The Fat Pizza aiming for 180 UK sites by the end of 2026 plus 50 across GCC, trialling dark kitchen pub model: Fast-growing pizza franchise The Fat Pizza has told Propel it is aiming for 180 UK sites by the end of 2026 plus 50 across the GCC, and is trialling a dark kitchen pub model. Founded by Sunny Chhina in Southend, Essex, in 2017, the company has grown to circa 30 sites, with another ten set to open by the end of September. These include locations in Harrow, Slough, Leicester, Cradley Heath and Ashington, while next month will see it make its international debut, in Dubai. “We will be at around 180 by the end of 2026 in the UK, where I expect us to slow down,” Chhina said. “In fact, the next three to four stores will see us take down the signs of competitors and put ours up! We’ve pushed the button – we had been opening one a week but paused during the energy crisis as we couldn’t give a realistic profit and loss. You start out saying yes to everyone, but we say no more often than yes now. We are also opening in Dubai next month and are looking to open 50 stores across the GCC within the next three years on top of the UK growth. India, Canada and the US are next in the pipeline – we should be in India by the end of the year and the others will be 2025. I guess I am not going on holiday anytime soon!” Chhina said The Fat Pizza franchise is delivery-focused but offers all models, including dark kitchens and a new pub concept. “We will be looking to go into existing pub kitchens and we’ve got one as the pilot project, in Southend,” Chhina said. “We could take over a pub, but brewers move a lot slower than we do – we have a turnaround of four weeks. Our model lends itself easily to the concept, and if the pilot goes well, I feel that we may grow faster still!” Chhina has been franchising his business since 2021, having previously been a franchisee himself with Perfect Pizza and Papa John’s. This followed in the footsteps of his parents, who had also been franchisees with Perfect Pizza in the 1990s. During lockdown, he also took the decision to remove the addresses of his restaurants from delivery menus. “We found people wanted to order from their local restaurant, but we had dark kitchens that were closer to them, so we removed the addresses and we saw an uptick in sales,” he added. 

 

Record number of 450-plus booked for Propel Multi-Club Conference and summer party, waiting list in place for operators: A record number of more than 450 people have booked to attend the Propel Multi-Club Conference and summer party next month with a waiting list now in place for operators. The all-day conference takes place on Thursday, 5 September, at the DoubleTree by Hilton Oxford Belfry. The 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. Record numbers are expected to attend, with guests booked into five hotels across the area. Propel has also invested a record amount in entertainment with 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. For the full speaker schedule, click here. Propel managing director Paul Charity said: “This event gets bigger and better each year – this year, attendance will hit a new high and our summer party in the evening promises to be unforgettable.” Operators can email kai.kirkman@propelinfo.com to be added to the waiting list.

 

Videos from Social Media for Profit Masterclass available to buy: The videos from this year’s Social Media for Profit Masterclass have been made available for Propel subscribers to buy. The six videos – totalling three hours and 40 minutes of content – from the social media boot camp provide insights into how to build sales and brands using social media. Led by Mark McCulloch, who has more than 20 years’ brand, marketing digital and social media experience that includes senior positions at Pret A Manger and YO!, the event gives an overview of the latest trends in social media, including the impact of artificial intelligence, the rise of creator content in advertisements, and the growing significance of TikTok Shopping. McCulloch is joined by Alison Battisby, founder and director of social media consultancy Avocado Social, and they also share how to develop a robust social media strategy, engage audiences through experiential storytelling and address the challenge of getting non-marketing stakeholders to believe in the value of social media. The videos are available for £250 plus VAT by emailing: kai.kirkman@propelinfo.com.

 

Next Who’s Who of UK Hospitality to be released today featuring 878 companies: The next Who’s Who of UK Hospitality will be released to Premium Club members today (Friday, 23 August) at midday. The database now features 878 companies and more than 237,000 words of content. The database will feature 85 updated entries and seven new companies. The companies, listed in alphabetical order, will have their most recent results reported as well as broader information around Ebitda, plans and trading style available. The database merges Companies House information, interviews and other public information to provide an easy to reference and exhaustive guide to the sector. Premium Club members also receive access to five other databases: the Multi-Site Database, produced in association with Virgate; the New Openings Database; the Turnover & Profits Blue Book; the UK Food and Beverage Franchisor Database and the UK Food and Beverage Franchisee Database. 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.

 

UKHospitality Scotland warns against increasing proposed visitor levy in Edinburgh after councillors back its introduction: UKHospitality Scotland has warned against increasing the proposed visitor levy in Edinburgh to an “unsustainable” level after city councillors voted to introduce the tax. The levy will apply from 2026 to hotels, B&Bs, self-catering accommodation and rooms and properties let through websites such as Airbnb. A 12-week consultation period will be launched in the autumn, with residents asked whether the 5% charge tabled in the initial proposal should be higher or lower. The Scottish Greens have proposed raising the additional levy to 8%. But UKHospitality Scotland executive director Leon Thompson said: “The visitor levy will increase costs for both visitors and businesses in Edinburgh, and that cost must be kept to a reasonable minimum. It’s concerning that an even higher levy has been proposed than the 5% in the draft scheme. I would urge extreme caution against setting the levy at a level that could tip the balance towards this scheme having a detrimental impact to Edinburgh’s reputation as a leading destination. Business costs to set up and administer the levy will be significant and it’s positive that the council has so far backed a mechanism for businesses to recover their costs.”

 

Job of the day: COREcruitment is working with a luxury boutique hotel in west London that is looking for a sales and marketing manager. A COREcruitment spokesperson said: “The business is seeking an entrepreneurial individual with a passion for the industry. They will drive sales and marketing strategy. Key responsibilities include identifying and growing new business for the property, developing and implementing comprehensive sales and marketing strategies and developing long term customer relationships. Prior experience in sales and marketing for hotels is required.” The salary is £60,000 plus bonus. For more information, email Ed Stevenson ed@corecruitmment.com. 

 

Jamie Oliver Enterprises sees FY turnover boost from new restaurant and book sales: Jamie Oliver’s new flagship London restaurant and the continuing popularity of his recipe books helped boost turnover of the chef’s group during its latest financial year. Jamie Oliver Enterprises, which also includes all of Oliver’s media interests such as TV and digital production and book publishing, reported turnover of £27,070,623 for the year to 31 December 2023 (2022: £23,604,051) while pre-tax profit declined from £5,444,909 to £3,350,523. Sales were boosted by the opening of its new Catherine Street restaurant in central London towards the end of the year. Ebitda stood at £5,215,908 (2022: £6,822,801). The company said its franchise income was £3,650,519 (2022: £3,661,253), while it also reported turnover of £335,983 from its new flagship restaurant during the period. From royalties, endorsements and licensing, the company generated a turnover of £18,365,324 in the year, up from £16,163,325. The company said the main reasons its profit decreased were a rise in operating expenses as a result of an increase in staff costs due to “investment for future growth”, and the additional operating and pre-opening costs of its new restaurant. Turnover from its cookery school increased from £795,283 to £986,433. The company said there had been a “continued strong performance from back catalogue book titles, ongoing revenue flows from our endorsement contracts and our international television content distributor”. An interim dividend of £5m was paid, the same amount as in 2022. The company said it is well-placed for future growth based on a clear track record of new product, a strategy for international development of the Jamie Oliver brand and its international franchise business and realising the value of its “extensive asset base of historic content”. 

 

Popeyes UK opens first non-drive-thru site with ‘park and serve’ option: Popeyes UK, the US fried chicken quick service restaurant brand backed here by TDR Capital, has opened its first non-drive-thru site to feature a “park and serve” option, in Newport, Wales. Located in Newport Retail Park, the site marks the brand’s 18th opening in 2024. Under the “park and serve” option, customers are able to drive to Popeyes and order from the comfort of their car, with to-the-car-door service from the site’s team. Tom Crowley, chief executive at Popeyes UK, said: “With two restaurants across South Wales already, we’re excited to expand further across the country, bringing the mouth-watering taste of New Orleans to an already-bustling food scene in Newport. Expanding in Wales has been key for us since we first landed in the UK. Our recent openings have been some of the biggest to date, not just in the UK but for Popeyes globally, and we are confident that our opening in Newport will prove just as popular.” Last month, Popeyes UK opened its 50th site, in Glasgow’s Sauchiehall Street, and it is set to open a further 15 outlets this year. 

 

Grill Pub Co secures sixth site with seventh in legals, targeting ten-strong estate by 2026: The Grill Pub Co has secured its sixth site, with a seventh in legals, and is targeting a ten-strong estate by 2026, Propel has learned. The Grill Pub Co has acquired The White House Hotel in the Muxton area of Telford for its second venue in Shropshire. The company will close the 31-bedroom hotel at the start of next month and refurbish the ground floor trading area and bedrooms and add a new extension, before reopening in December. It will be the group’s second pub with rooms and takes the total number of rooms operated by the company to 42. Managing director Leon Burton told Propel: “I am thrilled to be welcoming a sixth addition to our group, and our second pub with rooms. We’re excited for our next phase of growth, and I can’t wait to work with our fantastic teams to create and deliver another stunning venue for our guests to enjoy. We are also in legals on a seventh site, in Cheshire, and will therefore be trading seven sites in early 2025, with a view to reaching ten sites by 2026. We still remain open for approaches on external investment to accelerate our growth further.” On trading this year, Burton said: “It has been challenging due to cost pressures, but these are beginning to ease as cost burdens start to level out and energy prices have begun to come down.”

 

TeamSport plans new £2m site in Bicester: TeamSport, Britain’s biggest indoor go-karting operator, is set to open a new site in Bicester, Oxfordshire. The proposed two-level track will be built inside Hangar 137, a 31,000 square-foot, grade-II listed building at the Bicester Motion business park, which is part of Motorsport Valley. The partnership will enable Bicester Motion to invest £4m in the restoration, rejuvenation and conservation of the hangar’s external building fabric and for TeamSport to deliver a new £2m, 500-metre electric go-karting track and centre. A planning application has been submitted to Cherwell District Council for the proposed change of use for e-karting purposes “to deliver a long-term, viable use to facilitate the hangar’s repair and conservation”. Dominic Gaynor, chief executive of TeamSport, said: “Our future talent starts on the go-kart track, and for some time we have been looking to open in Motorsport Valley, surrounded by the many F1 teams. Finding the right place and location were key, and our new home at Bicester Motion is the perfect match.” Daniel Geoghegan, chief executive of Bicester Motion, added: “Being in the heart of Motorsport Valley and home to Motorsport UK’s headquarters, the synergies are clear. Our estate is uniquely placed to offer this new experience and enable us to invest in sensitively restoring our much-loved hangar and secure its health for its second century.” TeamSport trades from 35 sites in the UK, three in Germany and two in the Netherlands. A new report produced by Propel on the fast-growing experiential leisure sector was launched on 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 180 companies, 3,500 sites and a 35,000-word report. The report is available for £595 plus VAT although Premium Club members can receive the report 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.

 

Coqfighter plans Spitalfields opening: Chicken and beer concept Coqfighter is planning to further enhance its presence in London with an opening in Spitalfields. Propel understands Coqfighter is planning to open a new site in Widegate Street. Originally from Melbourne in Australia, Troy Sawyer, Deacon Rose and Tristan Clough moved to London in 2013 and launched Coqfighter in 2015 as a pop-up in The Star By Hackney Downs. From there, they moved on to pop-ups and residencies in pubs across London before opening their own sites. The business currently operates four sites across the capital, including in Soho’s Beak Street, at Boxpark Croydon, and a delivery only outlet in Battersea.

 

Indonesian operator set to launch UK’s first automatic rotary yakitori machine-operated concept: Indonesian operator Jimmy Tjhie is set to launch the UK’s first automatic rotary yakitori machine-operated concept. The 650 square-foot, 20-cover Yari Club will open at 57 St Martin’s Lane in central London on Tuesday, 1 October – marking the first time such a machine has been seen outside Asia. Tjhie, who is from Jakarta, has exclusive rights to the technology in the UK and Europe through his company, Methusellah. Yakitori shops are usually small units specialising in grilled chicken, offering take-out services with some seats. Staff manually load the skewers on to the machine's grabbing arm and diners can watch the machine process their order via a grasp, grill and sauce dipping mechanic – with a wait time of around five minutes from ordering. The menu will offer a selection of eight traditional chicken yakitori dishes as well as a prawn tempura skewer, while larger sides include chicken karaage, vegetable gyoza and corn tempura. Prices start from £2.50 per skewer, three for £6.90 or five for £11.90, while rice boxes are also available, priced at £11.90 or £16.80 for three or five skewers, respectively. Drinks will include a selection of Asian bottled beer, hard seltzers and Jinro soju. “Our aim with Yari Club is to use customer-visible robotics to add a fun and futuristic dynamic to the central London quick service restaurant scene,” Tjhie said. “We hope to see the same enthusiasm as in Asia, where the robots and chefs successfully work side by side. While adding a fun element to the consumer experience, the machine also benefits from low power consumption, takes up a small space, and has a big capacity for production. It is easy to operate and clean and has variable speeds for different types of foods.”

 

Duck & Waffle to open in Dubai for international debut: Duck & Waffle is to open its first international restaurant later this year, in Dubai. The business, which operates sites in London and Edinburgh, will open a 10,000 square-foot restaurant at the Dubai International Financial Centre. Duck & Waffle Dubai will feature a 360-degree, walk-around chef’s bar. The venue will also include a greenhouse dining area with a covered pergola, and, a main focal point, a central radiant dome. Shimon Bokovza, chief executive and founder of Duck & Waffle, said: “Dubai, for me, is one of the most exciting cities on this planet. Its diverse culinary scene and vibrant culture make it the perfect city for our next Duck & Waffle adventure as we look to expand our wings overseas.” Duck & Waffle will be joined at the Innovation Hub in Dubai by the Richard Caring-backed Sexy Fish, which is also opening later this year.

 

Heartwood Inns lines up third pub with rooms opening: Heartwood Collection, the Alchemy Partners-backed business, will open its third pub with rooms – the White Hart, Lewes – on Tuesday, 1 October, with the company on track to have more than 175 rooms open by the end of the year. The 23-bedroom site will open having undergone a significant refurbishment in line with its listed building status. The inn, once frequented by Thomas Paine, will include a dining room that leads on to a terrace with views of the South Downs. It will be Heartwood Inn’s third pub with rooms, joining The White Horse in Dorking, Surrey, and The Ropemaker in Emsworth, Hampshire. The group will also be opening two more pubs with rooms before the end of the year – The Coat & Bear in Newbury, Berkshire; and The Royal Forest in Epping Forest, Essex. A further two are already confirmed to open in 2025 as part of the group’s plans to grow the estate to more than 60 sites and in excess of 500 bedrooms by 2027. Richard Ferrier, chief executive of Heartwood Collection, said: “The team is excited to share the refurbishment of the pub with the Lewes community, who have been really supportive of our endeavours and to showcase what Lewes has to offer for visitors to the area.” Last week, Propel revealed that Heartwood had acquired two further sites from Whitbread – The George & Dragon in Marlow, Buckinghamshire, and the Red Lion in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire. This follows deals with Whitbread for the Royal Forest and The Manor Inn, in Godalming, Surrey.

 

Caravan opens debut regional site: Caravan, the restaurant, bar and coffee-roasting concept, has opened its first regional site, in Manchester. The company, which operates seven eponymous sites across London, plus a flagship roastery, and the restaurant Vardo in Chelsea, has opened in the St John’s area of Manchester. The company said the site “promises an all-day (and night) cocktail bar, private dining and event spaces, an outdoor terrace (coming in 2025) and a record room for vinyl selectors, with a stunning New Zealand-inspired design”. Laura Harper-Hinton, co-founder of Caravan, which became a certified B-Corp earlier this summer, told Propel in March that the business had begun discussions on funding options for 2024-25 and said further regional locations were definitely on the cards, alongside other London locations. The business had started discussions with Ashcombe Advisers about “what funding options we may have for the business in 2024-2025”.

 

Japanese concept set to make UK debut today, eyes further expansion here: Japanese concept Japami is set to make its UK debut today (Friday, August 23), ahead of planned expansion across the country in early 2025. It will open in Nottingham’s Victoria Centre, sharing a 1,800 square-foot space with a new branch of Thai Express, which is launching the same day. Japami offers “a modern twist on Japanese cuisine” including its signature sushi tacos – fusing traditional tacos with fresh, premium sushi ingredients. Thai Express, meanwhile, will be making its Nottingham debut for its eighth UK site overall – offering dishes such as pad Thai and green curry. The unit will be split into distinct zones for the two businesses. Uzma Ullah Pattani, operations director of SUPR Group, said: “We identified Victoria Centre as a key location to introduce Japami and expand Thai Express’s footprint in the UK. The centre’s dynamic environment and broad customer base provide the perfect conditions for these brands to thrive. With fresh ingredients and fast preparation, we are confident that our offerings will resonate well.” Thai Express has more than 200 locations worldwide and was brought to the UK in 2012 by husband-and-wife team Uzma and Sachin Pattani, launching their first store in Guildford, Surrey.

 

Chick-fil-A plans to launch streaming service: US fast-food brand Chick-fil-A plans to launch a video streaming service, which is expected to focus on “family-friendly” content and include original TV shows. According to reports in the US, Chick-fil-A is in discussions to licence and acquire content but is also working with numerous “major production companies, including some of the studios” to make family shows. It has also reportedly recruited TV show producer Brian Gibson to head programming. Chick-fil-A is reportedly particularly interested in unscripted shows. The brand has a budget “in the range of $400,000 per half-hour” for unscripted content, the reports said. Chick-fil-A is already looking to licence an unnamed “family-friendly game show” from the production company that makes The Wall, a Chris Hardwick-hosted trivia game show that airs on NBC. It has also reportedly ordered ten episodes of an unnamed show from Sugar23. The production company has experience producing shows for streaming services like Netflix and Apple TV+. Propel revealed in April that Chick-fil-A, which has targeted 2025 for a relaunch in the UK, is understood to have secured a site in Kingston-upon-Thames, as it starts building its opening pipeline here. The brand, which has more than 2,800 restaurants in the US, Canada and Puerto Rico, is believed to have acquired the freehold of the HSBC site in Eden Street/Clarence Street in the south west London borough. The company is understood to have retained property firm Newmark Group to help it with its expansion in the UK.

 

Travelodge aiming for 50% of estate to have upgraded cafes by year end, first-half saw resilient consumer demand: Travelodge, which operates more than 600 hotels across the UK, Ireland and Spain, has said it is aiming for around half of its estate to be refitted with modern rooms, upgraded bar cafés in the new 85 Bar Cafe design and new style receptions by the end of this year. Jo Boydell, Travelodge chief executive, said: “We continued to invest in our accelerated refit programme, upgrading our estate to next generation rooms, with our ongoing multi-channel advertising campaign promoting the transformation. This is already showing positive customer and commercial benefits, and we will have upgraded 50% of our room estate by the end of 2024. We remain focused on expanding and optimising our portfolio of increasingly well-invested, well-located hotels. In the UK, we acquired 66 Travelodge-branded hotels on a freehold basis from LXi REIT, and so far this year, have opened five new hotels. Spain remains a key growth market for Travelodge, with the acquisition of five hotels from Louvre Group, agreement to acquire one further hotel and deals signed for three new builds in San Sebastian, Cadiz and Alicante.” It comes as Travelodge reported revenue increased 1.7% to £486.7m for the six months ended 30 June 2024 (2023: £478.7m), “reflecting resilient customer demand”. It said UK revenue in the third quarter to date is modestly below 2023 levels, with regional performance steady, offset by weaker London performance, in line with the wider midscale economy hospitality segment. Boydell said: “We were encouraged by improving trends during July, with UK revenue ahead of 2023 in that month. Forward bookings are also positive, with booked revenue to the end of the year ahead of 2023 levels at this point, driven by strong event demand. Our strong financial position, combined with our affordable proposition and diversified, increasingly well invested hotel network, position us well for long-term growth.”

 

Shepherd Neame unveils first pizza wagon: South east brewer and retailer Shepherd Neame has unveiled its first pizza wagon, offering handmade sourdough pizza to eat in or take away at its pubs. The wagon, titled Little Tom due to its tomato-red colour, has been adapted to incorporate a bespoke pizza oven along with fridges for the ingredients, and two hatches for the team to serve customers. Little Tom is currently situated at the Ship and Trades in Chatham Maritime. It will then be moving to The Limes in Faversham, where it will be open during the Hop Festival weekend from Saturday, 31 August to Sunday, 1 September. All pizzas are made fresh to order, using handcrafted sourdough bases. Sang Nguyen, Shepherd Neame’s head of food, said: “Pizza is always a popular choice with our customers, and now the Little Tom pizza wagon can allow us to offer fresh, handmade pizzas at any of our pubs and hotels. Our teams have been trained in making the perfect sourdough for the base, and we are using the finest ingredients, locally sourced wherever possible for the toppings. We have seen a great reaction to the wagon, which is a real talking point wherever it goes.”

 

Award-winning chef Aiden Byrne reveals plans for new fine-dining restaurant: Award-winning chef Aiden Byrne, who was the youngest chef to win a Michelin star at the age of just 22, is planning to open a new fine-dining restaurant in Knutsford, Cheshire. Taking to social media, Byrne said that he and his wife Sarah plan to launch a crowdfunding campaign to develop the former site of Japanese fusion restaurant, Kampai Sushi Bar and Grill, in the town. They plan to reopen the circa 30-cover site, which is housed in a grade II-listed 300-year-old building, under the name Li-Ly, by the end of October. The crowdfunding campaign will start at the end of this month, running for a month, and will offer rewards including a table of two for a six-course lunch menu, a place at the launch night event and a cookery masterclass and lunch. Byrne said: “We’ve got a pot of money, but upon closer inspection, we’ve now realised that there’s a lot more work to be done than we initially anticipated. We’d really appreciate it if you could get involved in the journey.” In the spring, Byrne announced he was to leave The Church Green gastropub in Cheshire, which he had run for the past 16 years. Byrne, who ran Manchester House for seven years and went on to launch the restaurant at 20 Stories when it first opened in Manchester, operated The Church Green with his wife in the village of Lymm. 

 

Bow Hospitality makes Edinburgh debut for 12th site overall: Scottish operator Bow Hospitality has opened its 12th site and first in Edinburgh. “Pacific-fusion” bar and restaurant Cabo has opened in the former Superico site at 99 Hanover Street. The company, which was founded in 2001, is owned by the Bowman family and currently operates 11 sites across Scotland, including seven in Glasgow. A menu that features Baja Californian, Japanese and Mexican cuisines includes sharing ceviche platters, hand-pressed soft shell tacos, and 80-day dry-aged Millers of Speyside Scotch steak. Following an all-day dining offering, the space transitions into a late-night bar hosting DJ sets from Thursday to Sunday. Daryl Knox, operations manager at Bow Hospitality, said: “We’re delighted to bring our first venue to Edinburgh and can’t wait for the capital to experience what we have been working so hard on. The elevated menu is exceptional and we’re really proud of what we’ve achieved with both the design and the menu offering.”

 

Diageo appoints MD of Scottish whisky tourism business: Diageo has appointed Dafydd Pugh Williams as the managing director of its Scottish whisky tourism business. With more than 17 years’ experience in the drinks sector, Williams has held a variety of key commercial, marketing and retail roles both in the UK and globally during his time initially at AB-InBev and, for the past 13 years, at Diageo. In 2023, Diageo welcomed more than 1.1 million visitors across its 12 Scottish brand homes. Diageo’s brand homes are a diverse mix of visitor experiences across Scotland including Talisker on Skye, Lagavulin on Islay, Oban, The Singleton at Glen Ord and Edinburgh’s Johnnie Walker Princes Street. Williams said: “Scotch whisky creates economic opportunities across Scotland. It’s an honour to be leading our work in making Scotch whisky an even more exciting and vibrant experience for our guests and powering the Scottish economy. Breaching the one million visitor threshold for the first time in 2023 is an amazing achievement, but it isn’t the summit of our ambitions. My aim in this role is to grow whisky tourism in Scotland and responsibly grow our brands.”

 

Norfolk operators secure lease for third pub: Norfolk operators Rick and Felicity Malt have secured the lease for their third pub. The husband-and-wife team already run The White Horse Inn in Neatishead and The Lion in Thurne. They have now taken on the lease of the Pleasure Boat Inn in Staithe Road, Hickling, which i the Norfolk Wildlife Trust (NWT). The trust purchased the pub and surrounding land in 2023 as part of its vision for the Hickling Broad and Marshes. NWT chief executive Eliot Lyne said he believed the trust was the first nature charity to invest in a pub. “Investing in a popular local pub will allow us to create new ways to introduce people to the nature, landscape and wildlife of Hickling, including walking routes and a growing programme of boat trips from Staithe, and a new source of income to support our work,” he added. Tom Nichols, of Everard Cole, which acted for NWT on the leasing, added: “It has been a pleasure to be part of such a bold strategy by the trust to acquire and refurbish The Pleasure Boat Inn, which has recognised and value the important role that pubs can play in communities.” The 3,934 square-foot pub, which also has three bedrooms, was let for £40,000 per annum, exclusive of rates and VAT. It offers 85 internal covers and 100-plus outside in a large garden facing The Broads.

 

Freehold investment of Laine Pub Company site in Brighton reduced to £4.5m: The freehold investment of the North Laine Brewhouse, a four-storey property located at the corner of Gloucester Place and Gloucester Street in Brighton, has been reduced from £5m to £4.5m. This reflects a revised net initial yield of 5.64%, or a rate of £226 per square foot (excluding the manager’s flat). The property, being marketed by Fleurets, currently trades under The Laine Pub Company, which operates 56 pubs made up of a mixture of freeholds and leaseholds sites. These are mainly located in Brighton (33 pubs), London and Birmingham. The company is a wholly owned indirect subsidiary of Punch Pubs. The current vendor, Gloucester Enterprises, took a 20-year lease on the Gloucester Nightclub and Gloucester Mansions in 1989. The freehold was purchased in 2000, and almost immediately, the club was leased to the current tenant, which still has it operating as the North Laine Brewhouse. The freehold offers a ground, basement and unit occupied by Laine Pub Company (rent £135,000 per annum) and eight flats above on assured shorthold tenancy agreements (rent £118,800 per annum), with potential for rental growth on residential units and development opportunity on the rear of the site. Nick Earee, divisional director of Fleurets south, said: “This adjustment to £4.5m makes the North Laine Brewhouse an even more compelling investment. Given its historic value, strategic location and the potential for both rental income and future development, we anticipate strong interest.”