Exclusive – The Piano Works to take up residency within Nightcap Covent Garden following relocation: Live music concept The Piano Works is set to take up residency within the Covent Garden venue of Nightcap – owner of the Cocktail Club, Adventure Bar Group, Dirty Martini and Barrio Familia group of bars – following a relocation. The Piano Works is reopening its West End venue within the Gillian Lynne Theatre on the corner of Drury Lane and Parker Street, as it partners with Nightcap for the residency within its Covent Garden Lyceum venue. Starting from Thursday, 16 November, The Piano Works, which also has a venue in Farringdon, will be the first audience-requested, live music concept to be offered at a Nightcap venue. Nightcap chief executive Sarah Willingham said: “I’m looking forward to working with the talented team at The Piano Works, to bring another fantastic concept into a Nightcap venue. Our customers will love it, and our teams will work together to make sure people have the best night out over this busy Christmas period and into the new year.” Earlier this year, The Piano Works applied to Westminster Council to increase the licensed capacity at its current Leicester Square venue, in Parker Street, from 400 to 700 people. This was rejected, despite support from statutory bodies, which it said made operating within Westminster untenable and led a search for a new West End premises where a larger capacity was possible. Alan Lorrimer, owner of The Piano Works, formerly owned and operated the Gillian Lynne Theatre site under Brazilian concept Guanabara from 2004 to 2012. “Returning to the Gillian Lynne Theatre location has always been a dream of mine, and I have always felt it would be the perfect spot for a Piano Works location,” he said. “When our West End capacity licence request was rejected, I approached the team at Nightcap and was delighted it agreed to this exciting opportunity to partner with us in such a collaborative way.” Morris Greenberg, of CDG Leisure acted on the relocation. Nightcap operates 36 venues. Nightcap features in the Who’s Who of UK Food and Beverage, the latest version of which will be released to premium subscribers next Friday (17 November). It is the first database where full profiles of 780 of the UK’s top food and beverage operators are available in one place. The companies, listed in alphabetical order, will have their most recent results reported as well as broader information around Ebitda, plans and trading style available. The database merges Companies House information, interviews and other public information to provide an easy to reference and exhaustive guide to the sector. 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 kai.kirkman@propelinfo.com to upgrade your subscription.

New campaign launches to save Scottish hospitality: The Scottish Hospitality Group has launched a new campaign that warns the Scottish government that it has just five weeks to save the country’s hospitality industry. Save Our Scottish Hospitality calls for the Scottish government to use its Budget to provide emergency support for the industry and a new long-term deal to support the sector. It said the covid-19 pandemic, the cost of rising inflation and energy prices have disproportionately hit hospitality – more than any other sector of the Scottish economy. According to the Scottish government’s own survey, three in five hospitality businesses have seen production, suppliers or both affected by higher energy prices, and almost half have been forced to pass these higher costs on to consumers. The campaign wants to see an emergency 75% business rates relief to match that in England and Wales; the creation of a new hospitality category for business rates that would recognise the unique challenges faced by sector businesses; and a government pledge to develop a plan to grow Scotland’s hospitality industry and address the challenges it faces. Stephen Montgomery, director of the Scottish Hospitality Group, said: “We can’t go on like this. Without government support, there will be higher prices for consumers, a loss of jobs, and many of our best-loved hospitality businesses closing their doors forever. A new, fairer deal on business rates would be one step the government can take in the Budget to give our hospitality industry a fighting chance. A freeze in rates or the status quo won’t be enough, we need both emergency support and long-term reform. This is an SOS – we need help to make sure Scottish hospitality can survive.”