Propel Newsletter Archive Page

Comptoir Group confirms return of Chaker Hanna as CEO: Comptoir Group, the owner of the Comptoir Libanais and Shawa brands, has confirmed it has rehired Chaker Hanna as chief executive, with immediate effect. Hanna has more than 15 years’ experience operating at chief executive level and served as chief executive of Comptoir upon joining the company in March 2010, until his departure in August 2022. In this capacity, Hanna was responsible for the overall management and strategic direction of the group, assisting in the turnaround, public listing in 2016 and expansion of Comptoir. Beyond Comptoir, Hanna has “significant operational restaurant experience” including with brands such as Chili’s, Pizza Hut, Bella Italia, Maggiano’s and Romano’s Macaroni Grill. Hanna was one of the team who launched the first Bella Italia assisting in the roll-out of the brand. He currently serves as non-executive chair of fast-growing quick service restaurant concept Sandwich Sandwich. With the appointment of Hanna as chief executive, Nick Ayerst will formally step down as chief executive with immediate effect. He will be available for a short period to ensure an orderly handover prior to joining fast-growing bakery brand Gail’s as its new managing director next month. Ali Aneizi will also now be stepping down from his position as independent non-executive director with immediate effect and Comptoir said it will continue with its search for a suitable independent non-executive director over the upcoming weeks. Comptoir also revealed Tony Kitous, creative director, executive director and founder of the company, and Hanna have entered into an agreement “to govern how they will exercise the voting rights attaching to their shares in certain circumstances”. This includes neither of them proposing a change to the board of directors unless they are both agreed on the proposed change. Kitous said: “I am delighted that Chaker is rejoining the company as chief executive. He was an instrumental part of the group’s leadership team for many years and is ideally placed to steer Comptoir through the next phase of its growth journey. I’m looking forward to working closely with Chaker in the years ahead.” Hanna added: “Having previously spent over 12 years with Comptoir, I am delighted to be rejoining the family and work closely with the entire team and Tony to continue building on our past successes and fully capitalise on the company’s full potential in the years to come.” Comptoir Group features in the Propel 500 report, an unparalleled resource that profiles the UK’s leading hospitality operators ranked by turnover – which is available now. 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. A list of the operators included can be discovered now by visiting the Propel 500 page on Propel’s website. The guide 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. Key highlights include Mark Wingett’s exploration of mergers and acquisitions shaping the Top 500’s future, Tim Street’s view of the UK’s franchise market, and Phil Pemberton’s insights into experiential leisure as a hospitality cornerstone. Katherine Doggrell examines developments in UK hotels, while Mark Bentley, business development director at HDI, identifies emerging growth sectors, and Maria Vanifatova, founder of Meaningful Vision, analyses trends in quick service restaurants 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.

Premium Club members to receive new searchable and segmented New Openings Database and videos from Restaurant Marketer & Innovator tomorrow: The next Propel New Openings Database will be sent to Premium Club members tomorrow (Friday, 7 February), at midday. The database will show the details of 268 site openings, including which company has opened a site or its plans to open one in the future. It will have details on what type of site it is and its location, and there will also be a website link to the businesses. The database is published on a monthly basis and Premium Club members will also receive a 15,168-word report on the 268 new additions to the database. The database is segmented into seven categories – cafe bakery, casual dining, experiential leisure, fine dining, hotels, pubs and bars, and quick service restaurants – making it even easier for users to search. The updated database includes new openings in the experiential leisure sector such as The Reserve, offering evening ranger tours at Chester Zoo, Tutankhamun: The Immersive Exhibition, an immersive exhibition opening in London, and Activate, which is opening four more UK locations. 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, tomorrow at 9am. Premium Club members also receive access to five other databases: the Turnover & Profits Blue Book, the Multi-Site Database, 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.

Tiny Rebel sees profit more than double but notes shift of sales towards off-trade channels: South Wales brewery Tiny Rebel saw its profit more than double in the year to 31 December 2023 but noted a shift of its sales towards off-trade channels. The company, founded in 2012 by brothers-in-law Bradley Cummings and Gareth Williams, operates a flagship taproom at its brewery in Newport and a bar in Cardiff’s Westgate Street, having closed its Newport High Street bar post year-end, in March 2024. The company’s pre-tax profit grew from £136,801 in 2022 to £318,333 off turnover of £16,788,243 (2022: £16,234,226). “The directors successfully executed their plan to remain profitable this year and are confident that the group will continue to grow,” Cummings said. “Looking ahead, there is significant opportunity to build on the successes of previous years. While we recognise that challenges will arise, we remain committed and enthusiastic about expanding our offerings, delivering quality beer and memorable experiences. Sales, excluding beer duty, were in line with the prior year. However, gross margin declined due to inflationary pressures on ingredients and changes in the sales mix. We also saw a shift in customer mix, with a higher proportion of sales moving to off-trade channels. We have made substantial investments in our workforce, including a commitment to the national living wage to attract and retain top talent, and added specialist professionals, such as a dedicated HR department. As a result, our people costs have increased by 19%.” No dividends were paid (2022: nil). Last year, the business said it closed the Newport High Street bar due to several challenges affecting the area, including declining footfall, but that it remains “dedicated to exploring new opportunities for future Tiny Rebel bars across the UK”.

Hotel group St James’ sees losses widen but expects improved profitability from new hotels: Hotel group St James’, part of Somerston Group, saw its losses widen during the year to 31 December 2023 but said it expects recent additions to its portfolio to bring about improved profitability. The company’s turnover dropped from £14,026,000 in 2022 to £13,782,000. Pre-tax losses of £965,000 widened to £1,918,000, while Ebitda showed a loss of £414,000 (2022: loss of £492,000). Director Tony Bobath said the group’s underlying performance “largely stabilised” during 2023, despite trading ceasing at its hotel in Winchester in June 2023 following the end of its operating lease. “Overall gross profit increased on 2022, and while the group made a loss after tax in 2023, this was after non-cash expenses of £2,069,000 (depreciation of £1,548,000 and property impairment of £521,000),” he added. “Excluding these non-cash expenses, the group made profit after tax of £151,000. The group’s profitability is expected to improve further as its hotels in Bath and Stratford-upon-Avon (which only opened during and just before the pandemic respectively) continue to build up to expected mature trade levels; and as cost inflation reduces, interest rates fall and tourism (particularly international) continues to increase.” No dividends were paid (2022: nil).