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Mon 9th Jun 2025 - UKHospitality promotes Kate Nicholls, Pret launches new shop format, Popeyes secures £43m |
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UKHospitality promotes Kate Nicholls to chair as Allen Simpson becomes CEO to pave way for enhanced strategy: UKHospitality has announced that current chief executive, Kate Nicholls, is to step up to the new role of chair, while current deputy chief executive, Allen Simpson, will transition to chief executive. At the same time, current non-executive chairman, Steve Cassidy, will move to become president. The trade body said the move will enable Nicholls and Simpson to “deliver a new, bolder strategy for the organisation as it looks to turbocharge further growth and deliver even more for members and the wider sector”. The new structure follows an extraordinary period of growth since the organisation was formed – in which time the UKHospitality team became widely-recognised as the go-to voice for the broad hospitality sector. The details of the enhanced strategy will be announced in the coming months. UKHospitality said it will build on those achievements to date and will continue to deliver policy change, while growing the organisation’s operational capacity in areas such as skills, as demonstrated by the recent launch of the sector-based work academy programmes (SWAPS) scheme, working with the government to train new starters in the sector, in 26 regions. Nicholls will be the organisation’s first paid and full-time chair. UKHospitality said she will build on her work as a leading advocate and ambassador for the sector and this natural next step reflects the increased size and scope of the organisation and her position as a champion of the sector and its leading voice with successive governments. The changes will allow her to devote even more time to championing the sector in both the political and media landscapes, and deepen government engagement and understanding of the sector and its challenges. The day-to-day leadership of UKHospitality will pass to Simpson. He brings a wealth of experience across tourism and leisure and expertise in global investment and economic policy. The move follows 18 months as deputy chief executive, in which time he has led on environmental, social and governance and conceived and delivered the Social Productivity Index, to highlight the sector’s worth to people and communities across the UK. Cassidy said: “UKHospitality has grown incredibly over the last few years in terms of membership, influence and impact. Having both a dedicated, full-time chair and a chief executive in place, UKHospitality can become even bigger and better, and go further, faster. Kate has transformed the organisation into a formidable force for the good for the sector, most notably during the worst crisis the industry has ever faced – covid. Together, Kate and Allen, will continue to champion the industry and drive change for the benefit of our members and the economy of the UK.” Nicholls said: “This new chapter reflects the impact, status and ambition of UKHospitality, which continues to be the vital voice for our broad and important sector. We have established strong and effective influence for the country’s fourth largest economic sector and have a seat at the highest table alongside other core business groups on the macro-economic issues of today. Together we will work alongside government on some of the most pressing developmental policies for this country and its key industries. Top of my list is to ensure government continues to listen to our calls for sector support, following the £3.4bn of costs that hit us in April, root and branch reform of the business rates system, as well as building longer-term momentum for the compelling rationale for creating a dedicated VAT rate for hospitality. I look forward to working ever-more closely in partnership with Allen as our team delivers a new and emboldened strategy, and maximum positive change for our sector.” Simpson said: “I’m excited to step up to chief executive and to have the opportunity to build further on the team’s significant body of work for this crucial industry, continuing Kate’s momentum. My focus will be to drive growth, services and a platform for success, for – and with – our members. The economic context is shifting fast, and as a sector we need to take greater control of our own destiny.”
Premium Club subscribers to receive two updated databases this week: Premium Club subscribers will receive two updated databases this week. The latest Propel Food & Beverage Franchisee Database will be sent on Wednesday (11 June), at 12pm. The database will feature ten new entries to take the total number to 250 and more than 102,000 words. The new entries include McDonald’s franchisees Beech Restaurants, Jaam Restaurants and Restaurant One20. Premium Club subscribers will then receive the next Turnover & Profits Blue Book on Friday (13 June), at 12pm. The database will feature 64 updated accounts and 17 new companies, taking the total to 1,125. A total of 712 companies are making a profit while 413 are making a loss. Premium Club subscribers also receive access to four other databases: the Multi-Site Database, the UK Food and Beverage Franchisor Database, the New Openings Database and the Who’s Who of UK Hospitality. All Premium Club subscribers will be offered a 20% discount on tickets to Propel paid-for events including the Operational Excellence Conference in July and discounts on specialist sector reports. Operators that are Premium Club subscribers are also able to send up to four members of staff to each of our four Multi-Club Conferences for free. Premium Club subscribers 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 subscribers will be sent a dedicated monthly newsletter that will highlight key updates in thesector and direct subscribers to all the vital content their membership offers. Premium Club subscribers 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.
Pret launches new shop format to boost regional expansion: Pret A Manger is launching a new shop format that features a more “spacious, family-friendly environment” with made-to-order food and drink service suited to longer, more relaxed visits. The approach, which will be tested at two shops in Broughty Ferry, near Dundee, and Maidenhead in Berkshire, will offer fewer “grab-and-go” options in the hope of keeping customers in for longer with more space for dine-in guests. Pret’s franchise partners Hala Group (Maidenhead) and Joup Group (Dundee) will operate these new shops. Clare Clough, managing director for Pret UK and Ireland, said: “Throughout the past five years, we’ve made it a priority to bring Pret to more people, whether you’re a City worker commuting to the office, a parent juggling work and family life, or someone catching up with friends. Now, we’re taking that further, making Pret a destination for customers in a bit less of a rush who want a comfortable space to enjoy delicious food and spend time with family and friends. Our teams have been hard at work making sure everything from the shop design to the unique menu items have been carefully thought through and we can’t wait to see how our customers respond.” Much of the food offered from its new menu will be made to order, including a caprese melt and a croque monsieur, and unlike its present stores, there will only be one “ready-to-go” refrigerated shelf as employees make baguettes over the course of the day. Full porcelain crockery will also be provided, as well as a play area for children called the Little Star Cafe. The company hopes the regional outlets will eventually form an important part of Pret’s plans to grow to a 1,000 store-strong estate in an effort to turn the business into a “much more national brand”. More than 80% of the group’s openings since January 2023 have been outside London. While Clough believes there is still room for Pret to grow in the capital and other big British cities, she believes these new-format shops “will become a significant portion of the estate in the future”, and told The Times there could be more than 100. Pret, which is backed by JAB Holding, operates 500 shops in the UK and Ireland, as well as 66 in the US, 100 in Europe and another 66 across Asia, the Middle East and Africa.
Popeyes UK secures £43m finance facilities to support growth plans: Popeyes UK, the US fried chicken quick service restaurant brand backed here by TDR Capital, has secured new finance facilities totalling £43m in order to support its continued rollout of its growth plans across the UK. The company, which has more than 80 sites here, has agreed the financing with Barclays Corporate Banking. Popeyes said the facilities, alongside the company’s existing support from TDR Capital which last year took a majority stake in the business, will provide it with the flexibility to build on its success in the UK to date and execute its expansion plans over the coming years. Since landing in the UK in November 2021, Popeyes has seen sustained growth across the business. 2024 was a year of transformational growth for the company, during which it opened 33 new restaurants, taking its total estate to 65 sites, and sold the equivalent of one sandwich every three seconds. Popeyes plans to open 45 new restaurants in 2025, almost doubling its UK footprint. The new site openings mean Popeyes – which was recently recognised in The Sunday Times’ Best Places to Work list for 2025 – expects to create approximately 2,500 new jobs this year. In April, Popeyes also launched a strategic partnership with SSP Group to open a pipeline of Popeyes restaurants across UK travel hubs, starting at Birmingham airport this summer. Drew Taylor, chief financial officer at Popeyes UK, said: “The new finance facilities will enable us to build on our successful growth in the UK to date and execute our expansion strategy over the coming years, with more than 45 openings targeted in 2025 alone.” Brat founder Tomos Parros – the late-night dining scene in London is starting to come back: London restaurateur Tomos Parry has said the late-night dining scene in the capital is “starting to come back”. More upmarket restaurants are offering later booking slots as demand rises. Parry has pushed back its last reservation slot to 10.30pm at his Mountain restaurant in Soho. Parry, who also founded Brat in Shoreditch, told The Sunday Times: “It’s not back to those massive numbers and super-late night dining of the 1990s and 2000s but it is certainly starting to come back. I would love late-night dining to come back much stronger.” Parry said that the demand was driven partly by the return of a post-theatre dining crowd. Tourists staying at the growing crop of city-centre hotels and keen to try the city’s most-hyped restaurants were also more willing to take slots after 9pm. Speedboat Bar, styled on a Thai sports bar, also accepts bookings at 10.30pm. On Friday and Saturday, it offers a late-night food menu from 11pm to 12.30am. At the recently-opened Noodle & Beer in Chinatown, tables can be reserved until 1.45am on Saturdays. Last month, Corbin & King founder Jeremy King called for a return “to 1980s excess”. Recalling how, when he started in hospitality in the 1970s, last orders were often taken at 1am, King said: “Now, it’s almost impossible to get anything [to eat] after 10pm. I don’t fully understand why it happened but I’m determined to redress the situation.” King begun offering a 25% discount for those who dine after 9.45pm at his restaurants, Arlington and The Park.
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