Story of the Day - 8 October 2024
Amber Taverns looking to expand geographical reach following Epiris deal, trading 'solid' in 2024
James Baer, chief executive of community pub operator Amber Taverns, has told Propel it will look to expand its geographical reach after being acquired by Epiris, the private equity backer of Big Table Group, for an undisclosed sum. Amber operates 178 freehold, wet-led pubs, predominantly in the north of England, the Midlands, Scotland and Wales, and Baer said the business will now look to grow in new areas.
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8 October 2024
Loungers lfl sales up 4.7%, consumers are feeling increasingly confident
Café bar operator Loungers saw its like-for-like sales increase by 4.7% in the 24 weeks ended 6 October 2024, compared to the previous year and said it continues to make “good progress” towards its target of returning to a pre-covid Ebitda margin level of 13.5%. It said that the latest increase in like-for-like sales represents a continuation of the like-for-like sales growth of 5% previously reported for the 11 weeks to 7 July 2024.
8 October 2024
KFC UK & Ireland sees 4% increase in FY turnover
KFC UK & Ireland has reported a 4% increase in turnover to £294,511,000 for the year to 24 December 2023 (2022: £284,274,000). The company said that operating profit decreased compared to prior year to £54.1m (2022: £86.8m) impacting on the operating profit margin also decreasing to 18% (2022: 31%).
8 October 2024
Hollywood Bowl CFO – potential to add more mini golf centres but it's about optimising the estate appropriately
Hollywood Bowl chief financial officer Laurence Keen has told Propel there is the potential to add more mini golf centres to its sites, “but it’s about optimising the estate appropriately”. He said: “We added mini golf to some sites with excess space – Leeds, Stockton, Colchester – picking up the excess demand.”
8 October 2024
Esquires UK and Irish store lfl sales up 5.1%
Cooks Coffee Company, owner of the Esquires brand, has reported its like-for-like store sales were up 5.1% for the 26 weeks of its financial year to 29 September 2024, with its business in the UK up 6.3% and Ireland up 2.9%. In said in the period group store sales were up 26% at £16.4m, with UK store sales up 36% at £11.4m and Ireland store sales up 6.7% at £5.1m.
8 October 2024
Yolk reports record-breaking September
Fast-growing “fine fast food” business Yolk has reported a record-breaking September. The business, which is currently nearing the end of a £300,000 crowdfund, to help “deliver its next stage of expansion”, gave an update to investors on Crowdcube. “September was a huge month for us – so we thought we’d share some highlights with you,” it said. “We hit an all-time high of more than 55,000 transactions.”
8 October 2024
Popeyes looking to more than double internal management promotions over next two years
Popeyes UK, the US fried chicken quick service restaurant brand backed here by TDR Capital, has said it is looking to more than double its internal management promotions over the next two years. Matt Hudson, Popeyes’ people director, told this month’s Propel Talent & Training Conference that employee head count is set to grow from 3,100 to 8,200 over the next two years.
8 October 2024
Boxpark gets go-ahead for £5m Birmingham site
Boxpark has secured planning permission for its new £5m Birmingham venue. Propel revealed in October 2023 that Boxpark was set to open the venue at the Floodgate Street Arches in Digbeth for its Midlands debut. A 15-year lease has been signed with landlords The Arch Company, with Boxpark planning to transform the space under four 12-metre railway arches into a food hall and events destination.
8 October 2024
Northamptonshire brewery set to open third taproom
Northamptonshire’s Three Hills Brewery is set to open its third taproom. It will open The General in the former Hopmaster General site in College Street, Rushden, on Friday, October 25. Andrew Catherall founded Three Hills Brewery in Woodford in 2016 in his family garage, and after failing to find a site in Northamptonshire, he opened The Outpost in London’s Bermondsey in 2020.
October 2024 ~ Premium Club
Each year, Premium Club members receive videos from Propel conferences, totalling around 100. The latest videos are from the Propel Talent & Training conference. This collection features Kathryn York, chief people officer at KFC UK and Ireland, who talks through the success of the brands “The Hatch” youth employment programme, which looks to help young people into their first job, and its “The Kentucky Club”, which hosts jobs-based pop-up events around the country for young people. Propel’s conference videos are an excellent way to keep your team informed about the latest developments in the sector.
By joining Propel Premium Club members get access to essential insight through Propel Opinion pieces from leading industry commentators, plus our industry-leading databases, receive hospitality’s foremost newsletter first, watch vital video content and get event discounts.
October 2024 ~ Premium Club
Premium Club members will receive two updated databases in October. The latest Propel UK Food & Beverage Franchisor Database will be sent out on Wednesday, 9 October, at midday. It will have 12 new entries, including better burger brands Smacks Hamburgers and Urban Fresh Burgers and Fries, It now has 270 entries and more than 150,000 words of content. The next Propel New Openings Database will be sent out on Friday 11 October. The database will show the details of 216 site openings. Premium Club members will also receive a 11,941-word report on the new additions to the database.
By joining Propel Premium Club members get access to essential insight through Propel Opinion pieces from leading industry commentators, plus our industry-leading databases, receive hospitality’s foremost newsletter first, watch vital video content and get event discounts.
October 2024 ~ Premium Club
Premium Club Opinion provides weekly insights from industry leaders. In the current edition, Richard Beese, co-founder of We Do Play, shares insights on Flip Out’s success, the potential of the new Activate concept as a ‘game changer’ for the UK, and why the experiential sector is primed for consolidation. Meanwhile, Propel group editor Mark Wingett explores the acquisition of a majority stake in Chopstix by European operator QSRP, and UKHospitality chief executive Kate Nicholls explains how it has been using the political party season to lobby for support for the sector.
By joining Propel Premium Club members get access to essential insight through Propel Opinion pieces from leading industry commentators, plus our industry-leading databases, receive hospitality’s foremost newsletter first, watch vital video content and get event discounts.
October 2024 ~ Premium Club
Mark Wingett’s Premium Club Diary delivers insider sector gossip every week to Premium Club members. The current edition includes news on Stonegate’s developing brands and the company’s connection to synth rock band The Cure, what happened to Côte’s unbranded concept trial, how Ballie Ballerson, the ball pit cocktail bar operator, fared this year and what is the next fast casual US brand to launch on these shores.
By joining Propel Premium Club members get access to essential insight through Propel Opinion pieces from leading industry commentators, plus our industry-leading databases, receive hospitality’s foremost newsletter first, watch vital video content and get event discounts.
7 October 2024
Future of TGI Fridays in the UK secured following successful sale of 51 restaurants to D&D owners
The owners of D&D London have completed a deal to acquire TGI Fridays, securing more than 2,000 jobs. Breal Capital and Calveton, which acquired D&D London last year, have acquired the business through their Liberty Bar and Restaurant Group. The deal will see TGI Fridays continue to operate across the UK from 51 of its 87 restaurants.
8 October 2024
Zuma and Roka operator trading 'well' in 2024 with 'strong' pipeline of opportunities, full-year turnover hits record £205m
Azumi, which is led by Sven Koch and operates the Zuma and Roka high-end restaurant brands, has said the business has traded “well” so far in 2024 and has a “strong” pipeline of potential opportunities. So far this year, the group has added restaurants under management contracts in Bahrain and Santorini, while a company-owned site opened in May in Cannes.
7 October 2024
Exclusive – Popeyes UK on track to deliver sales of £100m-plus in FY24 as it reports 2023 turnover jumps to £58m
Popeyes UK, the US fried chicken quick service restaurant brand backed here by TDR Capital, has said it is on track to deliver sales of £100m in FY24. It comes as the company reported revenue jumped to £58,123,056 for the year ending 31 December 2023 compared with £15,056,674 the previous year as it accelerated its expansion. During the period the company opened 21 sites – taking the total to 38 and employing almost 1,500 staff.
7 October 2024
Blind Tiger Inns' 'adult playground' concept could be 'blueprint for future venues', challenges 'encouraging us to explore new opportunities'
Blind Tiger Inns managing director Chris Tulloch (pictured) has told Propel its new “adult playground” concept could be a “blueprint for future venues”, and that challenges within the industry are “encouraging us to explore new opportunities”. The north west multiple operator is set to reopen a former cinema in Manchester as an immersive concept complete with a slide leading down from the original picture house balcony.
7 October 2024
Exclusive – Slim Chickens European franchise gathers pace
Slim Chickens’ European franchise is gathering pace after parent company Boparan Restaurant Group (BRG) penned a 50-year deal for Poland, Propel has learned. The first site is to open in second half 2025, with the rest to be rolled out over five years.
7 October 2024
KFC chief people officer – getting recruitment and retention right is crucial as QSR is now a highly competitive market with a smaller pool of talent
KFC chief people officer Kathryn York has said getting recruitment and retention right is crucial as the quick service restaurant (QSR) is now a highly competitive market with a smaller pool of talent. “I’ve been with the company for ten years, and one of the biggest differences contextually is the volume of competition we have across the business now,” York told last week’s Propel Talent & Training Conference.
7 October 2024
Frontier Pubs reports like-for-likes up more than 8% in 'another strong year of growth'
Frontier Pubs, the London partnership between Stonegate Group and Pioneer Hospitality, has told Propel that is has had “another strong year of growth” with like-for-like sales up more than 8% for the year ending September 2024. Earlier this year, the company added three more sites to its portfolio.
7 October 2024
Individual Restaurants has pipeline of four to five sites next year, reveals opening date for Chichester Piccolino
Individual Restaurants has told Propel it has a pipeline of four to five site openings next year and has revealed it will open its new Piccolino site in Chichester, West Sussex, next month. Propel revealed in August that Individual Restaurants had acquired the former Three Joes site in South Street.
7 October 2024
Leicester McDonald's franchisee returns to profit as turnover increases to record £21.1m
McDonald’s franchisee Dynamic Restaurants, which operates four sites in Leicester, has reported turnover increased to a record £21,068,734 for the year ending 31 December 2023 compared with £18,605,426 the previous year. The company, which employs around 500 staff, posted a pre-tax profit of £296,159 compared with a loss of £94,966 the year before.
7 October 2024
Indian street food business launches franchise programme as it eyes further expansion
Indian street food business My Delhi Indian Streetery, which has three branches across the north east and Midlands, has launched a franchise programme as it eyes further expansion. The concept was founded in 2019 by Elahi Shah Amin, who works in digital media for Newcastle city council.
7 October 2024
South west restaurant operators acquire fourth site
South west restaurant operators Tamara Costin and William Speed have acquired their fourth site. The owners of Beach House and School House in Devon launched their first Cornish outpost last year, opening the Michelin-listed Harbour House in the former Seven Stars pub in Flushing.
7 October 2024
Gail's secures Elephant Park site
Fast-growing Gail’s Bakery has secured a site for a new outlet in Elephant Park’s casual dining zone in south London. The 1,740 square foot unit on the corner of Sayer Street and Deacon Street was formerly occupied by Bobo Social.
Watch highlights from this year’s Propel summer conference and party.
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Propel Exclusive Report
Experiential Leisure report – free for Premium Club members
Experiential leisure’s rapid growth is demonstrated by a 40% uptick in UK competitive socialising venues since 2018. Our 35,000 word report on this fast-growing sector is now free for Premium Cub members and it explores the latest research, examines its market potential and includes a detailed analysis on more than 180 companies operating in excess of 3,000 sites.
The report sets out the history and current meaning of experiential leisure and examines the latest research – including key geographical areas for expansion in the UK. It also explores the current market and provides insight into future trends such as outlets that offer a combination of concepts. It provides a detailed list of UK Experiential Leisure companies including key staff, Companies House information and number of sites.
By joining Propel Premium Club members get access to our industry-leading databases, receive hospitality’s foremost newsletter first and vital video content. Get event discounts and essential insight through Propel Opinion pieces from leading industry commentators, plus much more.
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7 October 2024
Meet Maral, the visionary behind Ayal: Sharing Turkmenistan’s Flavours with London’s Streets
With the help of the McCain Streets Ahead programme, Maral turned her dream into a thriving business. Through Ayal, she offers Londoners a taste of Turkmen cuisine, from Manti dumplings to traditional palav, highlighting the rich heritage of her culture.
9 September 2024
Meet Eman and Bisan Bites: Bringing Palestinian Flavours to London's Streets
In 2022, Eman embarked on a journey to bring the authentic taste of Palestinian cuisine to the street food scene of London. Seeking guidance from the Streets Ahead programme, she transformed her passion into a reality, creating Bisan Bites a business that celebrates her heritage.
17 July 2024
Taste Uzbekistan: The Street Food Duo sharing the traditions and flavours of Central Asia
In 2022, Akbar and Sanobar joined the Streets Ahead program with a clear vision: to become the ultimate destination for food enthusiasts seeking an authentic and immersive experience.
20 June 2024
UTOPIA: The Syrian Street Food Concept making London taste better
Hind Danoun is one of the many successful refugee entrepreneurs to come out of the McCain Streets Ahead Programme. From joining the programme in 2022 to turning over £21,000 in revenue since launching late 2023.
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November 9th 2024
The Propel Naples
Study Tour
The world’s best cities for food in 2024 have been named by Time Out and it’s Naples – the birthplace of Pizza that takes the crown. You can’t talk about food in Italy without considering Naples and you can’t talk about food in Naples without talking Pizza and that is the reason we are inspired to visit the best of what Naples has to offer.
October 30th 2024
Propel Multi Club:
New Ideas,
New Directions
The final Propel Multi-Club Conference of 2024 has opened for bookings. The full-day conference – titled “new directions, new ideas” – takes place on Wednesday, 30 October at the Millennium Gloucester Hotel in London Kensington. Among the speakers will be Ben Fogle, the TV personality who has summited Everest, raced to the South Pole and rowed the Atlantic.