Propel Newsletter Archive Page

Hollywood Bowl reports strong Q1 trading: Hollywood Bowl has reported that trading over the three months to 12 January 2025 has been strong, including a record revenue month in both the UK and Canada in December. It said that total revenue growth over the period was up 11.3% and in line with board expectations. Total UK revenue was up 8% with like-for-like revenues up 4.5% over the period. Total Canada revenue (on a constant currency basis) was up 40.8% (like-for-like revenues up 14.2% over the period), with Splitsville centres up 37.2% and Splitsville like-for-like centres revenue up 7.0% over the period. The company said that this performance reflects the continued demand for “affordable, fun and family-friendly competitive socialising” in both the UK and Canada. The group said it is on track to meet its target of 130 centres by 2035 and has a strong new centre pipeline in FY2025: It is currently on site at two new Hollywood Bowls in the UK, which are due to open in H1 FY2025 (Preston and Inverness), and is starting on site at two locations in next month, that are due to open in H2 FY2025 (Uxbridge and Reading). It said that its site in Swindon, which opened in November 2024, is “performing well and in line with expectations”. The business is on track to deliver five refurbishments in FY2025. It said: “We remain resilient to inflationary pressures with over 70% of group revenue not subject to cost-of-goods inflation. We are well positioned to mitigate the effects from the increases to National Insurance contributions and National Living and Minimum Wages given our strong cost culture and relatively low labour-to-revenue ratio of under 20% in the UK. As UK families continue to face cost of living challenges, great value for money will be a true point of differentiation with a family of four being able to enjoy a game of bowling with us for under £26. The group remains confident in the outlook for the financial year. Our strong cash position means we are well placed to continue to invest in the significant growth opportunity ahead in both the UK and Canada and we remain focused on continuing to execute our customer-led strategy to generate attractive returns.” Stephen Burns, chief executive, said: “We are pleased to report a strong period of trading, building on the momentum from the previous financial year, including our highest ever monthly revenue in December and our biggest ever day of trading on New Year’s Eve. This successful start to the year underlines the continued strength of our value-for-money, family-friendly customer proposition. Looking ahead, we are confident in the outlook and our ability to further develop our market-leading position in the UK and Canada, enhancing the customer experience and seizing the significant growth opportunity ahead.”

Premium Club members to receive updated Multi-Site Database tomorrow, videos from Restaurant Marketer & Innovator on Friday, 7 February: Premium Club members are to receive the updated Multi-Site Database tomorrow (Friday, 31 January), at midday. The next Propel Multi-Site Database provides details of 3,313 multi-site operators and is searchable in seven main segments. The database features 968 (29%) operators from the casual dining sector, 790 (23%) pub and bar operators, 566 (17%) cafe bakery operators, 460 (14%) quick service restaurant (QSR) operators, 271 (8%) hotel operators, 209 (6%) experiential leisure operators and 55 (2%) fine dining operators. The database is updated each month, and this edition includes 33 new companies. New additions in the QSR sector include premium burger concept Native Burger, Domino’s franchisee Racz Group and Chick-fil-A, the US brand with plans to open in the UK. Premium Club members are to be given access to the entire recording of the 2025 Restaurant Marketer & Innovator European Summit Conference. Members will be sent 26 separate video presentations, featuring more than 60 speakers on Friday, 7 February, at 9am. 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 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.

Women-only networking club AllBright falls into administration: The women-only members’ club founded by the boss of The Telegraph has collapsed after its Mayfair townhouse became “under-utilised”. The Times reports that AllBright has fallen into administration for the second time as it has struggled to regain its financial footing in the wake of the pandemic. The networking and events business told members last week that its Mayfair townhouse was “no longer viable”. The club faced financial difficulties last year as it struggled to recover from changes to working patterns in the years after the lockdowns of the pandemic. Cain International, an investment firm backed by Todd Boehly, the owner of Chelsea Football Club, rescued the group through a pre-pack administration and invested new capital. The firm was a creditor to the group and had invested in AllBright as part of its fundraising in 2019. AllBright was founded by the entrepreneurs Debbie Wosskow and Anna Jones eight years ago. Jones is now the chief executive of Telegraph Media Group. It was named after Madeleine Albright, the former US secretary of state who famously said that there was “a special place in hell for women who don’t help other women”. The group was formed to provide networking opportunities for women and charged £1,950 a year for membership, which included access to a townhouse on Maddox Street. The club was not open to male members but allowed men to visit as guests. In a post on LinkedIn, Jones said: “So sad to see the news that AllBright has abruptly closed – and hoping the community it built will live on. Even though I left a few years ago, I’ll always be deeply grateful for the incredible women and the connections I made while building the business. The work we started isn’t over. Women still need opportunities to connect, grow and lead.” Wosskow, who is a non-executive on the board of Channel 4, said pushing for more diversity in the business community had become “unfashionable”. “Those early rooms of incredible women lit us up, and relationships were built that changed women’s lives,” she said. “We hope that the amazing AllBright members continue to find inspirational spaces in which to come together in the future.”

Fevertree announces strategic partnership with Molson Coors to drive US growth: Fevertree, the supplier of premium carbonated mixers and Molson Coors, have announced that they have entered into a long-term strategic partnership for the exclusive sales, distribution and production of the former brand in the US. Fevertree said that since first entering the US market in 2008, it has consistently delivered very strong growth in the US and has become the number one tonic and ginger beer brand across America. The two companies said: “The market leading position that Fevertree has built, combined with Molson Coors’ expertise, scale and total beverage ambition, provides a transformational platform to drive the brand to the next level in its largest and most dynamic market.” Molson Coors will acquire an 8.5% shareholding in Fevertree plc. The proceeds of the issue will be returned to shareholders via a share buyback programme of £71m, beginning in February 2025. Tim Warrillow, co-founder and chief executive of Fevertree, said: “Today’s announcement marks a transformational step for the Fevertree brand in the US. Thanks to the superb work of our US team, we have seen Fevertree become the number one brand in both the tonic and ginger beer categories, a remarkable achievement which has redefined the US mixer category amongst consumers and customers alike. But what is so exciting is that as the Fevertree brand has grown in the US, so has the opportunity ahead of us, reflecting the increasing number of categories and occasions that our products are relevant to. With a national network providing significant scale and muscle, alongside its proven track record, supply chain expertise and clearly stated strategic desire to drive the future of their business beyond beer, Molson Coors are the ideal long-term partner to take the Fevertree brand to the next level across the US. This partnership will be fuelled by a step change in marketing investment to take advantage of the highly compelling opportunity ahead.”