Exclusive – James Horler to step down as CEO of Ego: James Horler is to step down as chief executive of Ego Restaurants, of which Mitchells & Butlers (M&B) agreed to acquire the remaining 60% last June, Propel has learned. Horler has decided to step down from his role and will be leaving the business on 18 October 2024. The Mediterranean-inspired concept was founded in 1999 and Horler joined the then five-strong business in 2010, with backing from LDC. M&B entered a joint venture with Ego’s parent company, 3Sixty Restaurants, in August 2018, taking a 40% stake in the company at that time for an initial cash consideration of circa £4m. It acquired the minority stake from serial sector investor Luke Johnson. Under the joint venture with M&B, the Mediterranean-themed business doubled in size from 13 to 26 sites. It has since grown to 31 sites across England and Wales. Last year, M&B said it saw scope for circa 20 to 30 conversions using the Ego format over the next three to five years. Horler told Propel: “The integration of Ego into M&B is now nearly complete, and therefore it feels the right time for the business to start the next phase of its journey with different leadership. Ego has been a wonderful journey for me, and I very much hope that the momentum under M&B will continue to deliver well-engaged teams serving outstanding food in a lovely ambience throughout the group. I thank all of our very loyal and hard-working staff members for their fantastic commitment over so many years.” Horler remains chairman of Cartwheel Recruitment and Ping Pong.

 

Hawksmoor people and performance director Ceri Gott to speak at Propel’s Talent & Training Conference, open for bookings with 20% discount on tickets for Premium Club members: Ceri Gott, people and performance director at Hawksmoor, will be among the speakers at Propel’s Talent & Training Conference. The all-day conference takes place on Tuesday, 1 October at One Moorgate Place in London and is open for bookings. The conference will showcase examples of outstanding people culture among companies within the sector and how the industry is attracting talent. Gott will discuss how the award-winning business has dealt with talent shortages, how it keeps its teams energised, and how it finds the right people to help make match its ambition to open “world class restaurants in world class cities”. For the full speaker schedule, click here. Tickets are £345 plus VAT for operators and £395 plus VAT for suppliers. Premium Club members get a 20% discount. Email: kai.kirkman@propelinfo.com to book places.

 

Next Who’s Who of UK Hospitality to feature 60 updated entries and 14 new companies, released on Friday: The next Who’s Who of UK Hospitality will feature 60 updated entries and 14 new companies when it is released to Premium Club members on Friday (19 July), at midday. The database now features 880 companies, and this month’s edition includes more than 236,000 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 members also receive access to five other databases: the Multi-Site Database, produced in association with Virgate; the New Openings Database; the Turnover & Profits Blue Book; the UK Food and Beverage Franchisor Database and the UK Food and Beverage Franchisee Database. All Premium Clubs members will be offered a 20% discount on tickets to Propel paid-for events including the Talent and Training Conference (1 October), 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 outlines what to expect from King’s Speech and how it affects sector: UKHospitality has outlined what it expects from today’s (Wednesday, 17 July) King’s Speech and how it will affect the sector as the new Labour government outlines its priorities. The trade body said legislation on business rates to rebalance the system was unlikely, “but not impossible”, to be included. It said the issue was more likely to be addressed in the government’s first formal fiscal event – likely to be from October. One of Labour’s most high-profile commitments was to introduce a range of employment law changes, including banning “exploitative” zero-hour contracts, day one employment rights and removal of minimum wage age bands. The party pledged to introduce an employment bill within the first 100 days of government, which UKHospitality said is almost certain to be included today. With regards to the apprenticeship levy, UKHospitality said it anticipates there will be an outline of the government’s plans on education and skills, and this is likely to include setting out how adult education will work. The trade body said as there is a fiscal element to the apprenticeship levy, some details may need to wait for an autumn Budget. A bill to enact Martyn’s Law – legislation that would require venues to have preventative plans against terror attacks – is widely expected to be included today, and UKHospitality urged the new government to continue engagement with the sector to ensure that any requirements are workable and proportionate for all types of hospitality businesses. Meanwhile, the government is set to make drink spiking a specific criminal offence and has also talked about devolving more powers to local authorities and metro mayors, which could have implications for hospitality venues.

 

Job of the day: COREcruitment is working with a luxury hotel property in Central London that is seeking a front of house manager. A COREcruitment spokesperson said: “You will oversee the daily operations of the front office and maintain to the highest standards, act as an ambassador for the hotel and brand, perform as host and provide the highest level of customer service, maintain a strong relationship with VIP guests, maintain good communication and working relationships with all hotel departments, and manage the front office rotas, etc.” The salary is up to £55,000. For more information, email ed@corecruitment.com.

 

Promoted content – meet Samarkand Palav, the Uzbekistan street food concept freshening up London: Akbar and Sanobar, the husband-and-wife duo, recently opened their street food business Samarkand Palav with the help of McCain’s Streets Ahead Programme, celebrating the unique cuisine of Uzbekistan. If their unique story and passion doesn’t grab your attention, their food certainly will. To find out more, click here.

 

Tonkotsu – trading well, looking to add five new sites by end of 2025: Tonkotsu, which is backed by YFM Equity Partners and chaired by Sarah Willingham, has told Propel that it is “trading well” and that it is looking to add five new sites to its estate by the end of 2025. It comes as the business confirmed it will open a site in Bristol later this year. As revealed by Propel last year, the company will open in the city’s Baldwin Street in September, for what will be its 18th opening in total. It will be the brand’s third restaurant outside of London, joining its locations at Selfridges Birmingham and Brighton, which opened in 2021. Co-founder Emma Reynolds told Propel: “We're trading well. Given the nature of the food, there is a bit of seasonal swing and summer is usually a bit quieter, but our summer ramen range is selling more than ever, and relatively cool July has been great, particularly at our restaurants with bigger outdoor areas – Stratford, Battersea and Bankside. We’re on the search for another few London locations, as well as some more regional cities. The opening schedule will be property-led, and we’re looking at five sites before the end of 2025 including Bristol.” The business has been backed by investment firm YFM Partners since summer 2019. On whether it was looking to secure new investment for its next stage of growth, Reynolds said: “It’s a bit too early to say. In the short-term, we’re focused on getting a few more restaurants built.” Like its sister restaurants, Tonkotsu Bristol will offer a range of smaller-sized ramen to give customers more choice of portion size and price point. The smaller size, of which a limited range has always been available as part of the lunch deal, has now been expanded to include all ramen on the menu and is available throughout the day and evening. Tonkotsu will also be available for delivery and for takeaway via its own click-and-collect service.

 

Exclusive – Emilio Foa steps down as Ottolenghi Group CEO: Emilio Foa has stepped down as chief executive of London restaurant and deli operator Ottolenghi Group, after two years in the role, Propel has learned. Foa joined the company in spring 2022 after more than three and a half years as chief executive of furniture and home accessories retailer OKA. Ottolenghi co-founder Cornelia Staeubli will step into the chief executive role of the company, which operates six sites under its eponymous brand and the Nopi and Rovi restaurants in London. A spokesperson for Ottolenghi told Propel: “After two successful years as chief executive of Ottolenghi, Emilio Foa is moving on and Cornelia Staeubli will replace him in the role. Cornelia has helped build the business over a period of 20 years, starting when Ottolenghi was a single deli in Notting Hill, and most recently in her role as director of hospitality.” Earlier this year Ottolenghi Group made its regional debut with an opening in Oxfordshire, on the former Le Pain Quotidien site in Pringle Drive, Bicester Village. At the end of last year, Propel reported Ottolenghi was planning a further opening in the capital, in Richmond. The business, which opened its sixth deli and eighth location overall in December, in the former Carluccio’s unit at 32-34 Rosslyn Hill in Hampstead, has applied to open on the former And So To Bed site in Hill Street. Founder Yotam Ottolenghi said last year that he also wants to expand internationally, with an opening in Paris being planned.

  

Spinners planning nationwide expansion following launch of third site: Spinners, the competitive socialising concept offering electric clay shoots, duckpin bowling, crazy golf and electric darts, is planning nationwide expansion following the launch of its third site. Its latest opening, at Solihull’s Touchwood shopping centre, joins its other venues in Reading and Plymouth, with openings in Northampton and Colchester also understood to be in the pipeline. The roll out follows last September’s £1.2m investment in the business, which was founded in 2021 by Jamie Bylett. “The West Midlands has long been a target location for us as we look to expand Spinners nationwide, and Touchwood is a perfect fit for our concept,” Bylett said. “With an affluent catchment and an occupier line-up that is driving strong visitor numbers, Touchwood is ideal for the competitive socialising Spinners offers. We look forward to welcoming the people of Solihull and beyond to try their hand at crazy golf, darts and all the other games we have on offer.” Spinners signed a 15-year lease on the unit at Touchwood, which includes a cocktail bar and dining space and is located in the centre’s dining and leisure-focused Upper Mall area. To meet Spinners’ requirements, the unit was extended through the conversion of an adjacent balcony and mall area, and now totals 5,852 square feet. Sovereign Centros from CBRE is the asset manager of Touchwood, while Cushman & Wakefield and Knight Frank are the retained leasing agents. A new report produced by Propel on the fast-growing experiential leisure sector will be available to purchase on Thursday, 1 August. 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 190 companies, 3,500 sites and a 35,000-word report. Existing Premium Club members can receive the report on Thursday, 1 August for £395 plus VAT. The report will be made available for free to existing Premium members on Tuesday, 10 September at 9am. Email kai.kirkman@propelinfo.com today to order a copy.

Oodles reveals pipeline of eight further openings in 2024 including Welsh debut, launches loyalty app: Indo-Chinese brand Oodles has revealed a pipeline of eight further openings in 2024, including a Welsh debut, which will take it past the 50-site mark in the UK. The franchise brand has so far this year launched in Northampton, Portsmouth and Glasgow, with an opening in London’s Tottenham High Road also coming up. It is also gearing up to open its first international location this year, as revealed by Propel in February. “The past six months have been nothing short of transformative for Oodles, with several key milestones to celebrate,” a company spokesman said. “We’ve taken a significant leap from being a nationwide brand to marking our global expansion, and we can’t wait to share the exciting details. We also opened three new stores, with Milton Keynes, Burton, Bolton, Swansea, and two stores in London coming before the end of this year in England alone. After the success in England and Scotland, we are also entering Wales, with two stores in the buildout phase in Cardiff and Newport.” Oodles, which has grown its team to 350 in the same timeframe, has also launched a loyalty app. “In response to the overwhelming love from our customers, we launched our very own rewards app,” the spokesman added. “This app not only rewards our loyal customers, but also establishes a direct link with them. The benefits have been immense for both users and our franchise partners.”

Old Spike Roastery promotes Matt Heather to MD: Social enterprise Old Spike Roastery has promoted Matt Heather to managing director, Propel has learned. Heather joined the business in June 2021 as group operations director. He was previously an operations director at both Mitchells & Butlers and Pho. He stepped down as Wahaca’s operations director at the end of 2020. Last month, Old Spike Roastery opened a seventh site in the capital, near London Bridge. The business has taken space in The Shard, serving coffee to the 32 companies that occupy offices over the building’s 28 floors. In May, the business told Propel it will need to look at investment later this year in order to continue its growth trajectory. The company was founded in 2014 by Richard Robinson and Cemal Ezal, who went on to found fellow coffee social enterprise, Change Please. “For now, all new sites will be in London, with a focus and central London locations,” Robinson told Propel of its future growth plans. “This has all been self-funded to date, but we will need to look at investment in the fourth quarter this year to continue the growth trajectory.”

 

Award-winning mixologist Artem Skapenko to make London bar debut: Award-winning mixologist Artem Skapenko is to open his first bar in London after securing a site in Old Street. Skapenko, who is the co-founder of the Loggerhead, Mad Bar's House and Hram bar in Kyiv, Ukraine, has secured 104 City Road in Old Street, in the grade II-listed Imperial Hall, for the opening of his new high-end cocktail bar called Flip Dog. Edward Pearse Wheatley, of Cafe Ventures, which worked on the Old Street deal, said: “Flip Dog’s first UK venue will bring an incredible new concept to London, featuring a unique cocktail tool from bar culture history. The Flip Dog tool, also known as a loggerhead, has a long handle with a hot metal ball at the end. Dipped into a drink, it hisses and releases steam, infusing the cocktail with a special aftertaste of metal and caramelised sugar. This tool, rooted in early 19th-century USA traditions, was used to make Flip – a rum, ale, and molasses-based drink that laid the foundation for modern mixology.”

 

Padel concept passes £750,000 crowdfunding target to support expansion plans: Padel concept Smash Padel has passed its £750,000 crowdfunding target to support its expansion plans. The company has six operational courts, with two more due to open in August and another three in September. Smashed Padel is offering 11.46% equity in return for the investment, giving the business a pre-money valuation of £5,791,890. So far, more than £780,000 has been raised from nearly 300 investors. The pitch states: “The growth of UK padel is hindered by a lack of accessible, high-quality facilities and coaching, making it challenging for people to discover and engage with this rapidly expanding community sport. We’re establishing elite and accessible facilities with top tier coaching to foster community engagement and growth, with the goal to make padel a mainstay in sports communities in the UK. The UK padel market is rapidly expanding and there is high demand. This growth opens vast opportunities for establishing new facilities and coaching. We have just received full planning permission to build out a six-court, fully covered site, at Llandaff Fields in Cardiff. We have raised more than £2.7m of equity capital to date demonstrating confidence in our vision and the potential of UK padel.” Smash Padel has centres in Bicester and Oxford, while as well as Cardiff, the company is also opening venues in Whitstable and Haywards Heath.

 

Giraffe opens debut site in India: Giraffe, the Boparan Restaurant Group (BRG) owned brand, has opened its first site in India, in partnership with HMS Host. The Giraffe World Kitchen site has opened in Terminal 2, at Bangalore airport. In May, Propel revealed that BRG, the owner of the Gourmet Burger Kitchen, Carluccio’s and Fishworks brands, is planning to more than triple its 15-strong Giraffe estate over the next three years, with a focus on openings in global airports. The brand currently operates eight sites in the UK, including sites at Birmingham, Heathrow and Manchester airports. Giraffe also operates in seven international airports, including Malaga, Dubai and Barcelona. Satnam Leihal, chief executive of BRG, said: “Giraffe is set for a number of international airports, with confirmed openings both in India and across global airports to bring the total to 54 sites by 2026. Giraffe is thriving in airports and fast becoming a travel hub specialist brand serving all dayparts.”

 

Yori to add Guildford site to regional estate: Korean barbecue business Yori is to further increase its regional presence with an opening in Guildford, Propel has learned. Yori, which made its regional debut at the start of 2022 in Cambridge, has taken the assignment of the existing lease on the former Gourmet Burger Kitchen site in Guildford’s Friary Street. The site, which will open later this summer, is 3,653 square feet and arranged over ground and first floors. In the spring, Yori opened its latest site on the former Byron at 33-35 George Street in Oxford. The site became Yori’s 13th restaurant, following the opening on the former Hache site in Curtain Road, Shoreditch, last summer. The business also operates regional sites in Brighton and Staines in Surrey. Yori, which means “cooked food” in Korean, was founded in 2016 by Jong Soon Kim, who is also behind Japanese restaurant Nori and Korean dessert cafe Cake & Bingsoo – both in New Malden, south west London – and Japanese dessert parlour Cafe Mori in nearby Wimbledon. Tom Richards, of ARC, acted on behalf of Yori on the Guildford deal. 

 

Redemption Roasters lines up double opening: The world’s first prison-based coffee company, Redemption Roasters, has lined up a pair of openings for the summer. The ten-strong company, which earlier year said it planned to treble revenue over the next three years after completing a £2.7m investment round, has secured new sites in Hampstead Village and St Giles Square for openings over the next few months. In April, the company said it planned to launch four new retail premises over the coming months in London and expand its wholesale network. The Macquarie Group Foundation, R&Co4Generations (the Rothschild & Co Group Foundation) and Barrow Cadbury Trust were among those companies that invested in Redemption Roasters’ latest fundraising round, which gave it a pre-money valuation of £22m. Launched in 2017, Redemption Roasters has recorded more than 60% year-on-year growth since 2019, with annual revenue forecast to exceed £25m by 2026. The company is planning to open a further 17 shops in the capital by 2026. The business said that its employed participants have a 4% reoffending rate compared with the national average of 38%.

 

McGinty’s Group sees losses widen: Aberdeen operator McGinty’s Group saw its losses widen in the year to 30 September 2023. A pre-tax loss of £80,049 in 2022 turned into a loss of £273,265, “mainly due to high energy costs and food inflation”, the business said. Its turnover rose from £7,925,858 to £8,343,694. No government grants were received (2022: £46,000). No dividends were paid (2022: nil). “The consolidated statement of comprehensive income for the year shows a 5.3% increase in group turnover,” director Allan Henderson said. “The gross profit percentage has increased from 68.1% to 68.5% as the directors maintain a close control of costs. The loss before tax for the year has increased in comparison with last year, mainly due to high energy costs and food inflation. Overhead and interest costs have increased by 8.2% from £5.55m to £6.01m. This percentage increase is an acceptable level given the above increase in trading. At the year end, total bank borrowings have decreased from £2.9m to £2.5m, mainly due to the repayments made during the year.” Founded in 2019, the group operates ten venues across Aberdeen – McGinty’s Meal An’ Ale, The Stag, No.10 Bar & Restaurant, Ferryhill House Hotel, The Fourmile, The Silver Darling, The Esslemont, Macs Pizzeria, The Grill and Under the Hammer. During the year, the group was also named by the city council as its preferred operator for the £75m redevelopment of Aberdeen’s market into a destination venue featuring international-style food, drink and a retail market.

 

Sky News – Cineworld kicks off talks with landlords about closure plan: Cineworld has opened talks with some of Britain’s biggest commercial landlords about its plans to axe up to a quarter of its British cinema estate. Sky News reported that property owners including Landsec and Legal & General, which between them own about 30 Cineworld multiplexes, are engaged in active discussions with the company about a looming restructuring plan. City sources said a date had been set for a hearing at which a majority of creditors would need to approve the cinema operator’s proposals to close about 25 sites, with rent reductions being sought at a further 50. Several landlords are said to be considering opposing the proposals, although it is unclear whether that would be in sufficient numbers to block the restructuring plan. The remaining 25 sites would be left untouched by the restructuring. Cineworld initially held talks about a sale of the business with prospective buyers but has now switched its focus to a formal restructuring process. The company is being advised by AlixPartners. Other cinema operators are expected to step in to take over some of Cineworld’s sites if a sufficient number of landlords refuse to agree to the proposed terms. The company trades from more than 100 sites in Britain, including at the Picturehouse brand.

 

Archie’s to investment £3m in opening of new roller-skating concept: North west burger, shakes and waffles concept Archie’s is to invest £3m in the opening of Atomic, its new roller-skating concept, which is set to open later this autumn in Manchester. Archie’s Atomic, located in Trafford Palazzo in the former Next site, will occupy a 25,000 square-foot space which will include a 5,000 square-foot roller rink. Beyond the introduction of the north west’s largest roller rink, the venue will also feature an arcade area with an immersive games box, private party rooms, DJ decks, an Archie’s diner and Archie’s milkshake bar. Phil Holt, project manager at Archie’s, said: “We’re excited to bring Archie’s Atomic to Trafford Palazzo. This venue will be unlike anything seen before in the UK. Combining our iconic food and décor with a retro roller disco feel, the new venue will be complete with huge LEDs, screens, state-of-the-art arcade games and a vibrant atmosphere. We believe this will take the Archie’s business to the next level and provide an unforgettable experience for our guests.” Founded in Manchester in 2010, Archie’s currently operates sites under its eponymous brand in Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds and Liverpool. 

 

London workspace and private members’ club concept set to open fourth site: London workspace and private members’ club concept Pavilion is set to open its fourth site. It will open at 69-79 Fulham High Street on Thursday, 3 October, joining its locations in Knightsbridge, Kensington and the City. The site will offer members’ lounges, co-working spaces, zoom booths, meeting rooms, serviced offices, private event spaces and a terrace with river views. The club will be situated on the ground floor, with a private terrace due to open later in the year. There will also be a line-up of wine tastings, cocktail masterclasses, poetry, comedy, live music and DJ nights. Director Harry Hunt said: “Mirroring the success of our flagship club in Knightsbridge, Fulham will offer a great place to do business, host clients and relax into the evening with an incredible line-up of events. We are excited to take the next step with the Pavilion club business and look forward to welcoming our members through the Fulham doors.” Membership is priced at £250 per month plus VAT with no joining fee until 3 October.

 

Gladwin Brothers open first pub: The Gladwin brothers, Richard and Oliver, have opened their first pub. The Pig’s Ear in Old Church Street, Chelsea, is their firth London site overall and dates to 1870. Oliver and his team have designed a menu that celebrates the diversity of British seasonal cooking, with the main bar on the ground floor featuring an open larder serving Lindisfarne oysters and wild yeast baguettes. Lighter plates include Pâté en croute and silver challis’ of Sussex garden crudités, while larger dishes include Sussex rose veal liver and Cornish Megrim sole with capers and cockles. There are also cuts of steak from the family’s own herd, which grazes on the Gladwin’s vineyard in Sussex. The wine is primarily from this vineyard, with a selection of ale also available. A classic style dining room will open on the first floor in September, followed by a third floor “living room” for events and classes. Richard said: “When the chance to take over this legendary spot came up, we knew it had to be our first pub, and we’ve worked hard to create this slight moment of escapism, slap bang in the middle of Chelsea. We’ve always been food-led in our sites, and while this is definitely still a drinker’s pub, Oliver has put together a brilliant food offering here, showcasing the amazing relationships we’ve made with our suppliers. His menu really suits the pub feel, whilst retaining our ethos and essence.”

 

French budget hotel brand acquires five UK sites: French budget hotel chain B&B Hotels has acquired five UK sites as part of its growth plans here. The business first announced in 2022 its plans to expand to the UK and open 100 new venues here by 2035, and it began its expansion in March with the acquisition of an Arora hotel near Heathrow airport. It has followed that by buying hotels at sites in Birmingham, Ipswich, Inverness, Warrington and Derby. The five hotels will undergo light renovations over the coming months but will remain open and operated by their current staff. Fabrice Collet, president and chief executive of B&B Hotels, said: “This latest takeover of five hotels is an important step in our UK expansion plans – and our global ambition to have 3,000 hotels within ten years.” Patrick O’Connell, chief executive of B&B Hotels UK, added: “We look forward to welcoming guests to our hotels in these locations as we continue to drive forward our expansion into other towns, cities, tourism and leisure hotspots across the United Kingdom.”

 

Crown Golf ‘has good headroom’ following refinancing, reports ‘strong’ trading as membership increases but participation drops slightly: Crown Golf – the operator of eight golf courses in the south east plus the St Mellion Estate in Cornwall – said it has “good headroom” following its refinancing and has reported “strong” trading, as its membership increased but participation dropped slightly in the year to 30 June 2023. The group last year secured a new three-year bank loan facility of £4,450,000, repayable in May 2026, with no amounts drawn down or repaid as part of the refinancing. “Since the refinancing in May 2023, the group has maintained adequate cash headroom and has good headroom on its banking covenants,” the group said in its accounts for the period. Its turnover grew from £13,501,000 in 2022 to £13,856,000. Its pre-tax loss widened from £5,753,000 to £5,946,000, which included exceptional costs of £1,704,000 (2022: £2,463,000). Ebitda before exceptional items “fell back owing to an increase of £750,000 in utility costs and the reduction of government post¬-covid support”. Monthly membership subscriptions increased by more than 10% (June 2023 versus June 2022), while new members in the period were 719 (2022: 793) and the number of rounds played was 256,000 (2022: 273,000). “Trading to date has been strong, exceeding both expectations and the comparative period,” director Campbell Fleming said. “The outlook for the business is positive, with the post¬-covid resurgence in golf participation showing only modest signs of waning. The largest cost in the business remains people, and the group has to both attract and retain its workforce by offering competitive packages. Thankfully, energy prices now seem to be past their peak, and the group now has fixed price contracts in place that last until late 2026. Interest rates also increased materially during the period under review, and the group continues to strive to reduce its variable rate debt.”

 

German budget hotel brand to operate new hotel in London’s Blackfriars following £45.7m loan: German budget hotel brand Motel One will operate a new hotel set to open in London’s Blackfriars following a £45.7m loan. The cash injection, from OakNorth, will allow investment firms Veld Capital and Maya Capital to develop a 222-bedroom hotel at 160 Blackfriars Road, with offices on the ground floor. Founded in 2009, Veld Capital has raised €2.7bn, making more than 100 investments across 15 countries, while Maya Capital, founded in 2014 by David Pralong, has invested circa £400m across 17 deals. Motel One, founded in Munich in 2000, operates 48 hotels across 13 countries including five in the UK. This is its second London site, following its Tower Hill hotel, and it also has UK locations in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Manchester and Newcastle. Veld Capital partner Sebastien Wigdo said: “We are pleased to have collaborated with OakNorth on this financing and we look forward to starting construction and delivering the hotel to be managed by Motel One.” Maya Capital managing partner David Pralong added: “We are thrilled to develop this new Motel One project in Southwark, thanks to the loan from OakNorth – our partnership with Motel One has enabled its first hotel management contract in Europe.” 

 

Petersham Nurseries restaurant wins battle to save its evening opening: Petersham Nurseries, in Richmond, south west London, has prevailed after an 18-year battle with Richmond Council that threatened the future of its greenhouse restaurant. The council had sought to impose restrictions on evening opening, which the restaurant said would undermine its viability as a business and lead to staff losing their jobs. After years of alternating negotiations and standoffs, the issue has been resolved at a public enquiry, with a final report published by the government planning inspectorate, reports Hardens. Petersham Nurseries once held a Michelin star under founding chef Skye Gyngell and has held a Green Michelin in recognition of its sustainable practices since 2021.

 

Team behind Bar Swift and Nightjar confirms August launch for second iteration of Oriole: Speakeasy Entertainment, which is also behind cocktail bars Bar Swift and Nightjar, has confirmed the launch date of the second iteration of its award-winning cocktail bar concept, Oriole. The original Oriole left Smithfields in 2023 after eight years due to a redevelopment of the site, and the concept resurfaced in March with a three-month pop-up in Covent Garden called Prelude by Oriole. This has paved the way for a permanent relaunch of the concept, at 7-9 Slingsby Place, which will launch on Wednesday, 28 August and will thereafter be open Wednesday to Saturday. The new site will also continue the á la cartè food offering introduced at the Prelude pop-up, with a menu from chef director Gustavo Giallionard. The Latin America cuisine will take inspiration from Nikkei (Peruvian-Japanese), Argentine-Italian and regional Mexican traditions for dishes such as hamachi tiradito with kimchi aguachile; lamb rump with spring greens, huacatay, carrot and yeast sauce; and sea trout with Torrontés beurre blanc, trout roe and daikon fondant. There will also be live jazz, cabaret and world music, with diners able to book the show in advance alongside a set three-course menu. The restaurant will also be home to Oriole’s first in-house bar lab, a dedicated space for cocktail development. Upstairs will be a separate bar serving aperitivo-style cocktails and small plates such as octopus karaage and a salt beef steamed bun. Edmund Weil, a director at Speakeasy Entertainment, said: “Rosie [Stimpson – fellow director] and I could not be more excited to bring Oriole back to life in London’s historic entertainment hub. We built the concept into a true destination in an obscure location in Smithfield Market, and now have the opportunity to bring it in its new form to a wider audience within The Yards, Covent Garden.”

 

Operator of Birmingham hotel goes into administration, Marco Pierre White restaurant continues to trade: The operator of a Birmingham hotel has gone into administration, but the Marco Pierre White restaurant also housed there continues to trade. Richard Easterby, Andrew Andronikou and Nick Simmonds, of Quantuma, have been appointed joint administrators of MHSA Global Investments, which operates The Cube Hotel in Wharfside Street. The administrators have engaged Brightstar Hospitality Management to assist them in running the hotel, which will also continue to trade as normal. The hotel, situated on floors 23 and 24 of The Cube building, was originally opened in 2010 and employs almost 100 members of staff, all of whom are to be retained. Black & White Hospitality, which owns the master franchise rights to the Marco Pierre White restaurant concept located on the top floor, is unaffected by the administration. “The immediate priority for the joint administrators is to ensure that the hotel trading position is stabilised and that operations are maintained to ensure the is no impact on guests,” Easterby said. “We are pleased to confirm that deposits paid and future event bookings will be honoured as we seek to assess the options available to secure the long term future of this iconic Birmingham hotel.”

Lebanese bakehouse concept launches debut site in London’s Victoria: Common Breads, a Lebanese bakehouse concept, has opened its debut site, in London’s Victoria. Propel revealed in November last year that Common Breads – which was founded by Abbas Fawaz, Kamal El Zein and Abbas Zein – would open a site in Buckingham Palace Road as part of Grosvenor’s new development. The ten-cover outlet has now opened offering two of Lebanon’s most popular bakes: purse-shaped ka’ak and manouche flatbread, served alongside fresh Middle Eastern salads, snacks and desserts. There is also a ten-cover outside terrace. Jamie Harvie-Austin, of Austin Commercial, acted on the deal.