Brighton Pier Group CEO – we’ve had very limited push back on £1 pier admission charge, introduces early afternoon nostalgic music-led events: Anne Ackord, chief executive of Brighton Pier Group, has told Propel there has been “very limited push back” on its decision to introduce a £1 charge for non-city residents to the pier and expects to continue the fee into September. The company began charging admission in the last weekend of May. The fee was only charged at weekends in June, while during July and August, the charge is in place every day. People living in the BN postcode that have a residents’ card are exempt, with around 30,000 having been issued so far. Speaking following the company’s trading update ,where the group warned full-year Ebitda was expected to be below market expectations, primarily due to the recent adverse weather, Ackord said: “Overall, we have seen very limited push back on the £1 charge, with recent performance very much a reflection of challenging weather conditions – with July the wettest on record in Brighton – rather than unhappy customers. Brighton residents are exempt if they live in the BN postcode area, making up circa 30% to 40% of admissions over this period. We are delighted how many locals now have residents’ cards, giving us the ability to communicate promotions during the whole year. We do expect to continue to charge an admission fee into September. It’s early days for charging, so before announcing any detailed information, we would like to see how things go to the end of September.” Asked what other levers the group can pull if the adverse weather continues, Ackord said: “At group level, we boast a diversified asset base, with the Paradise Island adventure golf business performing well, providing a hedge for the adverse weather that is affecting the pier. However, we will look at moving to more covered activities on the pier that can be protected from the impact of the weather, as well as repurposing existing areas with new protection from the elements. Hopefully we can also encourage more residents to come outside the summer holiday period, using the residents’ card data.” With the late-night market remaining challenging, Ackord also revealed the group was experimenting with new promoters in its bars. These include nostalgic music-led events on Saturdays and Sundays, with an older demographic, starting early in the afternoon and finishing at around 8pm. She added the venues were also focusing on parties early evening, as well as corporate events, and has repurposed some space to be able to offer exclusive party rooms, improved VIP areas, as well as alternative music genres and live music. A new report produced by Propel on the fast-growing experiential leisure sector will be available to purchase on Thursday, 1 August. The report profiles the current shape of the experiential leisure market – including brands, estate size, trading type and geographical location and future trends. It provides a detailed list of UK experiential leisure companies including key staff and Companies House information. The report includes more than 190 companies, 3,500 sites and a 35,000-word report. Existing Premium Club members can receive the report on Thursday, 1 August for £395 plus VAT. The report will be made available for free to existing Premium members on Tuesday, 10 September at 9am. Email kai.kirkman@propelinfo.com today to order a copy.

Greene King people and culture director Vickie Elsey to speak at Propel’s Talent & Training Conference, open for bookings with 20% discount on tickets for Premium Club members: Vickie Elsey, people and culture director at Greene King, will be among the speakers at Propel’s Talent & Training Conference. The all-day conference takes place on Tuesday, 1 October at One Moorgate Place in London and is open for bookings. The conference will showcase examples of outstanding people culture among companies within the sector and how the industry is attracting talent. Elsey will talk about how Greene King is championing diversity and inclusion through various training programmes, including reverse mentoring, which flips organisational hierarchy on its head. For the full speaker schedule, click here. Tickets are £345 plus VAT for operators and £395 plus VAT for suppliers. Premium Club members get a 20% discount. Email: kai.kirkman@propelinfo.com to book places.

Premium Club members to receive new searchable and segmented New Openings Database next week: The next Propel New Openings Database will be sent to Premium Club members on Wednesday, 7 August, at noon. The database will show the details of 268 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 11,881-word report on the 268 new additions to the database. The database includes new openings in the casual dining sector such as Turkish bar and grill concept Elif; Ford from MasterChef: The Professionals finalist Matt Healy; and Kibou, the Japanese restaurant opening in Oxford. Premium Club members also receive access to five other databases: the Multi-Site Database, in association with Virgate; the Turnover & Profits Blue Book; the UK Food and Beverage Franchisor Database; the UK Food and Beverage Franchisee Database and the Who’s Who of UK Hospitality. All Premium Clubs members will be offered a 20% discount on tickets to Propel paid-for events including the Talent and Training Conference (1 October), Restaurant Marketer and Innovator (two days in January 2025) and Excellence in Pub Retail (May 2025). Operators that are Premium Club members are also 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.

London’s night economy underperforming as venues grapple with rising costs: London’s nightlife industry has warned that strict licensing laws, problems with crime and eye-watering costs are pushing venues to the brink. The Evening Standard reports that in public meetings at City Hall last week, industry representatives urged the mayor and the new government to give the sector more support. It comes after data revealed London suffered a net loss of around 40 pubs in the year to March 2023, despite the number of pub employees growing. Mayor Sadiq Khan admitted last week that there are “challenges post-pandemic for all global cities” but argued that London is “ahead of that crowd”, adding that this summer had so far been “remarkable” for the capital’s night economy. But at a cross-party inquiry into the topic, experts in the sector said businesses were grappling with a formidable host of issues, which have made it far harder for many to turn a profit. Mark Williams, deputy chief executive of the Heart of London Business Alliance, told assembly members: “The West End’s evening and night-time economy is underperforming, post-pandemic. Growth lines dictated that it should be at about £15.5bn. It’s currently sitting at around £14bn. Footfall has stagnated. Spend has increased, but behind that picture, we’re dealing with high living costs, supply disruption, high operating costs, staff shortages, overcrowding on streets and with an ineffective public realm, limited step-free access to stations, an increase in anti-social behaviour and a lack of facilities.” Jo May, of the Soho Business Alliance, criticised councils for imposing strict licensing requirements, which she said have forced venues to shut earlier than they would like, despite the number of tourists who visit London to enjoy its nightlife. “They’re coming into central London, they’re looking for places to go out and have a good time, to spend their money,” she said. “Soho’s rolling up the pavements at 11pm. If you’re not a member of a club, sorry tourists – take your money back to your hotel and go to bed.” May said that bringing back tax-free shopping for tourists and reducing VAT for the hospitality sector would “really help” venues.

Supermac’s MD calls for reintroduction of 9% VAT rate for hospitality in Ireland: Pat McDonagh, managing director of Irish fast food brand Supermac’s, has called for the reintroduction of the 9% VAT rate for hospitality in Ireland in the country’s 2025 Budget. The 9% VAT rate was introduced on 1 November 2020 as a result of covid challenges. It was increased to 13.5% on 1 September 2023 after a number of extensions. McDonagh, who also owns and operates the SÓ Hotels group, said that the future of hundreds of small businesses will depend on decisions made by the Irish government over the next few weeks, which will have long term repercussions for the country. “Figures from the Restaurants Association of Ireland (RAI) indicate that 270 restaurant and food-led businesses have been forced to close this year in the face of rising costs,” McDonagh told RTE. If you add up all the additional costs, margins are down 12-15%. What do you do to control that? You either cut back on labour or put-up prices. But you can't put up prices to cover all your costs or you will become uncompetitive.” The Department of Finance has said reinstating the 9% VAT rate for tourism and hospitality businesses is “unjustified” and would cost €764m. However, the RAI said this analysis ignores the “unsustainable cost of doing business” due to rises in energy and food costs, the minimum wage and statutory paid sick days. “A slight uptick in customers in the coming months will not come close to offsetting the cost increases that businesses have faced over the past two years,” a spokesman said.

Job of the day: COREcruitment is working with a well-established coffee brand that is seeking a national account manager. A COREcruitment spokesperson said: “You will be responsible for selling its complete package, while developing key relationships and delivering year-on-year growth across a range of UK and European client accounts. This is a fantastic opportunity for a passionate and talented national account manager to join a reputable business who can match their ambition and offer genuine progression opportunities.” The salary is up to £55,000 and the position is based in London. For more information, email mikey@corecruitment.com.

Breal partners with Vagabond founder to help manage its hospitality investments: Investment firm Breal Group has partnered with Stephen Finch, founder of Vagabond, to help manage its hospitality investments, Propel has learned. Finch founded Vagabond in 2009, building it into, at one time, a 13-strong business, with venues on the high street and at Heathrow and Gatwick airports, before stepping away from the company at the start of the year. Propel understands that one of the companies he is helping to oversee for Breal is Vinoteca, which the investment firm acquired out of administration last summer. Vinoteca currently operates sites in Borough Yards, Chiswick, Farringdon and Bloomberg Arcade. It sold its site in King’s Cross last month for an undisclosed sum. Breal also owns the two-strong Andrea Bars business, which comprises the two ex-Jamie’s Wine Bar sites in London’s Ludgate Hill and Adam’s Court. It also owns D&D Restaurants in a joint venture with Calveton. Breal was among the parties that bid for Vagabond, which went into administration earlier this year, and was subsequently acquired by Majestic, the UK’s largest specialist wine retailer. Finch told Propel: “I got along really well with the guys at Breal when we bid for Vagabond. They really believe in the hospitality sector, they’re very acquisitive and are actively looking to grow their hospitality businesses. Their investment and support spans promising early-stage growth concepts to proven businesses in need of recapitalising and re-incentivising for the founders. More importantly, Breal genuinely understands the value of good founders who are properly engaged and motivated. There’s a lot of opportunity ahead, and we’re looking forward to getting behind great hospitality companies, both new and reborn.”

Three Uncles aiming to open two to three shops annually, secures largest site to date: Cantonese roast meat concept Three Uncles plans to open two to three sites annually, as it lines up the opening of its largest site to date, in Ealing, this September. The business, which was founded by childhood friends and chefs Cheong Yew, Pui Sing Tsang and Mo Kwok in 2019, launched its first permanent sit-down restaurant in Brixton Village. It has since opened a further restaurant in the City, to go alongside takeaway kiosks in Liverpool Street and Camden’s Hawley Wharf Market. The company said that the new 50-cover, 1,450 square-foot restaurant, located in Ealing’s Filmworks development, will continue its growth strategy of serving authentic Cantonese dishes to residential neighbourhoods. Ealing will also see the company launch its new “18-Districts” concept, a rotating menu that introduces Hong Kong’s favourite dishes as specials, in addition to the house-roasted and chopped-to-order Cantonese meats Three Uncles is famous for. Chong Yew (Uncle Lim) said: “We plan to grow slowly and carefully while maintaining quality with the aim of opening two to three shops annually with an ultimate goal of ten sites. We also hope to beat our record week of 1,100 ducks sold in one week across all sites.” It comes as the company said business has generally improved steadily since covid and year-on-year, with sales growing 20% on average across all sites. It said Liverpool Street is currently its top-performing site. Three Uncles said it found that the quick service (counter) model is more profitable than the restaurant format, with fewer staff overheads while maintaining good spend per head, while delivery is now a significant part of business. The company said that with office workers still not returning to five-day working patterns, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday are the busiest days at all its sites. It said: “Repeat custom is vital to Three Uncles; we have seen a good mix of diners. They are currently around 50/50 split between Asian and non-Asian customers.” Three Uncles also said it will start to look at adjusting its management team in the future, with the introduction of area managers.

Social Bite to roll out college and university-based coffee shops across the UK: Social Bite, which campaigns against homelessness while running a string of cafes across Scotland and London, is set to make its first move into the UK education sector in a new partnership with Matthew Algie. Launching for the 2024/25 academic year, the partnership will see new cafes open in universities and colleges across the UK, with around 10% of profits from coffee sold donated to support Social Bite’s work. The cafes will be Social Bite branded and will serve Matthew Algie’s Elevator blend, with every cup sold supporting people experiencing homelessness. Social Bite’s Pay It Forward system will also be in place. A supplier to the education sector in the UK and Ireland, Matthew Algie provides coffee, equipment and training to hundreds of universities, colleges,and schools. It is currently in talks with several universities and colleges looking to open a Social Bite cafe. Mel Swan, commercial director at Social Bite, said: “This collaboration with Matthew Algie will help us drive awareness around the issues and raise funds to accelerate our work with people affected by homelessness, whether that’s a meal, supported employment, or a safe place to call home. Matthew Algie has a great relationship with many large universities and colleges across the country, and we’re over the moon that we can join forces. Change can start with a great cup of coffee, and it has the power to unlock so much more.” Social Bite currently operates four sites in Scotland and one on The Strand in London.

Cineworld to shut six cinema sites: Cineworld will close six venues across Britain as part of a plan to cut costs, as the debt-laden company continues to struggle with the headwinds facing the cinema industry. The affected sites will be Glasgow Parkhead, Bedford, Hinckley, Loughborough, Yate and Swindon – Regent Circus. The company said it aimed to return to profitability and “ensure a sustainable long-term future for Cineworld in the UK”. It was reported this month that the company was eyeing the closure of 25 of its 100 sites. But it said at the weekend that no sites had been identified for closure other than the six announced.

Dutch smash burger brand to make UK debut next month: Dutch smash burger brand Fat Phill’s will make its UK debut next month. Propel revealed in January that the business, which has 17 locations in the Netherlands, had signed a master franchisee deal for the UK with Freshley Baked, which also holds the UK master franchise for US pretzel brand Auntie Anne’s. Armin Vahabian, who founded Fat Phill’s in 2019, told Propel at the time of the signing that he plans 100 UK sites for the brand over the next decade, with the first to open in Clapham, south London. This is now set to open in August, ahead of a wider UK roll-out, Propel has learned. “Following the signing of a franchise agreement with Auntie Anne’s UK master franchisee Freshly Baked early this year, Amsterdam-based smash burger and American-style sandwiches concept Fat Phill’s is ready to develop exponentially across the UK,” a spokesman for franchise consultant Seeds Consulting said. “Their first London site, in busy Clapham Junction, is set to open next month. Having already established itself with 17 sites across The Netherlands, becoming the country’s fastest growing restaurant brand and food franchise, Fat Phill’s is aiming to open 100 locations in the UK over the next ten years. The Fat Phill’s brand has proven to be hugely successful for their current franchise partners, with all benefitting from a competitive return on investment and most planning for the opening of their second or third location.”

Tortilla promotes Stephen Clark to COO: Tortilla, Europe’s largest fast-casual Mexican restaurant brand, has promoted Stephen Clark to chief operating officer. Clark, formerly of Young’s and Costa, joined Tortilla at the start of 2022 as its new operations director. The company said Clark had been “key in developing and growing our teams across the country over that time, and he has led the opening of 17 new stores”. Clark led retail operations as a director at Young’s, with responsibility for 72 hotels and pubs based in London and the south west of England. Prior to this, he was regional operations director at Costa, where he created a scalable format for drive-thru and delivered a strong pipeline of new store openings. He also worked on the management board for the company’s innovation group, including as operational lead on Pronto, Costa’s fast delivery store concept. He began his career with Corney & Barrow, running wine bars in the City. Earlier this month, Tortilla reported revenue of £31.5m for the half year ended 30 June 2024 (down £1.2m on last year), with like-for-like revenue down 5.9%, which it said was due to its strategic decision to condense to a dual delivery platform to improve profit conversion and increase focus on in-store revenue. The 81-strong business said that adjusted Ebitda for the period stood at £1.8m, in line with the first half of last year. It said it had seen early signs of progress against the group’s newly outlined strategic vision, set out in April 2024, including improved profitability on delivery sales and stronger year-on-year profit conversion, underpinned by last year’s supplier contract negotiations.

DHP Family acquires former Pryzm site in Nottingham: Live music venue and club operator DHP Family has acquired the former Pryzm site in Nottingham. The 2,500-capacity venue will be returning to its original incarnation of The Palais when it reopens in September, ahead of celebrating its 100th year in 2025. Plans are already underway by the new owners to open the venue on Lower Parliament Street, with a new stage, PA and other works in the pipeline. The Palais de Danse first opened 24 April 1925 as a dance hall and billiard saloon, considered to be one of the finest of its kind outside London. During the late 1980s, it reinvented itself as a nightclub and has been known by several names, including the Ritzy and Oceana. It was most recently a Pryzm, the Neos Hospitality (formerly Rekom UK)-owned brand. The business completed a pre-pack administration earlier this year, as exclusively revealed by Propel. This resulted in the closure of 17 sites, with Nottingham one of six Pryzm sites to shut. The Palais manager Sam Dye said: “As a local business deeply rooted in Nottingham’s music scene, we feel it’s only right to recognise the heritage of the venue and revive Nottingham’s original dancehall. So many generations of families have danced at this iconic venue, so we’re delighted to be bringing it back into use once again.” DHP Family operates eight venues across London, Bristol and Nottingham, having launched its flagship venue, Rock City, 40 years ago. Its other venues include Rescue Rooms, The Bodega and Stealth in Nottingham; Oslo, The Garage and The Grace in London; and Thekla in Bristol. It is owned by the family of George Akins Snr, who passed away last year after building an empire of betting shops, amusements arcades and clubs, opening his first, the iconic Parkside Club, in the 1960s.

Popeyes UK hires Gwion Iwan as new ops director: Popeyes UK, the US fried chicken quick service restaurant (QSR) brand backed here by TDR Capital, has hired Gwion Iwan, formerly of Prezzo and Punch Pubs, as its new operations director. Iwan spent seven years at the Cain International-backed Prezzo, including the last three years as operations director. He was previously an area operations manager at Punch and a regional operations manager at Whitbread Restaurants. Popeyes UK recently made its transport hub debut with an opening at London’s Waterloo station. Earlier this month, Popeyes UK opened its 50th site, in Glasgow’s Sauchiehall Street, and it is set to open a further 15 outlets this year, including an opening in Birmingham’s New Street.

Love Churros makes Midlands debut: London urban dessert experience Love Churros has made its Midlands debut. It has launched a kiosk within the McArthurGlen Designer Outlet West Midlands in Cannock. It is an eighth UK location for the business, which was founded in 2015 by former professional footballer Jake Nicholson. It is also a furthest site outside of London for the company, which started out in the capital and has four sites there – three in Boxparks and the other in Westfield Stratford. Its other locations are in Atria Watford, Lakeside Thurrock and High Wycombe’s Eden shopping centre. It also has an overseas locations in Dubai, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. “Keep your eyes peeled over the next few months for more launch announcements as we continue our dynamic expansion efforts both in the UK and abroad,” a company spokesman said.

French-based Junk Group confirms September launch for debut UK site: Junk Group, the French-based business which operates four brands across France, has confirmed it will make its UK debut in September with an opening in London under its smash burger concept, Junk Burger. Propel revealed in April that the group, founded by Wissem Ben Ammar and Majed Mansour in 2013, had secured the Wonderland site at 49 Old Compton Street, Soho, for the launch. Its menu is focused on “high quality ingredients” including premium brioche buns, locally sourced meat and its Junk sauce (a fusion of ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise and a secret blend of spices). A range of five patties includes the truffle double cheeseburger with house fried onions and homemade truffle sauce, which guests can “elevate” with jalapeños and caramelised onions. There will also be panko chicken bites and a selection of cookies freshly made on site from fellow Junk Group brand, Puffy. “We are thrilled to bring Junk and Puffy to London,” the founders said. “We can't wait to share our passion for smash burgers with the London community. The excitement is palpable, and we are eager to see Londoners embracing our brands. Bringing our chain of street food restaurants to this city has been a dream for us since the start of this journey.” Junk will offer dine-in, delivery and takeaway. The group launched Junk Burger in 2022 and has grown it to seven sites in France. As well as Junk and Puffy, the business also operates the Meatpacking burger brand and gourmet salad brand Phoebe’s Salade.

Bourne Leisure hires David Murdin as CMO of Warner Leisure Hotels: Bourne Leisure, the Haven operator, has hired David Murdin, formerly of Wagamama and Whitbread, as the new chief marketing officer for its Warner Leisure Hotels business. Last September, Propel revealed that Murdin had joined the ETM Group, which operates 18 premium bars, pubs and restaurants in central London, as a non-executive director. At the start of last year, Murdin stepped down as chief marketing officer at Cote. Murdin, who was brand and marketing director at Dunelm, also spent time at Wagamama as its interim customer director and then interim chief marketing officer. Murdin was previously programme director at the Coca-Cola-owned coffee chain Costa. He was also previously Debenhams’ managing director – restaurants, and before that spent six years at Whitbread, first as marketing director for its restaurants and then chief operating officer for brand developments, including the launch of Bar + Block. He will join up with his former boss at Whitbread, Paul Flaum, at the 16-strong Warner Leisure Hotels. Flaum, the former managing director of Whitbread Restaurants, became group chief executive of Bourne Leisure in September 2017.

PizzaExpress to open new Birmingham site: PizzaExpress is set to open a new site in Birmingham, creating 20 new jobs. It will open in the former Craft unit, which featured canalside dining pods for guests, in Brindleyplace, which closed last year. Before that, until 2018, the space was home to Italian restaurant brand Strada, reports Birmingham Live. “We’re excited to announce we will be opening PizzaExpress ICC Birmingham in early Autumn 2024,” a company spokesman said. “It’s a pleasure to be able to expand our presence in the UK’s second largest city, giving more fans the chance to enjoy our ‘proper pizzas’ and delicious dough balls. The new restaurant is being custom designed to provide an unparalleled welcoming, lively and uplifting dining destination for families, dates and mates, as well as the hundreds of thousands of visitors to the ICC each year.” It will be a fourth Birmingham location for PizzaExpress alongside its site at 153-155 High Street in Harborne, plus units within Resorts World and the Bullring shopping centre.

South London operators open fifth site: South London operators Julian Porter and Lauren Johns have opened their fifth site. The duo – who operate Tooting-based brunch spot Juliets Quality Food, Balham’s Milk Cafe, Juliet’s Cafe & Bar in Clapham and bar and restaurant Leo’s in Lower Clapton – have opened bakery Milk Run in the former Love Triangle Pizza unit at 16-18 Ritherdon Road in Tooting Bec. “Our head baker Gladys has been working dawn till dusk to create an amazing selection of Milk-worthy pastries, and perfecting our bread offering so we only have top drawer sourdough on the shelves,” the owners said on Instagram. “Milk Run is a place to grab a really good coffee, delicious pastry and stock up on your essentials. We’re really proud of what we’ve made and we’re beyond excited to show you all.”

Team behind Peter Pizzeria to open third site under coffee shop concept: The team behind independent Leicestershire pizzeria brand Peter Pizzeria is to open a third site under its coffee shop concept, Public & Plants. First launched last year in Loughborough, Public & Plants has since added a second site, in the Leicestershire village of Mountsorrel. It is now gearing up to open a third site later this summer, in Nottingham. Located at Low Pavement, in a grade II-listed building which was previously a bank, the new 3,500 square-foot site will open in August, following a renovation. David Hallam, managing director of Public & Plants, said: “Nottingham has a fantastic independent offering and a lively city centre, filled with professionals, students and families, making it the perfect location for our first site outside Leicestershire. We love to celebrate individuality, which is why each of our sites has a totally unique interior. However, visitors will still find the same fantastic experience many have come to expect from us. Our upcoming Nottingham site is certainly set to be something special, and we can’t wait to welcome locals to our exciting second home later this summer.” Similar to its other coffee shop in Leicestershire, the Nottingham site will be filled with houseplants in handmade pots, from local independent florist The Flower Plant, which will be available to purchase on-site. Earlier this month, Peter Pizzeria also confirmed plans to open a site in Nottingham this summer. Located in Pepper Street, the 2,500 square-foot site is set to launch next month, for the brand’s first location outside Leicestershire. It follows Peter Pizzeria’s sites in Loughborough and Leicester.

Barons Eden reports record revenue and Ebitda as it invests further in facilities: Barons Eden, the luxury hotel and spa group, has reported record revenue and Ebitda during an “excellent year” as the business invests further in its facilities. Revenue at the group, which operates Hoar Cross Hall in Burton-on-Trent and Eden Hall in Newark, increased to £30,780,836 for the year ending 31 December 2023 compared with £29,123,704 the previous year. Adjusted Ebitda was up to £5,995,894 from £5,619,302 the year before. Pre-tax profit was down to £1,060,589 from £3,991,154 the previous year. The company has just opened a new spa terrace at Hoar Cross Hall that includes three spa pools, cold tubs, outdoor sauna, relax room, bar and lounge areas with seating capacity for more than 200 guests. The group entered into new utility contracts in February 2024 that it said will see a further 15% reduction in costs of electricity and gas from April 2025. As previously reported, in June 2023, the group underwent a refinancing of its debt facilities alongside a further £5m loan to support capital projects. In their report accompanying the accounts, the directors stated: “2023 saw the first full year of trading without any covid related disruption enabling the business to return to a normal operating environment. Despite many macroeconomic challenges, both Hoar Cross Hall and Eden Hall had another excellent year reporting record revenue and Ebitda figures. During the period, investment in capital expenditure continued with the refurbishment of existing properties. Key projects included the conclusion of a new spa garden at Eden Hall, which added a 20-metre outdoor hydrotherapy pool, new restaurant, saunarium and relaxation lounge and was completed in May 2023. Also, the completion of a biomass heating solution at Hoar Cross Hall that went live in December 2022 at a total cost of £1.5m. The biomass installation has reduced carbon emissions for heating by 95% and removed reliance of kerosene as the principle source of heating.” A dividend of £1.2m was paid (2022: £1.2m).

Snowdonia hotel owners acquire country pub: The owners of a five-star Snowdonia country house hotel have added a neighbouring country pub to their estate. Anthony and Donna Cooper-Barney, who own Palé Hall at Llandderfel, near Bala, have now purchased The Bryntirion Inn, which is situated at the bottom of the hotel’s drive. The pub will be closed for refurbishment until late August. The pair are also planning to invest in other local ventures to enhance Bala as a tourist destination, reports Insider Media. Dan Tustain, who has been recruited to run the pub, is following in the footsteps of his grandfather, John, who was also landlord of the inn more than 50 years ago. “It’s a beautiful, old, Welsh pub that hasn’t had any investment for around 30 years, which means that it’s dated,” he said. “It’s successful with a good, local trade, but we need to up the game and bring it into the 21st century to realise its full potential. It will remain a local, Welsh pub with competitive prices so that locals don’t feel they are being priced out. We are putting in a new kitchen and upgrading the menu to provide an even better experience for customers.”

South London bakery set to open second branch: South London bakery Chatsworth Bakehouse is set to open a second branch. Sian Evans and Tom Mathews launched the business during the pandemic at 120a Anerley Rd in Crystal Palace, with its limited-edition goods selling out in as little as six minutes and visitors regularly finding themselves in a queue that can last up to two hours at weekends. To help with the crowds, Evans and Mathews acquired a new site at the end of last year and will now open their second site a few doors down, at 116 Anerley Road, reports MyLondon. This followed a successful £20,000 crowdfunding campaign at the start of the year to help fund essential equipment for the new venture. The second premises will operate as a walk-in bakery with a bigger menu and will enable the duo to organise bread-making workshops and pizza evenings. “We’re going to start baking more and experimenting with new loaves and new menu items,” Evans said. “There will be soda bread, baguettes, savoury pies, more sarnies and signature grandma slices.”

Caterer partners with Egyptian TV network owner for café-restaurant in London’s Chiswick: Caterer Sabrina Tolba has partnered with Egyptian TV network owner Alaa El Kahky to open café-restaurant Alaz in Chiswick, west London. Tolba, who owns catering business Alaz Catering, has opened Alaz, meaning “more delicious” in Arabic, at 448 Chiswick High Road. “Egyptians love gatherings over food and entertaining large groups,” Tolba, whose dad ran the Pharoahs restaurant in nearby Teddington, told Hot Dinners. “So this will be like having lots of people over at my house, and I get the chance to cook for them.” Among the dishes on offer will be koshari – Egypt’s national dish, which is a mixture of pasta, fried rice and lentils – and hawashi, which is grilled minced beef with onions and herbs in a crispy folded pita bread. An Egyptian-focused drinks menu includes karkadeh (hibiscus tea) and karak (coffee with cardamon and saffron).