Exclusive – Atis secures £8m of new funding, 2025 set to be ‘transformational year’: Atis, the London salad concept co-founded by former Noble Rot sommelier Eleanor Warder and Philip Honer, has told Propel that 2025 is set to be a “transformational year” for the business as it embarks on its next stage of growth, after it secured £8m of new funding. Atis, which was founded in Shoreditch in October 2019, currently operates eight stores across Central London, with a target of reaching 20 sites by September, including delivery kitchens and a possible launch outside the capital. Atis has sites lined up in Covent Garden and Mayfair. It is backed by property developer Graham Hedger, who has funded the business from the start. Honer told Propel: “2025 will be a transformational year for Atis as we embark on a new phase of growth, supported by a £8m Series A fundraise led by Graham Hedger (backer of Databricks, Dash, Simply Roasted crisps and others consumer brands) to accelerate expansion across London and beyond, bringing Atis to customers throughout the UK. By September, we expect to almost double our store footprint from ten to 20 locations, building on a strong 2024, where like-for-like sales increased by 40% and overall sales were up 250%. This growth reflects the dedication of our operational team and our ongoing commitment to investing in our people, product, headquarters, and technology to enhance our customers’ experience —including a proprietary ordering platform launching later this year, and a 4,000 square-foot product development hub to unlock the next chapter in seasonal menu changes and catering development. The next stop for Atis is Long Acre, Covent Garden, which we are all excited about, followed by sites in North Audley Street and Grosvenor Street in Mayfair.”

 

Sponsored message – registration open for the north’s number one hospitality event: The north of England’s thriving hospitality industry is poised to take centre stage once again as Northern Restaurant & Bar (NRB) returns to Manchester Central. Taking place on 11-12 March 2025, this year’s event promises to be the ultimate celebration of northern hospitality excellence, talent and innovation. For the first time, NRB25 will co-locate with the inaugural lunch! NORTH, a new show dedicated to the café, coffee shop and food-to-go sectors. NRB25 will feature more than 370 exhibitors including Coca-Cola, Uber Eats, Nespresso, Fever-Tree, AU Vodka, Greene King and Joseph Holt. In an exclusive appearance, Campari Group UK will showcase its latest innovations in the spritz category, offering attendees a first look at exciting trends for 2025. In the Keynote Theatre, industry leaders such as Laura Harper-Hinton, chief executive and co-founder of Caravan Restaurants, Simon Potts, chief executive of The Alchemist, and Roy Ellis, chief executive and co-founder of Mission Mars, will share their expertise on topics such as marketing, operations, leadership and emerging trends. Don’t miss your chance to be part of the north’s largest and most dynamic hospitality event of the year. Register here for your free trade ticket and join the celebration of the north’s hospitality excellence. Visit www.northernrestaurantandbar.co.uk for more information. If you have a sponsored story you would like to see featured in this newsletter position, email paul.charity@propelinfo.com.

 

Propel 500 report – hotel sector moving away from ownership and into the business of branding: Analysis suggests the hotel sector is 70% branded in the US and 30% in Europe, with the latter very much a target for the brands, writes hotel expert Katherine Doggrell in the introduction to the Propel 500 report – showcasing the UK’s 500 leading hospitality operators ranked by turnover. This is just one article in a report that is delivered in two parts: an introductory PDF, featuring deep dives into the top 25 companies and 6,500 words of insight from Propel’s expert writers, and a fully searchable Excel sheet, offering easy access to all the data. Together, the Propel 500 companies generate more than £30bn in turnover across 51,000 sites and the report spans seven key segments: pubs and bars, hotels, quick service restaurants (QSR), casual dining, cafe and bakery, experiential leisure and fine dining. A list of these operators can be discovered now by visiting the Propel 500 page on Propel’s website. This comprehensive report provides more than 90,000 words of analysis, delving into company histories, leadership structures, site numbers and financial performance, making it an essential resource for industry professionals. Further analysis includes Mark Wingett examining the mergers and acquisitions shaping the future of the Top 500, Tim Street’s view of the UK’s franchise market, and Phil Pemberton’s insights into experiential leisure as a hospitality cornerstone. Mark Bentley, business development director at HDI, identifies emerging growth sectors, and Maria Vanifatova, founder of Meaningful Vision, analyses trends in QSRs. Propel 500 is available now for £595 plus VAT. Existing Premium Club members can purchase it for £395 plus VAT. Premium Club members will receive the report for free on Friday, 28 February at 9am. Order the Propel 500 report today by emailing: kai.kirkman@propelinfo.com.

 

Next Who’s Who of UK Hospitality to be released on Friday featuring more than 237,000 words of content: The next Who’s Who of UK Hospitality will feature more than 237,000 words of content when it is released to Premium Club members on Friday (24 January), at midday. The database now features 876 companies, and this month’s edition includes 18 new additions and 129 updated entries. 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, 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 Excellence in Pub Retail (May 2025) and discounts on specialist sector reports such as the Propel 500. 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.

774,000 hospitality workers to be dragged into new NICs threshold, costing sector £1bn: Hundreds of thousands of hospitality workers are set to be dragged into the new national insurance contributions (NIC) threshold, costing the sector £1bn, UKHospitality has said. New analysis from the trade body showed a fifth of the UK’s hospitality workforce will come under the threshold for the first time, with the changes hitting the sector the hardest due to the high number of employees working part-time or flexibly. Currently, more than 1.2 million hospitality staff are not eligible for employer NICs, but in April, that number will be slashed to just over 450,000 people. That means more than 774,000 workers that will be newly eligible for employer NICs, which UKHospitality said will cost the sector £1bn. The trade body is calling on the government to implement a delay to these changes, to allow Downing Street to pursue alternative measures that ensure lower earners aren’t hit the hardest. These include a new rate of employer NICs at 5%, rather than 15%, for earnings between £5,000 and £9,100, or a lower rate for lower-earning taxpayers who work part-time. UKHospitality chief executive Kate Nicholls said: “The change to employer NICs is one of the most regressive tax changes ever. The scale of this change is unprecedented, bringing three-quarters of a million people into this employer tax for the first time, and the extent of the impact will be enormous. This tax is already forcing businesses to abandon investment, change recruitment plans, reduce headcounts and increase prices to cope with these cost increases. At a time when we saw hospitality as the biggest driver of economic growth in November, it’s completely misguided to be punishing a sector that has such growth potential. I hope the government can see the devastating impact this will have on businesses, team members and communities, and pause these changes to pursue alternative measures, in partnership with business.”

Napoli on the Road founder to publish first cook book: Michele Pascarella, founder of the two-strong west London pizza concept Napoli on the Road, is set to publish his first cook book. On Tuesday, 11 March, he will release Napoli on the Road: Classic & Seasonal Recipes for Neapolitan-Style Pizza Plus Antipasti, Desserts & Drinks. It will feature 65 recipes from the winner of the 2024 Best Pizzeria in Europe 2023 Best Pizza Maker of the Year awards, alongside stories of growing up in Southern Italy. “It’s not just about creating the perfect dough or finding the finest ingredients,” he said. “I’ve always believed that pizza is a way to connect people and bring them together. This book is my love letter to Naples. I want people to feel the heart of Italy and my journey through every recipe.” The book will be available on Amazon. Pascarella launched the first Napoli on the Road in 2019, in Chiswick, followed by a second site in 2023, in Richmond.

 

Job of the day: COREcruitment is working with a boutique hotel in London that is seeking a general manager. A COREcruitment spokesperson said: “The role will oversee the entire operations of the hotel. The business is looking for an inspirational leader who is ready to invest in the development of their staff to create the best experience for guests. The general manager will manage the profitability of the hotel along with hitting targets, implement a five-star service strategy, manage and lead a team effectively, deliver achievable hotel budgets along with a long-term strategic plan, working closely with the owners.” The salary is up to £65,000. For more information, email ed@corecruitment.com.

 

Big Fang Collective building franchise model amid plans to take business global: Big Fang Collective, the Imbiba-backed entertainment venue operator that owns the Ghetto Golf and Golf Fang brands, is building its franchise model amid plans to take the business global. Speaking at Insider Media’s Shaping Cities event, Big Fang Collective co-founder Daniel Bolger said the northern roots of Golf Fang had set it up for success by creating a “full brand awareness throughout the country”. Since opening its first venue in Liverpool in 2016, Golf Fang has opened six more sites, including in Glasgow, Birmingham and Nottingham. After securing £5m in growth capital from Imbiba in 2022, Big Fang Collective has now turned its sights to London. Explaining the reasons behind not taking Golf Fang to London sooner, Bolger said: “[The] barrier to entry is the big one. We’ve done everything off our own back up until venue six. We’d invested our own money at day one. Our first venue cost us £100,000 to open. Our second venue cost us £250,000. Now we’re spending £2,000,000 on venues. We didn’t take any money off any institutional investors until venue six, where we brought Imbiba in. It’s a great fit for us and probably gave us the opportunity to be able to go into places like London, and a bit more south. The barrier to entry is just so much higher than up north. When we come to London, we know it’ll work in London. And then when London finds out, the world will know. That’s when we’ll start looking at franchise opportunities abroad.” Elaborating on the brand’s global ambitions, he said: “We are currently building our franchise model. We’re starting to do this very delicately without ruining any culture that we’ve already got in the company. And then, the second part of the franchise model is finding the right franchisee.”

 

Costa franchisee Goldex Investments targets up to 15 new openings in 2025 to close in on 100 store-mark: Costa franchisee Goldex Investments has targeted up to 15 new openings in 2025, which would see it close in on the 100 store-mark. The company operates a portfolio of circa 50 Costa stores across Kent and Sussex as well as ten in Morocco. The group is also the UK master franchisor for Kaspa’s, and in addition, operates four German Doner Kebab sites here. Chief executive Dilijit Brar said: “The first of Goldex new store openings started in January 2006. What started as a 15-stores-in-three-years dream to open Costa Coffee stores turned into a 75-store strong reality. Now we trade Costa UK and internationally, Kaspa’s as the largest dessert parlour in the UK and Morocco, Goldex Gyms, workspace, holiday lettings and accommodation. Looking ahead, 2025 will be a very tough year for us all, with the current economic issues we are facing. The huge tax and national insurance rises will harm all business, but we hope to open 12-15 new stores this year. Let’s see how it all works out.”

 

Greene King acquires Alnwick pub in seven-figure deal: Brewer and retailer Greene King has completed a seven-figure acquisition of The Dirty Bottles pub in Alnwick, Northumberland, from local entrepreneur Mark Jones, Propel has learned. The pub dates more than 200 years, and in the past decade has seen significant renovations, including the acquisition and incorporation of neighbouring properties. Jones purchased The Dirty Bottles in late 2014 to save the pub, which has four boutique bedrooms, from being developed into flats. Richard Smith, estates director at Greene King, said: “The Dirty Bottles has a rich and fascinating history in Alnwick and under Mark’s ownership has significantly evolved over the past decade to combine history and heritage with a modern contemporary feel. We want to retain and build on everything about the pub that makes it such a success, while also helping to invest in its future.” Greene King will operate The Dirty Bottles under its Greene King pubs brand. The company said it continues to “seek quality acquisitions such as this”. The deal was brokered by David Cash, of Christie & Co.

 

Starbucks to cut corporate positions as part of turnaround: Starbucks plans to reduce its global corporate headcount as part of new chief executive Brian Niccol’s drive to boost efficiency and speed up decision making. In a letter to staff, Niccol said the company needs to operate faster and more efficiently. He said the company has started defining its support organisation of the future and expects to communicate those changes by March. “We will have job eliminations and smaller support teams moving forward,” Niccol said. He said the changes “will not affect our in-store teams or the investments we are making in store hours”. He said: “Our size and structure can slow us down, with too many layers, managers of small teams and roles focused primarily on coordinating work. We need to meaningfully change how our support teams are organised and how we work, making sure that we are prioritising the areas that have the biggest impact on the experience in our stores.” It’s the latest in a string of letters from Niccol detailing everything from the departure of a long-time director to a new mission statement and a new code of conduct to his overall vision for the company, as Starbucks works on an extensive turnaround plan. The company has largely focused on the US and Canada, but Niccol said Starbucks also needs to “transform our business globally” and “examine the role, structure and size of our support teams across the world”. 

 

Pan Pacific’s London hotel increases turnover and narrows losses in its second year of operation: Global hotel group Pan Pacific’s London hotel increased its turnover and narrowed its losses in its second year of operation. The hotel, at 80 Houndsditch in Bishopsgate, opened in September 2021 – the first European outpost of the circa 45-strong group, which mainly operates in the far east of Asia. The company’s accounts for the year to 31 December 2023 showed turnover of £35,288,000, up from £29,845,000 the previous year. Of this, £23,693,000 came from room revenue (2022: £19,243,000) and £10,806,000 from food and beverage (2022: £9,996,000). The hotel narrowed its pe-tax loss to £10,453,000 from £13,618,000 in 2022. Occupancy grew to 71.1% from 59.3%, while 2023 saw a year-on-year £9.66 growth in average daily rate. “While the hotel had a positive year and increased revenue, it also controlled costs well, reducing the losses year-on-year,” said director Choe Peng Sum. “Despite this, trading conditions remained challenging, during the year with world events bringing caution to the corporate and group travel segments in particular. The continuing rail strikes also caused additional challenges, particularly for the restaurant and bars. Staff attrition stabilised in 2023, which was significantly supported by the increase in training provided, and social/well-being activities and mental health therapies continued to be made available to the team. The increase in cost of living, high inflation and increase in national minimum wage put a strain on cost on payroll and benefits, but this was well controlled by reviewing vendors and more in house training.”

 

Mowgli confirms Norwich opening plans: Mowgli, the Nisha Katona-led, TriSpan-backed business, has confirmed it plans to open a site in Norwich later this year. The 25-strong business, which opened its second site in London, at Westfield Stratford, in November, plans to open in the former Superdry clothing store, in Norwich’s Chantry Place, this summer. Katona said: “I will always try to take Mowgli where people want her, and according to a local press poll in Norwich, the readers wanted to see a Mowgli open in their home town. Times are so hard for hospitality at the moment. We will always claw our way to growth because it creates jobs. We create charitable giving in the towns we go to and we create homespun healthy food with which we want to nourish you and your loved ones. That’s all we have to give, and we are so grateful that you chose us, Norwich. Now we graft to give you our best – see you in the summer.” Mowgli, which made its debut in the capital in Charlotte Street, Fitzrovia, in November 2021, will next open on the ex-Café Royale site in Nelson Street, Newcastle, in March.

 

Gravity plans to make debut in Wales with Max concept: Experiential leisure operator Gravity plans to make its debut in Wales with an opening under its urban theme park concept, Max, in Cardiff. The business, which currently operates four sites under the concept, has applied to open a site at The Capitol shopping centre in the city. The company – which already has Max centres in Westfield Stratford and Wandsworth in London, as well as Castleford in West Yorkshire and Liverpool ONE, has applied to renovate the rear section of the centre, which faces Cardiff’s Queen Street and Station Terrace. The plans mark a return of the building to use as an entertainment venue and feature an indoor kart track, indoor golf, batting cages, laser tag, bowling, darts, karaoke, sports bars, food outlets and outdoor seating areas. Last month, Gravity launched a new arcade games concept. Gravity Arcade, which offers arcade classics such as Super Bikes 3, House of the Dead Scarlet Dawn and Zombies Ready Steady Go, and games such as air hockey, basketball and boxing, is one of four divisions the group now operates – alongside Gravity Max (e-karting, street golf, augmented reality bowling, karaoke), Gravity Active (trampolining, rock climbing) and Gravity Social (digital darts, shuffleboard, PS5 gaming). Gravity operates circa 20 venues across the UK in total. 

 

The Potions Cauldron Group plans Leeds site for crazy golf concept: Yorkshire operator The Potions Cauldron Group, which previously featured on Dragon’s Den – declining an investment offer from Peter Jones – plans to open a fifth site under its crazy golf concept, The Hole in Wand, in Leeds. The business, which is led by founders Ben Fry and Phil Pinder, has lodged plans for a new crazy golf “village” at the city’s St John's shopping centre. The Hole in Wand concept offers a mini-golf experience where players navigate Harry Potter-inspired courses in search of a character named Grobblenook. The Potions Cauldron initially sold drinks under its magic-themed branding, offering both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks and cocktails that glitter, sparkle and bubble when served. The group was impacted by the covid-19 pandemic in 2020, losing the entirety of its wholesale arm of the business, and so sought to diversify. Investment from the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund allowed it to expand a new business arm – following a first magic-themed mini-golf site in York with The Hole in Wand in Blackpool, opening in June 2022, and The Potions Cauldron in Edinburgh, launching in June 2023. Last year, the company opened two further mini-golf attractions, The Hole in Wand in Chester and Dalton Park, Seaham. The group also opened The Potions Academy on Shambles, which operates alongside The Potions Cauldron and The Potions Express in York, as well as The Potions Cauldron in Edinburgh. At the end of 2023, the business said it was eyeing expansion of its mini-golf concept, with plans to launch 11 further sites over the next five years.

 

London restaurant group Maginhawa to shut original site for its Filipino bakery concept: London restaurant group Maginhawa is to close the original site for its Filipino bakery and café concept Panadera, in Kentish Town. Co-founder Florence Mae Maglanoc revealed on Instagram the venue in Kentish Town Road, which opened in 2021, will shut on Tuesday, 28 January. She wrote. “After facing landlord difficulties and operational challenges, I had to make the painful decision to close this chapter. It’s where my dreams of sharing Filipino baking with the world first came to life. Saying goodbye to this space is devastating.” The Panadera site in Marylebone, which opened in September last year, will remain open. Maginhawa is also behind Donia, Bintang, Mamasons, Ramo Ramen and Moi Moi Island in the capital.

 

Seren Collection hires Mark Wouters as COO: Seren Collection, which operates five luxury hospitality venues in Wales, has hired Mark Wouters as its new chief operating officer. The company, which secured new investment from private equity firm Wrightwood Investments last October, said Wouters boasts a wealth of international hospitality experience spanning more than 25 years, including senior leadership roles in some of the world’s most distinguished luxury hotels and resorts – including The Langham in Shanghai, The PuXuan Hotel & Spa in Beijing and the Huka Lodge in New Zealand. Neil Kedward, founder of Seren Collection, said: “Having Mark on board is a real game-changer for us. His extensive and varied experience across some of the world’s finest properties speaks for itself. We are not just adding a chief operating officer; we’re welcoming someone who’s going to shape our future in ways that matter.” The company said the investment from Wrightwood would enable it to complete the full refurbishment of its recently purchased Penmaenuchaf hotel in Snowdonia National Park in shorter time frames, while improving its ability to further develop its existing venues and pursue new opportunities. Its portfolio also includes The Grove of Narberth hotel, plus restaurants Fernery, Beach House and Lan Y Mor.

 

Topgolf lines up debut Welsh site: Topgolf, the golf and entertainment brand, is lining up its debut Welsh site. The company has lodged plans for the venue at Cardiff International Sports Village. Topgolf has applied to the city council to convert the former Toys R Us site, previously earmarked for a new Velodrome, reports Insider Media. Topgolf attractions offer hi-tech golf games along with food and drink, all-weather hitting bays and music. Topgolf currently operates four sites in the UK – in Addlestone in Surrey, Chigwell in Essex, Watford and Glasgow.

 

North east cocktail bar concept Mother Mercy to open fifth site: North east cocktail bar concept Mother Mercy is to open its fifth site. The company is launching the site in Chillingham Road, Heaton, at the end of the month. Mother Mercy opened its debut site at the Cloth Market in Newcastle in 2019, and has since opened venues at Fenwick Newcastle, Café Mercy in Grey Street in the city, and most recently, Mother Mercy in Sunderland's Sheepfolds Stables. Mother Mercy co-founder Neil Donachie said: “This is an exciting new chapter for us at Mother Mercy. We’ve always loved creating spaces where people can connect over incredible cocktails, and Heaton feels like the perfect place, while staying true to the essence of Mother Mercy.” Last summer, Donachie told Propel he plans to open “multiple venues” in the north east in 2025 as he sees “significant opportunity” in the region.

 

Bocconcino team plans opening in London’s Notting Hill Gate: Moscow restaurateur Mikhail Gokhner, who is behind the Bocconcino pizzerias in London’s Soho and Mayfair, is planning an opening in Notting Hill Gate, Propel has learned. Gokhner – who opened a new seafood restaurant, Osteria Del Mare at 366 The Strand, last month – is understood to have lined up an opening on the former Zizzi site at 2-6 Notting Hill Gate. Bocconcino made its debut in the UK in November 2014, in London’s Mayfair at 19 Berkeley Street. Inspired by the quality pizza and Italian cuisine Gokhner experienced in Forte dei Marmi, a seaside town in northern Tuscany, Bocconcino specialises in authentic wood-fired pizza and freshly made pasta dishes featuring premium, seasonal ingredients. In September 2023, the business opened a second site under the concept at 59 Great Marlborough Street, Soho.

 

Welsh café owner says appearing in Gavin & Stacey has helped his family build a hospitality empire in Barry: Welsh café owner Marco Zeraschi has said appearing in hit TV show Gavin & Stacey has helped him build a hospitality empire in Barry. Zeraschi runs Marco’s Café in the Welsh resort, made famous in the iconic sitcom, in which it was first picked to appear 18 years ago. His family’s portfolio in the town now includes coffee shops, an ice cream parlour and burger bar, as well as souvenir and rock candy shops. Zeraschi told The Sun how having his cafe picked to be in the show was like winning the lottery, and that the tills have not stopped ringing since. He said fans of the show make the pilgrimage to the spot every day to see where Nessa ran her arcade and Stacey pulled slushies. He used to close the seafront cafe – then known as Softa Freezebar – in the winter and find work at nearby Cardiff airport and on building sites. Now, even a gloomy cold Tuesday in January sees the tables buzzing. “Now, every sunny day is like a bank holiday, even in the middle of winter,” he said. “People from all over the world come here because of the show. When the show started bringing in loads of visitors, I put a big glass roof over the top of the café – that was the start of us expanding. Curiosity is the best thing for tourism, and that’s what’s happened with Gavin & Stacey.” Zeraschi’s brother Tino runs Zio’s Gelateria just 100 yards away, while older brother John owns nearby Giovanni’s, and the family also owns the town’s Piccolo burger bar alongside several shops.

 

Palatial Leisure returns to profit: Palatial Leisure, the operator of Palace Bingo clubs in Felixstowe and Great Yarmouth plus a casino and online gambling sites, returned to profit in the year to 31 December 2023. The company turned a pre-tax loss of £520,784 in 2022 into a profit of £206,564. Turnover increased from £4,910,311 to £5,215,031 and Ebitda was up from £63,575 to £237,162. “There have been significant operational changes in recent years, with the permanent closure of the London site having a significant impact on the results for the past three years, along with the gradual recovery from the impact of the covid pandemic, director Patrick Duffy said. “In addition to this, the results in 2022 were significantly impacted by the stock market decline, as the company holds a large investment portfolio. Along with other businesses, the company has also experienced considerable increases in energy costs, which have had a significant impact on the results for the past two years. The company has strong reserves, and despite the challenges noted above, the directors are confident that the company will return to the levels of profitability previously seen. Overall, the directors are satisfied with the results for the period and the year-end position.” No government grants were received (2022: £10,713). Income from dividends received from investments totalled £70,814 (2022: £56,832). No dividends were paid (2022: nil).

 

Liverpool independent operator Movement Group to open fourth site: Liverpool independent operator Movement Group is to open a new bar in the city for its fourth venue. Sips will open on Saturday, 1 February in Slater Street, in the site previously named Bar Red. Movement Group director Carl Hindley said: “We wanted to create something different to our other bar/nightclub offerings and have created a space that is versatile for both the daytime and a night-time trade. We will tap into the thriving live music scene here in Liverpool to showcase young up-and-coming talent in a relaxed and comfortable setting and also host some of Liverpool’s best-known DJs to provide a groovy soul, funk and disco soundtrack.” Movement Group is also behind Ink Bar in Wood Street, 54 Liverpool in Seel Street and Zenn Liverpool in Victoria Street. 

Chester and Flintshire McDonald’s franchisee sees profit soar: McDonald’s franchisee Northgate Restaurants, which operates three restaurants in Chester and Flintshire, saw its profit soar in the year to 31 December 2023. The company, owned by Jeanette Roe, saw its pre-tax profit jump from £25,626 in 2022 to £319,811. Turnover was also up from £15,706,534 to £18,204,029 in the same period. Dividends of £41,000 were paid (2022: £168,000). “Turnover for the year increased by 15.90%, with an increase in gross profit of 14.23% compared with the previous year,” said Roe, who joined McDonald’s more than 30 years ago on a graduate recruitment programme and has been a franchisee since 2001. “In common with many other similar businesses and industries, the war in Ukraine has had a significant impact on raw product costs, fuel costs and utility costs, with labour costs also increasing considerably along with other overheads. However, this year’s trading produced an operating profit of £299,559 (2022: profit of £30,023).”

 

Leeds cafe-bar concept Residence to open third site featuring new evening format: Leeds cafe-bar concept Residence is to open its third site featuring a new evening format. The venue in Moortown will join its outlets in Headingley and Cookridge. Residence aims “to blend the comfort of a coffee shop with the sophistication of an evening cocktail bar”. The Moortown venue will feature a new evening format, which will include a menu of freshly made pizza. Located in the former Barclays Bank building in Harrogate Road, the venue will offer seating for 100 diners. Additionally, the old bank vault is being repurposed into a traditional-style private dining room. Residence began as a small café in Cookridge in 2018 and added the Headingley venue in 2023. General manager Nate Smith said: “We are always looking to improve and evolve our offer, and we are excited to bring something a bit different to customers with this new dual-purpose venue.”