Propel Newsletter Archive Page

Guinness supplies to be rationed over Christmas and New Year: Guinness supplies are being rationed over Christmas and New Year as huge demand threatens to outstrip supply. Pub bosses are understood to have been told they face limits on how many kegs of Guinness they will receive in the run-up to Christmas. The rationing comes as Diageo, the company that makes the stout, seeks to ensure there is enough Guinness to supply pubs across the festive season. Restrictions are in place to avoid shortages over the crucial final weeks through to Christmas and New Year, reports The Telegraph. Diageo is understood to have stressed that it needs to manage supply after weeks where surging sales have strained supplies. A spokesman for Diageo said: “Over the past month, we have seen exceptional consumer demand for Guinness in Great Britain. We have maximised supply, and we are working proactively with our customers to manage the distribution to trade as efficiently as possible.” Guinness sales were around 19% higher in the four weeks through to early November than they were last year, according to figures from industry group CGA. The recent spike in sales is believed to have been driven by the recent autumn rugby internationals matches as well as the cold spell of weather. However, it is part of a broader trend that has seen Guinness grow in popularity over the past year. Debra Crew, the chief executive of Diageo, has attributed part of the surge in demand to an increase in younger women buying the drink. She said Guinness was no longer viewed as a drink for only the “rugby lads”, with figures such as Kim Kardashian and Catherine, the Princess of Wales, boosting its popularity. Ms Crew suggested the lower calorie nature of the drink had also helped drive sales higher – a pint of Guinness contains around 210 calories. The launch of the non-alcoholic version has also broadened its appeal. A Diageo executive said in August that sales of Guinness 0.0 were soaring and predicted that alcohol-free Guinness could one day be more popular than its traditional counterpart. The Devonshire pub in London’s Soho became the first in the UK to serve Guinness 0.0 on draft in August. Owner Oisin Rogers previously said he was told by Diageo that his pub has the biggest Guinness account in the world and that it has a daily delivery to keep up with demand.

Premium Club members to receive new searchable and segmented New Openings Database tomorrow: The next Propel New Openings Database will be sent to Premium Club members tomorrow (Friday, 6 December). The database will show the details of 193 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 10,943-word report on the 193 new additions to the database. The database is now segmented into seven categories – cafe bakery, casual dining, experiential leisure, fine dining, hotels, pubs and bars, and quick service restaurants – making it even easier for users to search. The database includes new openings in the cafe bakery sector such as Mahali Bakery opening in London’s Battersea, Natural Bean with an opening in Essex, and artisan bakery Boulangerie Pierre Alix opening its second site in London. Premium Club members also receive access to five other databases: the Turnover & Profits Blue Book, the Multi-Site Database, 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.

Esquires signs deal to expand presence in Ireland: Cooks Coffee Company has signed a deal to expand the presence of its Esquires brand in Ireland. It has entered an agreement with Dairygold Agri Business for Esquires to operate and manage four cafés within Co-Op Superstores owned by Dairygold in Ireland. The contract will be for an initial period of ten years and is effective immediately. The cafés are based in Midleton, Carrigaline and Mallow in Cork and Raheen in Limerick. Dairygold’s retail business operates 26 stores across Munster under the Co-Op Superstores brand. Dairygold is one of Ireland’s leading Irish farmer owned co-operatives, employing more than 1,300 people. Cooks Coffee Company owns the global rights to the Esquires brand and has its core focus on the UK and Ireland. It currently has circa 70 UK stores and more than 100 in its global portfolio. The addition of the new garden centre cafés brings its total to 19 stores in Ireland. Cooks Coffee chief executive Aiden Keegan said: “We look forward to building the partnership with Dairygold and to sharing Esquires great food, coffee and hospitality in the Co-op cafes that we will operate with pride.” Keegan last month said work from home has been “fantastic” for the brand as “we’re happier in the suburbs where people working from home want to visit a café to work, for a break or to catch up with friends”. Cooks Coffee Company also last month reported UK sales for the seven weeks to 17 November 2024 were up 39.4% as the group maintained the momentum seen over the past six months, where it returned to profitability. It said Esquires UK achieved record daily sales per store in October 2024, and the expansion of its regional development model will assist in accelerating its growth here, as it seeks regional development partners for Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Wine bar concept Must closes crowdfunding campaign after raising more than £170,000 to expand physical stores, private tastings and subscription model: Wine bar concept Must Wine, founded by chief executive Mike Nuttall in 2018, has closed its campaign on crowdfunding platform Crowdcube after raising more than £170,000 to expand its physical stores, private wine tastings and wine club subscription model. Having opened his first Must site in St Albans in Hertfordshire in 2019, Nuttall, a former managing director of international retail and casinos at Ladbrokes, has since launched three London bars – in Hampstead (2021), Wanstead (2022) and Camden (2023). Nutall was aiming to raise £150,000 and was offering equity of 6.55% in return for the investment, giving the business a pre-money valuation of £2,139,700. The campaign has now closed having raised £171,690 from 51 investors. The pitch stated: “We aspire to operate in the premium on-trade sector. Positioned in the luxury premium wine sector and differentiated by an extensive wine list by the glass, private tasting lounges and service standards, we attract a wide range of wine lovers and enthusiasts. Our plan is to extend our private wine tastings, advance our wine club subscription model, continue our CRM development and plan to expand our physical presence.”

Clays opens in Birmingham for regional debut: Clays, the Imbiba-backed, indoor interactive clay shooting experience operator, has opened in Birmingham for its regional debut. Launching in the city’s historic Piccadilly Arcade, the venue joins the company’s two London venues, in Moorgate and Canary Wharf. Spanning three floors, the venue can host up to 500 guests and features two large bars and resident DJs every weekend. The menu, developed by culinary director Roger Olsson, includes a vegetarian sharing platter with Korean fried cauliflower, seasonal vegetable pastry roll, sweetcorn ribs, loaded English crisps and green olives. There is also a Clays’ signature pizzette range plus small plates such as English trout ceviche, pork and venison scotch eggs, pulled-beef sliders and mushroom bao buns. Tom Snellock, Clays’ founder and chief executive, said: “We’re thrilled to bring Clays to Birmingham, a city renowned for its appreciation of exceptional hospitality and unique experiences. With our thoughtfully crafted food and drink menus, we’ve created a space where people can relax, compete and celebrate.”