Propel Newsletter Archive Page

RedCat first-quarter like-for-like sales up 6.7% driven by premium rooms business: RedCat Hospitality, the operator of Coaching Inn Group and RedCat Independent Pubs, has reported a 6.7% increase in like-for-like sales in the three months to the end of June 2025, driven by its investment programme and premium rooms business. The circa 95-strong business, which was founded and chaired by Rooney Anand, said total sales during the period stood at £32.7m, with Coaching Inn Group contributing £19.1m, and RedCat Independent Pubs £13.6m. Coaching Inn Group saw like-for-like sales up 7% during the quarter, with RedCat Independent Pubs like-for-like sales up 6.2%. Total accommodation sales stood at £9.5m during the period, with Coaching Inn Group accommodation sales at £7.9m, and Coaching Inn Group accommodation like-for-like sales up 9.4%. It comes as the business has completed an £8m capital investment programme, with further investment to take place across a number of sites in the coming months. RedCat Hospitality chief executive Richard Lewis said: “We are very encouraged by this start to the financial year; the hard work we have undertaken in the past 14-months to invest in and strengthen the business is really paying off, as these latest figures show. The accommodation side of the business continues to perform very strongly, reflecting our strategic focus and investment in growth and revenue management. By strengthening resources and expertise in this area, we are seeing clear rewards: room sales are up 8% on a like-for-like basis, across the whole group. The success of our capital investment programme is coming through strongly in this first quarter’s performance. Since reopening in April, following an extensive £3m refurbishment, the 42-room Castle of Brecon Hotel in Powys has enjoyed a 94% uplift in overall sales. This mirrors the strong results seen at other sites, which have benefited from our investment programme in RedCat Independent Pubs over the past 12 months, including The Bull in Barton Mills, The Wig & Mitre in Lincoln and The Crown Inn, The Curzon Arms and The Langton Arms in the Leicestershire area, which together have posted a 20.3% increase in like-for-like sales over the period. I am very pleased to be reporting these positive results for our business. They are a testament to the hard work from our team in helping deliver such a stellar performance.” In its most recent published set of accounts, for the year ended 31 March 2024, the business posted an 8% increase in turnover to £129.8m and a rise in site Ebitda of 13% to £13.2m. In accounts expected to be released later this month for the financial year to March 2025, RedCat Hospitality anticipates reporting a 42% increase in site Ebitda on the back of 2% like-for-like sales growth supported by “much improved operational performance”.

Premium Club subscribers to receive new searchable and segmented New Openings Database on Friday: The next Propel New Openings Database will be sent to Premium Club subscribers on Friday (5 September), at 12pm. The database will show the details of 174 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 11,126-word report on the 174 new additions to the database. It is segmented into seven categories – cafe bakery, casual dining, experiential leisure, fine dining, hotels, pubs and bars, and quick service restaurants – making it even easier for users to search. The database includes new openings in the experiential leisure sector such as Professionals at Play’s King Pins concept opening in Leeds, PureGym opening a new site in Northumberland, and Scottish experiential “adult fairground” concept Fayre Play making its English debut, in Newcastle. 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.

Historic club The Windmill in London’s Soho that survived the Blitz to shut down: The operator of The Windmill club in London’s Soho that kept its doors open through the Blitz has collapsed amid a row with its landlord. Liquidators at restructuring firm Coots & Botts have been appointed for Big Country, the entertainment company that operated the Windmill Theatre. The Windmill became an unlikely poster child for British resilience during the Second World War, when it was the only London club to remain open during the Blitz, adopting the defiant motto “we never closed”. The venue subsequently became an adult cinema before regaining its reputation as one of the capital’s most well-known nightlife spots in the 1970s under the ownership of Paul Raymond. Big Country has run the site as Windmill Soho since 2021. Following a £10m refurbishment, it attempted to transform the venue into an immersive experience combining cabaret shows, cocktails and Michelin-starred food. However, the company became embroiled in a long-running dispute with RKW, a subsidiary of Spearmint Rhino, which became its landlord after taking over the building’s lease last year. Troubles were compounded by rent disputes and a severe leak in the basement that left some parts of the building unusable. Big Country entered a creditors’ voluntary liquidation in April and was initially placed under the control of the official receiver before liquidators were appointed. Soho Estates, the property firm founded by Raymond, still owns the freehold on the building. Joint liquidator Duncan Coutts told The Telegraph: “The Windmill’s liquidation follows a prolonged period of operational and legal challenges that left the company unable to trade. Our priority is to ensure that creditors are treated fairly and that the process is conducted transparently. While this chapter has closed, the Windmill’s legacy as a cultural landmark remains a defining part of Soho’s story.”