floorspace over nine floors across three interlinked buildings. As well as a 175-bedroom hotel and associated restaurant, bar, leisure and well-being facilities, the plans include a roof-level sky bar/restaurant and a basement casino/nightclub. The sixth floor of one of the buildings would become the hotel’s main restaurant while some extensions are proposed, including a glass-walled enclosure atop the property closest to Clayton Square that would allow 360 degree views of Liverpool. Planning permission was secured in 2019 for a similar application but this was not progressed, reports Insider Media.

Cheshire golf club and spa resort reports turnover exceeds pre-covid levels in year business was bought: Cheshire golf club and spa resort The Mere has reported turnover exceeded pre-covid levels in the year the business was bought. Revenue increased to £11,548,971 for the year ending 31 December 2022 compared with £8,110,270 the year before. Turnover also exceeded the £10,983,614 reported for the year ending 31 December 2019 – the last full year before the pandemic. Ebitda was up to £2.1m from £1.6m the previous year. Pre-tax profit was down to £1,126,909 from £1,259,760 the year before when the venue benefited from a £1m business interruption insurance claim (2019: profit of £29,312). In their report accompanying the accounts, the directors stated: “On 7 July 2022, the company was acquired by Select Mere Resort, a subsidiary of Select Investments, a company registered in the United Arab Emirates. The new owners have continued to operate the hotel, spa and golf course in the current manner. All outstanding loans were repaid on acquisition, and the charges on the property and assets were satisfied. The subscription model for the golf course was updated in 2021 to simplify the number of options available for members. This has increased the overall income without reducing the number of members. Spa income has also recovered strongly.” No dividend was paid (2021: nil). 

Manchester to host debut site for new ping pong concept: A new ping pong, drinks and pizza concept called HIT will make its debut this summer, in Manchester. It has taken a 4,500 square-foot space at Circle Square, situated under property company Vita Living's East tower, on a ten-year lease. A HIT spokesperson said: “Circle Square offers an incredible platform to launch the concept – thousands of students and young professionals are living on-site, it's surrounded by fantastic offices welcoming a large workforce and adjoins one of highest footfall roads in the city, Oxford Road. We can’t wait to serve up this brilliant new concept to the city and share more of our ideas closer to opening.”

Administrators appointed at Hampshire golf and country club: Administrators appointed at a Hampshire golf and country club have said they are working to secure investment for the future while the business continues to operate as normal. Geoff Bouchier and Benjamin Wiles, of Kroll, have been appointed as joint administrators of Skylark Golf and Country Club. Based in Whiteley, Skylark is home to an 18-hole golf course as well as a bar and restaurant, wedding and events facilities and a spa and gym. Bouchier said: “Skylark’s business continues to operate as normal. With the support of the Skylark team, all of the club’s facilities and services will continue to be provided. With the support of Skylark’s lender, we will work to secure further investment and the long-term future of the club for the benefit of all stakeholders.”