Irish pub concept Nancy Spains to launch fundraising round, plans six new openings, hires Six by Nico chair: Irish pub concept Nancy Spains, which is the brainchild of Peter, Nicholas and Seamus O’Halloran, has told Propel it will launch a fundraising round in September as it plans to open six new sites next year. The company currently operates three sites, two in London – in Shoreditch and Monument – and one in Manchester, which opened earlier this year in the city’s Northern Quarter. Peter O’Halloran told Propel that the company is set to launch its first crowdfunding campaign in September, looking to raise £1m,to help with the opening of its fourth site. The group plans to open a further site in London before the end of the year. O’Halloran said: “We plan to open six sites in 2026, which would include two more in London, and the rest in major cities across the UK. People need a reason to come out and into pubs, and we believe we are providing them with that with a carefully curated selection of drinks, including an array of Irish whiskeys and Murphy’s Stout, plus live music performances and a lively late-night setting. Manchester has gone well, and we are looking forward to bringing Nancy Spains to more cities across the country.” The company’s site in Fenchurch Street, Monument, is currently closed as the business refurbishes the venue, which is set to reopen next month. At the same time, Propel has learned that the business has hired Rob Wirszycz, chairman of SixCo, the company behind the Six by Nico restaurant business, as a non-executive director, to aid it with its growth strategy. The O’Hallorans, who have a background working in hospitality in Ireland, opened their first Nancy Spains last March, at 128-139 Curtain Road in Shoreditch. 

 

Propel’s Culture, Talent & Training Conference open for bookings, Wagamama head of people experience Becky Galligan to speak: Propel’s Culture, Talent & Training Conference is open for bookings. The conference takes place on Thursday, 9 October at One Moorgate Place in London. Among the speakers will be Wagamama head of people experience Becky Galligan, who will talk about how a people experience can drive not just engagement but also operational efficiency/effectiveness, and how that continues to be a huge focus for the brand, especially with its multi-generational workforce. For the full speaker schedule, click here. Tickets are £295 plus VAT for operators and £345 plus VAT for suppliers. Premium Club subscribers get a 20% discount. Email: kai.kirkman@propelinfo.com to book places.

Premium Club subscribers to receive updated New Openings Database and videos from Operational Excellence Conference this week: The next Propel New Openings Database will be sent to Premium Club subscribers on Friday (1 August), at 12pm. The database will show the details of 157 site openings, including which company has opened a site or its plans to open one in the future. The database 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 subscribers will also receive a 9,157-word report on the 157 new additions to the database. The database includes new openings in the casual dining sector such as north west Middle Eastern-inspired restaurant and cocktail bar concept Maray opening in Chester, London restaurateur Ninai Zarach launching Campanelle, an all-day restaurant centred around the rich history and culinary heritage of Italy, and Kervan Sofrasi, the London Turkish concept opening in Muswell Hill. Premium Club subscribers will also receive all the videos from the Operational Excellence Conference on Friday, at 9am. They include Ed Devenport, who entered the sector in 2016 and has turned Incipio into one of the UK’s most innovative and varied pub, restaurant and event space operators, talking about the ten key operations lessons he has learned. Premium Club subscribers 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 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 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.

Business secretary wants to permanently lower business rates for retail, hospitality and leisure: Business secretary Jonathan Reynolds has said that the government’s objective is to permanently lower business rates for retail, hospitality and leisure. He told The Sun on Sunday: “It is a disproportionate tax burden. I believe the objective is to have that in the autumn Budget.” He admitted businesses have been hit hard by the hike in national insurance contribution taxes, saying “there is a cost – you can’t deny that”. But he vowed to slash levies on high street firms with “permanent” cuts to business rates in this year’s Budget, expected in November. Reynolds said: “We would want to reduce the burden on businesses wherever we can, because we want them investing in people – new jobs, solid wages. The objective is permanently lower business rates for retail, hospitality and leisure. Ministers have been consulting on how to reform business rates to make the tax fairer.” It comes after the government announced a shake-up of planning rules to cut red tape on pubs and clubs. Reynolds said: “We want to take the burden off the kind of things businesses can do to grow and employ more people. We want more enjoyment and more fun in town centres.” On the new proposed planning regulation cuts, Kate Nicholls, chair of UK Hospitality, said: “Positive and encouraging as these measures certainly are, they can’t on their own offset the immediate and mounting cost pressures facing hospitality businesses, which threaten to tax out of existence the businesses and jobs. Let’s hope that this is just the start of a bold, long-term plan for the high streets and hospitality.”

Businesses to pay £1.1bn in new packaging fees to councils: Councils in England are set to receive a share of £1.1 billion in recycling funding taken from money charged to companies for the packaging they produce. Under the current system, local councils have footed the bill for disposing of items such as milk bottles, cereal boxes and soup tins using taxpayers’ money. But the new extended producer responsibility (EPR) scheme that comes into force this year will require businesses to pay towards the costs of recycling packaging they use. Companies will start paying fees from November, with charges varying depending on how hard the material is to recycle. It is hoped this will encourage businesses to reduce the amount of packaging they use, shift to more recyclable materials and invest in circular economy innovations, ultimately reducing the amount of waste sent to landfills or incinerators. However, Kate Nicholls, chair of UKHospitality, said: “This is double taxation pure and simple – hospitality businesses already have to pay for commercial recycling and now will have to pay an additional tax on top because government rules classify them as households. All this will do is increase prices.”

Junk food advert tax to fund ‘sexy’ fruit and veg campaign: A tax on junk food advertising could fund a marketing campaign for fruit and vegetables under anti-obesity plans being examined by ministers. The Times reports that campaigners believe “sexy” advertising for healthy products could change Britain’s food culture and save lives without resorting to nanny state restrictions. Ministers have ruled out a sugar tax and resisted other measures such as a ban on “buy one get one free” deals that would be seen by voters as raising the cost of a weekly shop. Some in government have said they are open to considering policies such as an advertising tax as they look for “creative solutions” in a food strategy to be announced in the autumn. An outline of the strategy promised this month to break a “junk food cycle” in which natural appetites for sweet and fatty foods are intensified by commercial incentives. “Marketing and advertising drives demand and reinforces eating habits, creating stronger commercial incentives to produce more,” officials said. Henry Dimbleby, who wrote a previous strategy and coined the phrase “junk food cycle”, is campaigning for the advertising tax, which was proposed by Justin King, the former chief executive of Sainsbury’s. Dimbleby said: “We are in a world where the government doesn’t want to put the cost of food up, and doesn’t want to use tax, so this is a perfect tool. We know advertising works, so let’s use it for good.” He said that increasing vegetable and fibre intake through advertising would be more effective than reducing sugar and salt. 

 

Job of the day: COREcruitment is working with a new restaurant opening in London this autumn that is looking for a HR manager to lead all people operations from the ground up. A COREcruitment spokesperson said: “This role will cover recruitment, onboarding, systems, compliance, training and everything in between. The HR manager will support the leadership team through pre-opening and then take full ownership of HR day to day. There’s already one HR officer in place – and scope to bring in a second hire to support once things are up and running.” The role will be based on-site in London, with flexibility around working hours/hybrid working – and potential to grow with the business as it expands. The salary is up to £65,000. For more information, email kate@corecruitment.com.

 

Wagamama US chief development officer – we’re focused on setting a strong foundation for long-term, disciplined growth: Suk Singh, who was recently hired as Wagamama’s chief development officer for its US operation, has said the business is focused on “setting a strong foundation for long-term, disciplined growth”, and that being fully back under UK ownership was “a pivotal moment” for the brand. Wagamama, which is owned by the Apollo-backed The Restaurant Group (TRG), currently operates seven locations in the US, including restaurants in Boston, New York City, Arlington and Tampa. Last year, TRG bought out its joint venture in the US. Singh, who has more than 25 years of executive experience focusing on real estate, asset management, revenue diversification, franchising and concept design and at some of the world’s largest restaurant groups, including Darden, told FSR Magazine in the US: “We’re focused on setting a strong foundation for long-term, disciplined growth. With the US business now fully back under UK ownership, this is a pivotal moment. Our immediate vision is to optimise our current portfolio-strengthening operations, elevating the guest experience and refining a scalable model. From there, we’ll expand in a focused way that protects brand integrity and builds national awareness for Wagamama in the US market. We’re prioritising high-growth areas across the south and south east, with a skew toward lifestyle centres and mixed-use developments. These settings are a natural fit for Wagamama’s social dining experience and help us connect with communities looking for bold, vibrant food.” Singh said that now that Wagamama US is back under full brand ownership, “we’re investing in what matters most: our people, our restaurants, and our guests”. He said that the brand is currently focused on corporate-owned expansion. He said: “We want to ensure we’re placing Wagamama where our guest base is primed for the experience: culturally curious, quality-driven and looking for a social, shareable dining occasion. With only seven locations in the US, consistency is critical. Before scaling through any broader model, we want to ensure we’ve built a tight, high-performing operation that reflects the standards of the UK business. There may be room for alternate models in the future, but now it’s about getting it right. Success means building a loyal US guest base, delivering consistent operational excellence and establishing Wagamama as the go-to brand in the modern Asian dining category. With support from TRG and Apollo, our mandate is clear: grow with focus, create a brand that guests love and bring the Wagamama experience to more guests across North America.”

M&B CEO – post 9pm trading is a challenge, Vintage Inns and Nicholson’s stood out in last quarter: Phil Urban, chief executive of Mitchells & Butlers (M&B), the All Bar One, Harvester and Toby Carvery operator, has told Propel that post 9pm trading is a challenge and that its Castle and Vintage Inns division were amongst its best performers over its last quarter. Last week, M&B reported that its sales growth remained well ahead of the market through its third quarter, benefiting from Easter trading and recent sunny weather. It saw a 5% increase in like-for-like sales in the three months to 19 July 2025, with food sales up 4.9% and drink sales up 4.8%. Urban told Propel that Vintage Inns, Castle and Nicholson’s were the company’s brands that performed the strongest during the period. In terms of where the company’s expansion focus was at the moment., Urban said: “No single target, but freehold is key, and we’re happy to look at Miller & Carter, Toby, Castle and Nicholson’s opportunities, with Browns, Ego, Pesto and Orleans being options too. We would also look at travel hubs for All Bar One.” When asked about what food and drink trends the company was seeing, Urban said that there was nothing new and that they were all “weather related at the moment”. It comes as analyst Shore Capital nudged its full-year profit forecast for the company up by £3m to £325m and said there was scope for it to beat expectations, assuming the weather remains favourable. It forecast earnings per share of about 30p, up 14% year-on-year. “M&Bs has issued a strong trading update for the 42 weeks ended 19 July, which, as expected, has seen an acceleration in trading from the interim stage,” analyst Greg Johnson at Shore Capital said. “We see this as a very encouraging performance, comfortably ahead of a pub market which continues to demonstrate resilience in a challenging consumer environment.” Johnson said he sees a full restructuring of the company’s securitisation structure as a catalyst for a re-rating of the shares, freeing up “significant” cash flow to shareholders.

Individual Restaurants CEO – Middle East will be the initial focus for international expansion: Andrew Garton, chief executive of Individual Restaurants, the Restaurant Bar & Grill and Piccolino operator, has told Propel that the Middle East will be the company’s initial focus when it comes to international expansion. Last week, the company said it was looking to launch more concepts and enter new markets both here and overseas after posting a 4% rise in turnover to £76m for the year to the end of March 2025. Garton said: “The Middle East is somewhere we’re looking at, and that’ll probably be our first play. But we wouldn’t overlook Europe in terms of finding the right location. We don’t want to work with lots of people. We want to work with partners that we can grow with and complement each other. We’re not in a game where we just need to bend ourselves out of shape for the sake of it. But yes, the Middle East will probably be the first port of call, with other opportunities on the horizon.” Garton also hinted that the company’s recent link-up with Hilton Hotels might play a part in further expansion opportunities. In June, Propel revealed Individual Restaurants planned to diversify into the hotel market, with a Piccolino subsequently opening in the Hilton London Tower Bridge, on the former Jamie’s Italian site. Garton told Propel: “It has started well, and if Hilton wants to do more with us, we’ll do more with it. It’s pleased with the partnership, but it’s at an early stage.”

BrewDog CEO – full results will not show a return to the black, my job is to create value for all shareholders: James Taylor, chief executive of BrewDog, has admitted that the company’s full results, when made available, will not show a return “to the black”, as he said he wants to give the business a “slightly different personality”. Taylor was talking to the Sunday Telegraph after the company announced it was closing ten of its bars in the UK following a strategic review. It comes after pre-tax losses at the business spiralled in recent years, growing from £30.5m in 2022 to £59m in 2023. Taylor told the newspaper the company was profitable on an Ebitda basis in 2024 but admitted full results, when made available, will not show a return to the black. He said: “Below Ebitda, that is where you get various sorts of shareholder financial charges, for example. So no, it won’t be a pre-tax profit at all. The pre-tax losses will have reduced. We have an awful lot of incredible things to do with this business. You’ve seen this week we’ve had to make some harsh decisions as part of that.” Taylor says he wants to give BrewDog “a slightly different personality” – toning down its former anti-corporate stance in favour of marketing around the idea of “quality”. “We have a different leadership team; we have a fresh attitude to what we’re trying to do,” he said. “We are going to be exciting in our [new products], we’re going to be going to some very interesting spaces and territories. We’re going to improve the quality of our headliners.” In 2017, BrewDog struck a £213m deal with TSG Consumer Partners in 2017, which gave the US private equity firm a 22.3% stake in the company. Taylor said: “We don’t ‘owe’ TSG that money. It doesn’t sit on the company balance sheet. My job is to create value for all shareholders. I don’t sit there worrying about coupon rates or that sort of thing. I work for all shareholders; it doesn’t matter whether that’s TSG, whether that’s the founders of this business, or [the Equity Punks].” Taylor said no IPO or sale is currently planned and that TSG supports his turnaround plans. “I will try and create shareholder value for everybody, and what happens in the future in terms of the value of that?” he said. “Well, quite frankly, it’s an academic conversation for the moment.”

Former Pizza Hut franchisee’s portfolio of 38 Delivery sites made £23m in turnover before sale to US business: Former Pizza Hut franchisee Nine Group's portfolio of 38 Delivery sites made £23m in turnover before its sale to a US business. In December 2024, parent group Chadha Capital Investments sold its Nine Food Group subsidiary to Directional Pizza, part of US equity firm Directional Capital, which went on to acquire 139 dine-in Pizza Hut restaurants from Heart With Smart the following month. Following the sale, Chadha Capital repaid in full all bank loans relating to Nine Food Group and was left with a portfolio of five hotels under a variety of franchised brands. Latest accounts for Chadha Capital show that from turnover of £41,656,780 in the year to 30 June 2024, £23,592,547 came from its franchise restaurant operations, with £17,981,025 coming from its hotels. In the previous year, the company's turnover was £42,557,782, with £23,979,351 coming from the restaurants and £18,516,574 from the hotels. Chadha Capital also grew its pre-tax profit from £3,429,983 in 2023 to £3,664,778, while it reported net assets of £22.3m (2023: £18.64m) and cash of £7.9m (2023: £8.4m). The hotels the group now operates are Novotel Heathrow, Most House Hotel in Reading, The Dragon Hotel in Swansea, Sheraton London Gatwick Hotel and Radisson Red London Greenwich The O2 Hotel. The year saw Novotel Heathrow achieve 100% occupancy (2023: 98.4%), revenue per available room (revpar) of £69.99 (2023: £69.78), turnover of £6.5m (2023: £7.7m) and Ebitda of £4.2m (2023: £4.4m). The Most House Hotel achieved occupancy of 85.8% (2023: 92.9%), revpar of £68.14 (2023: £55.50), turnover of £3.1m (2023: £2.6m) and Ebitda of £1.6m (2023: £1.1m). The Dragon Hotel achieved occupancy of 65.7% (2023: 74.4%), revpar of £67.63 (2023: £58.25), turnover of £1.8m (2023: £1.9m) and Ebitda of £0.4m (2023: £-0.1m). The Sheraton London Gatwick Hotel achieved occupancy of 99.0% (2023: 97.6%), revpar of £69.30 (2023: £69.09), turnover of £4.6m (2023: £4.9m) and Ebitda of £2.8m.  (2023: £2.5m). The Radisson Red London Greenwich The O2 Hotel achieved occupancy of 93.3% (2023: 98.6%), revpar of £76.42 (2023: £67.60), turnover of £2.1m (2023: £1.8m) and Ebitda of £1.0m (2023: £1.1m). Nine Group was founded in 2012 by Vivek Chadha, who built it into one of the largest private hotel companies in the UK before passing away in 2021 at the age of 33. Not long before he died, the group had struck a franchising deal with Pizza Hut to acquire 26 Pizza Hut Delivery stores in London and five Pizza Hut Express stores nationwide through Nine Food Group.

Tommy Banks to open first site for new pub venture next month: Chef and restaurateur Tommy Banks will open the first site for his new pub venture next month. Banks – together with Matthew Lockwood, brother James Banks and businessman Neil Armstrong – launched Jeopardy Hospitality in May, which will focus on bringing “great places out of jeopardy” and “returning them to their former glory”. Its first project, The General Tarleton in Knaresborough, North Yorkshire, will reopen on Friday, 29 August following months of careful restoration to the 18th-century coaching inn. The newly restored building will reopen as an eight-bedroom pub with a private dining space, expansive bar and beer garden. Sam Orbaum, previously head of people at the Woodhead Restaurant Group, joins as general manager, while Aled Williams, previously head chef at Michelin-starred Northcote, joins as executive chef. He will oversee a menu of British pub classics, where regularly changing specials will reflect the seasons and feature dishes such as roast king scallop with tomato gazpacho and lardo. Mains will include favourites steak and Guinness pie with baked potato mash, Savoy cabbage and rich gravy; the signature GT Burger, made with Dexter beef from the Banks family farm, Red Sparkenhoe cheese and house pickles; and a Côte de Boeuf for two served with triple-cooked chips, a wedge salad and homemade accompaniments. A set menu will be available Monday to Friday evenings, with two courses for £26 or three for £30 (also available at lunch on Thursday and Friday). Curated by James Banks, the 40-strong wine list brings together classic regions, emerging producers and lesser-seen bottles from across Europe and beyond – with more than 20 wines available by the glass. There will also be cocktails and a selection of local ales, such as a new Gose-style beer created in collaboration with Knaresborough's Turning Point Brewery – brewed with foraged botanicals and ingredients grown on the Banks family farm. The Tommy Banks Group also includes The Black Swan in Oldstead, Roots York, The Abbey Inn in Byland and Made In Oldstead.

Yorkshire Mexican restaurant concept set to open first travel hub location: Yorkshire Mexican restaurant concept Mexi Bean Express is set to open its first travel hub location. The brand, led by Danielle Best, is preparing to take over a former Subway unit at Wakefield Westgate station. It will join the other Mexi Bean Express locations in Halifax, Brighouse, Huddersfield and Bradford – the latter of which opened earlier this month. “Previously a Subway in-line unit, nestled between WHSmiths and Greggs, the space has been left empty for a while, but more recently, Mexi Bean Express signage has gone up,” said franchise consultant Jay Heathcote. “This Wakefield Mexi Bean site will join the business' other sites in Bradford, Halifax, Brighouse and Huddersfield, and it is an interesting move into the travel hub space for the brand. With the right offerings, this location could do really well and maximise in all day parts. It could [potentially] offer the opportunity to develop a breakfast offer for the big morning London commuter trains, drive the lunch and sharing menu with the regular daily footfall, local office buildings and Capa College at lunch, and be a great base for delivery in the evenings, as well as pick on the way home from the daily commute.” In May, Best told Propel Mexi Bean Express would launch its first franchise sites this year as it eyes a UK-wide presence before expanding globally. “Our growth plan includes launching 11-plus franchises across the UK in the next 12 months, venturing into international franchising in the next two years and having a global presence in five years,” she said.

Northern Ireland hotel group that will open Hilton’s first Tempo branded hotel outside the US returns to profit: Northern Ireland hotel group Loughview Leisure, which will open Hilton’s first Tempo branded hotel outside the US, returned to profit in the year to 30 June 2024. The company turned a pre-tax loss of £3,529,133 in 2023 into a profit of £1,694,527 as administration expenses dropped from £6,808,934 to £1,885,585. Its turnover increased slightly from £10,038,509 to £10,127,844. Post year end, in March 2025, Loughview signed a franchise agreement to operate the 56-strong Tempo brand's international debut, with the launch of the 144-room Tempo by Hilton Belfast City Centre in a vacant office building. The hotel, which will be situated adjacent to the Cathedral Quarter, is expected to open towards the end of 2026. Loughview Leisure Group also owns the recently renovated DoubleTree by Hilton Belfast Templepatrick and upcoming DoubleTree by Hilton Belfast City Ten Square, which will see a rebrand of its Ten Square hotel in central Belfast. Loughview Leisure, which is part of Paddy Kearney's Kilmona Group, is also behind the Kingfisher Country Estate and has planning approval for a 146-bedroom hotel at Centre House on Belfast's Chichester Street. Two other hotels in the group's portfolio are now closed to the public. Both the Loughshore Hotel in Carrickfergus and the Chimney Corner Hotel in Newtownabbey were subject to long-term government contracts to house asylum seekers from July 2021. The Longshore was sold to Healthcare Island in 2023 and is set to become a nursing home, while Chimney Corner remains closed to the public.

Lake District operator – we did not react fast enough to inflationary pressures but enhanced management team focused on return to profitability, set to move Michelin-starred restaurant: Lake District operator Ciel Hotels has said the business “did not react fast enough” to inflationary pressures but that an “enhanced management team is focused on a return to profitability”. Charles Lowther, whose family has owned Askham Hall, near Penrith, since the 1800s, founded Ciel Hotels in 2008 after launching the venue as a restaurant with rooms. That same year, it also opened The George & Dragon pub in Clifton, and in 2018, added The Queens Head pub in Penrith. The George & Dragon closed after a major fire in June 2022 and reopened a year later. In the company’s accounts for the year to 31 March 2024, director Richard Swale said: “The overall performance was challenging. The company made a trading loss due to a combination of inflationary increases, increased wages and salaries and significant repair and renewal costs invested into the company. The company did not react fast enough with its pricing strategy, but a strategic priority was to regain the footfall at the George & Dragon following the refurbishment after the fire. The board have since enhanced its management team and focus to ensure an eventual return to profitability.” Swale said weddings and events numbers fell at Askham Hall, “which was to be expected after the covid backlog was cleared”, as did occupancy levels did drop for non-wedding guests, “which reinforces the importance of weddings and events for room bookings for this location”. He said The George and Dragon will be repositioned, following its refurbishment, as an upmarket country inn with 14 bedrooms, resulting in “a smaller dependence on food and beverage sales”. He said The Queen’s Head benefited from the George & Dragon’s closure, which led to “a strong performance for the restaurant”. The company is also set to move its Michelin-starred restaurant at Askham Hall, Allium, to a new site with increased capacity after securing a long lease at a new location in Sharrow Bay. Swale said: “Sharrow Bay is an iconic site in the sector, being renowned for being the first country house hotel in the UK and having an unrivalled setting overlooking Ullswater. The directors have secured funding for this capital project via a mixture of equity and debt.” The company saw a pre-tax profit of £246,357 in 2023 turn into a loss of £622,167. The 2023 figure included £1,316,721 in insurance income (2023: £272,303) and £226,958 in fire reinstatement costs (2023: £705,986). Turnover was up from £2,766,319 in 2023 to £3,223,041. Dividends of £83,750 were paid (2023: £71,209).

Nottingham operator opens second site for vegetarian and vegan takeaway restaurant concept: Nottingham operator Mohammed Aldalaw has opened a second site for his vegetarian and vegan takeaway restaurant concept, Vegalante. Aldalaw has launched the venue in Mansfield Road five months after opening in the Clocktower dining area on the top floor of the Victoria Centre. Vegalante specialises in wraps, jacket potatoes and build-your-own salads, with fillings such as traditional falafel, spicy potato, aubergine, mixed vegetables, hummus and halloumi. There is also cold-pressed juice and a range of hot drinks. Aldalaw, who opened chicken shop Chickandos in Shakespeare Street in 2023, told Nottinghamshire Live: “Most of it is Mediterranean vegetarian cuisine with a twist – we have added our own spices. We have a lot of dishes from north Africa, from Turkey and from the Middle East.”

Manchester operator to open second site for his Irish bar concept and third overall: Manchester operator John Kennedy is set to open a second site for his Irish bar concept and third overall. Kennedy, who was formerly a director of the Dante restaurant in Hale Village, opened the first Kennedy’s Irish Bar in 2021, in the former Locanda restaurant in Altrincham’s Greenwood Street. His company, Kennedy Hospitality, followed this by opening The Irish Deli in the unit next door, offering a variety of Irish produce. A second Kennedy’s Irish Bar is now set to open in the former CAU and Zizzi unit in Wilmslow Road, Didsbury, which was also once the Clock Tower pub. Sharing more details on social media, the team said: “Over four years ago, we opened the doors to Kennedy’s Irish Bar in the heart of Altrincham. From day one, the support from the local community was incredible – and it’s that energy that’s helped shape who we are today. It didn't take long before we realised we had even more to offer. Just a year in, we expanded into next door – more space, more people, more Guinness and, of course, more good times! We have had amazing support from the Irish community in Manchester and beyond, but we always knew Altrincham was just the beginning. For the past couple of years, we’ve been on the lookout for our next home – a decision we didn’t take lightly. We explored plenty of locations, but we knew we had to wait for the one that felt right.”

Bahraini operators open in London’s Marylebone for UK debut: A new Middle Eastern restaurant that has opened in London’s Marylebone is the first UK site from a team of Bahraini operators. The owners, who wish to remain anonymous, have launched Noreen at 28-32 St Christopher’s Place, offering an “authentic Middle Eastern culinary experience” that “draws inspiration from across the Arabian Peninsula and the Levant”. The 80-cover restaurant, set within 2,900 square feet of grade II-listed former retail space, is named after the Arabic words for “light” and “two”. There is also a small, terracotta-tiled dessert bar offering a selection of cocktails and mocktails using ingredients like hibiscus, za'atar, black lime and tahini, while an open kitchen serves “an innovative Middle Eastern menu”. Restaurant Property acted on the deal.

South Wales boutique fitness studio unveils expansion plans into Swansea and funding round to support growth: South Wales boutique fitness studio Studio Tarw has unveiled expansion plans into Swansea and a funding round as the business marks its first anniversary. Studio Tarw experienced turnover of more than £100,000 and 13,000 customers in its first year. Founder Alex Bull established her Cardiff city-centre based studio in late-July 2024. The business is not only planning to expand into Wales' second biggest city, but it is also launching a round of investor funding to help support its growth plans. The investor strategy will mirror that of its first business in Cardiff, seeking funding from individual investors and crowdfunding. Studio Tarw offers a mix of spin, bootcamp, weights, triathlon and hot yoga or Pilates classes and in excess of 1,000 of its customers returned to the gym more than once. Bull said: "We've built Studio Tarw for longevity. In year one, we invested in building a new concept from scratch in an untouched market, with an intentionally lean launch, reinvesting everything back into growth. Now we're looking at expansion to our second site, which was always the plan. We've modelled conservatively to prioritise long-term sustainability over short-term hype – and it's working. This is a solid, data-driven, community-rooted studio with clear profitability, high retention, and strong future margins. And there's nowhere like us in Cardiff or Swansea." Moving from London in 2020, Bull set up Studio Tarw, initially as an online venture, with personal training, running plans and a triathlon club. In August 2023, Bull found the city-centre venue in Windsor Street, and Studio Tarw was launched 11 months later.

Team behind Portsmouth brewery opens new taproom: The team behind Portsmouth brewery, Staggeringly Good, has opened a new taproom. Staggeringly Good, which operates a brewery, taproom and coffee shop in Southsea, has opened The Fossil Thief taproom in the Lock Keepers Cottage at Portsmouth’s Gunwharf Quays. Staggeringly Good owner Joe Ross told The News: “I think both Gunwharf and myself saw an opportunity. It’s quite an interesting space that's somewhat older than new. Our heritage in the city is somewhat older than new as well, so the building reflects that, in taking a piece of history and turning it into something contemporary. In a way, it's like finding a new fossil – taking a piece of history and bringing it into the modern world.” While the cafe is currently only offering drinks and snacks, the team hopes to expand the menu and serve food in the future.

East Sussex mixed-use hospitality facility sold to new owners: The Sussex Exchange, a mixed-use hospitality facility in St Leonards-on-Sea in East Sussex, has been sold to new owners. The complex closed in July 2024 after its previous operator went into liquidation after its trade suffered extensively during the pandemic. The building was developed by economic development company Sea Change Sussex and opened in 2012 as a restaurant, bar, conference centre and cinema – and more recently incorporated a nightclub. The site was put on the market in October 2024 and has now been acquired by a local manufacturing firm, reports Sussex World. Sea Change Sussex said it was unable to give details of the deal due to commercial confidentiality, and it is unclear what the future holds for the site. The building spans 9,046 square feet over two floors, with large outdoor terraces.

East Midlands brewers teaming up to open first bar: East Midlands brewers Bang The Elephant Brewing Co and Emperors Brewery are teaming up to open their first bar. The two companies are launching The Tusk & Raider in Nottingham. Plans have been lodged with the city council to convert a former Pilates studio on the corner of Broadway and St Mary's Gate in the Lace Market area. The proposed bar would be open 12pm until 11pm Sunday to Wednesday and from 12pm until 1am Thursday to Saturday. The bar would also serve small plates of food and bar snacks. Bang The Elephant Brewing Co is based in the Derbyshire village of Langley Mill while Emperors Brewery is a microbrewery in Coalville in Leicestershire.

Scottish hospitality veterans to retire from industry after 40 years, put Inverness aparthotel up for sale: Scottish hospitality veterans Roy and Garry Dinnes are to retire from the industry after 40 years and have put their Inverness aparthotel up for sale. The brothers are looking to sell Inverness City Suites, in Inverness High Street, off a guide price of £3.6m. The company website states: “The Dinnes family has owned and operated quality hotels in Scotland for more than 40 years, always with a focus on providing a high standard of facility and personal service.” Roy Dinnes added: “Having enjoyed a lifetime of building businesses, the directors are keen to leave the world of work behind in favour of a world of leisure. Inverness City Suites is a fantastic business, performing exceptionally well on its own or a great addition to an existing portfolio.” Inverness City Suites is being marketed by Savills and Drysdale and Company, reports The Herald. Among the businesses the brothers previously owned are the Eight Acres in Elgin, which they sold to Crerar Hotels, and So Coco coffee shop in Inverness, which closed in 2019.