US doughnut brand Randy’s eyes estate of 50 UK sites with planned regional launch ahead of London expansion: US doughnut brand Randy’s Donuts has said it sees the potential for 50 sites in the UK and would most likely launch with a regional site before expanding to London. The business – founded in Los Angeles in 1952 and with more than 35 shops operating in South Korea, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia and the US – announced its intention to launch in the UK last month. It is currently seeking an experienced franchise partner for the UK as well as other markets, including Australia, Canada and Spain. “Randy’s Donuts will launch in the UK once we find a licensee that fits our international licensee profile and meets our licensee requirements as to background, infrastructure and capital needs,” franchise consultant Iain Martin told Propel. “Based on Randy’s operations and licensee in Asia and the Middle East, we project 50 shops over time in the UK. Where we launch will depend on the company that acquires the Randy’s Donuts UK licence. We note that often foreign brands entering the UK start in Manchester or Birmingham to develop the brand before entering the higher cost London market. Randy’s has had some inquiries from the UK market and we believe the time is right for an international brand in this sector that requires a smaller footprint than a typical quick service restaurant or larger restaurant brand. Randy’s is seeking regional licensees or a country licensee, not single unit franchisees.” Martin added that the business offered “world famous proprietary mix and recipes”, with all products made by hand and including a range from classic to premium toppings. Its drinks offer includes gourmet coffee, refreshers, lemonades, boba-style drinks, milkshakes and smoothies, and it has collaborated with brands such as Zara, Guess and Tom’s Shoes. Randy’s will also seek to have the brand’s 11-metre-wide doughnut symbol on top of stores “where possible”.

Freeman Event Partners CEO Stephen Freeman to speak at first Propel Multi-Club Conference of 2024, open for bookings: Stephen Freeman, chief executive of Freeman Event Partners, will be among the speakers at the first Propel Multi-Club Conference of 2024. The conference takes place on Thursday, 21 March, at the Millennium Gloucester Hotel in London’s Kensington, and is open for bookings. Freeman talks about how the business has grown from a fish and chip van at Silverstone to be the food and beverage provider at Wembley, Lord’s, Twickenham, the British Grand Prix and the upcoming Paris Olympics, and how it is playing its part in the evolution of the consumer/fan experience. Operators can book up to three free places per company while Premium Club members who are operators can book up to four free places. To book, email kai.kirkman@propelinfo.com.

 

Restaurant Marketer and Innovator videos to be sent to Premium Club members on Friday, 16 February: Propel Premium Club members are to be given access to the entire recording of the 2024 Restaurant Marketer & Innovator European Summit Conference. Members will be sent 30 separate video presentations, featuring more than 60 speakers on Friday, 16 February, at 9am. The videos include Thom and James Elliot, co-founders of Pizza Pilgrims, who give a behind the scenes look at the mini-series, Pilgrimage II, where the brothers returned to Italy to retrace their journey through the country that led them on the path to create this iconic brand. Andre Johnstone, marketing director at Urban Pubs & Bars, reveals the secrets for successfully defining a growth marketing strategy that moves the needle on commercial returns that your board will buy into, with a focus on omnichannel marketing, optimising delivery channels, meal box solutions and commercial innovation. James Coldrey-Mobbs, sales and marketing director at East Coast Concepts, shares how to work hand-in-hand with operations leaders and general managers to closely forecast sales, drive pre-booked revenue, collect more guest data, drive customer experience and improve marketing activations. Meanwhile, the next edition of the Propel Turnover & Profits Blue Book will be sent to Premium subscribers on Friday (9 February). The Blue Book will now feature 775 UK pub, restaurant, cafe and hotel operators. The Blue Book, which is updated every month, provides an insight into UK operator turnover and profitability over five years, profit conversion and directors’ earnings. Premium Club members also receive access to five other databases: the Multi-Site Database, which is produced in association with Virgate; the New Openings Database; the UK Food and Beverage Franchisor Database; the Who’s Who of UK Food and Beverage; and the UK Food and Beverage Franchisee Database. Propel has evolved its Premium subscription offer by launching Premium Club. All circa 4,000 existing subscribers automatically became members. Premium Club comes with even more benefits. All subscribers will be offered a 20% discount on tickets to four Propel paid-for events – The Excellence in Pub Retailing Conference (14 May), Social Media for Profit (18 July), the Talent and Training Conference (1 October) and Restaurant Marketer and Innovator (two days in January 2025). Operators will also be able to send up to four members of staff to each of our four Multi-Club Conferences for free. Premium Club members receive their daily Propel Info newsletter 11 hours earlier than standard subscribers, at 7pm the evening before. They also receive videos of presentations at eight Propel conference events two weeks after they are held. This represents around 100 videos of industry insight over the course of the year. Premium Club members will be sent a dedicated monthly newsletter that will highlight key updates in the sector and direct subscribers to all the vital content their membership offers. Premium Club members also receive exclusive opinion columns every Friday at 5pm, which include the thoughts of Propel group editor Mark Wingett and a host of industry leaders from across the sector. A Propel Premium Club subscription costs an annual sum of £495 plus VAT for operators and £595 plus VAT for suppliers. Companies can now have an unlimited number of people receive access to Premium Club for a year for £995 plus VAT – whether they are an operator or a supplier. Email kai.kirkman@propelinfo.com today to sign up.

 

Consumer traffic rises in London despite general dip across the UK: Consumer traffic rose in London despite a general dip across the UK in 2023, according to the latest report from market intelligence platform, Meaningful Vision. Crunching data from the UK’s top 100 fast-food chains, the report said that compared with 2022, the figures showed a reduction in the overall market of 0.8% last year. The budget-friendly fast-food segment managed slightly better, with its rate remaining flat with no decline. But on a like-for-like basis, numbers were even lower as traffic in all channels declined by 2%. Traffic in London grew faster than in the rest of the UK, however, demonstrating a 3% growth in footfall compared with a 5% drop elsewhere. The report also showed that growth in consumer traffic halted in the third quarter of 2023, and while the market grew by 2% in the first quarter, it declined significantly by 3% in the fourth. The bakery and sandwich shop segment managed to demonstrate positive growth figures (up 1.5% in the fourth quarter), largely thanks to a strong performance by its biggest players in the shape of Greggs and Pret A Manger. “Consumer traffic is one of the key performance measures for restaurants, being the most accurate barometer of consumer confidence and reflecting the true popular demand for a product or brand,” said Meaningful Vision chief executive Maria Vanifatova. “Comparing performance with competitors by territory, by day or by daypart, provides unique insights into where potential opportunities for growth may be found. Consumers still lack confidence in their economic future, curtailing their visits to foodservice establishments in an effort to control their growing expenses. However, London and the UK’s larger cities demonstrate better performance due to growing office attendance. This trend also supports bakeries and sandwich shops as office workers traditionally pick up their lunch somewhere close to their workplace.”

 

NTIA – Rekom administration tip of the iceberg for night-time industry: The Night Time Industries Association (NTIA) has said the administration of a large part of Rekom UK’s nightclub business is only the tip of the iceberg for the problems facing the night-time industry. Propel revealed exclusively last week that Rekom UK, the nightclub and bar operator, had completed a pre-pack administration, which resulted in the closure of 17 venues, as it looks to focus on the growth of its strong performing bar brands. The closures are all nightclubs, mainly under its PRYZM brand, leaving a 23-strong estate of ten bars and 13 nightclubs. NTIA chief executive Michael Kill said: “The UK nightclub sector is in crisis and facing significant challenges, with the recent news of Rekom, the country’s biggest nightclub operator, which has gone into administration, closing 17 venues immediately across the country. This adds to the already immense issues the industry has been grappling with due to the ongoing inflationary pressures. Nightclubs have long been vital social and cultural hubs in the UK, but they have suffered from prolonged closures, excessive operating costs and ongoing uncertainty. The administration and loss of venues by Rekom is a clear indication of the broader struggles faced by the sector. The nightclub industry supports numerous jobs and local businesses and contributes to the economic and cultural vitality of our communities. Urgent action is required from government and industry stakeholders to provide tailored support measures and financial assistance to safeguard the sector's survival.”

 

Sector companies to highlight importance of apprenticeships to ministers: More than 100 apprentices from 33 different hospitality companies will showcase the opportunities within the sector as part of National Apprenticeship Week this week. The Hospitality Apprenticeship Showcase (HAS) takes place on Wednesday (7 February) at the House of Commons, where ministers and MPs will be in attendance to meet with apprentices and sector company representatives to spread awareness of the industry and the vast array of career opportunities that are available within it. The apprentices’ professions vary, and a number of roles will be showcased on the day, from chefs, front-of-house team members and brewers to niche roles of professional support team apprentices, property surveyor apprentices and marketing apprentices. Companies in attendance this year include Beds & Bars, Fuller’s, Nando’s and Stonegate as well as industry trade bodies. In its eight-year history, the HAS has welcomed more than 1,200 apprentices from the hospitality sector to the House of Commons, celebrating National Apprenticeship Week. Event founder and Leisure PR managing director Maureen Heffernan said: “This event never fails to inspire. To hear directly from the amazing apprentices that attend the showcase is a testament to the commitment companies make in ensuring the apprenticeships offered are fit for purpose and provide limitless possibilities for career progression.”

 

Devonshire sold almost 19,000 pints of Guinness the week before Christmas: The Devonshire, opened by Oisin Rogers and Charlie Carroll, has won rave reviews from critics – and is already laying claim to be the busiest pub in London. The Times wrote: “It quickly became adored for its food, hospitality and pints of Guinness, which Rogers claims are the best in the country – and probably most pubs in Ireland. In the week before Christmas the pub sold 215 barrels of Guinness — that’s almost 19,000 pints.”

 

Hunt orders review of ‘tourist tax’: The Sunday Times has reported that chancellor Jeremy Hunt has ordered a review into the so-called “tourist tax” in the clearest sign yet that the Treasury is on the cusp of a major policy reversal that could deliver a much-needed boost to Britain’s retail and leisure industries. The Sunday Times reported: “The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) has been asked to ‘examine the costs and benefits’ associated with prime minister Rishi Sunak’s decision to end tax-free shopping schemes for tourists in 2020. Richard Hughes, chairman of the OBR, said the government spending watchdog would publish its conclusions alongside the Budget next month.” The review comes “in the light of subsequent evidence on international visitor numbers and their consumption patterns and the analysis carried out by a number of outside bodies”, Hughes said in a letter to Conservative backbencher Sir Geoffrey Robert Clifton-Brown. 

London leads Europe in terms of luxury hotels planned: London has more luxury hotels under construction than any other European city, according to Lodging Econometrics. Last year, London had 11 luxury hotel projects in the pipeline – a joint all-time high since at least 2007. This was nearly triple the number under construction in Liverpool, the UK city with the second highest total. Not only are luxury hotels springing up across London, they are getting more expensive, with £1,000 per night now the norm. A decade ago even London’s most high-end hotels would have had room prices starting at half that, said Cristina Balekjian, head of hospitality analytics at Costar. The cost of a typical room in a luxury hotel in London has risen by 111% since 2009, according to Costar, far more than the national average of 61%. One night in the cheapest room at the Peninsula, which opened last September, costs 11 times the average cost of a British hotel room. Another wave of blockbuster openings is in the pipeline. Mandarin Oriental has two incoming sites and Claridge’s is opening a sister hotel in April. International brands Waldorf Astoria, Rosewood, St Regis and Six Senses all have hotels in the pipeline.

Job of the day: COREcruitment is working with a growing pub group with sites across the Midlands that is looking for an area manager. A COREcruitment spokesperson said: “The business wants to bring in some fresh top-line talent as it grows, working with a great senior team to development the company into this next chapter. You will be oversee the operations across the Midlands – from all the back-of-house management duties to the front of house management and working alongside the company’s directors. You will be responsible for brand standards, maintenance, HR, training, individual site management, customer feedback and financial performance. The company is looking for a passionate, inspirational hospitality leader who is looking to take that next step in their career and therefore must come from a pub/restaurant background.” The salary is up to £70,000 and the position is based in Nottinghamshire. For more information, email stuart@corecruitment.com.

 

Hawksmoor – getting to know the US investment community in more depth, December sales up 15%: Will Beckett, co-founder of steakhouse concept Hawksmoor, has told Propel that the business is “getting to know the US investment community in more depth” with current backer Graphite Capital, and as that continues “an opportunity may emerge that we wish to explore together”. Hawksmoor, which opened its debut site in the US, in New York in September 2021, will open a second site Stateside later this year, in Chicago. It had previously been linked with the New York-based advisory firm Stephens in regard to assessing the US investment market. Graphite took a controlling stake in Hawksmoor in 2013. When asked if the business was looking to explore some kind of an investment event this year, Beckett said: “We've got a great relationship with Graphite, and together with it we are getting to know the US investment community in more depth. As that continues an opportunity may emerge that we wish to explore together.” When it comes to further expansion opportunities across The Pond, Beckett said: “I'm in the US at the moment, and on a little tour of potential spaces. Chicago's 16,500 square foot opening looms quite large for us, but after that we're really excited about a couple of opportunities, but nothing confirmed as yet.” Last November, Beckett told Propel that Hawksmoor was at a stage “capacity, bandwidth and cash wise, where we could do a couple of restaurants a year now” and was focused on opening “world class restaurants in world class cities”. On Friday (2 February), the company reported that 2023 was a stand-out year for the business, as it saw turnover increase by more than 20% to a record £90m (2022: £73.9m). Meanwhile, its established restaurants delivered Ebitda margins in excess of 20%. The company currently operates 12 restaurants in London, Manchester, Edinburgh, Liverpool, Dublin and New York. Beckett said: “We had a fantastic December – 15% up on the previous year and record sales weeks in all our sites. I think a variety of things contributed – it felt busy generally in the industry, but also a year of hard work on really smashing customer experience, and on high-tenured, skilled teams, really paid off.” On keeping up the group’s standards, Beckett said: “The best answer I can give you is that we work extremely hard on it, have brilliant people throughout the business who believe in what we do, many of whom (especially at senior level) have been here a very long time, and all of whom are really motivated by trying to build something really special at Hawksmoor and by the feeling of being good at what we do.” 

Daisy Green FY turnover nears £18m, believes performance is in line with best-in-class comparable operators in the UK: Australian restaurant group Daisy Green Collection saw turnover in the year to 23 April 2023 climb to £17,862,986 (2022: £13,646,921) as it said it believes its performance is “in line with best-in-class comparable operators in the UK and despite significant macro challenges”. During the period, the company generated adjusted Ebitda of £2.1m (£1.3m in the period to 24 April 2022 and £0.9m in 2020 pre covid). Its pre-tax loss stood at £1,195,238 (2022: loss of £288,889). The 15-strong business opened three new sites in London during the period including a “landmark site in the City of London of more than 10,000 square foot” – Paradise Green at 100 Bishopsgate, which it said has traded strongly. It also raised £1.3m in additional equity to support its growth plans during the period. The company said: “The strength and demand for the brand continued to grow across the UK and the group has now doubled in size in revenue and earnings from pre-pandemic levels. The company's strategy is to continue to invest in new sites in the UK while investing in the required teams, infrastructure and processes to support this growth. Additionally the company seeks to maintain, improve and grow ‘like-for-like’ performances in existing sites as well as grow its direct to consumer businesses (coffee, lamingtons, lifestyle).” Last year, the company relocated its Ziggy Green site in London’s Mayfair to a larger premises. Ziggy Green, which was previously at 1 Heddon Street, moved a few doors down to 4 Heddon Street.

Blank Street Coffee auditors warn account figures may be ‘misstated’: US coffee chain Blank Street Coffee’s auditors raised questions about stock levels that could be “materially misstated”, newly filed accounts show, as the cafe chain made a £2.9m loss in its first six months in the UK. The venture capital-backed coffee shop, founded in New York in 2020, launched in the UK in June 2022. It quickly became almost unavoidable in central London, opening 14 shops in 2022 followed by another 15 in 2023. The Evening Standard reported turnover between launch and the end of 2022 was £1.9m with 150,000 customers served. But costs of sales outstripped the turnover figure, putting the business in the red even before administrative costs. The final loss was £2.9m. Auditors Gravita said they were appointed too late to be present for counting of stock, taking on the role in 2023, and were “unable to substantiate” stock figures by other means. Any numbers in the accounts that relate to the stock balance, Gravita said, could therefore be “materially misstated”. The balance sheet shows the company held stock that it valued at £142,068 at the end of 2022. Blank Street co-founder Issam Freiha told the Standard: “Blank Street opened its first store in the UK in June 2022, and so the published financial statements reflect our first six months of trading in the UK. As is true of many young businesses, the first few months are a key time to set up systems and processes, including those that track and manage our inventory to perfect certainty. We don't have any concerns on the topic, or accounts.” In the accounts, Blank Street also revealed plans to launch a subscription service, which would likely be similar to the offering from Pret A Manger, which offers five drinks a day and a discount on food for £30 a month. In December, Blank Street Coffee made its regional debut in the UK, with an opening in Manchester. It is thought that Birmingham and Cardiff are also on its radar for future openings.

 

Ole & Steen sees improvement in ‘the operating result’ in fourth quarter of 2023: Danish bakery brand Ole & Steen has told Propel it saw “an improvement in the operating result in the fourth quarter of 2023, which gives the management strong confidence for 2024”. In terms of expansion, the company said it did not have any planned openings in 2024 to announce at this time. In 2023, Ole & Steen opened four additional stores, taking its total store count in the UK to 26, and more than doubling the size of the estate from the start of 2020. During the year, Ole & Steen said it grew top-line sales by 23%. It said: “However, we have seen a continued impact of inflation, which will impact the annual result. However, in the fourth quarter of 2023, we have seen an improvement in the operating result, which gives the management strong confidence for 2024.” In 2022, Ole & Steen added six stores for a total of 22 stores, at year end, mainly in Greater London. Top-line sales grew by 58% to a total of £27.7m (2021: £17.6m) and operating profit was £878.838 (up 43% compared with 2021). It reported a pre-tax profit for 2022 of £114,941 (2021: loss of £256,148). The company said: “Overall, it [2022] was a challenging year for Ole & Steen in the UK following an inflationary environment that impacted business costs. Moreover, the first part of 2022 was impacted by higher labour costs related to re-establishing a full labour force to operate all our 22 stores following the pandemic. We have continued the digital development across the business to secure efficiencies across the business. Continued efforts to better serve our most loyal customers digitally, via app being it relevance in customer journey, personal offers, convenience, click-and-collect or pay in app, we were successful and resulted in more loyal customers in 2022. Results for the year did not meet the expectations but were driven by the turmoil of the economical market situation with costs rising to unprecedented levels and consumers private budgets being strained. Despite the significant macroeconomic challenges of 2022, we continued to invest in the long-term growth and capacity of the business. In London, we continued to build on our successful portfolio and added six new Ole & Steen stores in 2022, all of which are performing even better than our expectations at opening. In 2022, we invested in a large bakery facility in Leyton securing supplies for the London area for the many new stores to come, the project was on time and on budget as we closed 2022.”

 

Inamo reports record December trading: London tech-restaurant group Inamo has reported record revenue for December across its five locations. Buoyed by investment into its new touch table technology in 2023, the group achieved an 8% uplift in year-on-year results. Chief executive Lee Skinner told Propel: “We’re delighted by the numbers and are extremely grateful to our team. We look forward to continued growth in 2024 with our food hall based Inamo sukoshi brand, and our restaurants offering added value for our guests. We’re beginning this in February with a giveaway of £20,000 worth of prizes in celebration of Chinese New Year. Every table booked from 5pm on Friday, 9 February, until the end of service on Sunday, 11 February, will be gifted a red envelope, or ‘hongbao’, each with an exclusive treat from Inamo, marking a unique twist on the age-old tradition.” Inamo is also offering interactive classes in which guests can learn the art of rolling sushi. It last year launched a third location for is Inamo sukoshi concept, in Market Place Vauxhall.

 

Creative Restaurant Group to launch restaurant and bar at London’s The Owo this spring: Creative Restaurant Group, which is behind London restaurants, Michelin-starred Endo at the Rotunda and sushi spot Sumi, will open its latest site in the spring. Kioku by Endo at The Owo in London will be led by Michelin-starred sushi master Endo Kazutoshi. The venues include Kioku Restaurant on the rooftop of the building alongside Kioku Bar, which will be located on the ground floor. Kioku by Endo at The Owo will be a Japanese restaurant that also intertwines a hint of Mediterranean cuisine influence following Kazutoshi’s culinary journeys including time spent cooking and living in Spain. The restaurant will feature a 55-seat main dining room, an eight-seat chef’s table overlooking the kitchen, an eight-seat private dining room within one of the building’s turret’s along with a 55-cover outside terrace. The Kioku Bar will be a 25-cover bar in Whitehall Place that will offer sake and cocktails. Kazutoshi said: “Kioku, meaning ‘memory’, will combine all the important memories that I have together in one place. The experiences and events I have encountered throughout my personal and professional journey are very important to me. A reflection of my life and the passion I developed throughout my travels in Yokohama, Tokyo and Spain in particular, moments that resonate with me in a way and that will have huge influence in what we will bring to Kioku at The Owo.” Creative Restaurant Group founder Misha Zelman added: “Creativity is in the DNA of everything we do, and we are looking forward to opening at London’s latest destination, The OWO, which is steeped in history.” Both venues join a collection of restaurants and bars at The Owo, which is home to world-class chefs and restaurateurs. Seb Howard Property acted on the Endo at The Owo deal.

  

JD Wetherspoon places Poole pub on market: JD Wetherspoon is selling its pub in Poole, The Quay, after almost 30 years of trading it. Trading from a grade II-listed five-storey building, Wetherspoon took over the former warehouse in 1996. An exact closing date is still unknown and the firm would not go into detail about why it is closing the branch. Wetherspoon spokesman Eddie Gershon said: “The Quay pub is to go on the market. Wetherspoon does, on occasion, put some of its pubs up for sale, and this is the case here. The pub will continue to trade until it is sold.” 

 

Nando’s to open a site within a Tesco Extra: Nando’s is to open a site within a Tesco Extra in Newcastle – its sixth Tyneside restaurant. At the end of last year, Tesco submitted an application to change the use of part of its superstore into the restaurant, with floor plans showing how the new eatery would have room for 72 diners inside, and a further 20 in a covered, external seating area. Nando’s has also applied for a premises licence to serve alcohol at the Tesco Extra site,

EL&N to open in Westfield London: Cafe and lifestyle brand EL&N, the 35-strong business, is to further increase its presence in the capital, with an opening in Westfield London, Propel has learned. EL&N, which was founded by Alexandra Miller in 2017, is to open a circa 2,600 square foot, 92-cover site in the shopping scheme in early summer. It will follow an opening in Birmingham’s Bullring centre next month. The company currently operates eight sites in London, plus further sites in Manchester and Edinburgh. It is understood to be in talks on further sites in London. Last October, it made its debut in Poland, with an opening at the Westfield Arkadia scheme in Warsaw. It followed debuts for the brand last year in Germany and South Africa. The new site in Poland took EL&N’s global presence to 12 countries and represented its fifth new market last year following other debuts in Bahrain and Malaysia. 

 

Healthy bowl concept Atis plans Regent Street opening: Healthy bowl concept Atis is to increase its presence in London, with an opening in Regent Street. The company, which was launched by husband-and-wife team Phil Honer and Eleanor Warder, with operations director, Connor Arnette, in Shoreditch in 2019, is to open on the former Illy Café site at 295 Regent Street this spring. It will become the sixth opening for Atis, which teased on Instagram that more openings were coming soon. “Is it site six or seven?,” the business said. “Or maybe it’s site eight, the next Atis heaven?! And don’t be blue if it’s not where you wish. Cos we have couple more newbies in our midst.” Last year, the business added a click-and-collect store to its existing site in London’s Eccleston Yards. The company, which opened its fifth site in the capital, at the Borough Yards scheme last spring, said that due to the “ever-growing demand for its salads”, it has decided to dedicate a whole store to Deliveroo and click-and-collect orders. Atis also operates sites in Canary Wharf and Notting Hill.

 

International bistro brand Bagatelle plans Manchester opening: International bistro brand Bagatelle is planning to open in Manchester, and has begun a search for the right location within the city. Propel understands Bagatelle is working with property advisory firm Starka and is looking for sites between 3,500 and 5,500 square foot in locations including King Street, Spinningfields, Albert Square and Deansgate. The business opened its debut site, and still its only site, in the UK, in London’s Mayfair, in summer 2018. The company, which was founded in New York, opened its first UK restaurant in Dover Street. The business, which offers a blend of French and Mediterranean cuisine, currently trades from 14 venues globally including Mykonos, St Tropez, Coucheval and Mexico City. 

 

Plan to redevelop Fibbers in York stalled after liquidators called in: The company that bought Fibbers in York with plans to redevelop the site has called in liquidators. Toft Green Developments bought Fibbers at 3 Toft Green in June 2018 for £2m from Aaron Mellor, chief executive of club and bar group Tokyo Industries. Plans were then drawn up to demolish Fibbers, the music venue, and replace it with offices – and a new 500-seat music venue. That scheme, which was put together in partnership with York property company North Star, won planning permission from City of York Council in December 2022. But last November it was revealed the scheme had stalled due to lack of funds. Now Toft Green Developments has called in liquidators. Accounts show it has debts of £3.68m. Among the creditors are York architects Vincent & Brown, which drew up the Fibbers redevelopment plans, which is owed more than £62,000.

 

Lancashire operator opens new pub and grill: Lancashire operator Lee Hughes has opened a new family-run pub and grill. Hughes, who owns The Ship in Elswick, near Preston, has launched Henry’s Smokehouse, in Kirkham. Located in the 15,000 square-foot former Black Valais pub site in Fleetwood Road, it promises to “bring a taste of Texas and Louisiana to Lancashire”. A US inspired menu from chef Adam James Bennett, who has worked under Marco Pierre White and as the private chef for the Moroccan king, includes dishes such a dry aged beef brisket lightly sauced in bourbon and barbecue, and the smoked brisket banquette which can be ordered for groups of 12-16 people. With indoor capacity for up to 100 people, the owners plan to expand into the garden and launch a coffee shop during the summer months. The restaurant’s neighbourhood bar also offers milkshakes, cocktails, local ale and American lager. Hughes said: “The concept of Henry’s Smokehouse has been in the works for a while now. After driving past the site almost every day, I saw the potential of rescuing this closed down shell of a pub and turning it into something new and exciting. After being inspired by the southern US flavours, we have worked hard on the menu to bring something new to the region. The venue has some great potential, and we are looking forward to developing the concept over the coming months.”

 

KFC franchisee ordered to pay £30,000 fine after cockroach infestation: A cockroach-infested KFC in Bicester must pay a £30,000 fine after being prosecuted by Cherwell District Council. The defendant, franchisee SBR Retail, pleaded guilty to four food hygiene offences in December and was sentenced at Oxford Magistrates’ Court. As well as the cockroaches on the premises in Buckingham Road, dead flies were found in a walk-in fridge, chicken was stored in dirty containers, and a washbasin had faulty drainage. Cllr Phil Chapman, portfolio holder for healthy and safe communities for Cherwell District Council, said: “Hygienic places to eat out are a key part of what makes our towns attractive and enjoyable, so making sure that takeaways and restaurants are complying with the law is one of our crucial roles.” SBR Retail turned over £14,007,000 in its last full year to the end of June 2022 (2021: £13,015,000) and made a pre-tax profit of £239,000 (2021: £686,197).