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Wed 6th Mar 2024 - Kerb appoints Andrew Stones MD of its Ventures division |
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Kerb appoints Andrew Stones MD of its Ventures division: Kerb has appointed Andrew Stones, formerly of Imbiba and Be At One, as managing director of its Ventures division, where he will lead on the development and global growth of the group’s standalone food halls. Prior to joining Kerb, Stones was a partner at sector investment company Imbiba, advising hospitality and leisure entrepreneurs on scaling their businesses. He was also the managing director of cocktail bar chain Be At One, central to the brand's growth throughout the UK, before its acquisition by Stonegate Group in summer 2018. At the same time, Kerb has appointed events expert Stephen Lawrence as managing director of Kerb Events. Lawrence was previously at The Concerto Group for more than 20 years, before moving as client services director to Smart Group, a collection of hospitality, catering, venue and event management companies. Kerb said that it had made the two new senior hires, as it looks ahead to “ambitious global expansion plans this year”. The business, which is behind the successful Seven Dials Market, in London’s Covent Garden, is looking at ambitious commercial growth with global expansion plans this year. The first of these is a collaboration with INGKA Centres, the sister company of IKEA, on a plant-forward food hall Saluhall, in San Francisco, set to launch in April. This will be shortly followed by the launch of a Kerb Berlin Market. Simon Mitchell, chief executive of Kerb Group, said: “Over the past 12 years, Kerb has continued to strive for excellence in the business; for our customers, members, the industry and our team. Unlike many hospitality businesses currently, we continue to commercially grow and our global expansion is the next step in the brand's evolution. It’s essential we strengthen our senior management team to reflect that and Andrew brings a wealth of experience from within and outside of the sector. His expertise in brand development and growth are invaluable to our own journey. Similarly, Stephen will continue to grow our very successful events arm of the business, driving new opportunities and ensuring the rigour we are well known for in the management of such prestigious events, continues to be world leading.”
Premium Club members to receive two updated databases this week: Premium Club members will receive the next edition of the UK Food & Beverage Franchisee Database today (Wednesday, 6 March), at midday, featuring ten new entries and updates to existing entries. The database is updated every two months, and the latest version features 130 businesses and more than 55,000 words of content. Among the new entries are HSD Capital, which recently became the first franchisee for Floozie Cookies; Motor Fuel Group, which franchises with the likes of Pret, Miss Millie’s, Subway, Coco Di Mama, Greggs, Starbucks, McDonalds and Burger King across more than 900 petrol stations; Pasco Group, which operates 18 Subway stores in and around the Bristol area; and Savvi Dining Group, which became one of Itsu’s first franchisees in 2021. Following this, the next Turnover & Profits Blue Book will be sent out on Friday (8 March), at midday. A further 17 companies have been added, while 37 have updated figures. The database now features 888 companies, with 582 in profit and 306 in loss. Premium Club members also receive access to four other databases: the Multi-Site Database, produced in association with Virgate; the New Openings Database; the UK Food and Beverage Franchisor Database; and the Who’s Who of UK Hospitality. All Premium Clubs members 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 that are Premium Club members 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 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 supplier. Email kai.kirkman@propelinfo.com today to sign up.
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