Exclusive – D&D London reports record breaking festive period as transformational projects near completion, hires new FD: D&D London, the Breal Capital and Calveton-backed operator of circa 35 restaurants across the UK and internationally, has reported a record-breaking December trading period and said it is working on an “exciting new concept” for its Launceston Place site in London’s Kensington. It comes as the business has hired Connie Salmon, previously at Various Eateries, as its new finance director. Simon Wilkinson, who is overseeing Breal and Calveton’s investment in the business as board director and is “holding the fort” while a new chief executive is hired, told Propel: “There is a lot of negative news within hospitality currently, mainly due to the budget taxing jobs and employment. Even for a business the size of D&D, that will be a circa £3.5m annual impact. However, we have had a very strong festive period. The week commencing 16 December, the industry tracker reported restaurant sales were +2.1% like-for-like. We were +48% like-for-like, and 33% of our sites have had their highest ever sales weeks on record. Thursday, 12 December was the highest ever sales day for the company with the current portfolio of sites, and that same week, two sites broke the highest ever sales week on record for the company. As a caveat, it is no secret the company has had a difficult few years with both sales and Ebitda decline. However, we are now 14 months into our investment, and it is encouraging to see the transformational projects starting to drive significant sales and Ebitda improvements. Culturally, a lot of the initiatives we introduced focusing on our frontline teams are now paying dividend. We have not had a general manager or executive chef vacancy since the summer, which suggests we are potentially doing something right. We are pleased to announce that Connie Salmon joins us next month from Various Eateries as finance director, and that Jude Hughes has been promoted to culture and people director. They both join recent recruit sales director, Amanda Soton, as part of the executive management team. We hope to announce the new chief executive before the spring and will share the news of an exciting new concept for Launceston Place by the end of the month. We have refurbished the private dining rooms at the Bluebird in Chelsea, and Skylon in Festival Hall is currently closed for a major investment. The macro market is tough, but we are well positioned versus our long-term plan to grow the business.”