Exclusive – Simmons Bars completes restructuring process, exits four sites: Cocktail bar operator Simmons has completed a strategic restructuring process – supported by existing backer Lonsdale Capital Partners – designed to streamline its portfolio, strengthen its financial position and lay the foundation for continued growth, Propel has learned. As part of the process, the business, which was founded by Nick Campbell in 2012, said it had taken the decision to exit four leases in London, allowing management to “focus resources on our strongest-performing venues”. Alongside this, the company is understood to have secured additional investment to support future expansion and operational improvements across the estate. Campbell told Propel: “The business continues to trade as normal, with all of our retained sites operating without interruption. As always, we remain committed to delivering the unique, value-driven, high-energy customer experience we’re known for and look forward to a positive end to 2025. We plan to continue exploring opportunities for expansion in the market, including potential sites in key UK cities outside of London.” Propel understands that the company has been working with Kroll Advisory on its options and the restructuring process. In April, the business, which at one point operated circa 25 sites, said it was able to maintain trading levels in the year to 31 March 2024, despite the impact on the disposable income of young consumers of the cost-of-living crisis. The then 24-strong company reported turnover in the 12 months to 31 March 2024 of £28.6m (FY23: £28.0m), gross profit of £23.1m (FY23: £22.6m) and adjusted Ebitda of £2.4m (FY23: £3.7m). It posted a pre-tax loss of £2.2m (FY23: £31,000). The business said that the year to the end of March 2024 was “another period where the bars market faced significant macroeconomic headwinds”. It said: “The group was able to mitigate the worst effects of this with trading remaining resilient across the year, with revenue finishing ahead of the prior year and ahead of the market. This did not prevent Ebitda dropping year on year in the face of continuing high inflation and the impact of the relatively high operational gearing common across all hospitality companies. The key driver of this performance was the impact of the cost-of-living crisis in the UK. The persistently high inflation has a dual impact on the group, with consumers’ disposable incomes being squeezed as well as putting pressure on the group’s cost base. The impact on consumer disposable incomes and confidence was more pronounced for the group’s key younger, lower income, London-based consumer than other parts of the hospitality industry. Despite these severe headwinds, the group was able to maintain FY23 trading levels, with the group’s market leading value for money proposition a key factor.” The company opened its first regional site, in Manchester’s Deansgate, last October. 

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Propel’s Culture, Talent & Training Conference open for bookings, panel to be held about challenges the industry faces around working with debilitating diseases in the workplace: Propel’s Culture, Talent & Training Conference is open for bookings. The conference takes place on Thursday, 9 October at One Moorgate Place in London. The conference will include a panel where COREcruitment founder Krishnan Doyle talks to Clare Lawson, commercial excellence director at Merlin Entertainments, and Alyson Hancock, group people director at The Wonderfield Group, about the challenges the industry faces around working with debilitating diseases in the workplace. 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 members to receive new searchable and segmented New Openings Database and videos from Operational Excellence Conference this week: The next Propel New Openings Database will be sent to Premium Club members on Friday 1 August. 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. 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 9,157-word report on the 157 new additions to the database. The database includes new openings in the cafe bakery sector such as Isle of Wight café concept PO41 Coffee House, West London bakery concept Layla Bakery, and Açai brand Oakberry. Premium Club subscribers will also receive all the videos from the Operational Excellence Conference on Friday, at 9am. They include Karen Turton, founder of Purple Story, setting out the four fundamentals of operational excellence – people, profitability, performance and productivity. 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 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.

Imbiba – there is still interest in M&A, but the pool has shrunk: Lizzie Ryan, managing partner at serial sector investor Imbiba, has said there is still interest in M&A within the sector but that “the pool has shrunk”. Speaking on the investment panel at Propel’s Excellence in Operations conference, Ryan said: “What we’re experiencing from an exit perspective at the moment is whereas historically you might have had, say, ten investors interested in looking at an information memorandum, now you might just get two or three, and they’re specialist investors. Trade is still there, and specialist investors are still there – the best brands can still be sold and there is still interest there – but the pool has shrunk. We will look at any sub sector and who is doing it well within it. Within that, there’s more resilient customer bases, and the ones that seem to be trading best at the moment are the ones that are more habitual than a treat. We’re looking at everything, but we’ve got one eye on who a buyer might be down the road, so that does influence where we’re investing at the moment.” Premium Club subscribers will receive all the videos from the Operational Excellence Conference on Friday (1 August) at 9am. 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.

Tampopo founder – ‘regrettably, I am predicting a bloodbath in the hospitality sector’: David Fox, founder of pan-Asian restaurant business Tampopo, has said that “regrettably, I am predicting a bloodbath in the hospitality sector”, and that last week, the company’s net sales of £155,000 only generated cash of £260. Tampopo operates six sites across Manchester and London. Fox said: “Regrettably, I am predicting a bloodbath in the hospitality sector. I hope I am wrong as many good people will lose their jobs and more. Busaba, Oakman, Cote and now Gusto on the cards. Our sector is averaging overall negative like for like sales in 2025, and we have been hit with unprecedented cost increases. This has been almost wholly as a result of government policy.  National insurance contributions, national minimum wage and recycling to mention only three. Then there are rates and soon to be Employment Rights Bill. All of these are set with the best of intentions, but there are serious consequences. Last week, Tampopo’s net sales were £155,000 and we generated cash of £260. A year ago, the same sales would have produced £7,000 of cash. Good luck to all you fellow operators.”

Uber loses UK supreme court appeal over tax on private-hire rivals: Getting a taxi back from a hospitality venue will not become more expensive after a court ruled that Uber’s rival operators will not have to pay 20% VAT on their profits outside London. The UK supreme court ruled that private-hire operators do not enter into a contract with passengers, dismissing an Uber appeal. Private-hire firms declared the verdict to be a “triumph for the sector” after a three-year legal battle, which they had said could end with fares rising sharply for passengers. Uber had brought the case after a 2021 supreme court decision that its drivers were workers, which had an impact on its tax and other obligations. The company sought a declaration that private-hire taxi operators enter into a contract with passengers and the high court in London ruled in its favour in 2023. That decision meant that operators would have to pay VAT at 20%, but the ruling was reversed by the court of appeal in July last year after a challenge by the private hire operators Delta Taxis and the platform Veezu. Uber appealed to the supreme court, which unanimously dismissed the company’s case. The Veezu chief legal officer, Nia Cooper, said: “This decision is a triumph for the UK private-hire sector. The unanimous verdict ends a three-year legal battle and confirms that operators can continue to choose which business model they adopt to run their business.” She said the outcome would protect passengers from threatened fare increases and lessen the burdens on licensing authorities.

Proper Pubs to donate 5p from every pint of Carling sold to local food banks: Proper Pubs, the award-winning community wet-led operator division of Admiral Taverns which has over 200 pubs across the UK, is partnering with Carling to donate 5p of every pint of the lager sold across its estate throughout August to local food banks across the UK. The initiative is part of Proper Pubs’ wider “Heroes of Hunger” campaign, which launched in September 2024 with its “FoodFest” activation. To coincide with National Foodbank Day in September, pubs were encouraged to host fundraising events, such as family-fun days, to collect as much food as possible. As a result of the efforts from operators across the country, Proper Pubs successfully donated enough food to feed 1,300 people for a week. Mark Brooke, managing director at Proper Pubs, said: “Supporting community initiatives such as local food banks is at the heart of everything we do here at Proper Pubs, especially in light of the current challenges affecting many people across the UK right now.”

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Greggs CEO – Britain has not reached peak Greggs, significant opportunity to open new sites: Roisin Currie, chief executive of Greggs, has denied that the UK had reached “peak Greggs” and maintained that there was “significant opportunity” for the brand to open new stores in areas such as supermarkets, retail parks and transport hubs, as it aims toward a target of 3,000 sites. It comes as the business reported pre-tax profits of £63.5m in its half-year interim results, down from £74.1m last year, which it put down to snowfall and heatwaves as well as higher costs that hit businesses this year. The 2,649-strong company has plans to open about 150 stores a year and is testing out “bite-size” Greggs – a smaller outlet focused on a narrow range of its bestsellers – so that it can rent pricier locations in the south. Currie said: “I don’t believe we’ve reached peak Greggs. If you look at the map of the UK, there are still lots of areas where you cannot access Greggs. Our trial of new concepts such as ‘bitesize Greggs’ aims to enable more convenient access to Greggs, driving greater visit frequency, and supports the scale of estate opportunity in the medium term.” However, she acknowledged that growth is “not about chasing numbers”, adding that Greggs has seen its newer shops outperform its traditional estate, showing “we are choosing the right opportunities”. Currie also said Greggs had “the flexibility that if you see a catchment has changed, or high street has changed”, then it was able to move sites. Currie described conditions as challenging, with consumer confidence low and people “saving rather than spending”, especially those on lower incomes. Currie said more than 30% of Greggs’ product range were now healthy options and that the company was mindful of the potential future impact of diet drugs such as Ozempic. She said that there was “no doubt” that the injections were changing “what and how” people eat, and that the bakery chain was looking at adapting its range to suit these customers. Russ Mould, the investment director at the broker AJ Bell, said that the lack of information on current trading has “left investors wondering if the business has become as stale as a day-old Belgian bun”. He said: “This situation won’t stop the growing debate about whether Greggs has reached peak sausage roll. There are suggestions it has grown too fast, the menu is too bloated and consumer tastes are changing. People want healthier options, and while Greggs has some of these in its stores, the core pastry-based items remain its bread and butter.”

Retro gaming concept secures first ten franchise locations as it looks to expand across the UK: Retro gaming concept Continue Arcade has secured its first ten franchise locations as it looks to expand across the UK. The first Continue Arcade was opened by founder Austin Wood in Plymouth in 2023, offering retro classics and consoles, pinball machines and shooting, racing and table games. A second site opened in April, in the former Suite Dreams site in East Street in Taunton, and the brand is also lining up a third site, in Exeter. In May, franchise consultant Joel Bissett, who is leading the concept’s role out with Infinity Business Growth Network, said the team behind Continue Arcade plans to open 80-plus sites over the next five years. Those growth plans are now set to get underway, with a deal signed to open ten franchisee units across the south of England. Bissett said: “This step signals the successful transition from franchise development to franchise rollout, with locations now confirmed and in preparation for launch. This rollout phase is just the beginning of a broader growth strategy for Continue Arcades, with further franchise opportunities expected to be awarded in the coming months. As the first ten units prepare to open their doors, the momentum behind the Continue Arcades brand continues to build, and it is exciting to see the first wave of franchisees bring the arcade experience to new communities.” Customers can enjoy a wide variety of retro machines, console set-ups and immersive entertainment zones in each location. The franchise model has been designed to appeal to a broad audience, offering inclusive and engaging spaces for individuals, families and groups. Bissett added: “We have been overwhelmed with the demand for this fantastic business model, and the quality of the candidates is excellent – many being experienced entrepreneurs, including multi-unit franchisees. I look forward to seeing the brand grow and achieve its target of 80-plus units over the next five years.” The 2025 Experiential Leisure Report, the second year of Propel’s exhaustive report on the market, will be published on Friday (1 August) at 9am. The report profiles the current shape of the experiential leisure market – including brands, estate size, trading type and geographical location and future trends. It also provides a detailed list of UK experiential leisure companies including key staff and Companies House information. The report includes 197 companies, marking a 10% growth in the sector since last year’s study, with 3,700 sites. The report is available for £595 plus VAT to pre-order now. Existing Premium Club subscribers can receive it on Friday, 1 August for £395 plus VAT. The report will be made available for free to existing Premium subscribers on Wednesday, 10 September at 9am. Email kai.kirkman@propelinfo.com today to order a copy.

List of Gusto closures revealed: The Gusto Italian restaurants in Leeds, Newcastle and Edinburgh are amongst the six sites that are set to close after Cherry Equity Partners, the investment vehicle led by Ed Standring and Jamie Barber, agreed to acquire the majority of the business via a pre-pack administration. Cherry Equity Partners is set to acquire seven of Gusto’s 13 restaurants – those located in Liverpool (Albert Dock), Birmingham, Cheadle, Knutsford, Manchester, Nottingham and Oxford – safeguarding more than 300 jobs. The sites that will close are located in Alderley Edge, Cookridge, Edinburgh, Heswall, Leeds and Newcastle, resulting in circa 190 redundancies. Administrators at Interpath said that the majority of these are smaller sites in suburban locations which have become economically unviable due to continuing cost headwinds affecting the sector. Gusto chief executive Paul Moran said: “We are profoundly sorry to see six of our restaurants close and are tremendously grateful for the support of our staff and our loyal customers at these locations over the years.” Propel revealed in June that Gusto had begun working with advisory firm Interpath and that a process could include a restructure of the business and an assessment of its investment options. Propel understands that Cherry Equity Partners, which also backs Cabana and Bistrot Pierre, beat off competition from Cain International, the backers of Prezzo Italian, to acquire the majority of the Gusto business. 

Neat Burger made £16m loss in 2023, company set to go into liquidation: Lewis Hamilton and Leonardo DiCaprio-backed plant-based concept Neat Burger, which closed its remaining UK sites earlier this year, posted a £16.2m pre-tax loss in 2023 (2022: loss of £4.6m) as it said it intends that the business be placed into liquidation. Neat Burger closed its final UK sites in London’s Camden and Wembley in April. The chain was founded in 2019 and at one point grew to eight London restaurants, plus sites in New York, Dubai and Milan. It was valued at £51m after completing a multi-million-pound funding round in 2021 and announced plans to expand to 30 sites across the capital. However, progress stalled, and it closed four London restaurants at the end of 2023 due to a “decrease in footfall”. The company rebranded from Neat Burger to Neat in February 2024, alongside a new menu launch, and the following month, chief operating officer Stasi Nychas stepped down. In September 2024, chief executive Zack Bishti also left the company. In a report from the end of May 2025, the company said that “a director intends to liquidate the company”. For the year to 31 December 2023, it reported turnover of £3.5m (2022: £2.85m). The company said it recorded a net loss of £2.7m before exceptional items for the year.

Caffe Nero UK reports 5% like-for-like sales growth in fourth quarter: Premium coffee house brand Caffè Nero has announced strong trading for the fourth quarter of its financial year (1 March- 31May), which it said built on a robust performance in the previous three quarters of the year. The Nero Group delivered 12% sales growth across the world, with 6% like-for-like sales growth during the quarter. In the UK for the same period, total sales growth was 8%. The company said that the strong sales performance in the UK was supported by the “hugely successful launch of the summer iced drinks menu”, with a sales increase of 56% versus the previous year. Caffè Nero UK also saw significant sales of its new vanilla iced matcha and strawberry iced matcha, delivering sales of 514,000 units during the quarter. Other items such as the premium cinnamon bun, which has now sold 900,000 units, and the Maritozzi bun, which has now sold over 600,000 units, also drove strong sales, while customer numbers in the UK continued to grow, up 3% versus the previous year. The business opened 20 new stores during the period, taking the total new stores opened at group level in its 2025 financial year to 94 (including the acquisitions of 200 Degrees and FCB). In the UK, Caffè Nero opened a further four new stores in the period, increasing the total number of new openings in the financial year in the UK to 19. As a result, at the end of May 2025, the group operated 1,140 stores across 11 countries with 11,000 employees, serving more than 155 million customers a year. At present, 95% of all the Nero Group’s stores are company-owned. Gerry Ford, founder and group chief executive, said: “We have a different model than most other companies in our sector. We are an independent, home-grown start-up focussed on the premium end of the coffee market that now has scale. We own our stores and have built our business with strong foundations over many years. I think this is paying off as we continue to grow our brands across the world.”

Company behind Park Chinois placed into administration: The future of Park Chinois, the Chinese restaurant in London’s Mayfair designed and originated by Wagamama founder Alan Yau, has been placed in doubt after the company behind it has been placed into administration, Propel has learned. It understood that FRP Advisory has been appointed as administrators. Park Chinois, which continues to trade, opened in Berkeley Street in November 2015. Yau, who is no longer involved in the business, previously described the venue as “not really a restaurant, more like an entertainment project”. In 2016, he revealed he spent more than £30m on the venue. The restaurant occupies 15,200 square feet and seats 300 for dinner, with room for 50 at the venue’s two bars. Propel understands that an accelerated sales process was launched for Park Chinois earlier this spring due to “cash flow pressures and difficulty in securing further investment, resulting in an immediate working capital requirement”. Latest available accounts show in the year to 25 March 2023, the company saw a £1,397,700 pre-tax loss turn into a profit of £53,389 as turnover rose from £10,620,754 to £14,560,532. The company owed £3,646,071 in Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme payments (2022: £4,640,433), due in full by December 2025. During the year, the company extended the lease on its 17 Berkeley Street principal place of business by 20 years to June 2044, subject to a rent review every five years.

Camerons Brewery to return to the expansion trail with Head of Steam brand: Hartlepool-based Camerons Brewery, led by Chris Soley, is set to return to the expansion trail with the opening of its first Head of Steam site since 2019. The company, which operates 15 sites under its Head of Steam concept, has lined up an opening for later this year on Newton Street, on the edge of Manchester’s Northern Quarter, in the site that was formerly Cottonopolis. It will be the company’s first new opening since covid struck and the first Head of Steam opened since the launch of the company’s award-winning Head of Steam at Park Row, Leeds, in 2019. In April, Camerons reported Ebitda of £4.6m in the year to 5 January 2025, an increase of £700,000 over the year before. Turnover of £60.2m compared to £61.5m for the previous 12 months – the slight reduction due to the prior year having six months trading from a group of 26 pubs that were sold (Project Lion) on 30 June 2023. At the same time, the company said: “We have re-established our strategic expansion actions and we are keen to grow our national flagship Head of Stream pub brand alongside our Urban Country Pubs estate.”

Sutton Hotel Collection turnover passes £100m, makes a loss following £17m impairment charge from sale of Cheltenham hotel: Sutton Hotel Collection, founded in 2017 by the family of the late Sir Richard Sutton, saw its turnover pass the £100m mark in the year to 31 March 2025. The company, which operated five hotels during the year, also made a pre-tax loss of £39,000 (2024: profit of £13,600,000) after recognising a £17m impairment charge from the sale of a Cheltenham hotel. As reported by Propel last week, Sutton Hotel Collection has sold The Queens Hotel in the Gloucestershire town to KE Hotels. The sale left it with the Sheraton Grand London Park Lane Hotel in London (with Marriott under a hotel management agreement), the Athenaeum Hotel in London, the Castle Hotel in Windsor and the Francis Hotel in Bath. “The offer indicated a market valuation significantly lower than the asset’s carrying value in the balance sheet,” the company said. “Management undertook an impairment review to reassess the recoverable amount of the aset. As a result of this review, an impairment charge of £17m was recognised in the profit and loss account, reflecting the adjustment of the asset to its recoverable amount, being fair value less costs to sell.” The company’s turnover rose from £98,801,000 in 2024 to £102,032,000. Of this, £74,220,000 came from hotels (2024: £75,406,000), £10,923,000 from farming (2024: £10,885,000) and £16,889,000 from property management (2024: £12,510,000). Further analysis shows that £99,775,000 came from UK revenue (2024: £97,413,000) and £2,257,000 from the US (2024: £1,388,000). The group said it has achieved its objective of making its farming operations in England and the US sustainable before subsidy and it is looking acquire additional suitable bare land. The group also maintains properties in central London and on its rural estates. In May 2025, it completed the construction of a new free-range egg production facility in Lincolnshire, “further diversifying our farm revenue”. Capital expenditure for the year was £29.8m (2024: £17.1m). Dividends of £3,006,000 were paid (2024: £2,962,000). A £75m revolving credit facility, with a term of July 2025, had £7m drawn down during the year, and the amount owed was £30m (2024: £23m). This facility was restated and amended in April and the term extended until March 2032, with two further one-year extension options, and the amount increased to £100m, together with the provision of a new term loan of £30m. Director Alastair Darby said: “The group’s strategy is to maintain, improve and enhance the portfolio; to optimise the mix of business to further increase services, the average rate and occupancy; and to dispose of non-core assets and seek complimentary acquisitions or increase diversification where and when appropriate.” 

Gaucho hires Pedro Nunes as new operations director: Rare Restaurants, the operator of the Gaucho brand, has hired Pedro Nunes, formerly of The Ivy Collection and CG Restaurants & Bars, as its new operations director. Nunes joins Rare after almost a decade as an operations director at Richard Caring-backed The Ivy Collection. Prior to that, he spent four and a half years as an operations manager at CG Restaurants & Bars, then then owner of the Dirty Martini cocktail bar chain. In May, Propel reported that Rare Restaurants was to close the two remaining sites operated under the M Restaurant banner in the City and Twickenham, to focus on growth for its core Gaucho business. It is understood that the M Restaurant in Threadneedle Street, in the City, which opened more than a decade ago, will close next week. The Crane Tap pub in Twickenham, which was also part of M Restaurants, will close at the same time. Staff at the two sites are set to be offered work at nearby Gaucho sites. Martin Williams, who stepped down as Rare Restaurant’s chief executive last October, founded M Restaurants in 2014, and at one time, the business also operated M sites in London’s Victoria and Canary Wharf. In April 2019, M Restaurants was acquired by and integrated into Rare Restaurants, along with the Gaucho brand. Propel understands that the closures allow Baton Berisha, formerly of D&D London, The Ivy Collection and The Wolseley Hospitality Group, who became the new chief executive of Rare Restaurants in March, to focus on the growth and evolution of the Gaucho brand, which currently operates 20 sites across the UK.

Six by Nico lines up flagship Covent Garden site: Six By Nico has lined up a new flagship site in London’s Covent Garden, which is set to launch in the coming months. Propel understands that the business, which already operates two sites in the capital, in Canary Wharf and Fitzrovia, is set to take on the former Wagamama site in Tavistock Street. Earlier this week, SixCo, the company behind the Six by Nico restaurant business, announced it will launch a “community-first” crowdfunding campaign next month, and invite its customers to “help shape the future of the brand”. A new crowdfunded membership will go live in August “with the goal of building the largest and more active culinary community in the UK and beyond”. In April, the company said it had decentralised its customer relations function out to its restaurants – a move it said will “create stronger relationships with our restaurant communities”. Earlier this year, the business also announced a change to the Six By Nico business model, cutting the number of sittings per day to offer a “more relaxed” atmosphere for customers and build in break time for staff.

Greene King invested circa £42m across 130 pubs in first half of 2025: Greene King, the operator of circa 2,600 pubs, has said it invested almost £42m into 130 of its pubs and smokehouse restaurants in the first six months of the year. Around £24m was invested in 62 pubs in the Greene King managed estate, comprising Greene King pubs and Destination Brands. The company said that stand out projects include a £1.1m investment at the historic Railway pub by Liverpool Street station in London. Over the period, Greene King also invested in its second Farmhouse Kitchen site in the UK, Silkwood Park in Wakefield. The rollout of Hickory's continues, with plans to open a total of ten restaurants throughout 2025. This builds on the six new smokehouses which were opened throughout 2024. Across Greene King Pub Partners – the company’s leased, tenanted and franchise division – almost £9m has been invested across 63 pubs – 18 of which are newly opened franchise sites. Notable franchise site refurbishments include the Anchor in Walsworth and the Turf & Feather in Birchwood. The beginning of 2025 also saw Pub Partners launch its franchise businesses in Scotland, with the first Nest pub at the Tarbet, Edinburgh and first Hive pub, and largest spend to date, at the Stables in Stenhousemuir. In the first six months of last year, there were a total of 36 managed pub projects, totalling about £26m, including a seven-figure investment at The Chef & Brewer Wheatsheaf Hotel in Virginia Water. Greene King invested almost £9m across Pub Partners sites in the first half of 2024, totalling 96 projects. Nick Mackenzie, chief executive of Greene King, said: “We have some brilliant pubs in great locations, and we want to make the most out of our bricks and mortar so our pub teams can thrive in the best settings and give our customers great hospitality and fantastic experiences. However, we can only continue to do this if the government supports the sector, so it is given the potential to thrive.”

Vagabond launches app-powered wine tasting experience to help guests explore their pours: Vagabond Wines, which was acquired out of administration by Majestic last year, has launched an app-powered wine tasting experience to help guests explore their pours. Having gone live across all nine of Vagabond’s locations in London and Birmingham, it features personalised flights curated through the app and poured directly by the guest. The experience begins with a short series of taste-led questions, matching users to one of Vagabond’s signature wine styles. Guests can then try a curated flight of four 25ml wine servings that reflect that profile, poured via QR code from Vagabond’s self-serve machines. The experience is built around exploration and encourages curiosity over repetition, and the flights start from just £5. The Vagabond app, which launched earlier this year, already has tens of thousands of downloads. Vagabond said the launch comes at a time of growing interest in wine across all age groups – with drinkers are becoming more selective, more informed and more engaged with what they’re choosing to pour. Christobell Giles, managing director at Vagabond, said: “This is about making the world of wine feel open, exciting and personal – whether you’re new to it or a seasoned drinker. Our guests come to Vagabond because they want to explore. I’ve spent years drinking wine and still feel like I’m just scratching the surface – and that’s what makes it so fascinating. With Digital Wine Flights, we’re giving people a new way in.” Vagabond will open three new sites this year – a flagship at St Paul’s in September, a new bar at Liverpool Street in October, and the UK’s largest urban winery, at Canada Water, later in the autumn.

Padel concept Social Sports Society and Flo Stakepark sign up for Derby openings: Padel concept Social Sports Society and Flo Skatepark have signed up to open in Derby, at the Derbion retail and leisure destination. Sports Society has signed a five-year lease for 54,773 square feet of space to transform one part of the former Eagle Market area of the scheme. It will be Social Sports Society's third location outside of London, with venues already in Birmingham and Manchester. Its new facility at Derbion will be one of the largest indoor padel centres in the UK, with ten courts, and is set to open this autumn. Flo Skatepark will be joining Social Sports Society after signing a five-year lease for a 20,828 square-foot space. A charity which is supported by funding from Sport England, Flo Skatepark will use the space to create a world-class hub for skateboarding in the East Midlands. Hosting regular events throughout the year, Flo Skatepark will also offer lessons for people of all ages and abilities. Tom Rooney, chief executive of Social Sports Society, said: “This new venue at Derbion will allow us to continue our efforts to help unlock new community spaces across UK urban areas.” Mark Deans, chair of Flo Skatepark, added: “Skateboarding is synonymous with urban environments, and we look forward to using this space to unite sport, culture, and retail as we bring the community closer together.”

Dog Bowl owners to relaunch site as Miami-inspired venue: Manchester bowling alley Dog Bowl is set to close next month and reopen as a new venture inspired by Miami’s Wynwood district. Taking over the Whitworth Street site is Wynwood Lanes, which will open on Friday, 22 August. It will offer five fresh bowling lanes, upgraded for late-night sessions with east coast playlists, smoke machines and lighting effects. Guests can also expect new pool tables, basketball hoops and a coconut shy. Dog Bowl first opened in 2013 and was later acquired by the team behind NQ64 in 2018. Matt Robson, co-founder of Wynwood Lanes and NQ64, said: “We went and sat in Dog Bowl recently and just realised we weren’t proud of it anymore (especially the name, we no longer want to compete with pet shops on Google). Wynwood Lanes will bring something new to Whitworth Street and we’re buzzing to crack on with it. We have a hit list of passions from a trip to Wynwood in Miami and built a space that brings together the things we love – drinking rum and tequila, smashing avo on toast with Cuban coffee for brunch, tacos and fried chicken at night, playing and watching basketball, sharking people at pool and partying late into the night.”

Former Surya Hotels regional operations manager acquires lease for West Suffolk pub: Sean Whyman, former regional operations manager for Flying Trade Group-owned Surya Hotels, has acquired the lease for a West Suffolk pub. In a deal brokered by Christie & Co, Whyman, who also owns The Old White Bell in Southery, has taken on The Jenyns Arms in Downham Market. The riverside pub, on the River Great Ouse at Denver Sluice, will now reopen under the new management. “We are thrilled to be re-opening the Jenyns Arms,” said Whyman. “It’s a place with real character and history, and we are looking forward to bringing it back to life with great food, a warm atmosphere, and a strong connection to the community.”