AlixPartners – reduction in site Ebitda from Budget could be in excess of 15% without mitigation: Sector advisory firm AlixPartners has said that the impact of the Budget on wage bills could lead to a reduction in site Ebitda in excess of 15% for hospitality businesses, without mitigation. A spokesperson said: “Hospitality in particular employs significant numbers of part-time staff to manage peak demand during key trading periods, as well as often providing the first step into employment for many younger people. The staffing model across most pubs, bars and restaurants will typically have a relatively low proportion of full-time employees over 21. Crunching these figures on a site-by-site basis when considering the typical staffing model means the wage bills of hospitality businesses are hit much harder than other industries, with costs for certain employee categories increasing by double digit percentages. In an illustrative example we have worked up, the associated drop in site Ebitda margin could be in excess of 3%, and the reduction in site Ebitda could be in excess of 15%. Hospitality businesses have worked extremely hard to maintain profitability over the last 18-24 months in the face of general cost inflation and other macroeconomic challenges through a combination of operational measures and strategic pricing. There are therefore unlikely to be many operational or pricing levers that remain unused. We see the key areas to consider to be: reforecasting at a site level to understand the impact of changes to labour costs, and whether this impacts liquidity, site viability or the prioritisation of future investment; review of pricing to consider whether there is any scope to take price and what the potential impact could be on volume/covers; conducting detailed site viability analysis to assess whether any sites now become marginal or loss making, or require adjustments to opening hours; staffing model review to consider alongside potential headcount reductions, whether there are other efficiencies or cost focus measures that could be implemented; proactive stakeholder management to ensure all parties (shareholders, lenders, landlords etc) are aware of the impact and can work collaboratively to ensure a plausible downside case can be managed appropriately. Operators will be heavily focused on driving trading performance during the key Christmas period in the coming weeks, but we expect focus in early January to quickly shift towards managing, and mitigating where possible, the impact of the Budget.”

 

Discover marketing trends and tactics at Restaurant Marketer & Innovator European Summit, open for bookings: Discover marketing trends and tactics at the Restaurant Marketer & Innovator European Summit. Mark McCulloch, founder and chief executive at Supersonic Inc, will talk to Nicole Goodwin, group marketing director at Comptoir Group, Ali Earl-Grey, head of marketing and events at Kricket, Michelle Farrell, group sales and marketing director at Nightcap, and Gabby Tomlinson, marketing director at Lane7, about the key marketing trends and strategies shaping the future. They will discuss what successful brands will start doing, what they will stop doing, and what they will focus on more in the coming years. 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, 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 next Turnover & Profits Blue Book tomorrow featuring 1,039 companies: Premium Club members will receive the next Turnover & Profits Blue Book tomorrow (Friday, 13 December), at 12pm. The database will feature 65 updated accounts and 30 new companies, taking the total to 1,039. A total of 650 companies are making a profit while 389 are making a loss. The Blue Book is updated each month and ranks companies by turnover, profit and profit conversion, listing directors' earnings for the past five years. Premium Club members also receive access to five other databases: the Multi-Site Database, the New Openings 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.

  

UKHospitality urges government to fix ‘oversight’ that could leave some businesses paying higher business rates under planned reform: UKHospitality has backed government plans to provide permanently lower business rates for the sector but urged it to address an “oversight” that could lead to some paying higher bills. Giving evidence to the Public Bill Committee on the Non-Domestic Rating (Multipliers and Private Schools) Bill, the trade body said the plan to introduce differential multipliers would help level the playing field for high street businesses. Under the proposals, properties with a rateable value below £500,000 could benefit from a multiplier that is 20p in the pound lower than the small business multiplier, and UKHospitality urged the government to implement that maximum discount. But it also raised concerns that some hospitality businesses with a rateable value over £500,000 have been dragged into the surcharge category and face paying higher business rates. UKHospitality has suggests two solutions – either excluding hospitality businesses with a rateable value over £500,000 from the higher multiplier surcharge; or giving a clear ministerial direction that hospitality businesses will have a zero uplift on current levels. UKHospitality chief executive Kate Nicholls said this will ensure the spirit of the reform remains intact, which intends to redress the decades-long overtaxing of hospitality. “We have campaigned for substantial business rates reform for years and I’m delighted that the government is taking decisive action to fix this broken system,” she added. “After decades of paying significantly more than their fair share, this Bill should provide maximum benefit for hospitality businesses to make up for this overpayment and give them the financial headroom they desperately need in the years ahead. However, we do have concerns that the current proposals inadvertently bring hospitality businesses into scope for the surcharge. I’m confident that the government didn’t intend for this reform to increase business rates bills for any hospitality businesses, so it will presumably be keen to address this oversight.”

 

Signature Group founder – Scottish government needs to understand how much hospitality contributes to its economy: Signature Group founder Nic Wood has said the Scottish government “needs to understand how much hospitality contributes to its economy”. Wood previously told Propel that the 24-strong, Edinburgh-based business is looking to expand but has not opened a new venue since 2019 due to a variety of issues. Challenges like a lack of suitable staff have been compounded by restrictions piled on by Holyrood, leaving Scottish businesses a steeper hill to climb than their counterparts in the rest of the UK. “We’re hit a lot more by the government than in England,” Wood said. “We can’t do any drink related promotions like happy hour, and we have none of the business rates reductions. We’ve taken measures like closing pubs from Monday to Wednesday in January and February, and we kept some venues closed after covid longer than we needed to. The Scottish government needs to understand how much hospitality contributes to its economy. You need to give people the ability to invest in their business.” Although many Scottish businesses, which previously received no business rates reductions, were given a 40% relief in this week’s Holyrood Budget, Wood’s business falls within the group that will still receive nothing. “This is yet another serious setback for our business, far worse than I initially imagined,” he said. “While the deputy first minister claims that the 40% business rate relief will support 90% of hospitality businesses, I find myself among the 10% that will receive nothing. I am passionate about expanding and contributing to the local economy, yet the lack of government incentives makes it incredibly challenging. The impending labour cost increases set to take effect on 1 April, costing my company an additional £1.7m, combined with the latest announcement, render expansion and further job creation nearly impossible. Without a commitment to aid our industry, the dream of profitability in 2025 will remain just that, a dream.” At a local level, Wood believes Edinburgh introducing Scotland’s first visitor levy in 2026 will be a mistake. “The local council sees tourists as an inconvenience,” he said. “They need to be a bit less cocky about tourists as they’re half the people that come through the city every year.” Such issues at a micro and macro level have been compounded by what Wood calls a “massive skills shortage” since Brexit. He said: “The unavailability of chefs is crippling our industry. We now have less talented people asking for more money, and we end up paying chefs more than general managers in some cases. We need better training programmes, and maybe some sort of visa system. The rise in minimum wage is also a problem. Where is the motivation to earn tips through good customer service? Where is the motivation to move up through the business?” Despite these challenges, Signature Group earlier this year reported record turnover of £32,170,637 for the year ending 31 October 2023. “We focused massively on sales and customer service to achieve our record turnover as we can’t change things like business rates, rising costs and national minimum wage,” Wood said. “There’s no point in focusing on things you can’t do anything about, so we did more work on sales plans.”

 

Katie O’Brien’s surviving Guinness supply limit ‘by the skin of our teeth’: Irish pub company Katie O’Brien’s, which has seven pubs across England, has said it met customers’ Guinness demands “by the skin of our teeth” over the weekend despite a temporary supply limit ahead of Christmas – and only sees things getting worse this month. Guinness maker Diageo has placed limits on pub and bar purchases of the Irish-made stout in the UK following a rush of sales, and said it is managing allocations of kegs on a week-by-week basis. This was to ensure that the firm had plenty of stock across its supply chain to avoid panic buying and avert shortages. Katie O'Brien’s operations director Shaun Jenkinson told Sky News: “People come into an Irish pub expecting to be able to drink Guinness. We made it through this weekend by the skin of our teeth on our Guinness levels, but going into this week, the outlook is looking very bleak. We’re basically being given time windows [daily] where we place an order, and we have to scramble around for as much stock as we can.” None of its pubs had to turn a customer down for a pint of Guinness until a charitable event on Wednesday (11 December), when each of the group’s sites invites people over the age of 70 from their local communities to have free drinks and socialise. “We had to put [a] block on Guinness being given as free drinks purely because the supplies are so short,” Jenkinson said. “Every year we try and give a bit back to the community, so it’s not nice to have to say there are restrictions on certain products.” He thinks the shortage ultimately comes down to a lack of forward planning on Diageo's part. A Diageo spokesperson said: “We have maximised supply, and we are working proactively with our customers to manage the distribution to trade as efficiently as possible.”

 

 

Everards – new financial year is off to ‘solid start’ with like-for-like pub profit contribution up 8.5%: Stephen Gould, who will step down as managing director of Leicestershire brewer and retailer Everards this month, has told Propel that the company’s new financial year has had “a solid start”. Speaking after Everards reported turnover increased 4% to £36.2m for the year ending 30 September 2024 compared with £34.7m the year before, Gould said: “Our 151 pubs’ profit contribution is 8.5% ahead of the prior year on a like-for-like basis in the first ten weeks of the new financial year. Beer volumes are slightly ahead of prior year, around 0.7% with a greater share being taken from Everards beers due to innovation in cask and craft beer. Our profit growth is being driven by sales mix, procurement efficiencies and rental growth due to capital investment in the estate over the last 12 months. Our Beer Hall at Everards Meadows, which is an Everards managed operation, is averaging £74,000 gross weekly sales, which is 9% ahead of the prior year.” Gould will be succeeded by Andy Wilson, former managing director of Greene King Destination Pubs, who joined Everards earlier this year. Chairman Julian Everard said the impact of employer national insurance and national living wage changes from April 2025, along with the reduction in business rates support, “are being evaluated on a pub-by-pub basis, but will have a material impact on both pubs and Everards directly”. He added: “Mitigation will inevitably include price rises to customers, attempts to procure goods and services at better prices and general cost reductions – all factors that will negatively impact on the momentum Everards and our business owners have built during 2024.”

 

We Do Play set to launch new concept in Milton Keynes this week: We Do Play, the Flip Out and Putt Putt Noodle operator, is set to launch a new concept, in Milton Keynes this week, Propel has learned. We Do Play will open the first site for its new Rumble Rooms concept in the former Brewhouse & Kitchen site in the city’s 12th Street. The venue will feature digital darts, pool tables, shuffleboard, axe throwing, arcade games and two cocktail bars. This will be followed early next year by a full kitchen with eat-in and delivery and a rooftop nightclub at the venue. General manager Richard Browning has held the same role with brands such as Wildwood, PizzaExpress, ASK Italian and Nando’s, and has also been operational lead at fellow experiential operator, Gravity. We Do Play stated: “Rumble Rooms is bringing the ultimate game-fuelled jungle to town, with axe throwing, augmented darts, beer pong and more all under one roof. Step into our high-energy space where gorilla-sized fun meets fierce competition and killer cocktails.” The opening comes in a busy month for We Do Play, which next Monday (16 December) will also launch the first UK site for Canadian immersive games experience, Activate, at London’s O2. Propel reported in October that We Do Play had invested in a multimillion-pound roll out that will see 30 UK Activate sites built in 42 months. Activate launched in Canada in 2017 and has 32 locations across Canada and the US. 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.

 

Breaking Glass Bars owners – debut site trading ahead of expectations from the off but London footfall seeing wild lunchtime fluctuations: Breaking Glass Bars owners Mike Harrington and Lee Godwin have told Propel its debut site has been trading ahead of expectations from the off but that London footfall is seeing “wild fluctuations” at lunchtime, meaning operators “never know when our busy days will be”. Harrington and Godwin, who were part of the senior operations team at London bar group Barworks since 2015, left in 2022 to form their own pub business. At the time, the duo said they planned to grow the business to ten-plus sites within five years, and its debut site launched in September 2023 – William IV in Shoreditch’s Old Street. The duo said the plan is to still grow to “eight to ten sites eventually”, with the first four in east and Central London, after which they are “open to going further afield”. They hope to open a second site within the next 12 months, but they are still looking as the refurbishment of the William IV – including opening a new dining room this month – has taken their focus. “Trading has been good overall and ahead of expectations from the off, and while evening trader is steady, we are seeing wild fluctuations in lunchtime footfall – we can be packed on Monday but dead on Thursday,” they said. "With work from home culture, it seems to be at the whim of when people are having meetings, and you just don’t know when your busy days are going to be.” For the pub’s new dining room, the duo said they have drawn on their decade of experience at Barworks, where they helped grow venues like Mare Street Market and the Well and Bucket. Focusing on British fare and pub culture, it showcases seasonal produce with a focus on quality and affordability for dishes such as Guinness-glazed beef short rib (cooked for 48 hours), butterflied mackerel with ravigote sauce and samphire and Denver steak with Café de Paris butter. “From opening to now, food sales have gone from 10%-15% of our turnover to 35%,” they said. “We will do more food-led sites in the future. We have put some offers in, but nothing has come off yet. The William IV has been perfect, but it was actually site number three in our plans!”

 

Stonegate trialling beauty vending machines across selected Slug & Lettuce sites: Stonegate Group, the UK’s largest pub company, has begun a trial of beauty vending machines in selected Slug & Lettuce sites. The vending machines offer a series of last-minute beauty essentials, which have been chosen following interviews with guests. The first machines have been launched in the Slug & Lettuce sites in Cardiff, Newcastle and Glasgow, with the group’s site in Liverpool to follow next week. This is part of a test phase, before a decision is made on whether the vending machines will become a permanent fixture at more of the brand’s 78 bars nationwide, as part of its “glam squad” project. Becky Southern, head of marketing at Slug & Lettuce, said: “We’ve seen beauty vending machines in airports and shopping centres, but never in bars. So, it felt like a clear opportunity to add something special for our guests, so we asked them what they thought. We selected products based on these interviews, but there’s also the option for us to easily change the product ranges too, as the seasons change, and guest requirements change. The four trial sites will give us a clear steer on what exactly guests want from the vending machine and how we can work with brands to make that happen.” Products in the vending machine include: Hollywood fashion tape, Winks self-adhesive lashes; Duo eyelash glue, and MUD eyeliner. 

 

Muffin Break to open 70th UK site today, eight sites under offer for brand and sister business Jamaica Blue: Muffin Break – the Australian brand operated here by FoodCo UK – will open its 70th site today (Thursday, 12 December). FoodCo UK also revealed it has eight sites under offer for Muffin Break and sister brand Jamaica Blue. The 70th Muffin Break store will open in The Market Place, in Bolton, and comes just a day after the brand launched a 2,500 square-foot site at The Centre in East Kilbride in Scotland. Michael Johnson, franchise development executive at FoodCo UK, said: “With another eight stores under offer for both the Muffin Break and Jamaica Blue cafes, 2025 is looking set to be another great year for FoodCo in the expansion of these brands.” The group launched here in 2001 as the UK arm of the Australian FoodCo business, which was founded in 1989 and has more than 550 locations across eight countries.

 

Bakers + Baristas reports increase in turnover and fall in profit: Bakers + Baristas, the artisan coffee and baking brand, has reported an increase in turnover and a fall in profit for the year to 31 December 2023. Turnover rose from £12,635,287 in 2022 to £13,400,221 last year. Pre-tax profit fell from £672,303 to £260,744. At the year end, the business operated 30 company-owned stores and 15 franchised sites. The brand has added 13 sites to its estate over the course of 2024. At the end of 2023, the company had assets of £7,578,110 (2022: £7,526,823) and liabilities of £2,993,973 (2022: £3,200,430). The company said: “The group is funded by Causeway Capital, an investor in growing European small and medium-sized businesses, and AIlied Irish Banks. The funds have been provided to assist the Bakers + Baristas management team to grow the business through investment in people, existing site enhancements and new site openings in the UK and lreland. The Bakers + Baristas management team has ambitious plans and a clear strategy to continue to grow the brand over the coming years. The plan includes further refurbishments, new store openings and an increased focus on improving sales through various online and social media channels.” In October, Flour Power Group appointed Vikesh Patel as group managing director, overseeing its Patisserie Valerie and Bakers + Baristas brands. Patel joined the group in 2018 when it acquired Love Koffee, the coffee business he founded. He has been part of the Flour Power Group’s senior leadership team since then and group chief operating officer since early 2020. Patel replaced James Fleming, who left after seven years as group chief executive to pursue other opportunities.”

 

Chickaros lines up eight new openings, to launch in Milton Keynes: American-inspired fast food restaurant franchise concept Chickaros has lined up eight new openings, which will take its estate across the UK up to 20 sites. The business, which was founded in 2020 in Aldridge by childhood friends, Shaz and Shudz Miah, recently opened a site in Bradford, and will open its 12th later this week, in Milton Keynes’ Theatre District. Founded in the West Midlands as a takeaway and going by the motto of “Fresh Food Faster”, the company said it serves fast food favourites with a “unique twist”. Dishes include gourmet burgers, waffles, fried chicken and artisanal desserts. The business has sites lined up in the likes of Manchester, Stirling, Leicester, London’s East Ham, Liverpool and Portsmouth, according to its website.

 

Creams sees 21% increase in new customers during off-peak hours following savoury menu launch: Fast-growing dessert parlour operator Creams Café has revealed its savoury menu, introduced last month, has driven a 21% increase in new customers during off-peak hours. Creams launched the range to “create the opportunity for franchise partners across the business to reach a broader audience and exploit a new daypart”. The savoury hot pockets include barbecue chicken, spicy sriracha chicken, chicken fiesta crunch and falafel chipotle. It comes as the company was named among the best franchises in the 2025 Elite Franchise Awards (EF100). Creams ranked at number 38 in the list, which also featured Kaspa’s (51), Heavenly Desserts (54), Mooboo (55) and Black Sheep Coffee (56). Simran Sablok, chief marketing officer for Creams, said: “Building, supporting and allowing our close community of franchisees to thrive has been our top priority since establishing the brand over 15 years ago. We and our franchisees are filled with an enormous sense of pride as we celebrate this incredible win, but we’re not slowing down any time soon. We will continue to innovate and evolve our network in the UK as we also set our sights on international expansion to achieve our ambitious goal of 300 stores.”

 

Loungers opens 35th and final site of 2024: Café bar operator Loungers, which is currently the subject of a £338m takeover bid by US private equity firm Fortress, has opened its 35th and final site of the year, in Bromley, south east London. Pedro Lounge opened in Market Square in the town and is the company’s 242nd Lounge, and 282nd site overall. This year, the Cosy Club and Brightside operator has opened 35 new sites and relocated one existing store. Last month, Loungers reported a 4.7% increase in like-for-like sales growth for the 26 weeks to 6 October 2024, in a period where it opened 17 new sites. It also updated on the performance of what it described as its “largest and most ambitious Lounge to date”. Ritorno Lounge opened on the former Pitcher & Piano site in Bristol’s Harbourside in July and had the strongest start for a new site in the group’s 22-year history. The site is generating gross average weekly sales of £94,853.

 

Gail’s secures Hitchin site: Fast-growing bakery brand Gail’s has secured a site in Hitchin, Hertfordshire. The company has agreed a ten-year lease on a 1,431 square-foot unit in Bancroft in a deal brokered by Kirkby Diamond. Gail’s opened its 150th site in October, in Watford. Earlier this month, co-founder Tom Molnar told The Sunday Times the brand is targeting £300m in sales next year, with plans to open another 30 to 40 bakeries. This week, Bloomberg reported that McWin Capital Partners, the food investment firm led by Henry McGovern and Steven Winegar, is in talks to increase its stake in Gail’s. McWin, which also backs Big Mamma Group and Vapiano, is seeking to pre-empt a sale process for Gail’s. McWin is already a backer of the parent company of Gail’s alongside other investors including Bain Capital. Last month, it emerged that Goldman Sachs had been brought in to sell Gail’s for a reported £500m. 

 

Chick-Fil-A secures Leeds site: US brand Chick-fil-A, which is set to launch in the UK next year, has secured a site in Leeds. In September, Chick-fil-A revealed it had lined up the first five locations for its debut in the UK next year. The brand will open two restaurants in Belfast and single sites in Leeds, Liverpool and London. The sites will open over two years, starting in 2025, and Chick-fil-A has opened applications for those wishing to take on a franchise. Propel understands that the company, which operates more than 3,000 sites across the US, Puerto Rico and Canada, has secured the former Clarks unit in Commercial Street in Leeds for an opening next year. Fellow US chicken brand Popeyes is also understood to have lined up an opening in the same street. Propel revealed in April that Chick-fil-A had secured a site in Kingston-upon-Thames in south west London, as it started building its opening pipeline here, acquiring the freehold of the HSBC site in Eden Street/Clarence Street. The company is understood to have retained property firm Newmark Group to help it with its expansion in the UK.

 

Ohannes Burger to open in Sheffield for 14th UK site: Ohannes Burger, the franchise gourmet burger brand with 55 restaurants across Turkey, is to open a site in Sheffield for its 14th UK outlet. The restaurant will open on Monday (16 December) in Devonshire Street and two more are planned in the city. Franchisee George Polat told The Star that the other Sheffield locations have yet to be confirmed but would not be close to the Devonshire Street site. Polat, who also runs one of Ohannes Burger’s three restaurants in Nottingham, said its most popular menu item was its Meat Mania burger, which contained a meat patty, a steak, and pulled beef. He added: “We aim to create a welcoming space for food lovers to enjoy a unique dining experience.” Ohannes Burger made its UK debut in November 2020 with an opening in Arnold on the outskirts of Nottingham. Mehmet Ali Yazicioglu started the company in Turkey in 2009.

 

Belgian indoor electric karting brand lodges plans for third UK site: Belgian indoor electric karting brand BattleKart, which combines indoor karting and video games, has submitted plans for a site in Sheffield for its third UK venue. Plans have been lodged with the city council for the change of use of a storage and distribution unit in Downgate Drive, in the Lower Don Valley area. The facility would also include a reception and foyer, cafe, staff facilities, briefing and conference areas, changing rooms and spectator viewing areas, reports Insider Media. Founded in 2015, BattleKart has since grown to circa 30 sites in Belgium, France, Germany, Austria, the Netherlands and the Middle East. The franchise has been brought to the UK by couple Paul Scriven and Carly Warner, who came across the idea on social media a few years ago. They opened the first site here in Sittingbourne, Kent, earlier this year ,and have since added a venue in Gateshead, in the north east.

 

Company behind forthcoming £250m wellness development in Manchester acquires world’s largest well-being destination: Therme Group, which is planning to open a £250m spa, water park and wellness centre in Manchester, has acquired Therme Erding, the largest well-being destination globally, located near Munich in Germany. With this deal, Therme Group is set to surpass 3.5 million annual visitors to its well-being infrastructure in Europe. Opened in 1999, Therme Erding was extended in 2007, more than doubling in size from 750,000 to 1,560,000 square feet. To complete the acquisition of Therme Erding, Therme Group deployed, alongside its own equity, a €320m funding package secured from Macquarie Capital. The funding, arranged by Deutsche Bank, represents one of the largest asset-backed financings in the industry. Therme Group is a global owner, operator and developer, aiming to shape the future of well-being through a new type of social infrastructure called “Therme”. Designed to enhance physical, social, and mental health, these spaces and well-being destinations which “help communities reconnect with nature, themselves, and each other”. Current locations include Therme Bucharest and Therme Erding, with developments underway in cities such as Manchester, Toronto and Frankfurt. The Manchester site, next to the Trafford Centre, is scheduled to open in 2027 and will feature swimming pools, slides, warm water lagoons, saunas and gardens.

 

Team behind Officina 00 confirms February launch for third site, to feature new rutiello pan pizza menu: The team behind pasta workshop and restaurant concept Officina 00 has confirmed its third site will open in February and will feature a new rutiello pan pizza menu. The business – which was founded in 2019 by Elia Sebregondi, former Bone Daddies head chef and sous chef at Kiln, and Enzo Mirto, ex-general manager of Mexican restaurant Ella Canta – currently has sites in London’s Old Street and Fitzrovia. Site number three, as previously reported, will open in a newly developed space at 8-10 Dryden Street in Covent Garden. The venue will debut the concept’s new “pizza in rutiello” menu of rustic-style pizzas, with a light, fluffy and crisp crust, served up in the traditional rutiello pan. Honouring the homestyle cooking of Napoli’s “nonnas”, the pizzas are designed to complement the pasta menu, with toppings changing seasonally. The rest of the menu includes snacks and small plates such as fried raviolo filled with cacio e pepe, while the pasta menu features occhi with lamb genovese, sour parsley pesto and aged provolone. “We are excited to bring Nonna’s pizza to Covent Garden,” said Mirto. “ Inspired by the kitchens of our mothers and grandmothers, this feels like the next evolution in our journey.”

 

Former D&D London executive chef Chris Emery to open restaurant at Oxfordshire hotel: Chris Emery, formerly executive chef with D&D London and part of the team at Jason Atherton’s Michelin-starred Pollen Street Social, is to open a restaurant at Crazy Bear Group’s hotel in Stadhampton, Oxfordshire. Set to launch on Tuesday, 21 January, Oak will have 42 covers and a menu “celebrating the finest local and seasonal ingredients through innovative, ingredient-led dishes” inspired by Emery’s extensive career. He said: “With Oak, we’ve created a space and a menu that focuses on letting the seasons guide us.” Emery was previously executive chef at D&D London’s Orelle restaurant in Birmingham and also worked at Roux Waterside Inn, the three Michelin-starred restaurant in Bray, Berkshire, founded by the late Michel Roux in 1972. Crazy Bear Stadhampton was the first site opened by the group in 1993. Crazy Bear also operates a site in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire.

 

081 Pizzeria to double up in London: 081 Pizzeria, the pizza concept from Naples-born chef Andrea Ascuiti, is to open its second restaurant in London, in Shoreditch. The concept will open the new site next year at 46 Great Eastern Street. Ascuiti opened the first bricks and mortar site for his 081 Pizzeria concept in Peckham in 2023. The chef, who is also one of the founding members of Streatham pizzeria Bravi Ragazzi, opened the 20-cover outlet at 66 Peckham Rye. 081 Pizzeria launched during the pandemic in 2021 at Peckham Levels before taking up residencies at The Colonel Fawcett, Camden; and The Smugglers Tavern, Fitzrovia. Oli Cohen, of Belcor, acted on the Shoreditch deal. 

 

Kinsfolk & Co unveils details of restaurant and bar at debut hotel: Kinsfolk & Co, the hospitality management company from Paul Brackley, the former managing director of Corbin & King’s Beaumont Hotel, will open a new brasserie and bar next summer as part of The Newman, its first hotel, in London’s Fitzrovia. Due to launch this winter, The Newman will open in Charlotte Street and will comprise 81 rooms, suites and apartments, and a dedicated wellness space. Brasserie Adeline will be a 76-cover, contemporary brasserie, serving a menu of “classic comfort dishes and delivering the energy of a familiar, neighbourhood institution”. It will also feature an additional 24 covers in a separate bar space and a street-side terrace for alfresco dining. The Gambit Bar will be a “destination bar in its own right, influenced by iconic venues from across the globe”. Brackley said: “We are delighted that The Newman will be our very first hotel, marking an exciting milestone for Kinsfolk & Co. We hope that Brasserie Adeline and Gambit Bar will become welcome additions to London's vibrant food and drink scene. From the outset, it has been our intention to build and own our food and drink concepts, and we are fortunate to have Stas Anastasiades, our restaurants and innovations director, leading this key pillar of our business.”