Exclusive – Shake Shack UK makes first profit as turnover passes £50m: Diverse Dining, which operates Shake Shack in the UK, has made its first profit since arriving here in 2013, Propel has learned. Shake Shack UK said the trading landscape “continues to improve with restaurant sales increasing towards pre-covid levels” and as a result is in pursuit of further sites with at least three restaurants set to open in 2025. It comes as the company reported turnover increased to a record £51,513,985 for the year ending 31 December 2024 compared with £49,014,248 the previous year. The company posted a pre-tax profit of £1,058,086 compared with a loss of £764,005 the year before. In their report accompanying the accounts, the directors stated: “The company has implemented a stronger digital presence within the marketplace and is developing its omnichannel. The company continues to search for the right opportunities to expand within the UK market for the Shake Shack brand and opened two new sites in 2024 at London St Pancras and Birmingham Grand Central stations. At least three new restaurants are scheduled for 2025. Sales continued to increase throughout the year, despite the closing of certain of the delivery kitchens. In addition, the company expanded its delivery sales channel by moving from one to three delivery aggregator partnerships. In 2024 and moving into 2025, the trading landscape continues to improve with restaurant sales increasing towards pre-pandemic levels. Due to this change, the company is actively in pursuit of further sites.” The company, which employs circa 600 staff, operates 18 sites in the UK having opened its first restaurant here in 2013 in London’s Covent Garden. Last month, Shake Shack opened in Cambridge for its fourth regional location, joining its other locations outside of London in Birmingham, Cardiff and Oxford.
Premium Club subscribers to receive next Who’s Who of UK Hospitality today featuring 954 companies, videos from Operational Excellence Conference on Friday, 1 August: The next Who’s Who of UK Hospitality will be released to Premium Club subscribers today (Friday, 18 July), at 1pm. Another 23 companies have been added to the database, which now features 954 companies. This month’s edition will also include 81 updated entries and more than 255,000 words of content. The companies, listed in alphabetical order, will have their most recent results reported as well as broader information around Ebitda, plans and trading style available. The database merges Companies House information, interviews and other public information to provide an easy to reference and exhaustive guide to the sector. Premium Club subscribers will also receive all the videos from the Operational Excellence Conference on Friday, 1 August, at 9am. They include
Philip Eeles, founder of Honest Burgers. Eeles – who is also an investor in Breadstall Pizza and founder of Pineapple, which collects and benchmarks people metrics from 75 business on a quarterly basis – reflects on starting a new restaurant in the current market; the need for a balance between taste, operational efficiency and gross profit; and how people metrics underpin overall performance. Premium Club subscribers also receive access to five other databases: the
Turnover & Profits Blue Book, the
Multi-Site Database, the
New Openings Database, the
UK Food and Beverage Franchisor Database and the
UK Food and Beverage Franchisee Database. All Premium Club subscribers will be offered a 20% discount on tickets to Propel paid-for events and discounts on specialist sector reports. Operators that are Premium Club subscribers are also able to send up to four members of staff to each of our four Multi-Club Conferences for free. Premium Club subscribers 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 subscribers 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 subscribers 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.
Bubble tea concept Lay Tea opens in Nottingham for fourth site: Bubble tea concept Lay Tea has opened its fourth site in Nottingham. The company has launched the outlet in the former J Herbert Jewellers premises in Wheeler Gate. Lay Tea’s signature drink is milk tea with tapioca, with three varieties: classic, brown sugar bubble milk, or brown sugar bubble tea. There is also a selection of fresh fruit tea with flavours such as white peach lychee, mango, and strawberry and passionfruit. Each come with a default topping but they can be substituted for different flavoured boba (bubbles) such as tapioca, sago, coconut jelly, peach and mango. Lay Tea also has shops in Leicester, Leeds and Brighton.
