Australian doughnut brand targets nationwide UK expansion, ‘actively developing robust pipeline of future opportunities’: Australian doughnut brand Lena Lu Donuts has told Propel it is targeting nationwide UK expansion and “actively developing a robust pipeline of future opportunities”. Founded by Kym and Kevin Hall, the brand, which originated in Australia and is now based in the Middle East, opened its first two UK locations last month. With a roll out being led by franchise partner Jeremy Bussey, launches within the Primark stores in Lakeside and Watford will be followed this month by a further Primark site, in London’s Oxford Street. Drew Clover, development director at Game Changers Investments, which is overseeing the UK launch, told Propel: “We are absolutely looking to expand beyond the south east. Our vision is to bring Lena Lu to communities across the UK, and we’re confident in the nationwide appeal of the concept. While it’s too early to specify an exact number of stores, we see significant growth potential and are focused on strategically scaling in key regions. In addition to the current projects, we are actively developing a robust pipeline of future opportunities, both in the UK and internationally. We believe that the versatility of the offering makes it suitable for a variety of environments, including shopping centres, standalone sites and high street locations. In addition, we’re activity exploring opportunities in travel hubs such as airports, train stations, service areas, on the go access.” He added: “Jeremy has first refusal for the UK market and his role has been instrumental in the success of the initial launches. He was attracted to partner with Lena Lu due to its innovative dessert concept and the opportunity to integrate it within Primark stores and saw potential in the the brand’s appeal and scalability. Jeremy had a 30-year career in the financial markets before stepping away in 2020, and his first investment into the hospitality industry was in late 2020 through Game Changers Investments, a venture set up during covid by Simon Wright. Jeremy’s partnership with us has been pivotal in expanding our footprint, with these new openings marking another step forward in our collaboration.”

 

Premium Club members to receive two updated databases this week: Premium Club members will receive two updated databases this week. The latest Propel UK Food & Beverage Franchisee Database will be sent out on Wednesday (6 November) at 12pm. It will feature ten new additions plus updates to existing entries. It now has 180 entries and more than 76,000 words of copy. Among the new entries are McDonald’s franchisees Cara Restaurants and Premium Restaurants. The next Propel New Openings Database will then be sent to Premium Club members on Friday (8 November). The database will show the details of 196 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 10,553-word report on the 196 new additions to the database. The database includes new openings in the casual dining sector such as One Steakhouse & Lounge, opening in Hull; Sicilian restaurant concept Compà; and Claro London, with an opening in London. Premium Club members also receive access to four other databases: the Turnover & Profits Blue Book, the Multi-Site Database, the UK Food and Beverage Franchisor Database and the Who’s Who of UK Hospitality. All Premium Clubs members will be offered a 20% discount on tickets to Propel paid-for events including 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.

 

Timothy Taylor CEO – we will not be able to absorb all the chancellor’s new costs, and we won’t be the only ones: Tim Dewey, chief executive of Timothy Taylor, has warned that the Yorkshire brewer and retailer will not be able to absorb all the new costs from the chancellor’s budget – and they won’t be the only ones. He said from the point of view of a medium-sized enterprise turning over more than £30m per annum, “the actions of the new government since taking office, and certainly since last week’s budget, can hardly be considered pro-business or pro-growth”. Dewey said: “How can she (chancellor Rachel Reeves) possibly imagine that a 6.7% increase to the living wage, combined with increases to employers’ national insurance contributions and a reduction in the business rates discount for hospitality, is going to help business? I’m particularly mindful of the already-struggling pub industry, on which we rely to serve the cask ale that makes up 85% of our sales. Last year, I highlighted that the labour bill at our pub, the Woolly Sheep Inn in Skipton, would increase by £43,000 per annum due to the 2023 wage change. We now need to find an additional £49,000 per annum (we pay above minimum wage but need to retain our differentials). We will have no choice but to pass a large proportion of this onto consumers, because to pay for it through turnover, we would have to generate over £2,500 additional sales per week.” In terms of the chancellor’s cut in draught beer duty, he said: “You might think we are a net beneficiary. But this duty reduction is passed straight through to, and expected by, our customers, while as a business, we estimate we will be hit with about £325,000 of increased costs (£172,000 in employers’ national insurance contributions and £153,000 in wages). While Reeves might say things could have been worse in the area of business rates, where the discount was reduced from 75% to 40%, what most people don’t realise is that a pub’s rateable value is based on turnover, and given the way in which costs for pubs have accelerated in recent years, a given turnover no longer produces anywhere near the profit necessary to pay the historic level of rates. Our rates bill at the Woolly Sheep alone will increase by £21,000 per annum.”

 

Pub Governing Body reports high level of compliance in latest audit: The Pub Governing Body has reported a high level of compliance in its eighth annual audit of companies operating up to 499 leased and tenanted pubs in England and Wales. The audit is based on codes of practice published by the Pub Governing Body and covers 1 August 2023 to 31 July 2024. The audit found no referrals were made to either the Pubs Independent Conciliation & Arbitration Service and to the Pubs Independent Rent Review Scheme. Pub Governing Body chairman James Anderson said: “We now have a new government but the economic situation continues to be very difficult for a number of well documented reasons, and the industry continues to face many challenges, some of which are more acutely felt in the tied sector. However, in terms of the partnership approach between landlord and tenant, I believe that this remains strong.” In Scotland, there is a separate body, and in what the fifth audit, there was also a high level of compliance. While two referrals were made to the Pubs Independent Conciliation & Arbitration Service during the period, they were settled before a hearing took place. There were no referrals to the Pubs Independent Rent Review Scheme.

 

Job of the day: COREcruitment is working with a hospitality operator that specialises in large scale events, stadia, sports and music, and is seeking an IT project manager to cover large-scale transformation for six months to a year. A COREcruitment spokesperson said: “There is chance that this role could become permanent due to the development within the industry. The project involves updating the POS across the estate, among other things. This is a huge project that will take technical understanding, great organisation and communication and lots of stakeholder management. Due to the nature of the role, candidates that have IT project management experience in hospitality and stadia would be highly desirable.” The salary is up to £80,000 and the role is based in London. For more information, email hayley@corecruitment.com.

 

TGI Friday’s files for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the US: TGI Friday’s has filed for bankruptcy protection in the US, saying the company still hasn’t recovered from the effects of the covid-19 pandemic as well as its capital structure. The company said in a statement that the chapter 11 filing does not affect its 56 franchisees across 41 countries and will continue normal operations, reports Reuters. “The next steps announced today are difficult but necessary actions to protect the best interests of our stakeholders, including our domestic and international franchisees and our valued team members around the world,” executive chair Rohit Manocha said in the statement. “This restructuring will allow our go-forward restaurants to proceed with an optimised corporate infrastructure that enables them to reach their full potential.” In a filing with the US Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Texas, the company said its assets and liabilities ranged between $100m and $500m. The filing said it affects just the company’s 39 locations in the US. Earlier this year, TGI Fridays secured a deal with UK franchisee Hostmore, its largest global franchisee, to be acquired for $220m. However, Hostmore, which operated around 85 TGI Fridays across the UK, dropped its plans and last month filed for administration amid struggles with its loss-making outlets. The group managed to secure a rescue deal with two private equity groups to buy 51 restaurants, but 35 restaurants closed. As revealed by Propel, Breal Capital and Calveton paid a total consideration of £9.55m to acquire the bulk of TGI Fridays UK out of administration.

 

Vapiano launches smaller format called Vapialino: The McWin-backed Vapiano brand, which currently operates circa 155 sites across 32 countries, including five in the UK, has launched a new “smaller, more accessible format” called Vapialino. The new concept has been “designed to offer the same authentic Italian flavours and quality service, just in a more compact space”, and includes a grab and go offer. The first site under the new format recently opened in Spreitenbach, Bern, Switzerland. The company said it is planning to launch three more sites under the concept by 2025 and a total of 40 within the next five to seven years. It is unclear whether it will be introduced into the UK over time. Sinclair Beecham, the co-founder of Pret, was one of the group investors that backed the new owners of the Vapiano brand when it was acquired in summer 2020. The group of investors, which also included AmRest founder Henry McGovern, backed Mario C Bauer, who was Vapiano’s former head of international franchising, to restart the brand after it filed for insolvency due to liquidity problems following declining sales earlier that year. In March, it appointed Andrew Walker, former chief executive of EAT and ex-managing director of Pret A Manger, as its new chairman.

 

Disco Bowl acquires three Superbowl UK sites, trade up in 2024: Disco Bowl, the family entertainment operator led by Pete Terry and Nigel Blair, has acquired three Superbowl UK centres from QL Partnership for an undisclosed sum. The venues are in Cardiff, Newport in Wales and Warrington in Cheshire. Terry said: “These centres are strategically located and align perfectly with our expansion goals at Disco Bowl. We have long admired QLP's rapid growth in recent years, and these venues are leaders in their local markets. This deal benefits both parties – QL Partnership can concentrate on a more focused portfolio, while we strengthen our presence across the UK.” In the near term, the locations will continue operating under the Superbowl UK brand, but Disco Bowl plans to rebrand them using a new logo, already featured at its Nottingham and Nuneaton sites. Terry added: “While it’s too early to outline specific renovation plans, we’ve had tremendous success with our Scrapyard Golf and Karaoke Box concepts. As our name suggests, we emphasise creating a dynamic entertainment experience. These centres can expect DJ-led events and an upgraded light and sound system, reflecting our signature style across our existing locations. Exciting times are ahead, and we’re eager to take these venues to the next level.” Terry told Propel that trade is up in 2024 “but conversion is difficult because of the cost pressures”. He added once the new sites are bedded in, the business will look to add to its portfolio in 2025. Disco Bowl is privately owned by Blair and Terry. The company, which was formed in 2019, operates the largest bowling alley in the UK, in Nottingham, with 48 lanes, as well as locations in Nuneaton, Chatham, Worcester, Lewisham and Banbury. A new report has been produced by Propel on the fast-growing experiential leisure sector. 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 to Premium Club members. Companies can now have an unlimited number of people receive access to Propel Premium for a year for £995 plus VAT – whether they are an operator or a supplier. The single subscription rate is £495 plus VAT for operators and £595 plus VAT for suppliers. Email kai.kirkman@propelinfo.com to upgrade your subscription.

 

Mary Brown’s Chicken to make its debut in England this week: Canadian quick service restaurant brand Mary  Brown’s  Chicken, known as MB Chicken internationally, will make its debut in England this week. The brand, which has more than 250 locations in Canada, made its UK debut in the spring with the launch of a store in Lisburn Leisure Park in Northern Ireland. It followed that in the summer with a second Northern Ireland launch, within the SSE Arena, formally known as The Odyssey, in Belfast. The brand is now set to arrive in England with a launch in Smithy Lane in Hounslow, west London, on Tuesday, 5 November. Earlier this year, ahead of its UK launch, MB Chicken’s vice-president of international development Dylan Powell told Propel he sees no reason why the brand can’t be bigger here than in Canada, where it currently has approximately 250 restaurants, with the potential to reach more than 500 locations. “We’re working with a multi-unit partner who has 30 units with other brands to open our sites in London and the south,” Powell told Propel. “We have secured a location in Southampton and have offers on sites in Stratford, Central London, Dublin and Leicester. Our goal is to grow in clusters with experienced food and beverage operators. In Canada, we think we can hit 500 stores, and there’s no reason, looking at populations and demographics, why we can’t go that big or even bigger here in the long term – growing as quickly as we can but in a sustainable way and with the right partners.”

 

Claude Bosi set to open second site for neighbourhood French bistro concept: Michelin-starred chef Claude Bosi is set to open a second site for his neighbourhood French bistro concept, Josephine. Bosi and wife Lucy opened the original Josephine earlier this year at 315 Fulham Road in London’s Sloane Stanley Estate. He is now looking to double up the concept with a launch at 6-8 Blandford Street in Marylebone, reports Hot Dinners. Taking over the space that was previously Daylesford Organic, it will offer dishes such as soft-boiled egg in jelly, cheese souffle and French onion soup. Claude Bosi is also behind two Michelin-starred Fulham restaurant, Claude Bosi at Bibendum; Socca, a French-Mediterranean restaurant in Mayfair; and Brooklands, the rooftop restaurant and bar at The Peninsula London. CBRE acted for the landlord and Restaurant Property acted for Bosi.

 

North east multi-brand franchisee looking to open nine new Domino’s before Christmas: North east multi-brand franchisee Racz Group has said it is looking to open nine new Domino’s stores before Christmas. The business – founded in 2004 by Mike Racz, who started out as a Domino’s delivery driver after coming to the UK from Hungary – passed the 60-store landmark with Domino’s earlier this year with an opening in Nunthorpe. It has now opened its latest store, at Unit 2 in Hamsterley Way, Coulby Newham, Middlesbrough. “Another day, another Domino’s store opening,” a Racz Group spokesman said. “We’re thrilled to announce the opening of our brand-new Domino’s in Coulby Newham, Middlesbrough. This marks another fantastic step forward in our expanding business. Here at Racz Group, we’re always looking forward to the next step in our journey. That’s why we’re excited to announce Coulby Newham is just one of nine stores we’re aiming to open before Christmas. Here’s to many more pizzas, new beginnings, and festive openings on the horizon!” Racz Group also owns circa 18 Costa Coffee stores around the Lake District and Cumbria, as well as the Black Olive restaurant and bar in Hartlepool Marina. It also owns three sites for beers and barber concept, Head Quarters, and opened its first Grounded Kitchen franchise in 2022, in Gateshead.

 

Sessions opens tenth SoBe Burger franchise five months after beginning roll out: Sessions, the growth platform for original food brands, has opened its tenth SoBe Burger franchise, just five months after beginning the roll out of the concept into bricks and mortar sites. Sessions, which earlier this year raised a further £3m in funding to aid its growth plans, including the launch of a franchising arm, has launched the latest SoBe in Nottingham. Sessions first started working with the smash burger business in 2021, rolling out the brand to more than 200 delivery sites across the UK, with a million burgers sold in the process. “We’ve officially opened our tenth SoBe Burger franchise site this week, with the latest now serving the good people of Nottingham,” a company spokesman said. “Just five months since we opened our first SoBe franchise, you can now find us in four London locations, as well as Luton, Nottingham, Scotland, Tunbridge Wells, West Byfleet and Wokingham. Not to mention our 200-plus delivery locations. What started as the flagship brand for our licensing model is now leading the way for our original franchise model.” Sessions, which operates a chef-led food hall on Brighton’s seafront, also works with brands such as Ivan Ramen, Little Bao Boy and Patty Guy. Propel revealed in February that Sessions will also be bringing the Ivan Ramen concept, founded by world renowned ramen chef Ivan Orkin, from New York to the UK early next year and rolling it out nationally to more than 50 locations. Sessions has a roster of more than 300 kitchens and has delivered more than 3.5 million orders across its digital and physical platforms.

 

Samyukta Nair to open her first Italian restaurant today: Restaurateur Samyukta Nair, who runs the LSL Capital hospitality group with her father Dinesh, is set to open her first Italian restaurant. She will today (Monday, 4 November) launch Nipotina, an all-day, family-oriented neighbourhood venue in London’s South Audley Street. Turin-born chef Somaia Hammad will lead the kitchen, while Luca Dusi, of Passione Vino in Shoreditch, is behind a wine list featuring small and artisanal producers from across Italy, reports Hardens. “Nipotina” is Italian for granddaughter and is Samyukta’s tribute to her grandfather, CP Krishnan Nair, the late founder of India’s Leela Palace hotel group. She said: “My whole journey has been greatly inspired by my grandparents. Everything I know now, I know through them, so it felt a warm, comforting name.” The founder of restaurants Jamavar, Bombay Bustle, MiMi Mei Fair, Socca and, most recently Koyn – which opened in June – Samyukta said Nipotina is filling a gap in the Mayfair market. “There are many good Italians nearby but most aren’t for dropping in,” she said. “There isn’t really anywhere to go for breakfast in the area, or to go in at about three for a glass of wine with a friend. Where am I going, apart from a hotel or members’ club? I wanted somewhere that felt a lot more relaxed – somewhere casual but still comforting.” Restaurant Property acted on the deal.

 

London social enterprise cafe planning to open more sites and expand catering and wholesale arms: Fair Shot Cafe, a London cafe providing on-the-job training for young people with learning disabilities, has told Propel it is planning to open more sites and expand its catering and wholesale arms. Founder Bianca Tavella opened the first Fair Shot Cafe on Mayfair’s South Moulton Street in December 2021 before moving to a new site in The Yards in Covent Garden owned by Longmartin Properties, the joint venture between Shaftesbury Capital and the Mercers’ Company. In the long term, Tavella would like The Yards site to be a flagship for a network of smaller cafes around the capital. In the short term, she will focus on raising revenue by expanding both the concept’s new catering and events business and its wholesale arm of own-blend coffee, all while continuing to support the ever-growing number of trainees. The cafe is currently six weeks into its fourth cohort and largest yet, with 15 learners. Of last year’s group of 12, eight have so far been placed in employment, aided by the training received at Fair Shot Cafe. “I wanted to make sure we were filling a gap rather than just adding something extra,” Tavella said. “The biggest problems I identified were there being no opportunities for people with learning disabilities to even gain the employability skills to be able to get a job, and employers not having enough support or understanding to become inclusive. We blended the two together to create a perfect model for a sustainable and systematic solution to the unemployment rate. We also wanted to flip the idea of charity on its head and create somewhere where even if there are disabled people working, they can feel independent and have full authority over what they are doing.” Tavella launched Fair Shot’s events and catering business in April and said it is “growing massively”. She said: “Businesses want to fulfil their social objectives and need catering, and you can see the learners’ confidence grow so much. We also started a programme for our graduates where we bring them back to help with external events. We would like to open more sites in the future – I’m hoping Covent Garden will be our flagship, with smaller cafes around London doing smaller cohorts, ideally in offices. But expansion for us is also about catering, events and our coffee wholesale arm, plus advocacy and education workshops, which we’d like to build as well.”

 

Independent hospitality group opens new food hall in Oldham: Independent hospitality group Northern Lights Group (NLG), which is behind live music venue New Century in Manchester, has opened a new food hall in Oldham. NLG, which also operates Wild Tots and Dockyard Immersive in Northwich’s Baron’s Quay and two Dockyard pubs in Manchester, has opened The Egyptian Room in the town’s grade II-listed town hall. It features room for 150 diners and six food outlets. These include Manchester’s Ply Love Pizza, which has moved to the new venue following its closure on Stevenson Square earlier this year, and Caribbean concept Seacoles. Burger and gyros brand The Last Stop is also taking a space, along with Manchester’s Wings of Power, offering fried chicken and fillet burgers. TukTuk, an off shoot of Stockport Cambodian restaurant Kambuja, has also joined, alongside fellow Stockport business Sticky Fingers, offering a selection of cakes and pastries. The Egyptian Room will also feature a bar under the boughs of ‘Egyptian-inspired’ Victorian architecture. In August, NLG also secured a 15-year lease to operate a new food hall in Preston. It will create and run a cocktail bar and four food kiosks, to be let to small businesses, at Animate, the city’s £45m entertainment and leisure complex.

 

West Midlands bakery concept opens fifth site for cafe concept: West Midlands bakery concept, Baked In Brick, has opened the fifth site under its cafe concept, Bakehouse. The outlet has launched in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter, joining outlets in the city’s Broad Street, Sutton Coldfield, Wylde Green and Digbeth, that have all opened in the past two years. Like its other sites, the menu features an array of sandwiches with homemade sourdough and a range of artisanal bread, such as bloomers, rolls, focaccia and tin loaves, freshly made every day. As well as pastries, cakes and baked goods, there is hot food such as soup and toasties. Lee DeSanges, owner and director of the Baked In Brick group, said “We’re so proud to have opened our fifth location. We’re looking forward to Bakehouse becoming part of the Jewellery Quarter community.” Baked in Brick began when Desanges started baking in a converted mini, winning best street food trader in 2016 at the British Street Food Awards.

 

Mark Warburton to open third site for steakhouse concept Cow & Sow next month with Birmingham launch: Entrepreneur Mark Warburton will open the third site for his steakhouse restaurant concept Cow & Sow next month. Warburton launched Cow & Sow in the former Graze restaurant site in Bristol’s Queens Square last year and followed that with an opening in the former Cowshed premises in Whiteladies Road in the city. The concept is joining the Paradise development in Birmingham, and the restaurant will open on Monday, 2 December. The menu features an array of prime cuts, from single servings to sharing steaks, complemented by sides like its signature crispy onion blossom with black garlic dip. Warburton said: “It’s been my dream to expand outside of Bristol and I’ve had Birmingham in my sights for a long time. The city has a thriving dining scene but I’m confident that Cow & Sow will prove ourselves to be a cut above.” Last month, Warburton told Propel that Cow & Sow achieved like-for-like sales growth of 29.5% in the nine months to the end of September and achieved B Corp certification. In July, Warburton brought to an end 40 years of west country operator The OHH Pub Company after selling his last remaining site – The Bear & Swan in Chew Magna.

 

Creams launches first savoury range: Fast-growing dessert parlour operator Creams Café has launched its first savoury range, which it said will “create the opportunity for franchise partners across the business to reach a broader audience and exploit a new daypart”. The new savoury hot pockets range will be available in Creams Café stores nationwide from Wednesday, 6 November, all priced at £6.75 for dine-in and takeaway and £7.75 for delivery. Options include barbecue chicken, spicy sriracha chicken, chicken fiesta crunch and falafel chipotle. Creams chief executive Everett Fieldgate said: “At Creams, we pride ourselves on being a customer-first business, and we are constantly looking at ways we can adapt and innovate in order to meet our customers’ evolving needs. Bringing moments of joy through sweet treats will always be at the very core of our business, but we understand that not everyone wants to start the day with dessert. We can see this in our customers’ behaviour, with most stores experiencing quieter mornings and early afternoons, and then seeing a really clear uplift in diners post-3pm. Taking this on board alongside consumer feedback, we have introduced a new savoury range which we believe will be a true a game-changer, allowing us to welcome customers at new times of the day when savoury might be the preferable choice.” Everett told Propel earlier this year that the operator of circa 100 UK stores was returning to the expansion trail and would be rolling out into new venue types as well as extending its partnership with Tesco. He added that Creams is “holding up well” in an “incredibly challenging” market and will move on the Middle East “at the right time”.

 

North London bakery opens third site: North London artisan bakery, Margot Bakery, has opened its third site. Launched by Michelle Eshkeri in East Finchley in 2016, Margot expanded to a former metalworks at 66 St George’s Road, in Lower Holloway, in 2022. It has now launched site number three, at 373 Archway Road, in Highgate. It offers treats such as sourdough bead, almond croissants and cinnamon buns, reports Hot Dinners.

 

Soul Padel brings in Britain Padel Tour CEO as it prepares for expansion: Soul Padel, the racket sport concept based in the north west of England, has brought in Britain Padel Tour’s chief executive as it prepares for expansion. Soul Padel was founded in November 2023 by Mark Hewlett, who is also the founder of Black 29 Holdings, which is a franchisee in the north for pie and mash restaurant operator Pieminister. Founded with the aim of further spreading take-up of padel across the UK, it currently has a site in Stockport’s George’s Road and is lining up a second, in St Helens. Hewlett earlier this year outlined an initial five-site plan for the concept and appointed consultancy Lamb & Swift to search for sites across the north west. It also secured a six-figure investment, “from one high-net worth individual”, and is planning a second round of funding. In the meantime, it has bought on board Fabian David, who has been Britain Padel Tour’s chief executive since April. “Welcome Fabian David to Soul Padel,” Hewlett said. “I am really excited to announce that Fabian is joining Soul Padel. As the chief executive of Britain Padel Tour, Fabian is pioneering the tournament format here in the UK, with the next major F1 & F2 event taking place in Leeds on 7 December. Fabian will be working closely with our operations team and club manager as we prepare for our expansion. Having recently spent five weeks with M3 Padel Academy in Madrid, we are looking forward to Fabian making an immediate impact at Stockport and beyond.” David is no stranger to hospitality, having founded the Noblesse restaurant in Bucharest, Romania, in 2011, growing the business from five to 90 employees and achieving over €1m in revenue in just 12 months. He came to England in 2016 and spent nine years as chief executive of product research and live training business, AMZ Savages.

 

Best Western operators sell South Yorkshire manor house hotel off £8m asking price: South Yorkshire manor house hotel Hellaby Hall has sold off an asking price of £8m. The Lavin family, who are also behind Best Western hotels in Aston Hall and West Retford, have sold the four-star, 17th century venue to a new operator, known only as the Harrison family. The hotel offers 89 bedrooms, including executive, deluxe and suite options, as well as an award-winning restaurant, bar and lounge, swimming pool, spa and gym. David Lee, regional director – hotels at Christie & Co, who managed the sale, said: “The Lavin family have been excellent custodians of the hotel over the past few years, and we are sure the Harrison family will also enjoy success in running this fantastic full-service hotel business.”

 

Former Gordon Ramsay alumni to take Filipino barbecue concept from pop-up to permanent this month: Former Gordon Ramsay alumni Rex De Guzman is set to take his Filipino barbecue business from pop-up to permanent this month after ten years of honing the concept. De Guzman used to work for Ramsay at Maze in London’s Mayfair before leaving to start up Turo Turo as a street food stall. He will open his first restaurant on Thursday, 14 November in the former Good Neighbour site in Tooting High Street. Dishes will include its signature Grilled Chicken Inasal seasoned with annatto, lemongrass and garlic, sold by the half or quarter, alongside adobo spare ribs and sizzling pork sisig, which is a platter of chopped pork face and ears, seasoned with citrus and chilli. Crafted to cater to groups of eight or more, the Boodle Fight sharing concept showcases a traditional Filipino family feast. Served on a bed of banana leaves without crockery or cutlery, a variety of dishes including beef longganisa, ginger bagoong wings and garlic butter prawns. The food will be complemented by Filipino-inspired cocktails. The restaurant will have 50 covers and a heated terrace. A spokeswoman told Propel there was a possibility of a second site “at some point”.