Bob & Berts resets growth goal to 100 sites, set to open five more in 2024 with focus on north of England, first half lfl sales up 3.9%: Cafe brand Bob & Berts has reset its growth goal to 100 sites and told Propel it is set to open five further stores in 2024, with a particular focus on the north of England. The business, founded in 2013 by Colin McClean, has just opened its landmark 30th store, in Strabane, County Tyrone. It now has 17 stores in Northern Ireland, six in Scotland and seven in England. Last summer, the Business Growth Fund (BGF)-backed firm upped its roll out target from 50 to 70 sites, and it is now aiming to hit 100 in the longer term. “Short term, our goal is to double over the next three years to become a 70-site business, with the longer-term ambition to be a 100-site brand across the UK,” said McClean. “We continue to look for opportunities across Northern Ireland, but our focus is now firmly on England.” Propel understands that the focus for new openings remains on the north of England, with four out of a pipeline of five further openings this year set to be in the region, plus one in Glasgow city centre. It is also understood that trade this year has been “strong”, with first half like-for-like store sales up 3.9%. The latest opening, in Strabane’s Pavilion Retail Park, is the first time the brand has launched in an out-of-town retail park location. Creating around 25 full and part time jobs the 3,500 square-foot unit has 110 internal covers and ten outside seats. McClean said: “Opening our 30th store and our first out of town retail park location has been a huge achievement for Bob & Berts. We have always wanted to move into the out-of-town retail park market. When the opportunity arose in Pavilion Retail Park it fitted our profile and size requirements, and we knew there was an opportunity to meet the needs of the community and provide a relaxed environment with affordable food and drink.” Co-founder David Ferguson added: “Bob & Berts has positioned itself as a leader amongst independent coffee chains, constantly adapting to the market and investing in new locations and stores across Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The move into the out-of-town retail park market is a new area for growth, not yet tapped into by Bob & Berts, and we look forward to seeing the potential of this new market.” BGF invested £2m into Bob & Berts in 2017 with the aim of helping it to accelerate the roll-out of new stores and reach new geographical locations.

  

Adil Group CEO Raja Adil to speak at first Propel Multi-Club Conference of 2024, open for bookings: Raja Adil, group chief executive of the Adil Group, will be among the speakers at the first Propel Multi-Club Conference of 2024. More than 350 people have booked for the conference, which takes place on Thursday, 21 March, at the Millennium Gloucester Hotel in London’s Kensington, and is open for bookings. Adil talks about building one of the largest family-owned quick service restaurant operators in the UK; becoming a high calibre growth partner for KFC, Costa, Burger King and Taco Bell; owning and operating fully serviced boutique hotels; its freehold approach and how it remains “growth hungry”. 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.

 

Premium Club members to receive updated New Openings Database on Friday featuring 64 openings: Premium Club members will receive the updated The New Openings Database on Friday (1 March), at midday. The database will show the details of 64 site openings, 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 Premium Club members will also receive a 2,800-word report on the new additions to the database. Premium members also receive access to five other databases: the Turnover & Profits Blue Book, the New Openings Database, the UK Food and Beverage Franchisor Database, the UK Food and Beverage Franchisee Database and the Who’s Who of UK Hospitality. All subscribers will be offered a 20% discount on tickets to five 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 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 Propel Premium for a year for £995 plus VAT – whether they are an operator or a supplier. Email kai.kirkman@propelinfo.com today to sign up.

 

Purple Story to host exclusive webinar for Propel subscribers to help them empower their teams to mitigate the national minimum wage increase in five easy steps: Entrepreneurial performance consultancy Purple Story is to host a webinar exclusively for Propel subscribers to help them empower their teams to mitigate the national minimum wage increase in five easy steps. Led by Purple Story chief executive and founder Karen Turton, the webinar will allow viewers to discover battle-tested strategies from an ex-operator and industry leader that can be actioned today, ensuring your team stays ahead of the curve. Turton will help you understand the tangible return on investment of implementing Purple Story’s “simple and smart” five-step approach to mitigate the impact of the minimum wage increase. She will reveal how to empower your team to mastermind their own action plan, and be accountable for it and show you how by challenging your team to manage the solution, your time will be free to lead and inspire. To view a preview of the webinar, click here. The webinar will be sent to subscribers at 9am on Tuesday (27 February). Email kai.kirkman@propelinfo.com to register.

UKHospitality renews call for urgent support after Wales suffers most post-pandemic sector closures: UKHospitality has renewed its call for urgent support for Welsh businesses after the country suffered the most post-pandemic sector closures in the UK. New figures show that Wales has lost 17% of its licensed hospitality venues since the start of the pandemic, compared to 14% in England and 13% in Scotland. In the wake of the new data, UKHospitality Cymru has once more asked the Welsh government to keep business rates support at 75% in April. It said the planned reduction in relief to 40% would leave Welsh businesses significantly disadvantaged to their counterparts in England. A typical pub would be nearly £7,000 worse off and an average-sized coastal hotel would see bills at least £20,000 higher. Furthermore, some Welsh cities and towns are already feeling the brunt of serious levels of closures, with the 25% of venues lost in Swansea post-pandemic being one of the highest rates recorded in the UK. David Chapman, UKHospitality Cymru executive director, said: “These The stark numbers reflect the extent to which Welsh hospitality businesses have suffered since the start of the pandemic. The Welsh government’s decision to reduce business rates relief will simply widen the gap between Welsh and English businesses, worsening the situation for businesses. For a key city like Swansea to have already suffered the loss of more than one in four venues is incredibly concerning. We need immediate, increased business rates support followed by fast-track reform, or more closures are inevitable.”

 

London workers in ‘slow crawl’ back to the office: London workers are starting to attend their offices on Fridays more, new figures suggest, but the return is a “slow crawl back rather than a rush” to pre-pandemic levels. After years of the capital’s office areas and stations looking very quiet on a Friday, latest figures suggest more workers are now making the commute into towns at the end of the week, reports the Evening Standard. Property giant Landsec, which owns just over six million square feet of office space, of which around 95% is in London, said in January it saw the number of people coming into the office across its portfolio on a Friday rise to its highest level since 2022. A spokesman for the developer said: “While midweek is undoubtably the most popular time for people to come together, on a like for like basis, the amount of unique daily turnstile tap-ins at our workspaces continues to grow across the week.” Job search engine Adzuna co-founder Andrew Hunter said: “Cities up and down the country are starting to buzz again all week long, as workers ramp up their days in the office. In particular, fewer companies are advertising that employees can work from home on Fridays or clock off early for the weekend, but we’re seeing a slow crawl back to Fridays in the office, rather than a rush.”

Nutritics acquires menu solution for visually impaired diners – Good Food Talks: Foodservice technology provider Nutritics has acquired Good Food Talks, a menu solution for visually impaired diners. Good Food Talks – which counts Nando’s, PizzaExpress and JD Wetherspoon among its customers – provides a fully accessible menu solution that makes it easier for blind, visually impaired and dyslexic diners to independently browse the menu on their chosen device and make their own choices, alongside enabling food businesses to publish a universally accessible menu “with no extra effort”. Used by customers across more than 2,150 sites, Good Food Talks was founded in 2013 by Matt Wadsworth, who is himself blind. Stephen Nolan, chief executive of Nutritics, said: “Accessibility and inclusion is a very real challenge for businesses and we’re delighted to be working with Matt to further his ambition to improve the dining experience for the visually impaired community around the world.” Good Food Talks is the second acquisition completed by Nutritics, after the business acquired the menu publishing technology business, Ten Kites, in 2021.

 

Glasgow multi-site operator calls for people to return to hospitality venues after customer calls Uber Eats delivery for 65p dip: Glasgow multi-site operator Michael Bergson has called for people to return to hospitality venues after revealing a customer had this week called an Uber Eats delivery for just one of his 65p dips. Bergson operates five locations of his American-style fried chicken restaurant Buck’s Bar across Glasgow and Edinburgh, as well as the Thundercat Pub and Diner in Glasgow’s Miller Street. Posting a picture of the receipt on social media, he said: “Don’t get me wrong, Buck’s Bar chipotle mayo tastes sensational. Calling an Uber Eats delivery for one single 65p dip? That’s excessive. My team were telling me that in the past couple of weeks we’ve also received an Uber Eats delivery order for a single can of Coke and another for a single garlic mayo dip. An Uber driver was telling me about an order for a Greggs sausage roll where his fee was more than £20. He reckoned the customer would have paid approximately £30 delivery fee…for that £1.20 sausage roll! Definitely a sign of changing behaviours since lockdown. Let’s get people back out to the workplace and back out socialising in hospitality. This can’t be good for mental health.” Bergson has also recently been outspoken about Glasgow City Council’s plans to extend parking charges across the city to 10pm. He added: “One Glasgow restaurateur recently told me they’re considering introducing a discount menu post 8.30pm (inclusive of Saturdays). Not so long ago, 8.30pm was the most in demand booking slot for customers. Bars and restaurants now seem to be emptying out from 8pm. The City Centre of Glasgow is dying out earlier and earlier when hospitality really needs a boost. Parking charges currently stop at 6pm so the people that are coming in a little later for a show, cinema, bite to eat etc are about to be discouraged even further.”

 

Confidence drops for first time in months after recession alert: Recession concerns and uncertainty about how the economy will perform in the coming year led to consumer confidence falling this month for the first time since October. The Times reports that confidence dropped to minus 21 points in February, from minus 19 points in the previous month, according to a survey by research firm GfK. A deterioration in confidence in the health of the economy over the next 12 months dragged the overall index lower, probably reflecting the news a week ago that the UK slipped into a technical recession in the second half of last year. The GfK survey was done between 1 and 15 February, which would have included the publication of the final-quarter GDP estimates. Economists, however, think it is highly likely that the country has already exited the recession after retail sales rose at their fastest pace since April 2021 in January and timelier survey data showing that business conditions continued to improve. That would make it one of the shortest and shallowest downturns in the past century. Joe Staton, client strategy director GfK, said: “There’s a mixture of bad news and good news for February. The bad news is that the improvement in the overall index score seen over recent months stalled slightly in February due to a fall across most measures. However, the good news is that optimism for our personal financial situation for the next 12 months has not slipped back.”

 

Young jobseekers increasingly ‘ghosting’ companies: Young jobseekers are increasingly blanking firms who offer them interviews – and even jobs – a new survey has found. For the study, recruitment platform Indeed asked 1,500 firms and 1,500 adults if ‘ghosting’ had become common practice in hiring new employees. It found eight in ten (79%) of Generation Z and Millennial jobseekers have engaged in the practice in the past year. Furthermore, 93 of Generation Z job applicants said they had simply not turned up for an interview, with 14% saying they hadn’t been impressed with the company up to that point. Nearly one in five of this cohort said ghosting prospective employers was “empowering” and allowed them to take charge of their careers. Almost nine out of ten said they hadn’t shown up for their first day at work, and almost a quarter said they had walked out of a job without giving notice. Millennials felt more guilty about the practice, with a third admitting ghosting potential bosses had made them anxious, and two-thirds fearing it would have a bad impact on their future. But overall, almost a third of both age groups said it is acceptable to ghost before an interview. Exactly half said ghosting firms on interview day was reasonable because companies often don’t respond to job applications and fail to inform candidates if they have been unsuccessful. Meanwhile, nine out of ten firms identified ghosting as a major problem, with 55% saying it makes it more difficult to hire people. Danny Stacy, Indeed’s UK head of talent intelligence, said: “It’s clear that ghosting has become an unwelcome phenomenon for employers.”

Fast-track spiking test kits ‘are of no use’: Hospitality venues have been warned that fast-track testing kits “are of no use” to judge whether or not a guest has been spiked. Atholl Johnston, professor of clinical pharmacology at Queen Mary University, spoke to The Times as part of its special investigation into what the newspaper called the UK’s “drink spiking epidemic”. Johnston said many establishments now use testing kits which give results in ten minutes. “But they are of no use,” he said. “They only test for a limited number of drugs and because the quantity of substance is so small, it is very unlikely you’ll detect it against a background of all the gunk in a cocktail.” The first year the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) collected drink spiking data, in 2022-23, it registered 6,732 reported spiking incidents, but the true figures look to be much higher, with a YouGov poll revealing 11% of women and 6% of men saying they had been spiked. In autumn 2021, it seemed as if spiking might get its #MeToo moment, but Professor Nicole Westmarland, director of the Durham University Centre for Research into Violence and Abuse, says there remains a lot of “scepticism and disbelief” and we should “start from a position of belief”. Colin Mackie, who founded the education charity Spike Aware, said it’s a “postcode lottery” as to how victims are treated. “We’ve got to be proactive in deterring it,” he added. “You shouldn’t have to go out and make sure your thumb is over the bottle. We need to make sure youngsters are aware of what can happen if they spike — that they’re going to be prosecuted.”

Man cleared of burning down 14th-century Michelin-starred restaurant: A shooting estate manager accused of burning down a 14th-century Michelin-starred restaurant has been told he is “perfectly innocent” after allegations against him were dropped. Charlie Birkett was charged with arson after the fire which engulfed The Star Inn at Harome, near Helmsley, North Yorkshire, in November 2021. At York Crown Court on Friday, the 28-year-old was told by a judge: “You leave this court without a stain on your character.” The court was told Mr Birkett was charged on the basis that he deliberately put a cigarette into the thatch of the building, reports The Telegraph. However, prosecutors admitted a report showed that the fire was caused by a candle in a makeshift ashtray igniting cigarette butts, which spread to dead ivy around the door of the pub. The Star Inn has regularly featured in lists of the best restaurants and gastropubs since the arrival of chef and patron Andrew Pern more than 25 years ago. It was rebuilt and reopened in November 2022.

Job of the day: COREcruitment is working with a restaurant and bar group that is seeking an operations director. A COREcruitment spokesperson said: “With a current portfolio of six restaurants, the business is looking for an individual with the ambition and dedication to lead this concept at an executive level, supported by the umbrella company. The ideal candidate will possess comprehensive knowledge of restaurant operations, having transitioned from a distinguished background in branded establishments to more independent concepts. They must be adept at overseeing all facets of restaurant management, ensuring seamless operations from the ground up.” The salary is up to £100,000 and the position is based in London. For more information, email kate@corecruitment.com.

 

Domino’s appoints Stoffel Thijs as director of joint ventures and corporate estates: Domino’s UK & Ireland has appointed Stoffel Thijs to the newly created role of director of joint ventures and corporate estates, Propel has learned. Last month, Domino’s UK & Ireland chief executive Andrew Rennie spoke to investors about his plans for the group’s ongoing growth, including admitting that the business was prepared to buy a second brand to keep its franchisees investing in the company. He said part of the plan will see an “experienced Domino’s operator” join as director of joint ventures/corporate estate in February 2024. Thijs, who has been with the brand for 26 years, joined the company’s UK & Ireland business this month, having begun his Domino’s journey as a pizza delivery driver at the age of 16 in 1997. By the time he graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Business, he had already bought his first two pizza stores. Thijs sold his four stores in 2010 and took on the challenge to build a corporate store system of Domino's Pizza in the Netherlands. When Domino's bought Joey’s Pizza in Germany (2016), he led the Domino's corporate system in the country. In 2017, he became the president of Domino's France. In 2018, he moved from France to take on the role of chief executive of Domino’s Pizza in Germany, a role he stepped down from last year. At the same time, Propel understands that Domino’s UK & Ireland has appointed Brett Boyers, formerly franchise director at Boparan Restaurant Group and head of partner operations at TRG Concessions, as managing director of its corporate stores. Boyers will report into Thijs. Domino’s currently has 1,316 stores in the UK & Ireland, having added 60 in 2023 – almost double the number than in both 2021 and 2022. It has 31 corporate stores in London, representing circa 2% of its estate, plus joint ventures, associates and investments in over a further 135 stores. These include franchisee Full House, which has 62 stores where Domino’s itself holds a 49% share. Domino’s 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 Club members. The database is updated every two months and the latest version features 235 businesses. 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. 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.

 

Honest Burgers to launch full smashed offer later this year: Thomas Kelly, the new chief executive of Honest Burgers, the Active Partners-backed business, has told Propel that more smashed offerings are likely to appear in its existing restaurants, prior to launching a full smashed offering later in the year. Kelly joined the 39-strong business last month after previously working at McDonald’s and Costa Coffee. On the flagged launch of the first site under its new premium quick service smashed burger concept called Honest Smashed, he told Propel: “We have a strong offering in all our restaurants which our customers love: a mixture of Honest classic burgers and Honest smashed burgers. We continue to evolve our proposition in line with customer needs, which is likely to see more smashed offerings appear in our existing restaurants, prior to launching a full smashed offering later in the year. The restaurant market in the UK has suffered from an ever-increasing cost base and it continually becomes a tougher trading environment year on year. With that, there will always be winners and losers. I think those brands which are truly customer centric and realise customers have choice and everything starts and ends with the customer will be amongst the winners. In everything we do, we will start with the customer and work backwards to ensure we exceed everyone’s expectations.” On the challenge of standing out from the rest of the “burger pack”, Kelly said: “We will always keep to our key principles of offering the very best quality food by making as much ourselves as we can, which means fresh, never frozen burgers and chips. Even our sauces are freshly made every day. Also, we’re the only brand that has its own butchery to make our own burgers. This doesn’t mean there’s no room for improvement – we remain restless in trying to improve our offer. Our latest monthly special, Kimchi Smashed, is a great example of how we use innovation to stand out from the crowd, collaborating with up-and-coming artisan brands like Eaten Alive to create fantastic tasting burgers that our customers love.” Last month, the business reported record sales during the last quarter of 2023, and 12% like-for-like growth last month compared with January last year.

Hawksmoor co-founder aiming for ‘a couple of restaurants a year’ from 2025 with focus on US, ‘could probably have a few more in the UK’: Hawksmoor co-founder Will Beckett has said he is aiming for “a couple of restaurants a year” from 2025, with a focus on the US, and “could probably have a few more in the UK”. The company currently operates 12 restaurants in London, Manchester, Edinburgh, Liverpool, Dublin and New York. It will open a second US site, a 16,500 square-foot site in Chicago costing $10m to build, later this year, which Beckett told the Sunday Times is “quite enough for this year”. He said from next year he aims to open a couple of restaurants a year, “probably focusing on the States, partly because of the question of saturation”. He added: “Could we have more in the UK? We could probably have a few more, but we are sensitive to the idea that we can’t push this too far.” Of the group’s total sales of £90m in 2023, the New York restaurant contributed £12.5m, with the 11 UK and Ireland restaurants accounting for the rest. Beckett told Propel earlier this month 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”. He told the Sunday Times that any US expansion would also probably be funded by a new investor, which would need to have experience of the US market and bring “energy” and “contacts” as well as cash to the table.

SushiDog secures site near London Bridge: Quick service sushi roll restaurant SushiDog, which last month secured a further round of funding from investor Middleton Enterprises, is to open a new site next month near London Bridge. Propel understands that the business will open its seventh site in a railway arch opposite Borough Market. The company is targeting four new sites this year, in line with its five-year growth plan. The new £800,000 investment from Middleton will finance the opening of four new SushiDog sites in the capital, building on the previous funding round of £612,000 led by the investment firm last April. The original funding round resulted in the opening of SushiDog units on Baker Street and The Strand, in September and October 2023 respectively. Founded in 2018 by Greg Ilsen and Nick Goldstein, the business also operates sites in Covent Garden’s Tower Street, Westfield White City, Soho and Bishopsgate. It has a growth target of opening 30 sites over five years. 

Kiss the Hippo secures Mayfair site, plans three further openings this year: London-based speciality coffee shop Kiss the Hippo has secured its first site in Mayfair and plans a further three openings in the capital by the end of this year. The business, which was founded in 2018 by Can Eren, opened its seventh site in Covent Garden earlier this month, on the former The Espresso Room site in New Row. It has now signed for an eighth site, within the Crown Estate in Mayfair. Managing director Alex Damgaci said: “We’re thrilled to open our new store in Mayfair at the end of March. We’re growing our presence in the specialty coffee industry with the efforts of our strong and dedicated team, and aiming to have 11 cafés in London by the end of 2024.” Kiss the Hippo is the first carbon-negative specialty coffee company in London dedicated to making coffee with a difference; bringing high quality, ethically sourced and sustainably roasted coffee to the UK and beyond. It launched its first café and roastery in Richmond in 2018 followed by sites in Fitzrovia, Shoreditch, King's Cross, Fitzrovia Corner, and Chelsea.  

Oodles set to open southernmost site yet, seeking partners in south and south west and gearing up for international expansion: Indo-Chinese concept Oodles is preparing to open its southernmost site yet and is seeking partners in the south and south west. The franchise business, which has circa 42 UK stores, is set to open in Portsmouth’s Commercial Street, as it seeks to roll out further in the region. “Our Portsmouth store buildout is in full swing, and we’re thrilled to announce that it’ll soon be opening its doors to the vibrant Portsmouth community,” it said. “As our furthest venture in the south, we can’t wait to bring our exceptional products and services even closer to you. While we’re proud of our widespread presence across England with branches in various regions, including the bustling cities of London, Manchester, and Birmingham, we still have many territories left that are untapped, especially in the south and south west of England. We’re dedicated to serving communities all over the UK and are actively seeking franchise partners to expand our reach to ensure that everyone has access to our exceptional offerings.” Propel has previously reported that Oodles is exploring overseas expansion, and the business is now gearing up to make its international debut this year. It added: “At Oodles, we’re gearing up for an incredible journey towards international expansion this year. Our team is flying out to finalise our first location. This marks a significant milestone in our growth journey as we venture into new territories and continue to innovate in the international arena.” It comes following a successful 2023 for Oodles in which it opened seven new stores, including making its Scottish debut in Aberdeen, and secured 20 new stores for development in 2024. It also created more than 100 new job opportunities and grew its team to 600 staff members. 

Tim Hortons UK & Ireland appoints Chris Pennington as chief operations officer: Canadian quick service restaurant brand Tim Hortons has appointed Chris Pennington as chief operating officer for its UK & Ireland business. Pennington joins the 78-strong business from Saudi Arabia-based concept Burgerizzr, where he was director of operations for just over two years. Prior to that, he spent more than 27 years at McDonald’s, including over three years as director of operations in the UK. Last September, Tim Hortons launched a franchise model in the UK for the first time. The brand, which first launched in the UK in 2017, told Propel that it was targeting approximately 20-25 site openings every year and expected its franchise partners to invest and open around 50%-60% of these. It said: “With huge demand for Tim Hortons in the UK, we would love to eventually reach every town and city nationwide. In the short term, we have opened approximately 20-25 sites every year across the UK for the past three years, and we intend to continue our brand expansion at a similar scale and pace. We will work with franchise partners on tailored opportunities for growth and we have a strong pipeline of locations available across the UK.” 

Boojum adds to openings pipeline in Ireland: Mexican fast-casual brand Boojum, which was acquired by the Azzurri Group last summer, has added to its openings pipeline in Ireland after securing a further site in the Greater Dublin area. Founded in 2007, Boojum currently operates 15 sites, predominantly located across Belfast and Dublin. It will open a ninth Dublin site in Tallaght’s The Square Shopping Centre, creating 30 new jobs, this spring. With eight sites already in the Greater Dublin area, Tallaght will be its third out-of-town site, following on from openings in Blanchardstown and Liffey Valley stores. Propel revealed at the end of last month that the brand plans to open 25 sites over the next five years in major UK student cities, starting with an opening in Leeds this spring. The company’s current mainland pipeline extends into Nottingham, Birmingham, Liverpool and Manchester. The new opening in the Merrion Centre, in Leeds, will mark the brand’s debut on the UK mainland. As revealed by Propel in December, Boojum is also making a significant investment in a new central production kitchen in the city. 

UK bubble tea brand Cupp begins 2024 with two new openings: UK bubble tea brand Cupp has begun 2024 with two new openings, both in London. It has opened at 11 King St, Twickenham, and 574 Kingsbury Rd, Kingsbury, to bring its total to 12 sites in the capital and 35 overall. Its next pipeline of opening includes sites in Dundee, Edinburgh, Leeds, Croydon and Belfast – its first in Northern Ireland. The franchise brand, founded by Lee Peacock in Bristol in 2012, said in September last year that it is closing in on a first overseas site and is holding talks with potential international master franchisees. That same month, it promoted head of franchise Paul Tanner to managing director to lead the company’s growth plans, having overseen a period of rapid growth since joining the business in May 2022.

 

Bewiched Coffee opens in Market Harborough: Midlands cafe operator Bewiched Coffee has opened a new store in Market Harborough, located at 41 The Square in the town centre. Founder Matt Fountain said: “A great location in a lovely town, where we have been trying to open in since 2013! Our doors are open so, if you’re ever close by, pop in to see us and enjoy freshly roasted coffee with a tasty treat.” The company’s 17th store, it is the first of five new sites Fountain told Propel in November that he would be opening in 2024. It will be followed by further new stores in Leamington Parade, Northampton Grosvenor (new site for an existing store), Bedford and Wellingborough (a second drive-thru), while its Peterborough Bridge Street site will also get a refit. In 2025, it will open its first location within a designer village – although which one has not yet been confirmed.

 

London hotel business reports 205% increase in profits after ‘strategic realignment’ sees 49% rise in revpar, gains £10m in revaluation of assets: London Town Group, which operates three hotels in the capital and two in the Midlands, has reported a 205% increase in profits for the year to 30 June 2023 after a “strategic realignment” post-covid saw a 49% rise in revpar. The group’s pre-tax profit rose from £3,235,093 in 2022 to £9,854,899. Its revenue was up from £16,383,959 to £23,614,131 and its Ebitda rose from £8,067,576 to £17,909,138. It received no government grants (2022: £18,107) or insurance payments (2022: £106,944) but reported a £9,961,850 gain on the revaluation of its assets (2022: £19,508). No dividends were paid (2022: nil). Chairman Koolesh Shah, who founded the business in 1988, said: “The group has adeptly navigated a notable recovery from the challenges posed by the pandemic throughout the past fiscal year. Particularly noteworthy is the discernible improvement in the trading performance of the hotel sector in 2022, with this positive trajectory continuing into 2023, particularly pronounced in the London market. In response to the exigencies of the pandemic, the group strategically repositioned its hotel operations, prioritising the refinement of customer experiences and the assimilation of cutting-edge technology. This strategic realignment yielded tangible outcomes, with revenue per available room (revpar) witnessing an impressive surge of 49%. The meticulous implementation of streamlined check-in and check-out processes, coupled with the introduction of mobile applications and voice AI for room bookings and services, underscored the company’s commitment to leveraging technology for optimal guest satisfaction. Additionally, the adept use of data analytics played a pivotal role in discerning guest preferences, further contributing to the notable increase in revpar. The group achieved a commendable revenue growth of 44%. Pre-tax profits registered an impressive upswing of 205%. This exceptional growth can be predominantly attributed to the outstanding performance of our London estate and the promising outlook of the Paddington market. As we progress, the group remains positioned for sustained success and financial resilience. The directors continue to seek profitable opportunities to expand operations and have the infrastructure in place to facilitate development opportunities to increase profitability in the coming years.”

 

Hampshire sushi concept set to open third site: Hampshire sushi concept, Shark Tail Sushi, is set to open its third site. It is preparing to open in Bournemouth’s BH2 complex in Exeter Crescent, in the town centre, adding to its locations in Boscombe’s Christchurch Road and Poole’s Ashley Road. “Get ready for a sushi sensation as Shark Tail Sushi is opening soon here at BH2,” the business said on social media. “Keep your eyes peeled for more delicious details.” It offers sushi, sashimi, salads and hot dishes such as kimchi fries, spring rolls, fried prawns and pork goyza.

 

Northern Ireland cinema operator falls to loss: Northern Ireland cinema operator Movie House Cinemas has reported turnover fell to £9,645,193 for the year ending 31 May 2023 compared with £10,511,689 the previous year. The company, which operates four sites, posted a loss of £341,942 compared with a profit of £2,361,380 the year before. The group did not receive any government grants (2022: £172,418). A dividend of £60,000 was paid (2022: nil).

Swindon operators set to open second site for bar and grill concept: Swindon operators Scott and Luke Jacobs are set to double up their bar and grill concept in the town. The brothers, who run The Ridge in Shaw Ridge, plan to open a sister site in the former Frankie and Benny’s unit in Greenbridge. In anticipation of this, the first restaurant, in the Shaw Leisure Park on Whitehill Way, has been renamed The Ridge – West, and the new one will be known as The Ridge – East. It will be located next to the Fiesta de Cuba restaurant that the siblings also own, at Unit 20 in Greenbridge Retail Park on Garrard Way. They received the keys to the former Frankie and Benny’s, which closed in October, earlier this month. Some of the former Frankie and Benny’s employees have been retained and retrained to staff this new venture, which is expected to open during the first week of March, reports the Swindon Advertiser.