Southern Fried Chicken chairman – now focusing on UK expansion, potential for 200-300 sites here: Andrew Withers, chairman of FFS Brands, has told Propel it is now focusing on expanding its Southern Fried Chicken restaurants in the UK and sees potential for 200-300 sites here. The Reading-based brand was founded in the 1970s by Andrew’s father, Arthur Withers, who came across fried chicken when working in South Carolina. Although its chicken is sold in hundreds of fast-food outlets across the UK, its own restaurant footprint here is relatively small compared with its global portfolio in 32 countries. It currently has six restaurants here, but a recent franchise opening in Preston is set to be one of five launches in the coming weeks – with locations including Southampton, Poole and Salisbury. “International has always been busier for us than the UK because we started franchising internationally in the 1980s, when someone came along asking to open in the Middle East, and it went from there,” said Withers. “And so, we spread internationally first, it’s just the way we evolved. Only in the last few years have we thought about turning the UK market into a franchise model and not just a recipe for takeaways. Very simply, in 2020 I couldn’t get on a plane anymore due to covid, so there was no choice but to focus on the UK market. I’d avoided it as there are chicken outlets out there who have the recipe but aren’t franchised, so we can’t go and dictate to them unless they sign an agreement to let us train them and bring them up to standard. But when we’ve gone into old units they’ve accepted the change – the Aylesbury and Dunstable locations have converted fully to the franchise system and sales doubled at both locations as there was consistency and rules in place. Over the next few months, we’ll get to around ten locations, and would easily open 20-30 a year as we have the infrastructure from shipping globally. The potential here is in the hundreds – I would be very content to get to 200-300. But we’re in no rush and I’d prefer to have ten great partners than 100 bad ones.” Withers said the UK model for the brand will be small 50 square-metre units, as he “pushes to get a high street presence across the country”. He said: “With Preston, we met a partner that saw an opportunity to grow the brand in the north. We are growing the brand from the outside – we’re looking to open in the regions and then centralise. We’re hoping to have one London-based one by the end of the year and then spread in the M25 as well as having the north and south covered. The test ground was the outer area, which has got good feedback. We found a lot of the big brands have moved out the towns and gone just drive-thru, so we’re going into those smaller locations in the high street as well as secondary high streets. People don’t recognise us yet in the UK, although we have been around a long time – it’s always been here but it’s about bringing the brand back.” 

Sponsored message – anonymous talent matchmaking platform to launch: Anonymous talent matchmaking platform, Candid Hospitality, is due to launch in December, aiming to reshape how hospitality operators and suppliers source new talent. Founded by Nick Holroyd-Doveton, previously managing partner of Omnifi and Orderbee, and Sam Brown, previously chief commercial officer at Airship and Toggle, the platform operates as a confidential marketplace designed to keep candidates’ identities hidden. The platform suggests suitable roles in a dating app style, based on “the three C’s” – culture, competencies and compensation – with no CV required. “Candid enables companies to discover a hidden pool of hospitality talent, including passive candidates”, said Brown. “Candidates can also create wish lists and be matched with their dream roles, without any fear of unconscious bias or risk of their job search being discovered.” Holroyd-Doveton added: “We want to make the hiring process more efficient, equitable and focused on what truly matters. Our unique matchmaking algorithm will deliver quality rather than quantity, roles will only be visible to candidates who complement your company culture and possess the required skills.” Registration is now open for the early access pilot, with limited spaces available for hospitality operators, suppliers and candidates. Click here to register and learn more about the “Candid Oath”. If you have a sponsored story you would like to see featured in this newsletter position, email paul.charity@propelinfo.com.

Last chance to book today for Propel’s Talent & Training Conference with focus on how companies can build a culture to attract, develop and retain talent: Today (Monday, 30 September) is the last chance to book for Propel’s Talent & Training Conference. The all-day conference takes place tomorrow (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. Attendees will hear how businesses are developing their teams, dealing with talent shortages and keeping their staff energised. Also new for this year are “parallel sessions”, which offer the chance to deep dive into specialist subjects. 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.

Premium Club members to receive updated segmented Multi-Site Database featuring 958 casual dining operators on Friday: Premium Club members are to receive the updated Multi-Site Database on Friday (4 October). The next Propel Multi-Site Database provides details of 3,246 multi-site operators and is now searchable in seven main segments. The database features 958 (30%) operators from the casual dining sector, 782 (24%) pub and bar operators, 544 (17%) cafe bakery operators, 442 (14%) quick service restaurant operators, 266 (8%) hotel operators, 200 (6%) experiential leisure operators and 54 (2%) fine dining operators. The database is updated each month and this edition includes 16 new companies. New additions to the casual dining sector include Motcombs, the neighbourhood restaurant in London; Mexican fast-casual brand Boojum; and Base Face Pizza, the west London pizzeria concept. Premium Club members also receive access to five additional databases: the New Openings Database, the Turnover & Profits Blue Book, the UK Food and Beverage Franchisor Database, the UK Food and Beverage Franchisee Database and the Who's Who of UK Hospitality. 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.

London now has fewer venues open past 2am than any other major British city: London was once a world-class nightlife destination but it now has fewer venues open past 2am than any other major British city. The Times analysed the closing times of hundreds of pubs, nightclubs and bars in the 12 biggest British cities. London ranked the lowest, with less than 6% of venues open after 2am on Friday and Saturday. Even on Friday and Saturday nights, less than a quarter of London’s venues open past midnight. In Edinburgh, on the other hand, 44% of venues close after midnight at the weekends, with more than 8% open post-2am. London is one of eight cities in which less than 10% of late-night venues are open past 2am, joining smaller cities such as Sheffield, Bristol and Brighton. Michael Kill, chief executive of the Night Time Industries Association, said people are simply not staying out as late as they used to, primarily because they have “less disposable income, and concerns about infrastructure and the ability to get home after midnight”. In Manchester, nightlife is thriving compared with London, with 14.5% and 15.8% of bars and clubs open after 2am on Friday and Saturday, respectively. Sacha Lord, the city’s night-time economy adviser, said new transport and infrastructure developments mean the city “feels very buoyant at the moment”. But Lord acknowledged that bars were struggling with “midweek footfall dying away” because of the soaring cost of living. “Students, rather than paying £3 to get in on a Tuesday night and then stay there until 2am or 3am are going to Sainsbury’s and buying a bottle of vodka and having a house party instead,” he said. Lord is expected to take up an independent national night-time adviser position, in addition to his current role, to feed into policy for the sector across the UK. Rob Huysinga, the founder of Bubba Oasis, which operates bars in Islington and Clapham, has said sales “start to drop off” from 2am. He plans to open two more bars next year, but said he’s adapting to become less “reliant on the late-night economy”. About 75% of his venues’ revenue comes from alcohol sales but he is focusing more on bolstering other revenue streams, such as selling coffee and fresh juice, and offering yoga events, hot-desk working space and alcohol-free DJ nights.

Labour set to water down Tory ‘green’ tax on packaging: Ministers are set to water down a £1bn “packaging tax” proposed by the former Conservative government following a backlash from the food and drink industry. Businesses that handle and supply packaging to consumers, or to other companies, are to be charged for the costs of collecting, recycling and disposing of the waste from April next year. However, the Sunday Times reported that amid the cost-of-living crisis and heavy lobbying from industry executives, the government will this week announce it is cutting the previously suggested fees. Sources in the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) said it was making the changes after listening to business voices. Previous governments have unveiled plans for a tax on packaging as part of what is known as extended producer responsibility for packaging (EPR). Labour unveiled a set of indicative prices last month. Aluminium producers were in line to face bills of up to £655 per tonne, fibre composites between £410 and £655 per tonne, and plastic packaging up to £610. The government has estimated the levy will raise more than £1bn a year for the Exchequer. Food and drink producers, however, have warned the cost would be passed on to the end consumer through higher pricing. The British Beer & Pub Association estimated the August pricing could add up to 7p on each of the 3.2 billion bottles of beer sold in the UK. New or lower prices will be welcomed by some parts of the food and drink supply chain, but pubs and restaurants are not happy at also being included in the regime. Kate Nicholls, chief executive of UKHospitality, said: “At a time when hospitality businesses are facing rising costs in almost every area of their business, a double penalty of being incorrectly levied a EPR fee and paying for commercial waste disposal is the last thing the sector needs. It’s unfair to expect hospitality businesses to pick up the bill twice, just because an issue is complicated.”

Food businesses and investors call on the government to tackle unhealthy diets: UK businesses and investors are urging the government to tackle diet-related ill health with tighter regulatory scrutiny of the food industry, as long-term diseases such as obesity hit productivity. Weighing in on the nation’s food policy for the first time since the election of the Labour government, Tesco, Iceland, Nomad Foods and three institutional investors said companies should be legally required to report on the percentage of revenue from sales of products high in fat, salt and sugar. They told the FT that ministers should set out a roadmap for legislation to tackle poor diets. The calls follow the release of official data showing 2.8 million people in the UK were economically inactive because of long-term illnesses. 

Michelin stars could be the ultimate kiss of death for restaurants: Receiving a Michelin star is supposed to be the ultimate accolade for a restaurant, one that signals the accomplishment of its chef and attracts many more customers through the door. However, research suggested the award could be more of a curse than a blessing. The Times reported that a study by University College London (UCL) has found Michelin-starred restaurants are statistically more likely to close down than highly-rated establishments ¬without the ¬coveted red plaque. Researchers looked at venues that had received high ratings from the New York Times and separated out those that had won Michelin stars. It found nearly half of the restaurants with a star had closed by the end of 2019 while only one in five of those without had suffered the same fate. Dr Daniel Sands, the assistant ¬professor at UCL who led the study, said that while restaurateurs “frequently reflected on a feeling of achievement after receiving a Michelin star”, the consequences “were not all necessarily favourable”. Such is the prestige of appearing in the Michelin Guide, few chefs are willing to talk publicly about the problems that can come with a star but industry experts said it can lead to higher costs, not least because staff start ¬demanding higher wages or are poached by rivals. In some cases, landlords also take the awarding of a star as a chance to raise rents while suppliers of the finest ingredients bump up their prices.

Job of the day: COREcruitment is working with a fast-growing company in the food retail industry that is looking at recruiting a regional manager/country manager to lead its franchise operations across the German market. A COREcruitment spokesperson said: “The company is seeking someone with previous experience at country-level position who has an affinity with franchise development. Prior experience in retail, hospitality or the food industry would be excellent. As this position is based in Germany, it would be required to be fluent in both English and German languages.” The salary is up to €160,000 (£130,000). For more information, email irene@corecruitment.com.

Costa Express pays £65m dividend as turnover grows to record £363m and profit increases by £16m: Costa Express has paid out a dividend of £65m following a year in which its turnover grew to a record £363m and its profit increased by £16m. The company’s turnover of £348,127,000 in 2022, also a record, increased to £363,045,000 in the year to 31 December 2023. Of this, £356,241,00 was generated in the UK (2022: £329,841,000) and £6,804,000 in the rest of the world (2022: £18,286,000). A pre-tax profit of £70,417,000 in 2022 rose to £86,653,000. Although no dividend was paid during the year (2022: £275m), a post year-end dividend of £65m was paid in March 2024. The company said total revenue growth was further supported by new machine instillations. A net total of 1,237 new machines were installed in 2023 compared with 1,466 in 2022. This means it had a total of 15,862 machines at the year-end compared with 14,625 in 2022.

Pret franchisee opens brand’s 700th store: Pret A Manger franchisee Carebrook Partnership has opened the brand’s 700th store globally, in north London. It has opened at a unit within Edmonton Green shopping centre. “Huge congratulations to our hardworking partners at Carebrook on opening Pret’s 700th shop worldwide – and its fourth this year!” Pret posted to social media. “This milestone makes it its 18th Pret in total.” Carebrook Partnership is one of Pret’s longest serving franchise partners, having worked with the business for 30 years, overseeing many shops in London. Gerard Loughran, the majority co-owner, grew up in Nenagh, Co Tipperary, and has more than 30 years’ experience in the UK and US food sector, while minority co-owner Ray McNamara, from Dublin, has 25 years’ experience in the Irish food industry, including ownership of Ann’s Bakery. In April 2022, Pret announced it was to expand into the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland for the first time in partnership with Carebrook. This would see 20 Pret shops established across the island over a decade, with the first having opened in Dawson Street in Dublin that summer. Earlier this month, Pret reported its system sales across company-owned and franchise shops increased 10% year on year in the first half of 2024 to £569m (2023: £518m), driven by international expansion and new franchise partnerships, alongside like-for-like sales growth of 3%.

Chaiiwala set to open first UK university site: Street food cafe franchise Chaiiwala is set to open its first UK university site. The brand made its campus debut earlier this year with an opening in Calgary, Canada. Its first in the UK will open in the coming days at Aston University, in the West Midlands. “My mum will be so proud I finally made it to university – just not the regular route,” said co-founder Sohail Ali. “Introducing our first university store in the UK on campus at Aston University, nearly ready to brew (days away). I think universities and hospitals are going to be a great part of our estate soon.” In what has been a huge year for Chaiiwala, it has also made its airport debut, at London Luton, and secured a site for its second, at Birmingham airport. Having last year launched its first drive-thru site, it has this year added a second and plans to open three more by the end of 2024. Ali said earlier this month that Chaiiwala has signed a £30m deal with EG Group to open more drive-thru sites across the UK was also gearing up to launch in the US, where he believes it can open up to 900 sites within the next five years. Founded in Leicester in 2015, Chaiiwala has more than 100 locations globally and has a long-term target of 500 stores both here and abroad.

The Chesterford Group sees FY turnover up 19.3% as it continues to invest in future growth: The Chesterford Group, which operates circa 40 sites under brands including Churchill’s and Bankers Fish & Chips, and was the inaugural Pret A Manger franchisee in the UK, saw its turnover increase 19.3% to £33m in the year to 31 December 2023 (2022: £27.4m). Pre-tax losses narrowed to £197,460 (2022: £668,008) as the company continued to invest in future growth by opening two new Pret A Manger sites and purchasing a busy fish and chip restaurant in Market Deeping, Lincolnshire. Ebitda increased to £1.5m, a 20% improvement on the previous year. Chesterford Group chief executive James Lipscombe told Propel: “2023 continued to be a challenging year following on from economic conditions outside of our control, high inflation, high energy costs, wet weather as well as a significant increase in national minimum wage and low consumer confidence due to the cost-of-living crisis. We worked incredibly hard to keep our prices as low as possible for customers to ensure we remained competitive across our group business. We have made progress in 2024, purchasing Toffs of Muswell Hill in April, an iconic London fish and chip restaurant that has outperformed management expectations in the year. We have also opened a new Pret in Colchester recently, and we look forward to seeing its performance progress as we move into the fourth quarter. We have implemented some incredibly good value for money offers in our fish and chip business, ensuring customers can obtain everyday value when purchasing with us. These offers have helped us to maintain strong customer numbers and become an industry leader on price. Our procurement team led by managing director Paul Goodgame, with the help of our operations team, has done a phenomenal job, and we look forward to significant cost savings flowing through the business for the remainder of this year and into next. In our Pret business, the changes to the coffee subscription offer in September are still to be understood, but we are confident that customers will remain loyal, thanks to our fantastic people, the quality of our organic coffee and our delicious freshly made food. We are working hard to deliver fantastic value for money in our Pret business, to every customer, and will be launching some new pricing in the coming weeks to offer customers even more reasons to visit us.”

Guinness World Records to open London entertainment venue: Guinness World Records (GWR) is to open its first permanent entertainment venue in Central London, as it taps into a booming wave of people socialising through casual sports and other activities. The FT reported the outlet, which is expected to open in early 2026, will provide more than 60 games and competitions that encourage children and adults to break records and will receive £50m in investment over the next five years. The company, owned by Vancouver-based Jim Pattison Group, plans to open at least ten venues in the US, Asia and the Middle East in the next five years including the London outlet. Property group Savills is hunting for a site that when opened is expected to welcome nearly 11,000 visitors a week. Activities on offer will include sports such as basketball, football and BMX riding, as well as reaction tests such as the Batak Wall, where contestants switch off lights as quickly as possible by pushing the buttons when they are illuminated. The venue, which will also offer restaurants, cafés and shops, will allow visitors to compete in speed running – where people attempt to complete a video game as fast as possible, try to answer ten telephone calls making different noises in the fastest time and also see who can scream and shout the loudest and longest. “We want to bring the opportunity of record breaking to everyone – it’s discovering your talent,” said Paul O’Neill, vice-president of GWR Entertainment, the live entertainment arm of the company. GWR has so far provided temporary stage shows in locations including shopping centres around the world for more than a decade, partnering with companies such as resort group Butlin’s and travel operator Tui. A new report has been produced by Propel on the fast-growing experiential leisure sector. 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 180 companies, 3,500 sites and a 35,000-word report. The report was made available this month to Premium Club members. 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 a supplier. Email kai.kirkman@propelinfo.com today to sign up.

Knoops closes crowdfunding campaign earlier after raising just over £2m: Luxury hot chocolate shop brand Knoops has closed its crowdfunding campaign early after raising just over £2m, double its initial target. The company raised more than £1m after its first day of the campaign, which launched on 18 September via Crowdcube. Knoops said that made it the fastest Crowdcube fundraise of any food and drink company so far in 2024. It has now closed the funding campaign after raising £2,016,920 from 1,815 investors. The campaign is part of a wider fundraise being undertaken by Knoops, having been granted EIS approval for £5m. It plans to use the proceeds to expand its footprint both in the UK as well as internationally, with its first store opening in City Centre Mirdif, Dubai, in October, working with its regional partners, NDS Group. Earlier this month, Knoops told Propel it plans to open between ten and 20 stores in the UK next year and is engaging in franchise conversations in territories like Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Egypt and Turkey. Knoops, which currently has 21 shops, with a target of 300 in the UK “within a few years”, is bidding to open up to 5,000 stores worldwide in the next decade.

Dishoom launches biggest menu shake-up in 14 years: Indian restaurant group Dishoom is launching the biggest shake-up of its menu) since the company opened its first site in Covent Garden 14 years ago. The Evening Standard reported that co-founders and cousins Kavi and Shamil Thakrar are introducing 23 new and updated food dishes, as well as drinks, in an overhaul they admit risks “howls of protests” from lovers of menu items being dropped. The launch follows a series of supper club events to test out the new menu over recent weeks. Propel revealed last week that Dishoom, which has a total of 13 restaurants, including seven in London, saw its revenue increase 23% last year to £117m. Shamil Thakrar said: “One of the issues about our menu is that so much of it is proper Bombay comfort food that has persisted over decades and maybe centuries in some cases. It’s a bit like if there were British restaurants in India, which were serving shepherd’s pie or fish and chips or roast beef, it’s pretty hard to change. We’ll see if there’s howls of protest, but hopefully howls of support for the new stuff as well and if not, we’re happy to take that feedback on the chin.” Kavi Thakrar added: “This menu change of maybe 15% to 20% of new stuff is quite significant for us because there are so many favourites and classics on our menu, but it also allows us to tell more stories that are also rooted in nostalgia and culture and migration and the different communities. There’s a new fish dish called Fish Amritsari, which is replacing Prawn Koliwada, which was a favourite of many people but there’s just no space to do all of it all of the time.”

Olly Smith steps down as Prezzo chief culinary and brand officer to join Bamford Collection: Olly Smith has stepped down as chief culinary and brand officer at Prezzo, the Cain International-backed Italian dining group, to join the Bamford Collection as its new food director. Smith, who was formerly at Pret A Manger and Nando’s, joined Prezzo in January 2022 as chief culinary officer. The Bamford Collection includes Daylesford Organic and Daylesford Stays – the company’s hospitality division that encompasses a collection of “traditional Cotswold-stone cottages and modern British Inns”; such as The Wild Rabbit in Kingham, The Fox in Oddington, The Bell in Charlbury and The Three Horsehoes int Ashtall. Smith said: “I draw to a close my time at Prezzo nearly three years after I was brought in by Karen Jones, my first role back in the UK after a decade in the US, to put food and drink at the heart of the conversation. Our customers tell us they are very much happier with our menu, thanks to better choices, better quality and more consistency.” Last week, Prezzo confirmed it had hired James Brown as its new chief executive. Brown joins from Scottish brewer and retailer BrewDog, where he served as chief executive of BrewDog Bars and held several senior leadership roles since 2015. As part of this leadership transition, Dean Challenger, Prezzo’s former chief executive, will reassume his previous role as chief financial officer following Prezzo’s return to profitability. Propel understands that Challenger’s return to the chief financial officer role, will see incumbent Jo Harrison leave the business at the end of the year. Harrison joined Prezzo last summer from Hotel Chocolat, where she worked as director of finance for eight years. Prior to Hotel Chocolat, she spent time working in senior management and leadership roles across the retail and leisure industry, including three years at JD Wetherspoon and 11 years at supermarket company Tesco.

Ballie Ballerson acquired out of administration: Ballie Ballerson, the ball pit cocktail bar operator, has been acquired via a pre-pack administration through a new vehicle led by founder Wenny Armstrong, with all of its three sites continuing to trade, Propel has learned. Quantuma had been appointed as administrators to the business, which operates sites in London’s Shoreditch, Edinburgh and Cardiff. Armstrong told Propel: “Unfortunately, despite our best efforts, with full support from the board, the combination of substantial covid related debts, and the rise in energy and labour cost meant we needed to restructure. The future of the business has been secured by myself.” Last October, the company completed a £1.5m debt funding deal with NatWest, as it planned further openings in further major UK cities and a potential international launch. 

Muffin Break closing in on 70 UK sites with double opening: Muffin Break – the Australian brand operated here by FoodCo UK – is closing in on 70 UK sites following a double opening. It has launched new stores at The Exchange in Ilford, east London, and The Overgate Centre in Dundee to bring the UK Muffin Break estate to 69. With further stores planned for Belfast and Leeds, along with “other key UK locations”, Muffin Break is set to break through the 70-store mark in the coming months. At Ilford, it joins sister brand Jamaica Blue, which opened at The Exchange in 2022. FoodCo UK also currently operates 20 Jamaica Blue stores here. Robbie Farrell, senior estates manager at Muffin Break, said: “The response to our Jamaica Blue store in The Exchange has been fantastic, and we’re excited to now bring the Muffin Break experience to the centre, alongside opening in Dundee’s vibrant Overgate Centre. We look forward to continuing to grow our brand presence across the UK.” The group launched here in 2001 as the UK arm of the Australian FoodCo business, which was founded in 1989 and has more than 550 locations across eight countries.

Popeyes to open drive-thru in Wakefield next week: Popeyes UK, the US fried chicken quick service restaurant brand backed here by TDR Capital, will open its next drive-thru on Monday, 7 October, in Wakefield. The new restaurant will be located at Snowhill Retail Park and marks the brand’s 19th opening in 2024, and 58th in the UK overall, as part of plans to launch 30 new locations this year. Offering 75 seats indoors and 16 outside, it will create 100 jobs. Tom Crowley, Popeyes UK chief executive, said: “Following the success of our existing Popeyes sites across Yorkshire, we’re really looking forward to opening our newest restaurant at Snowhill Retail Park. This will mark our fourth restaurant in the region.” Popeyes is also set to open a further West Yorkshire drive-thru, in Gildersome, with the exact location yet to be revealed.

Sourdough South saw losses widen in year before closing most of its Three Joes estate: Sourdough South, operator of the Three Joes and The Stable pizza brands, saw its losses widen in the year before closing most of its Three Joes estate. In April, the company confirmed the closure of half of its then six-strong Three Joes business, followed by a fourth closure in June – leaving it with just sites in Winchester and Sheffield. In the year to 31 December 2023, the company reported a pre-tax loss of £1,629,610 compared with £1,334,284 in 2022. The 2022 results included a £429,795 profit on disposal of tangible fixed assets. Turnover grew from £16,614,724 in 2022 to £17,144,768. No government grants were received (2022: £93,528) and no dividends were paid (2022: nil). “The performance of the group for the period was considered satisfactory considering the wider economic situation,” director Peter Bruton said. “In March 2024, there was as issue of ordinary shares in Sourdough South.” As well as the remaining Three Joes sites, the company still operates nine The Stable restaurants and the Fistral Beach Bar in Newquay, Cornwall. In June, Propel revealed that Tim Hall, who co-founded Three Joes in 2017 before acquiring the Stable group in 2020 and Fistral in 2021, is stepping down as chief executive. He said that while the group had decided to trim its Three Joes estate, the Stable and Beach Bar restaurants were “in excellent condition and performing ahead of 2023”.

Bob Bob Ricard sees turnover grow but profit dip: Restaurant group Bob Bob Ricard saw its turnover grow but profit dip in the year to 30 June 2023. The company, which post year-end opened its new rotisserie chicken concept, BeBe Bob, in London’s Soho, saw its turnover increase from £10,589,365 in 2022 to £12,659,402. Bob Bob Ricard, which alongside the new concept operates two London restaurants, reported a pre-tax profit of £283,969, down from £1,281,269 in 2022, although it said the 2022 results include £1.2m of interest payable waived. No government grants were received (2022: £165,756) and no dividends were paid (2022: nil). In June, Bob Bob Ricard hired Tomas Minkley, formerly of The Ivy Collection and D&D London, as its new chief operating officer.

Experiential leisure concept being rolled out in UK by We Do Play ranked as one of Canada’s fastest growing companies: Active leisure concept Activate has been identified as one of Canada’s fastest growing companies with a three-year revenue growth of 1,105% and a projected C$40m in revenue for year-end 2024. The company has been ranked 38 out of 416 fastest growing Canadian companies by Report on Business Magazine, which is produced by Canadian news organisation The Globe and Mail. Founded by Adam and Megan Schmidt in 2017 in Winnipeg, Activate features interactive game rooms where participants engage in challenges that test their agility, reflexes and problem-solving skills. Activate has 30 locations across North America and has plans for more openings, including entering California, New York, Florida, Michigan, Ohio, Minnesota and Colorado markets in the United States, as well as British Columbia, Quebec, and Saskatchewan in the Canadian market. We Do Play is rolling out Activate in the UK and the company’s co-founder Richard Beese told Propel: “This is more evidence of how compelling Activate is. We will soon be sharing further news of how we will be bringing this game changing concept to customers across the UK.”

Bespoke Hotels acquires four new properties: Bespoke Hotels, the UK’s largest independent hotel group, has acquired four new properties to join its collection of more than 70 hotels across the UK. It has acquired the Caledonian Hotel in Fort William, the Great Western Hotel in Oban, The Pitlochry Hydro Hotel in Perthshire and the Marine Hotel in Llandudno from the Coast & Country Hotel Collection. This follows the recent addition of several management contracts for Bespoke Hotels, including The Green House Hotel in Bournemouth and Cwrt Bleddyn Hotel & Spa in Wales. Haydn Fentum, chairman of Bespoke Hotels, said the acquisitions represent “a significant step forward” in the company’s growth strategy. He added: “These properties align perfectly with our vision of offering exceptional hospitality experiences across the UK. We are confident that our management and operations expertise will enhance the value of these assets and provide our guests with even more choices.” Jeremy Jones, director at Christie & Co, who handled the process, said: “The sale of these four hotels to Bespoke and their investor partners is further evidence of the real momentum in the regional UK hotels market.” Bespoke is also set to open its new Hotel Gotham in Newcastle this autumn.