M&B paid £21m in total for Ego, five sites converted to brand so far have doubled sales, Miller & Carter has its mojo back: Mitchells & Butlers (M&B) paid £21m in total to acquire the Mediterranean-inspired business Ego, Propel has learned. Last summer, M&B completed the acquisition of the remaining 60% stake in 3Sixty Restaurants, owners of Ego Restaurants, for £17m, having acquired the initial 40% stake in August 2018, for £4m. It comes as Phil Urban, chief executive of M&B, said the integration of the Ego brand was making good progress, with average sales doubling in five of the company’s existing sites post conversion. The company currently operates 31 sites under the Mediterranean-inspired brand. Urban said: “The process of integrating Ego is making good progress, with all sites having now moved on to our systems and processes. We have started to leverage the brand internally and have converted five existing sites to the Ego offer, with average sales doubling following conversion. We anticipate conversion of a further five to ten sites in FY 2025.” Last May, M&B completed the acquisition of Pesto Restaurants, which delivers an Italian tapas offer across its ten-strong estate. M&B said the consideration for Pesto will be determined over two payments and partly contingent on future performance of the business. It will be no more than £15m. The company said: “Pesto contributed £8m to revenue and £1m to the group’s operating profit for the period between acquisition date and the balance sheet date. If Pesto Restaurants had been included as a subsidiary since the start of the financial period, it would have contributed £20m revenue and £2m to the group’s operating profit.” On expansion of the concept, Urban told Propel: “We are trying to get the first one (new site) signed off via the board, but they're doing very well.” Urban said the two strongest performing brands in FY24 were the circa 125-strong Miller & Carter and circa 80-strong Nicholson’s. Urban said: “Last year, Toby Carvery and Nicholson's were the standout performers. All the UK businesses did well, but this year Miller & Carter has gone off like a steam train – back at the front of the pack. It was never a poor performer, but for 18 months, the team there was sort of feeling sorry for themselves, because it wasn’t top of the pile. It’s got its mojo back and we’re expecting a very good Christmas for the brand.” Budget has left us with £10m of costs we weren’t expecting – see Industry News

BrewDog chief retail officer Lisa Buckley among speakers at Restaurant Marketer & Innovator European Summit, open for bookings: Lisa Buckley, chief retail officer at BrewDog, will be among the speakers at the Restaurant Marketer & Innovator European Summit. Buckley will be part of a panel led by Propel group editor Mark Wingett that also features Satnam Leihal, chief executive at Boparan Restaurant Group, Graham Hall, chief development officer at Drake & Morgan, and Tas Gaitanos, co-founder of Brother Marcus, talking about their market outlook, focuses for 2025 and where they’ll be looking to innovate and evolve their brand. Restaurant Marketer & Innovator European Summit is returning for its seventh edition, and tickets are now on sale. The event is a partnership between Propel and Think Hospitality, aiming to build a community, promote the sharing of ideas, recognise talent and define the future of eating out. Bookings are now open for the two-day conference as the centrepiece of the January event series, taking place on 21 and 22 January at One Moorgate Place in London. The conference will focus on technology, marcomms strategies, proposition, brand building, the latest market insights, digital developments and diversification of revenue streams. It is designed for customer-focused chief executives, senior marketers, technology and innovation teams, as well as investors wanting to better understand the latest marketing, innovation and development opportunities to build market share and grow. For the full speaker schedule, click here. The pre-Christmas early-bird prices are as follows: a one-day ticket for operators is £295 plus VAT while a two-day ticket is £550 plus VAT. Supplier tickets are £395 plus VAT for one day and £700 plus VAT for two. Propel Premium Club members receive a 20% discount. To book, email kai.kirkman@propelinfo.com.

Premium Club members to receive updated segmented Multi-Site Database tomorrow featuring 556 café bakery operators: Premium Club members are to receive the updated Multi-Site Database tomorrow (Friday, 29 November). The next Propel Multi-Site Database provides details of 3,291 multi-site operators and is searchable in seven main segments. The database features 968 (29%) operators from the casual dining sector, 788 (24%) pub and bar operators, 556 (17%) cafe bakery operators, 450 (14%) quick service restaurant operators, 270 (8%) hotel operators, 206 (6%) experiential leisure operators and 54 (2%) fine dining operators. The database is updated each month, and this edition includes 31 new companies. The database includes new companies in the café bakery sector such as Welsh café concept Haystack, Georgian bakery and café brand Entrée and Chinese tea brand Heytea. Premium Club members also receive access to five additional databases: the New Openings Database, 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 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.

M&B chief executive – Budget has left us with £10m of costs we weren’t expecting: Phil Urban, chief executive of Mitchells & Butlers (M&B), has told Propel the Budget left the company with £10m of costs its wasn’t expecting and the business will “probably have to go harder to cover the latest cost increases”. Urban said: “For us the unexpected was undoubtedly the lowering of the threshold on employers’ national insurance contributions – that in itself has hit us by £23m. But there were also things in the Budget that were more benign – the rise in the living wage was slightly lower than we expected and there was the cut in beer duty. We forecast a circa 5% of cost base to total circa £100m this financial year – we previously expected £90m of cost headwinds. So it's going to be £10m of costs we weren’t expecting, and we've now got to mitigate that. We can spend a lot of time feeling sorry for ourselves, but if you think about recent years – we've had the energy headwinds, we've had the food cost headwinds – it's just another chunk of cost. We will go about mitigating it in the same way. Firstly, with our Ignite programme – which looks at a wide range of management improvement initiatives – we are reviewing all those things to see whether we can go harder and faster. Then there’s our capital programme – we got a very strong return on investment last year, 37% from our remodel programme. We’ve got a bigger programme this year, plus the roll over from the programme we did last year, so that will go some way in helping. We've had a good start to the year (which began in September), and we're hoping for a strong Christmas. So, by the time we get to January, and those cost increases are still four months away, the world could look quite different. Plus, we assume most of our suppliers will also have been impacted by the Budget so they undoubtedly will try and pass some of their costs on to us. Once we know all of that, price will be the last lever. Of course, everybody else will be looking at price too. But we'll do what we always do – a market review and see how we are relative to our competitors. We will then take a view on what we need to do to balance the books.” 

Takeaways back in growth as restaurants' at-home orders rise again in October: Britain’s leading restaurant groups have extended a long run of inflation-beating growth in delivery and takeaway sales with a like-for-like increase of 4.8% in October, CGA by NIQ’s Hospitality at Home Tracker shows. Year-on-year trading has been well above the rate of inflation as measured by the consumer prices index in every month of 2024 so far, though October’s figure is a slight softening from 6.0% in September. Total delivery and takeaway sales – including from sites opened in the last 12 months – rose by 14.2%. The latest edition of the tracker also highlights a modest revival in the value of takeaway and click-and-collect sales, which have been on a downward trend for several years as more consumers opt for delivery to their doors. They rose 1.4% in October – a third consecutive month of like-for-like growth. Nevertheless, deliveries continue to outpace pick-up sales with a 6.5% increase last month. While at-home revenue growth is partly being driven by increased prices, the tracker shows an uptick in the volume of orders. Restaurants’ total delivery orders last month were 9.2% higher than in October 2023, while takeaway and click-and-collect orders climbed 11.8%. Karl Chessell, CGA by NIQ’s director – hospitality operators and food, EMEA, said: “Growth has been running well above the rate of on-site sales throughout the year, which suggests some consumers are seeking to save money by ordering in rather than going out. Their confidence is likely to remain under pressure for some time, and the recent Budget has delivered a major blow to optimism in hospitality – but restaurants will be keeping everything crossed that festive celebrations unlock much-needed extra spending in both channels in the crucial final weeks of the year.” 

Reducing energy waste saves seven operators combined £3.9m as sector urged to cut Budget costs through climate action: Reducing energy waste has helped seven operators save a combined £3.9m – an average of £3,600 per site, according to new data. Zero Carbon Services, which specialise in working with hospitality operators to reach net zero, has highlighted how operators can unlock cost-cutting opportunities through climate action and help mitigate rising costs from the Budget. Mark Chapman, chief executive of Zero Carbon Services, said: “The Budget and the impacts of climate change are increasing cost pressures on the sector. The work we’re doing with our clients to take credible climate action, from energy saving to ingredient switches and waste reduction, can mitigate the impacts by cutting carbon and costs. This proves that sustainability isn't just good for the planet – it’s good for business.” Zero Carbon Services works alongside the Zero Carbon Forum, a not-for-profit representing one-third of the hospitality sector, to demonstrate how climate action can unlock cost-saving opportunities while building resilience and enhancing brands. Over the last 12 months, Zero Carbon Forum has welcomed 21 new members. This brings the total membership to 74 and represents 35,000 sites. The new members include Red Engine, The Tollemarche Arms, Mission Kitchen, Wells & Co, Family Adventures Group, Faber, Gipsy Hill Brewing, Best Western, Thornbridge Brewery, Flat Iron, Rosa’s Thai, Popeyes, National Trust, Hollywood Bowl, F1 Arcade, Colicci and Stewart Brewing. 

Government announces ambition for 50 million annual visits to UK: A new ambition for the UK to welcome 50 million international visitors per year by 2030 has been announced by the government, as part of its plans for the country to remain one of the most visited worldwide, driving economic growth. In a speech at the Tourism Alliance conference in London, tourism minister Sir Chris Bryant set out the government’s plans for the tourism sector to be an integral part of its growth mission. A new Visitor Economy Advisory Council, co-chaired by the minister, will be established that will see industry and government work together to kickstart this next stage of growth for the sector. The council will work towards the creation of a National Visitor Economy Strategy, which will be launched next autumn and map out plans to support the growth of the tourism industry. The government said that growth in the tourism industry beyond London will be at the heart of this strategy. The UK attracted 38 million visitors last year. Before the pandemic in 2019 that figure was 41 million. Sir Chris said: “We need to complement London and Edinburgh with stronger regional destinations – where people visit in their own right and stay and spend money because they know about the full range of attractions at those destinations – the heritage, the arts, the music, the pubs and restaurants. Too many of my predecessors have seen tourism as a nice thing to have and not a priority. I don’t. I see it as an essential part of our economy, worth £74bn and 4% of GVA with a huge potential for growth. We are good at this and can be even better if we work together. I want us to have a ‘holistic’ approach to tourism where we will be looking at every element from a visitor’s arrival at the airport to buying a ticket for a music gig or finding a restaurant or catching a train.”

JKS’ Ambassadors Clubhouse and Jason Atherton’s Sael among 23 new additions to Michelin Guide: Ambassadors Clubhouse, the Indian venue opened by JKS Restaurants in London’s Mayfair in August, and Jason Atherton’s Sael venue in the capital are two of 23 new additions to the Michelin Guide. They are joined by six other restaurants in the capital – Anthony Demetre’s British concept Bistrot at Wild Honey, Joe Mercer Nairne and David O’Connor’s seafood focused Cornus, Abby Lee’s Malaysian venue Mambow, south east Asian restaurant Nanyang Blossom, French-inspired Paulette and Asian focused YiQi. Elsewhere in England, brothers Ryan and Craig Blackburn, who run the Michelin-starred Old Stamp House in Ambleside, have seen their second venue in the Lake District town, The Schelley, added to the guide. Also now included is seafood restaurant Guildhall Tavern in Poole in Dorset, The Peacock Inn in Chelsworth in Suffolk, Vetch in Liverpool and Greek restaurant Yamas in Looe in Cornwall. In Scotland, Malaysian restaurant GaGa in Glasgow, Ardfern in Leith, Mingary Castle in Kilchoan, Sotto in Edinburgh and The Dining Room at Boath House in Nairn were new additions. The sole new entry in Wales was The Links in Tenby and in Northern Ireland, Saga in Belfast, has been added. In Ireland, there were three new entries – Landline in Kenmare, Japanese concept Matsukawa in Dublin and Indian focused Rare in Kinsale.

Job of the day: COREcruitment is working with a long-standing client on an in-house solicitor role. A COREcruitment spokesperson said: “With a portfolio of clients and suppliers, this role will offer variety, progression and the chance to join a small, friendly team. With processes and procedures fully embedded in the business, including a suite of precedent contracts, and a playbook, the role involves working with three other lawyers with significant contact with senior managers and directors on a variety of commercial and legal work in a fast-paced environment.” The salary is up to £70,000 and the position is based in Cheshire. For more information, email sheilla@corecruitment.com. 

Merlin Entertainments CEO to step down: Merlin Entertainments chief executive Scott O'Neil is to step down after two years in the job. O'Neil, a former boss of the Philadelphia 76ers basketball team, is to leave Merlin at the end of the year to take an undisclosed role elsewhere, reports Sky News. Fiona Eastwood, who oversees Merlin’s Midway attractions business – which includes Sealife, Madame Tussauds and Dungeons in 23 countries as well as resort theme parks within the UK and Europe – will be appointed interim chief executive while a permanent successor is identified, insiders said. O'Neil replaced Nick Varney as chief executive in late 2022. Last week, Merlin unveiled plans to open a series of Minecraft-themed parks in conjunction with the owners of the video game. Merlin also plans to open a Legoland in Shanghai next year, which will be its first in China and the biggest in the world. Merlin is owned by private equity firm Blackstone and a vehicle owned by the family behind the Lego empire and Canada’s largest pension fund. Last year, it saw record group revenue, up 8% to £2.1bn, and adjusted Ebitda of £662m. Merlin declined to comment.

Dutch gym franchise’s UK master franchisor targets 500 sites here: Niri Patel, the UK’s master franchisor for Dutch gym franchise fit20, has targeted opening 500 sites here. The brand was founded in the Netherlands in 2009 by Walter Vendel and has since grown to more than 170 gyms in 14 countries, including 14 in the UK. “The UK is fit20’s fastest growing market, and within the UK, fit20 is the fastest growing micro boutique fitness studio brand,” said Patel. “We’ve experienced 100% growth this year. We want to transform peoples’ lives by opening 500 fit20 studios across the UK. Opportunities also exist for in-company studios in organisations. Our brand is ideal for people aged 40-plus, especially those with busy lifestyles, those who dislike the traditional gym setting, retirees wanting to stay active and independent, and individuals who need personal supervision for health or motivational support.”

Group behind Turquoise Kitchen plans to have at least 30 sites by end of 2025: The group behind the Turkish restaurant concept Turquoise Kitchen and Turkish concept Turkuaz plans to open at least a further six sites next year, as it lines up its latest opening in Hornchurch, Essex. The business, which is led by Cevdet Mutlu, has secured the former Wildwood site in Hornchurch High Street, for an opening under its Turquoise Kitchen format next month. It will be the 24th opening for the group, after the opening of a Turkuaz Social site in Horsham, West Sussex, earlier this autumn. The company said the concept “combines a superb dining experience with entertainment for everyone to enjoy”. It said: “Turkuaz Social will offer customers a trailblazing, modern environment with darts and modern virtual reality games. This will be combined with their exceptionally high-quality food, cocktails and a special selection of craft ale and beer.” The group plans to have more than 30 sites trading by the end of 2025, through a combination of openings across its different concepts. Turquoise Kitchen is represented by Mark Hiller, of DMR, while Brandon Elmon, of Genius1 Group, acted on the Hornchurch deal.

Loungers lines up Swansea site for Cosy Club: Café bar operator Loungers has secured a site in Swansea for its Cosy Club brand, Propel has learned. The Nick Collins-led business has taken space in the city’s Exchange Buildings' ground floor, with an opening scheduled for the first half of 2025. Last month, Propel revealed that Loungers, which currently operates 36 Cosy Club sites across the UK, is looking to open a site in The Oracle scheme in Reading’s Minster Street. Cosy Club, which is led by Lucy Knowles, opened its latest site in the summer, on the former Pitcher & Piano site in Sheffield’s Holly Street. In September, Loungers group manager Justin Carter said Cosy Club could eventually grow to up to 80 sites, while in July, Loungers chairman Alex Reilley said it is “time for the brand to further distance itself from Lounge and assume a slightly more premium position on the high street”. Loungers anticipates opening one or two Cosy Clubs per year on an ongoing basis. Last week, the company opened the fourth site under its Brightside roadside dining concept at the Ram Jam services in Rutland. Loungers opened its 240th Lounge (and 280th overall site) in Tynemouth this week. Durano Lounge is located in Grand Parade in a Victorian building built as an indoor rolling-skating rink and was most recently the home of a toy museum. To the rear is a terrace overlooking Long Sands Beach.

Honest Burgers to launch new QSR format Smash + Grab next month: Honest Burgers, the Active Partners-backed business, will launch its new quick service restaurant (QSR) format focused on smash burgers next month, at its Liverpool Street site in London, under the name Honest Smash + Grab, with plans to open more in 2025. The 39-strong business, which last month revealed it is aiming to quadruple in size by 2030, said the new concept is supported by the crowdfunding campaign it carried out at the end of 2023, which raised almost £2.7m. The company said: “Honest Smash + Grab will open in December offering the same Honest quality at pace and exceptional value for money. We’re opening a QSR dedicated to smash burgers. We are transforming Honest Burgers Liverpool Street restaurant into Smash + Grab, which combines Honest’s high standards with speed and convenience to get your burgers quickly. There will be a wider range of smash burgers built around the hugely popular [Smashed burger] we have been serving for the last two years at Honest. Smash + Grab features a menu using the highest quality British ingredients at excellent value. The smashed range includes new burgers including the Smash BBQ, Smash Hot and ‘Smash Tribute’, all homemade with beef from Honest’s butchery and an optional side of our famous rosemary salted chips. Smash + Grab will also offer our popular buttermilk fried chicken, and a new smashed Plant Burger. Other new additions include loaded chips, fried chicken tenders, as well as milkshakes. We’re taking all the great things about Honest and smashing them together with everything people love about getting food fast, on-the-go. We’re excited about unleashing Smash + Grab, and look forward to opening more next year.” Last month, the company reported like-for-like sales growth of 11%, hitting £30m in revenue in the first half of 2024.

Freemans Event Partners – expanding the representation of well-known high-street brands is becoming increasingly important: Freemans Event Partners, the UK-based global multi-service event partner, has told Propel that expanding upon the representation of well-known high-street brands across its portfolio of event and venue partners is something that is becoming increasingly more important and it is in conversations with a number of brands about “launching their operation at events in 2025”. The company currently works with the likes of Costa Coffee, German Doner Kebab and West Cornwall Pasty Co. Jason Mumby, client and strategy director at Freemans Event Partners, told Propel: “One of the first high-street brands we partnered with was the West Cornwall Pasty Co, a relationship that has blossomed over a multi-year period. These brands are baked into our day-to-day lives, and the presence of them at major, flagship venues provides spectators with an element of familiarity and heightened expectation. We are in conversations with a number of brands about launching their operation at events in 2025.” Mumby said that increased demand for branded coffee is a trend that the company has been witnessing in the event space. He said: “Coffee has always been a consistent revenue generator across our portfolio of live events and our collaboration with Costa has seen sales increase by circa 30% over that of a generic coffee outlet. We rolled out a fleet of outlets, wrapped in Costa Coffee’s signature branding and colour scheme, at this year’s Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris, providing spectators with the high-street experience they know and love. As a business, we are committed to maximising the lifecycle of the outlets we build and operate. As such, following the success of the Games, we are now launching those new Costa Coffee kiosks in a range of live events across the UK. Our partners know their brand inside out and we work with them to ensure we aptly replicate the experience customers would get on the high street and bring our 50-plus years in event operation to ensure the outlet delivers at high volume and provides speedy service. We are always looking to partner with household brands and have a range of opportunities to provide them with a platform to operate at some of the UK and Europe’s most revered events and venues.”

Bagel Factory opens its first high street store in Scotland: Bagel Factory, which is owned by Cremonini Group, one of the largest European food operators, has opened its first high street store in Scotland. The venue has opened in a prominent corner location between Hanover Street and Rose Street in Edinburgh. The outlet is a second Scottish site for the brand, joining its location in Edinburgh Waverley station, and 34th overall across the UK. The then 24-strong company said in March that it would open eight new stores in 2024 and has now passed that total. Bagel Factory’s other launches this year have included a Liverpool debut, at the city’s Liverpool ONE destination.

Jupiter Hotels reports record turnover of £88.8m, sells West Yorkshire property for £5.8m: Jupiter Hotels, which is owned by S Hotels and Resorts and currently operates 27 UK sites under the Mercure and Holiday Inn brands, has reported turnover increased to a record £88,760,000 for the year ending 31 December 2023 compared with £83,008,000 the year before. Pre-tax profit was down to £3,415,000 from £17,220,000 the previous year when the company disposed of the Mercure Burton on Trent for £2,000,000 and the Mecure London Watford for £16,000,000, resulting in a gain on disposal of £10,270,000. The group also incurred impairment charges of £3,591,000 in 2023 (2022: nil). In May 2024, the company sold the Mercure in Wetherby, West Yorkshire, for £5.8m. The company said the 2023 revenue increase was as a result of improving average daily rate across the portfolio and from exclusive use contracts with the government. Gross profit margin increased to 55.8% to 54.4% as a result of increased average daily rate offset by inflationary pressures. No dividend was paid (2022: nil). The company employs around 900 staff.

200 Degrees to open Castleford site next month as it expands Yorkshire footprint: 200 Degrees, which was acquired by Caffè Nero last month, will open its new site in Castleford, West Yorkshire, next month. The outlet at the Junction 32 Shopping Outlet will mark 200 Degrees’ 22nd site across the UK, and sixth in Yorkshire, since opening its first location in Nottingham 12 years ago. The store – which opens on Saturday, 7 December – will have a 1,250 square-foot layout, with approximately 80 covers, including indoor and outdoor seating options. Last month, Caffè Nero, the Gerry Ford-led, premium coffee house business, told Propel it is looking to open new sites across all its brands following its acquisition of 200 Degrees. Propel revealed exclusively that Caffè Nero had acquired 200 Degrees, which was backed by Foresight and founded by Rob Darby and Tom Vincent in 2012. 200 Degrees’ current 21 sites joined the circa 620 Caffè Nero locations and circa 120 Coffee#1 outlets in the Caffè Nero portfolio, which sit alongside its Harris+Hoole and Aroma brands.

Farmer J secures Farringdon site for 2025 pipeline: Farmer J, the all-day market concept, has secured its first opening of 2025, with a site in London’s Farringdon. The Jonathan Recanati-led business has secured a 3,000 square-foot site in Cowcross Street, next to the entrance to the Elizabeth Line, for an opening next March. The company will open its 13th site in the capital next month, in Woburn Place, Russell Square. Earlier this month, it opened at 127-128 High Holborn. The company also hopes to take its first steps internationally next year, with a focus on the east coast of America, targeting locations in New York and Boston. Recanati previously said the vision for the business is to hit a “minimum of 50 sites in the UK”, and that it has “only scratched the surface to continue to build a global brand”.

London bagel business opens sixth site with more on the way: London bagel business B Bagel has opened its sixth site, with more on the way. B Bagel was founded by Alon Kubi and Yoav Baumgarten in 2010 and has opened sites in Soho, Chelsea, Tottenham Court Road, Camden and Brent Cross. B Bagel has now launched site number six, at 1 Swain’s Lane in Highgate, north London. Ilan Grunfeld, who leads B Bagel’s commercial development, said: “This milestone marks an incredible journey of growth: doubling our company size from three to six stores in under a year – and there’s more on the horizon.”

 

Turkish confectionery cafe brand opens European flagship site in Knightsbridge: Şekerci Cafer Erol, the Turkish confectionery café brand, has opened its first European site, in Knightsbridge, London, directly next to Harrods. The opening marks the beginning of Cafer Erol’s international expansion, with plans to open new stores across Europe, the Gulf region, and the United States. The Knightsbridge site offers 370 products, including chocolate-covered tahini wafers, baklava, Turkish delight, and milk-based desserts. “We are thrilled to introduce our brand to London, a city that values both quality and tradition,” said Hakan Erol, the fifth-generation representative of the 218-year-old family business. “This store represents a cultural mission beyond a commercial initiative, allowing us to showcase Turkish hospitality and share our iconic flavours with a global audience. This store is just the beginning. Each new location represents an opportunity to act as cultural ambassadors, bringing Turkish traditions to a global audience while maintaining our dedication to quality and authenticity.” The company said that visitors to the new site can also enjoy cultural events, private gatherings in VIP rooms, and seasonal celebrations with a Turkish twist, “creating a unique cultural hub in London”.

Coffee brand Nespresso to open new immersive boutique site in London’s Covent Garden: Coffee brand Nespresso is to open a new boutique in London’s Covent Garden. The company will open the site, which will deliver an “immersive, home away from home” experience, at 34 Henrietta Street after agreeing a deal with landlord Shaftesbury Capital. Nespresso’s new West End boutique will follow the closure of the Regent Street store at the end of 2024. The new site, spanning 1,345 square feet, will open in the spring. Customers will be able to discover the variety of Nespresso tastes and flavours, and browse the latest selection of coffee products, including capsules, machines and accessories. The boutique will feature a dedicated space for highlighting Nespresso’s sustainability progress, as well as a place to drop their capsules for recycling. Anna Lundstrom, chief executive of Nespresso UK & Ireland, said: “We’re excited to bring Nespresso to Covent Garden, a place rich in coffee culture and history. Today, Covent Garden thrives as a hub of modern British lifestyle, making it the perfect location for our latest boutique.”

East Sussex operator expands Shepherd Neame partnership with second site: East Sussex operator Amy Glenie has added a second pub to her portfolio. Glenie acquired the lease of The Blue Anchor in Crowborough, which is owned by brewer and retailer Shepherd Neame in 2018. She has now expanded her partnership with Shepherd Neame to operate The Royal Sovereign in Bexhill-on-Sea. Her husband, Jordan Foster, had been supporting her as head chef at the Blue Anchor, but is now moving over to a front of house role managing The Royal Sovereign. Glenie said: “We recently bought a house in Bexhill, as our son Charlie is now two so we wanted more space, and my mum lives in the town. The Blue Anchor is well established, so we were looking for a new challenge, and when we saw that The Royal Sovereign was available, it seemed the perfect opportunity. It is a fantastic building in a great location with lots of potential, and it is also just a short walk away from our new home.” Glenie has converted part of the ground floor bar to create a galley kitchen, and is serving a menu of contemporary light bites. Dishes include prawn and scallop toast bao buns with togarashi kewpie mayo, and beef onglet tacos. The pub currently offers a ground floor bar and dining area, but Glenie is planning to convert the unused first floor space into a restaurant, titled Rock and Coral. It will offer a selection of contemporary small plates using locally sourced ingredients. 

Crieff Hydro to shake-up F&B offer at flagship hotel as part of multimillion-pound investment: Crieff Hydro, the eight-strong Scottish hotel operator led by Stephen Leckie, is shaking up the food and beverage offer at its eponymous site as part of a multimillion-pound investment. The project at its flagship property, Crieff Hydro in Perthshire, will create a new day-to-night bar, refurbished dining areas, and a speakeasy bar. The company said innovative menus will bring together the best of Scotland’s produce under a range of new, all-day restaurant dining experiences. Guests will also enjoy an “elevated” cocktail experience, curated whisky menu and champagne offering. Work will start in January, with the new areas to be unveiled during spring 2025. Leckie said: “Responding to the needs of our guests and a commitment to reinvestment in a family business is what has taken Crieff Hydro from its days as a ‘dry hotel’ a few decades ago to what it is now – a vibrant resort that is enjoyed by all.”