Market Halls acquires Brighton’s Shelter Hall from Sessions for first site outside London: Market Halls, the London food market hall operator, has acquired Shelter Hall in Brighton from Sessions in a multimillion-pound deal. The acquisition makes Shelter Hall as Market Halls’ fifth site and first venture outside of London. For Sessions, this sale signifies a strategic shift towards expanding its brand portfolio. Having launched Shelter Hall on Brighton’s seafront in 2020, the group is now doubling down on franchising – both in delivery and high-street locations – while actively acquiring high-growth brands with strong product-market fit. Katie Rose, chief financial officer of Market Halls, said: “We’re excited to be welcoming Brighton’s beloved Shelter Hall into the Market Halls family. Dan Warne and the team at Sessions have done a brilliant job in bringing the site to life over the past few years and we’re committed to building on those strong foundations to ensure Shelter Hall remains at the top of the food hall game for years to come.” Warne said: “Selling Shelter Hall was a tough decision – it’s where our journey began, and we’ve built incredible memories. I’m hugely thankful to our wonderful team, particularly operations manager Skye Merriman, who has been instrumental in building the business. However, I’m thrilled to see it find a new home with Market Halls, a business that shares our passion for outstanding hospitality and for supporting the development of great teams. This move allows Sessions to sharpen our focus towards our mission: bringing original food to more people by acquiring and scaling the UK’s most exciting brands.” Market Halls operates four sites in London – Victoria, Oxford Street, Canary Wharf and Paddington. Last month, Sessions said it saw its revenues in January increase 94% year-on-year, as consumers continue to be attracted by “high quality quick service restaurant products on delivery platforms”. Of that growth, it said that 26% came from new site launches, while the remaining 68% came from significant improvements in revenue per site. It comes as the business said it was looking to hire an experienced marketer for a new vice-president of marketing role at a time that it wants to capitalise on “exceptional consumer momentum”. Sessions also said it expects to announce several high-profile brand partnerships following the success of its partnership with Netflix. Sessions’ current brand portfolio includes Sobe Burger and Little Bao Boy and extends to partnerships with international brands including Ivan Ramen. Sessions has so far launched and scaled 12 food brands, partnered with 350-plus kitchen partners and delivered more than four million orders. Warne told Propel: “2023 was a year of building out a large base of franchisees, while developing our technology, data and culinary infrastructure. 2024 was about slowing down site growth and setting higher standards for the consumer, with exceptional outcomes.” 

McDonald’s to build a restaurant 20 minutes from every home in France: McDonald’s is planning to open dozens of restaurants in towns and cities across France in the hope that there will be one within 20 minutes of every household. Already the largest fast-food brand in France, the company revealed aggressive expansion plans that would accelerate growth in the country from an average of 20 to 30 openings a year to 50 in 2025 alone. “The demand is there, and in nine cases out of ten we are well received by the local authorities,” Jean-Guillaume Bertola, McDonald’s marketing director for France, told the French newspaper Le Figaro. Since McDonald’s opened its first outlet in France in 1972, its popularity has grown remarkably. Despite being the birthplace of haute cuisine, France has become the company’s biggest market in Europe, with more than 1,590 restaurants and revenues of €6bn (£4.63bn) last year. McDonald’s’ optimism in its future growth contrasts with the overall trend in the restaurant sector, which is seeing restaurants go bust in record numbers. In January, 17% more restaurants went into receivership compared with the average in the pre-covid period between 2010 and 2019, according to the Banque de France. Mediocre food is cited as a key factor, along with rising costs and changing customer habits, experts and owners say. By contrast, McDonald’s is seen as cheap, convenient and open when most restaurants in smaller towns and cities are closed. “Why deprive ourselves?,” said Bertola. “Every French person has the right to a McDonald’s, less than 20 minutes from home.” However, the path is less certain as anger in the country grows over Donald Trump’s anti-Europe rhetoric and threats to impose a 200% tariff on French wine, champagne and spirits. Within four weeks of its creation, the “Boycott USA: Buy French and European” Facebook page has grown to more than 25,400 members. McDonald’s features in Propel’s highly anticipated International Brands report, featuring the 100 leading international brands in UK hospitality, and has now launched. This in-depth report explores company histories, leadership structures, site numbers and turnover figures – an essential tool for industry professionals navigating the UK hospitality market. The top 100 includes expanding brands from markets such as the US, Canada, Europe, Australia and Asia. The guide will be sent out as two files – an introductory PDF featuring deep dives into international brands from Propel’s writers, and a fully searchable Excel sheet for easy access to key data. The analysis includes Matteo Frigeri, founder of Seeds Consulting, on the challenges of recruiting the right UK franchisee, Michael Ingemann, director of Think Hospitality, on why European brands chose the UK for expansion, and Meaningful Vision founder Maria Vanifatova examining the UK market for quick service restaurant operators. The International Brands report is available for £595 plus VAT, with existing Premium Club members able to purchase at a discounted rate of £395 plus VAT. Premium Club members will receive it free on Friday, 9 May at 9am. Order your copy today by emailing: kai.kirkman@propelinfo.com.

Britain’s high-end restaurants offering smaller wine portions: Britain’s high-end restaurants are offering smaller wine portions. Conventionally, wine is served by the glass in three sizes: 125ml, 175ml and 250ml, however, only one of the UK’s 20 best Michelin-star restaurants — the Ledbury in London’s Notting Hill — still offers 175ml servings. Most serve only the 125ml glasses, or oblige customers to buy an entire 750ml bottle. The Times reports that At Hélène Darroze at the Connaught, a three-star restaurant, only a 125ml glass, a half bottle or a bottle are offered — and the cheapest 125ml serving is a £24 Gamay. The trend is less common in restaurant brands. Beefeater, PizzaExpress and Strada do not sell 125ml glasses of wine, only 175ml or 250ml servings. JD Wetherspoon still sells wine in all portion sizes. Industry figures said the trend is driven by a number of factors but principally profit margins, with venues that have been stretched by rising costs in recent years able to make more money selling smaller glasses. Charlie Sims, the owner of Sune, a restaurant in Hackney, east London, said: “The 125ml measure is more commonly poured in Europe and allows restaurants to work to better margins. You charge less [for 125ml] but not proportionally so. It’s the same idea that buying a full bottle is cheaper than six individual 125ml glasses.” However, there are other factors at play. Sven-Hanson Britt, a former MasterChef finalist and a restaurant owner, said 175ml and above was “seen as a bit uncouth in some wine circles”. Some places take small portions even further. Noble Rot, a wine-focused restaurant concept, sells “taster” servings of only 75ml. Its cheapest, a Portuguese white, is £3, although 75ml of Chateau Grillet costs £71.

Helen Jones retires from Fuller’s board: Fuller’s has announced a number of changes to its board, including the retirement of Helen Jones, the former group executive director at Caffe Nero and managing director of Zizzi. Jones, having served six years as an independent non-executive director and chair of the pub company’s remuneration committee, has retired from the board with effect from today (Monday, 31 March). Michael Turner, chairman of Fuller’s, said: “We would like to thank Helen for her six years of invaluable contributions and advice to the Board and we wish her every success for the future.” Jane Bednall will join the group’s board as an independent non-executive director with effect from tomorrow (1 April). She will serve on its audit and risk committee, nominations committee and remuneration committee, and will take on the role of employee engagement director. Bednall is an experienced non-executive director following an executive career in customer-led companies, including British Airways and Intercontinental Hotels Group, where she held senior leadership roles in marketing, brand, customer, digital and commercial. She is currently a non-executive director overseeing AustralianSuper’s interests on the board of the Kings Cross Central General Partnership, and was previously a non-executive director at Enterprise Inns and DFS Furniture. Turner said: “Jane brings a wealth of experience and skills from both an executive and non-executive perspective. Her expertise in digital, marketing and brands across the hospitality and travel sectors makes her a great addition to our board.” At the same time, Robin Rowland will be appointed as chair of the remuneration committee with effect from tomorrow to replace Jones.