Propel Newsletter Archive Page

Pizza Hut launches ‘major brand reset’ and new handcrafted range: Pizza Hut has launched a “major brand reset” alongside a new range of handcrafted pizzas. It said all team members have been retrained in “the art of handcrafted”, which sees sourdough style dough hand-stretched to create light and airy pizzas. This follows research by the business which showed that 75% said the new range tasted better than Pizza Hut’s current classic dough base, and 92% said they’d buy the it over the current range. There will also be new flavours such as Pepperoni and Nduja and The Spicy Goat. Nicolas Burquier, managing director at Pizza Hut, said: “We are so proud of this new, handcrafted pizza dough – and we can’t wait for you to taste it. We have retrained every single one of our managers and franchisees in the art of handcrafted, so wherever you are in the UK, we hope this will be the best pizza you have tasted yet.” The handcrafted pizzas are available now in Pizza Hut locations across the UK. Pizza Hut is part of Yum! Brands, which has more than 50,000 restaurants in over 150 countries and territories across the world. It operates more than 500 Huts in the UK and Northern Ireland, employing in excess of 14,000 people. In February, Yum Brands reported that system sales in Europe, including the UK, were down 3% in the fourth quarter and were flat in the year – the continent accounts for 12% of Pizza Hut’s system sales globally. Pizza Hut also announced this year that it is entering the burger market in the US with the launch of a Cheeseburger Melt, which ditches the bun in favour of a crispy, thin crust, which is folded and loaded with beef, applewood-smoked bacon, onions, mozzarella and cheddar, served with burger sauce on the side.

Industry News:

Sponsored message – Crown Cellars launches 2024-25 wine portfolio: Crown Cellars is launching a 2024-25 portfolio featuring several exciting new wines selected by wine buyer Victoria Chapman and master of wine Jonathan Pedley. At the same time, Crown Cellars is unveiling a fresh new look for its brand Invenio (meaning “I discover” in Latin). Crown Cellars is placing particular emphasis this year on developing its no and low-alcohol range. “Our customers already have a fantastic selection of no and low-alcohol beer and other products to choose from via Carlsberg Marston’s Brewing Company, but some are still wary when it comes to wine,” said Chapman. “We wanted to boost confidence and seek out whichever wines are best-in-class at the moment, regardless of brand. The wines we’ve selected are great, and we’re delighted with the early customer feedback.” Pedley added: “I have had a sneak preview of this year’s edition and all I can say is ‘chapeau’ to the team for what it has put together. It is comprehensive, informative and visually stunning. Victoria and I had great fun selecting the range. We hope that you have as much fun selling the wine and hopefully tasting a few of them along the way.” To find out more, click here. If you have a sponsored story you would like to see featured in this newsletter position, email paul.charity@propelinfo.com.

Azzurri Group CEO Steve Holmes to speak at Propel summer conference and party, three free places per company for operators: Steve Holmes, chief executive of the Azzurri Group, will be among the speakers at the Propel Multi-Club Conference and summer party on Thursday, 5 September, at the DoubleTree by Hilton Oxford Belfry. The all-day conference will focus on “new ideas and directions in an era of strong headwinds” and will be followed in the evening by the summer party, with a barbecue and four hours of live music, including the UK’s best Ed Sheeran Tribute Act, The Ed Sheeran Experience; the UK’s top Robbie Williams and Gary Barlow tribute acts joining forces, Scott Borley and Daniel Hadfield; and the famous house band at Piano Works. Holmes will discuss the group’s evolution into a hospitality investment platform, the continued growth of its core brands ASK Italian and Zizzi, the next stage in Coco di Mama’s journey and the potential of Boojum. For the full speaker schedule, click here. There are up to three free places per company for operators, but Premium subscribers can have up to four places. To book, email jo.charity@propelinfo.com. A room can also be booked for the evening. For more details, email jo.charity@propelinfo.com.

JD Wetherspoon hits back at trade union chief’s ‘bad employer’ claim: JD Wetherspoon has hit back at a trade union chief who suggested that the pub chain is a bad employer. Paul Nowak, head of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), was commenting on Labour’s New Deal for Working People, a package of measures designed to boost workers’ rights through measures such as protection from unfair dismissal from day one, ending zero-hour contracts, banning “fire and rehire” practices and increasing the minimum wage. Nowak said this week’s King’s Speech should confirm the rights overhaul is going ahead as planned, despite fierce lobbying from businesses. He told The Telegraph that good employers “have nothing to worry about” but bad apples will “have to pay the price”. Pressed on which businesses are the so-called bad apples, Nowak listed the “likes of Amazon, Sports Direct, P&O Ferries and Wetherspoons”, which he argued are “all anti-union employers who have built their business models on low-paid, insecure employment”. However, a JD Wetherspoon spokesman told the newspaper that Nowak had “got the wrong end of the stick”, arguing the pub chain is regularly voted a top employer and pays staff “more in bonuses and free shares as a percentage of its profits, than possibly any other listed company”. Labour has said it will legislate for an employment rights bill within the first 100 days of entering office.

Lib Dems targeted towns with Gail’s bakeries: The Liberal Democrats targeted constituencies with Gail’s bakeries during the election campaign as it sought to attract voters in “Operation Cinnamon Bun”. Party activists were told to “get out the Gail’s vote”, referring to fans of the upmarket bakery chain. It developed a spreadsheet of Gail’s sites around the country and mapped them according to which party had previously won the seat in 2019 and which came second place. They found that around half of the cafes outside London were located in Liberal Democrat marginals. While Gail’s towns were not specifically pinpointed for campaigning, the findings led to the chain becoming a “buzzword” in party headquarters. Slogans “Operation Cinnamon Bun” and “Get out the Gail’s Vote” were coined during the campaign, according to party sources. Sir Ed Davey even visited a Gail’s bakery on the campaign trail in June, in Esher. Towns with Gail’s cafes which are now represented by newly elected Liberal Democrat MPs include Henley, Horsham, Guildford, Tunbridge Wells and Whitney in Oxfordshire. The Gail’s chain began with a bakery on Hampstead High Street in London in 2005. While the majority of cafes are located in London, the company has expanded to include areas in the south east, Bristol and Oxfordshire.

Luxury hotels offering five-star freebies to justify sky-high prices: As the world’s most luxurious hotels vie for the business of the super-rich, a chocolate on the pillow and a blind eye to toiletries going missing are no longer enough, with freebies becoming more extravagant as prices soar. From complimentary robes and slippers to customised puzzles and hand-blown glass trinkets, a traveller looking for luxury can expect to leave a hotel with a unique keepsake from their stay, reports The Times. While travel brands insist it’s all about a personalised experience, industry experts say rising prices and competition mean hotels have to find new and unique ways to impress. “Properties have to step it up,” said McLean Robbins, a travel expert who founded the Lily Pond Luxury travel advisory service in 2016. “It’s a cost play, but it’s also a competition play. Markets where there were once only one or two choices, now there are three, four, or five choices, so they have to both differentiate themselves and justify the cost. Guests and influencers share these amenities post-stay and they become coveted status symbols of your brands.”

Company News:

Golf club concept Pitch lays out national and international expansion plans: Golf club concept Pitch, which is the brainchild of friends and golf professionals Elliot Godfrey and Chris Ingham, has laid out plans to open new sites across the UK and add further sites internationally. The business was launched in London’s Bishopsgate more than four years ago, complete with state-of-the-art golf technology. The company opened its second site, in April 2022, in Soho’s Meard Street, with a third site in the capital set to open later this September, in Canary Wharf, under the WeWork site at 30 Churchill Place. Earlier this year, Propel revealed the business was to open its first international site, in Dublin. The site, which will open this autumn, in the city’s Grafton Street, will be the concept’s first franchise site, in partnership with entrepreneur Christopher Best. Pitch Dublin will have 10 Trackman bays and a licensed bar serving Japanese fusion dishes. The business has now announced it has also lined up openings in Manchester and Birmingham. It plans to open a site in the Spinningfields area of Manchester this November, followed in early 2025. By a site at Snow Hill station in Birmingham. A further opening for next year is planned in Brighton, plus another in London. Internationally, Pitch plans to expand to Melbourne. Godfrey said: “This has been a major year for the development and story of Pitch. Indoor golf has evolved hugely from its earliest days, and we feel at Pitch that we offer so much more than just bays where people can hit golf balls. It is a place for social gatherings, and it is a way of playing and engaging with the game that is open to everyone.” Ingham added: “Our vision is to put the club experience first to attract an audience beyond existing golfers. These new locations will enhance our offering and broaden Pitch’s appeal. We can’t wait to open our first international location in Dublin, which we believe is just the beginning of our global expansion.”

Tapas Revolution owner to focus on bar format, plans multi-concept expansion play: The owner of Tapas Revolution has told Propel the business is now ready to look at expansion opportunities under the brand’s bar-focused format, and for its sister concepts La Vina and Appleyard, after experiencing a return to growth across a number of locations this year. The Tapas Revolution business was acquired out of administration last April for a total consideration of £235,000 by Tapas Bidco, a new vehicle led and owned by the brand’s former managing director, James Picton. The business, which previously operated 11 sites under the Tapas Revolution brand, has spent the past year consolidating its estate with a focus now on the remaining three bar format sites in Bluewater, Birmingham Grand Central and Westfield London. Picton told Propel that all three were trading ahead of last year on a like-for-like sales basis. He said: “We’ve taken the brand back to its original bar format and we believe that we are getting close to being able to look at expansion opportunities with a focus on transport hubs.” The company also operates two La Vina sites in Manchester and in London’s Leadenhall Market. Picton said the Manchester site’s like-for-like sales performance was ahead of last year, but that the Leadenhall site was the “star of the business”, generating 12 months of double-digit growth. The company also operates neighbourhood tapas and wine bar concept AppleYard in Sidcup. It is set to open a second site in Bexley Village under the concept later this year and has opened a small wine bar format, also in Leadenhall Market in conjunction with the City of London. Picton said: “It has taken over a year, but the business is now in a good position to focus on growing again. We have a good spread of concepts, focused on different parts of the market – shopping centres/transport hubs, high streets and neighbourhoods. We hope that more opportunities for expansion will present themselves as this year progresses and we move into 2025.”

McDonald’s UK & Ireland confirms Zoe Hamburger as new chief restaurant officer: McDonald’s has confirmed the appointment of Zoe Hamburger as its new chief restaurant officer for the UK and Ireland. As flagged up by Propel in April, Hamburger joins the brand’s operations here after more than ten years in the US, most recently as field vice president at the brand’s Bethesda field office in Maryland. She will report to chief executive Alistair Macrow and be responsible for the company’s circa 1,450 restaurants in the UK and Ireland, which employ 135,000 people. Hamburger said: “As I embark on this new chapter, I look forward to the challenges and opportunities ahead, both personally and professionally. So, for the foreseeable future, I'll be calling London home!” The chain celebrates the 50th anniversary of its maiden UK restaurant in October and continues to reinvent itself, with home delivery but one example, Hamburger told The Sunday Times. “It was only seven years ago we had no delivery service whatsoever,” she said. Now, she added, nearly a fifth of sales in the UK are made using McDelivery. In the 12 months to June 2023, the number of Brits who ate in fast food outlets increased to 45% from 24% in 2021. This has led to the rollout of table service, where customers can order on a screen or at the counter and have the food brought to their table. “As a global business, we put a real emphasis on learning from other markets and stealing new ideas with pride,” Hamburger said. “If something is working well in a market, why would we not use that blueprint to roll it out in another one?” She also insisted that McDonald’s has no plasns to retrench from city centres in favour of out-of-town sites and travel hubs. “We have around 400 McDonald’s restaurants in town and city centres across the UK, and we understand that we play an important role on the UK high street,” said Hamburger. “The short answer is, we remain committed to the UK high street and have no plans to move away from those restaurants.”

Reilley – in 12 months’ time, we'll have a clearer picture of the future of Brightside: Alex Reilley, chairman of café bar operator Loungers, has told Propel that the business will be in a “much more meaningful position” to understand what the future of its roadside dining concept, Brightside, looks like in 12 months’ time, aided by the opening of its first purpose-built site later this year. The Lounge and Cosy Club operator opened its debut site last February south of Exeter after the acquisition of the existing Route Restaurants business, following by further locations in Saltash and Rutland. A 4,500 square-foot Brightside will open at the Ram Jam Services on the A1 in Rutland later this year. Reilley said: “We continue to learn a lot from the existing three sites. And then, with the fourth one, we are going to learn something different because it's a purpose-built site and there's no legacy in terms of a previous restaurant occupier. We wouldn’t expect there to be as much of a pronounced variation in trading, as we would expect at the Devon and Cornwall sites. Has it taken a bit longer for us to understand how Brightside would trade versus our expectations? Probably, a little bit. There is obviously a brand building exercise, which is a new challenge for us because Lounge, in many respects, is the great big anti-brand. I think we've realised that it's going to take time. The key measure is we look at what our customers are saying about us, and that is all very positive. The NPS scores are really encouraging. We're doing the right things, but that momentum needs to build. We're not disappointed and we’re not in a rush, we just recognise that it is going to take a bit of time. We've never talked about the potential scale of Brightside and where we saw the future. We always talked about the fact that we thought this would be a really interesting third brand for us to consider. You can't do these things on paper, you have to physically try them. In 12 months’ time, we'll be in a much more meaningful position to really understand what the future Brightside looks like.”

Black Sheep Coffee hires Thomas Colebourn as new FD, builds US pipeline: Speciality coffee shop operator Black Sheep Coffee, which opened its 100th site last month, has hired Thomas Colebourn, formerly of the Lego Group and Marks & Spencer, as its new finance director, Propel has learned. Colebourn joins the coffee business, which last week made its debut in the US, after a year and a half as finance director at Lego Retail. Previous to that, he spent four years at M&S, including 15 months as senior finance manager across the retailer’s food division. Last week, Black Sheep Coffee, which operates circa 85 sites in the UK, opened a site in Preston Road, Plano, Dallas. Founded in 2013 by Gabriel Shohet and Eirik Holth, it also has a further opening in Dallas, in Mockingbird Lane, and a site in Miami, in Grove Central, in its US opening pipeline. Propel understands that it also plans to open a site in Grapevine, Dallas, and a site in downtown Austin. The Mockingbird Lane site will open in mid-August and will be a double-lane drive-thru/drive-to venue. It will be closely followed by the Grapevine site, which will also be a drive-thru. Propel revealed exclusively in March that Black Sheep Coffee is raising £15m of new funding as it looks to step up its international expansion plans, while it gears up to explore an initial public offering in the US. The company previously said it planned to open 15 sites in its initial US launch phase. In 2021, the business received investment from NBA basketball player Kristaps Porzingis as it looked to break into the North American market.

Village Hotels reports rise in turnover and drop in profit in last full year before sale to Blackstone: Village Hotels has reported a rise in turnover and a drop in profit in the last full year before its sale to Blackstone. The company, which has 33 locations across the UK, was last month sold by KSL Capital Partners, having been valued at £850m at the start of the process. In the year ending 31 December 2023, it reported turnover of £260,860,000, up from £227,650,000 in 2022. It’s pre-tax profit fell from £17,878,000 in 2022 to £8,844,000, as costs rose by almost £14m and admin expenses were up by more than £8m. The company said hotel occupancy reached an average of 83% during 2023 (2022: 78%) and total leisure members were up to 125,000 from 112,000. “This, in turn, drives cross sales within the food and beverage business, which benefits from significant organic demand from the local community,” said director Stephen Walker. Group Ebitda pre-exceptional was £66,877,000, up from £55,188,000 in 2022, while average employee numbers rose from 4,340 to 4,794. At the year end, the group had cash of £48,175,000 (2022: £35,292,000) and bank borrowings of £465,000,000 {2022: £465,000,000). “The group had a strong year in 2023, which was particularly impressive given the wider economic context of escalating inflation and the impact this continues to have on cost of living for consumers,” Walker said. Rooms revenue was up 14%, driven by public bookings and an increase in corporate customers, while both occupancy and average daily rate exceeded the prior year, with a strong uplift in midweek performance. Meetings and events business was up 16%, while health and fitness memberships exceeded the prior year. The company said its food and beverage business also performed well, with its Pub & Grill and Starbucks sites both exceeding expectations, supported by a new menu and data platform providing upselling opportunities. “The group was able to continue with an impressive delivery of Ebitda, 23% above 2022 levels,” Walker added. “This, coupled with forward-purchasing of electricity and gas, allowed the group to mitigate the impact of the volatile energy wholesale market. The group is trading profitably with positive cash generation and growth. The group has consistently exceeded budget for several months, coupled with the maturing profiles of the three newest hotels (Basingstoke, Eastleigh and Bracknell), compared to 2023.” No dividend was paid (2022: £43,846,000).

Farmer J hires Lucy Craig as new people and culture director: All-day market concept Farmer J has hired Lucy Craig, formerly of Grind and Bill’s, as its new people and culture director. Craig joins Farmer J from Lionhearth Group, the pub venture backed by property developer Sir Tony Gallagher and businessman Chris Palmer, where she has been people, culture and operations director since the end of 2022. Craig, also formerly of Orchid Group, spent three years as people and culture director at Grind, and previous to that, spent three years at Bill’s as its head of people development. Last month, Propel revealed that Farmer J is set to further strengthen its presence in London. The business, which earlier this year raised an extra £5.5m to further expand in the capital and aid an international launch, is planning an opening on the ex-HSBC site at 1 Woburn Place. Farmer J, which was founded by Jonathan Recanati in 2016, currently operates ten sites in London. The business plans to open a further five to six this year as it looks to accelerate expansion in the capital. The company also hopes to take its first steps internationally next year, with a focus on the east coast of America, targeting locations in New York and Boston. The sites in the US will be company owned.

Scotsman Group places four sites on the market: The Scotsman Group, formerly G1 Group, has placed four of its sites on the market, including the Hummingbird in Glasgow. The group, which was founded by Stefan King and operates circa 40 venues across Scotland, has instructed Christie & Co to bring to the market a portfolio of four of its traditional public houses situated across Scotland. The venues are the Beresford Lounge and Hummingbird in Glasgow; the Illicit Still in Aberdeen; and The Bothy in Perth. Located in Sauchiehall Street, the Beresford Lounge previously traded as a Scottish/Irish bar with food, drink and live music. The Hummingbird, situated on Bath Street, is a four-storey property with a cocktail bar, restaurant, karaoke post and function space. Both properties are available on a freehold basis. Looking for a new tenant on a leasehold basis is the Illicit Still Bar, a cellar and main street bar located in the centre of Aberdeen, and The Bothy, a licensed restaurant and bar located in the centre of Perth. Tony Spence, associate director at Christie & Co, said: “We are delighted to be acting on behalf of the Scotsman Group in relation to the sale of these four established pubs across Scotland. The interest received to date has been encouraging and we look forward to speaking with any interested parties.”

The Crown Estate unveils three West End schemes worth £430m: The Crown Estate has unveiled details of its pipeline of developments in London’s West End, which will have a gross development value of over £430m and will deliver 250,000 sq ft of office, leisure and retail space in the heart of the capital. The landlord said the three schemes will help to stimulate the renewal of the West End, attract global investment and contribute to the wider success of London. The Crown Estate, one of London’s biggest landlords, said construction has started on the three developments – New Zealand House, 10 Spring Gardens and 33-35 Piccadilly. Simon Harding-Roots, Managing Director, London at The Crown Estate said: “These three developments will deliver much-needed quality employment space into the heart of London’s West End. They form part of our wider investment in the future of the Capital, and complement major projects such as the extensive improvements we are making to public spaces across Regent Street, Haymarket and Piccadilly Circus with Westminster City Council. Collectively, the works we are undertaking across our London portfolio are underpinned by our ambitions to make it a more accessible, sustainable and inclusive city.”

Wingstop to open in Milton Keynes today: Wingstop UK, which is being rolled out here by Lemon Pepper Holdings, will open in Milton Keynes today (Monday, 15 July). Launching at the city’s Midsummer Place Shopping Centre, the store will offer 80 covers and create 60 new jobs. The brand’s 49th opening since 2018, a further eight launches are slated before the end of 2024, including Crawley, Whitechapel and a third site in Leeds. Tom Grogan, co-founder of Lemon Pepper Holdings, said: “We’re so excited to be launching in Milton Keynes today! This follows a hugely successful opening at Westfield Stratford City last month, which is set to become the highest volume Wingstop restaurant globally. Looking ahead, we have ambitious plans for more growth as we approach our 50th site and an extensive pipeline of locations well into 2025.”

Forest Holidays restructures, new site opening this year, turnover up £20m but makes a loss as costs rocket: Forest Holidays has completed a restructuring exercise and will later this year add a 14th site to its portfolio, with Glentrees Forest in Peebles opening in November. The restructure comes after the then 11-strong business was acquired by Forge Holiday Group in 2022. “In September 2023, the board made the decision to re-structure the group, formalising the provision of central services for legal, finance, HR, IT and marketing, alongside a redundancy program that aligned the group’s salary costs to current demand and sales levels,” the group said in its accounts for the year ending 30 September 2023. “A formal consultation process was announced from late September and through October and has been concluded in December 2023. As part of a wider group restructure exercise, on 1 December 2023, a number of employees have been transferred from the company to Forge Holiday Group.” Forest Holidays reported a revenue boost of almost £20m for the period, rising from £37,569,000 in 2022 to £57,398,000. But a pre-tax profit of £7,307,000 in 2022 turned into a loss of £4,058,000 as admin expenses more than doubled from £10,111,000 to £23,207,000 and costs almost doubled from £16,125,000 to £31,260,000. Director Michael Graham said: “During the year, the company opened a new eco-cabin site in Bannau Brycheiniog National Park and added additional cabins to the Keldy site. The directors are satisfied with the trading performance and will continue to develop the existing activities of the company. The reduction in gross profit margin in 2023 (from 57.08% to 45.54%) principally relates to increased costs driven by inflation. Ebitda margin has reduced year-on-year (from 53.04% to 35.45%). The main factor behind this is that 2022 was abnormally high, due to the covid impact on staycations. The margin has moved towards pre-covid norms.” No dividend was paid (2022: nil). Exceptional items included £107,000 in legal fees relating to employment issues and contract renegotiations (2022: £26,000) and £136,000 in restructuring and personnel costs (2022: £4,000).

Stay Original Company group sales up 12% and site Ebitda up 36% year-on-year: South west boutique hotel and pub group Stay Original Company has said group sales are up 12% and site Ebitda up 36% year-on-year in the first seven months of its current financial year. It comes after the business, which operates six pubs in the south west, “continued to grow and enjoyed a successful year” in the period to 30 September 2023. Both turnover (up from £8,847,000 in 2022 to £11,105,000) and site Ebitda (up from £1,748,000 to £2,178,000) were up 25% while group Ebitda was up 42% from £1,057,000 to £1,490,000. Its pre-tax loss widened from £22,366 in 2022 to £298,287. The company benefitted from a full year’s trade from At the Chapel in Bruton, which was acquired during the previous financial year and is making a “significant contribution” to profitability. Two further bedrooms will be added to the location, while a new bedroom was added at The Grosvenor Arm’s Shaftesbury – with a further three subject to planning consent. All necessary consents are in place to add a further seven at The King’s Arm’s in Dorchester and four more at The Swan in Wedmore. Director James Brooke-Webb said: “The company’s strategy is to continue to develop its unique business model in the south west by investing in its staff, its existing estate and making further selective acquisitions. The directors have a high degree of confidence in the potential for growth and are looking for further investment opportunities. During the year, Stay Original has continued to focus on organic growth through increasing sales, improving both operational efficiency and key margins, and adding value to the existing estate principally through the creation of additional bedrooms. The company has continued to strengthen operational teams and is well positioned for further growth. The company has continued to focus on strengthening management processes and operational efficiency with a particular focus on both the offer and improving key margins.” No dividends were paid (2022: nil) and no government grants were received (2022: £38,144).

Popeyes to open in Watford next week: Popeyes UK, the US fried chicken quick service restaurant (QSR) brand backed here by TDR Capital, will open its latest site, in Watford, next week. The 400 square-metre site will open at the Atria Watford shopping centre on Friday, 19 July, creating 80 new jobs. Tom Crowley, Popeyes’ UK chief executive, said: “We’re thrilled to announce the opening of our new Watford restaurant and to bring the taste of New Orleans to people in the local area. Our recent openings have been some of our biggest to date, not just in the UK but globally, and we’re sure the new Watford restaurant will be just as popular.” Last week, Popeyes UK opened its landmark 50th store here, in Glasgow’s Sauchiehall Street. It is set to open a further 15 outlets in Britain this year as it works towards its next half-century.

Aberdeen hotel owners’ investment in outside hospitality offerings ‘surpassing expectations’, sees further opportunities from new harbour opening: The owners of Aberdeen’s Douglas Hotel have said their investment in outside hospitality offerings are “surpassing expectations” and that they see further opportunities arising from the opening of the town’s new harbour. Mary Martin and Robert Keane are behind the hotel on the town’s Market Street, which dates back to 1848. Martin is also one of the operators behind Shiprow Village, a new food and drink hub in the town in collaboration with several local independent traders. Martin, in the company’s accounts for the year ending 30 September 2023, said: “Our continued investment into our Shiprow Village indoor and outdoor venues has seen revenues rise. Our recently refurbished Grand Ballroom continues to attract events. Rooms revenue continues to be challenging, with a combination of oversupply and less demand from the oil industry. Working closely with local business, we have focused on tourism and the events/conference business coming to the city as a result of The Event Centre Aberdeen (P&J Live). Together with anticipated spend from our traditional energy sector clients, the opening of Aberdeen's new harbour will also continue to open up opportunities within the renewables sector, as Aberdeen is likely to be a key logistics point in the first round of offshore wind farm development in Scottish waters. The investment in our enhanced hospitality offering within the Shiprow village has surpassed expectations and we intend to continue investing in this area as funds permit. The intention is to continue to develop the Shiprow Village site and to make this a vibrant part of the city's nightlife and a magnet for visitors.” The company’s revenue was up from £4,579,161 in 2022 to £6,129,723. Of this, £2,409,094 came from rooms (2022: £1,825,972), £1,320,939 from food and beverage and events (2022: £1,246,416) and £2,332,075 from bars (2022: £1,426,686). Its pre-tax profit dropped from £652,658 to £225,916. No government grants were received (2022: £48,849). Dividends of £10,733 were paid (2022: £5,000).

Knoops opens 20th store: Luxury hot chocolate shop concept Knoops has opened its 20th store. It has opened at 33 Queens Road in Bristol – its second location in the south west following its site in Bath. Knoops, which made its Scottish debut in March with a launch at 11-15 Victoria Street in Edinburgh Old Town, has a long-term target of 120 stores here and 3,000 globally by 2030. Earlier this year, Knoops’ executive chairman and chief executive William Gordon-Harris told Propel there is “phenomenal momentum across the business” as it enjoyed a record start to the year. Knoops, which completed an £8.3m fundraising last November, saw store revenue increase by 23% on a like-for-like basis in January, which came off the back of a best-ever Christmas.

Doughnut manufacturer branches into cafe ownership: Doughnut manufacturer Pipp & Co has branched out into cafe ownership. The company, which produces more than 20,000 doughnuts a week from its Swindon factory, has opened its first cafe, in Bristol. Pipp & Co has invested in refitting an empty commercial unit in College Green. The cafe is the first in a series, with plans for outlets in other locations in the future. In 2015, Mario and Betina Evangelista bought the company and have grown it from a small bakery selling primarily at farmers’ markets, into a £1.3m turnover business employing 30 people. Mario said: “Betina and I had been in the food business when we were much younger, running a small restaurant for a couple of years. Life then took us on a different path. However, the passion for good food stayed with us, and as our children got a bit older, we were looking for an opportunity. By chance, we came across the doughnut business at a farmers’ market with a massive queue, and we thought we just had to try some of those doughnuts. We bought the business, and the rest is history. If Bristol is successful, and we believe it will be, we have plans to open more cafes in other locations.” Pipp & Co also has a coffee and doughnut van which can be booked for private hire.

Husband-and-wife team move their Michelin-starred restaurant from Kent to Essex: Husband-and-wife team Ben and Sophie Crittenden have moved their Michelin-starred restaurant, Stark, from Kent to Essex. They have relocated it from Broadstairs to East Mersea, with the new site offering more covers than its previous 12-seat restaurant. The former site started life as a tiny sandwich shop, and in only its third year, the owners were awarded a Michelin star, which they have retained since 2019. Prior to opening Stark, Ben worked at the Michelin-starred The West House in Kent, where he cut his teeth working with rockstar-turned-Michelin-chef Graham Garrett, before competing in MasterChef: The Professionals in 2014. The restaurant, which is now based in East Road, offers seasonal six-course tasting menus that include two meat dishes like duck liver parfait, confit leg, ginger bread, hazelnut and apricot; two fish courses such as mackerel, cucumber, dashi, lardo, and borage; and two deserts such as clean and fresh goat’s curd, pistachio sorbet, lemon puree and grape. Guests can accompany this with an optional wine flight from Les Caves de Pyrène. A spokesman for Stark said: “Our motto is ‘good food, laid bare’, and the new restaurant offers the same pared-back décor and skilled flavour combinations using seasonal ingredients.”

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