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Story of the Day - 13 February 2026
French kebab concept seeking entry into UK market
French kebab concept Zen Döner is seeking partners with which to enter the UK market. Zen Döner was founded by Dr Turhan Guldas, a dentist by trade, and opened its debut site last year at 26 Rue Massena in Nice.
Operators of multi-site hospitality companies can book up to three free places, or operators who are Premium subscribers can claim up to four free places by emailing: kai.kirkman@propelinfo.com
Propel Exclusive Report
Propel's Experiential Leisure Report is available now
Propel 500 is back for the second year. It brings together the top 500 players shaping the industry, offering not only comprehensive listings but also deep insights into the forces driving growth, innovation, and transformation across the sector.
Propel 500 provides critical insights into the companies leading the charge in hospitality, including turnover, number of sites, key staff, and more.
The 45,000-word report also includes exclusive analysis providing a full understanding of the market’s dynamics, as the top companies in the sector shift position after a challenging year. Mark Wingett reviews the mergers and acquisitions changing the shape of the Top 500 as size increasingly matters. Katherine Doggrell examines the key developments in UK hotels and looks into one of the sector’s brightest lights; experiential leisure. Tim Street dissects the UK’s rapidly developing franchise market. Data expert Mark Bentley, business development director at HDI, looks at emerging growth sectors, and Meaningful Vision founder Maria Vanifatova analyses the latest trends in the quick service restaurant market.
Get the report
Propel’s 500 Report is available to Premium Club members for free.
To sign up to Premium Club email: kai.kirkman@propelinfo.com
13 February 2026
Leon lost more than £60m since EG Group takeover, closed 22 stores since CVA
Leon, the naturally fast-food brand, lost more than £60m following its 2021 takeover by EG Group and has closed 22 stores since its company voluntary arrangement (CVA) in December, an administrators’ report has revealed. Propel revealed in December that Leon, having been bought back by co-founder John Vincent two months earlier, was planning to undergo a CVA to help accelerate the restructuring of the business and reduce its number of loss-making sites.
13 February 2026
Stonegate Group set to consult on further redundancies as it continues transformation strategy
Stonegate Group, the UK’s largest pub business, is set to start a further consultation process, which may lead to further redundancies, as it continues its transformation strategy toward a “partnership-led pub company”, Propel has learned. Stonegate announced last year that it was to transition to a streamlined portfolio of around 320 pubs, bars and venues by the end of this September.
13 February 2026
Chuck E Cheese hires director of operations ahead of UK launch
Chuck E Cheese – the US entertainment restaurant brand which last summer signed a multi-unit franchise agreement to launch in the UK, which will mark the brand’s debut in Europe – has hired Mannie Sehmar, formerly of Popeyes, as its director of operations. Sehmar joins Chuck E Cheese, which is planning to open its first UK site this year, after three and a half years as head of new store openings at Popeyes UK.
13 February 2026
TFE Hotels – ‘the UK market is very mature and resilient’, aiming for ‘not less than a dozen’ openings here in next decade
Australian hotel company TFE Hotels, which made its debut here at the end of last year, has told Propel it sees the UK market as “very mature and resilient” and is aiming for “not less than a dozen” openings here in the next decade. The company currently has 57 hotels in Australia and New Zealand, 22 across Singapore, Malaysia and Japan and a further 22 across Germany, Austria, Hungary, Romania and Denmark.
13 February 2026
Harris + Hoole reports full-year like-for-like sales up 4.7%, change of focus to high street model ‘gives better potential for growth going forwards’
Speciality coffee house business Harris + Hoole, part of the Nero Group, has reported like-for-like sales were up 4.7% in the year ending 31 May 2025 and said the change of focus to a high street model “gives better potential for growth going forwards”. Revenue was down to £6,462,000 compared with £9,673,000 the year before following the decision to exit from the Tesco estate at the end of 2024.
13 February 2026
Joe and The Juice signs deal to launch in India
Joe & The Juice, the juice and cafe bar brand that operates circa 75 sites in the UK and circa 480 globally, has signed a deal to launch in India. The business has signed a strategic partnership with Aditya Birla Group’s hospitality arm, Aditya Birla New Age Hospitality (ABNAH), to launch in the country, with the first flagship site set to open in the second half of this year.
13 February 2026
Maki & Ramen founder Teddy Lee backs Scottish events startup
Teddy Lee, the founder of Japanese restaurant concept Maki & Ramen, has invested in Scottish events startup Black Tartan. Launched in December by Scottish darts player Alan Soutar and media producer Johnny Brooks, Black Tartan describes itself as a fan-first live entertainment business, offering intimate concerts, comedy and never-seen-before stage experiences.
13 February 2026
Valentine’s Day bookings ‘surge across the UK’ as group bookings increase
Restaurant bookings for Valentine’s Day are up 30% year-on-year across the UK, according to new data from payments technology company Dojo. The data revealed that while the traditional romantic table for two remains dominant, Valentine’s Day dining is expanding beyond couples alone, with a sharp rise in larger group bookings.
13 February 2026
CAMRA – planning law change could see thousands of pubs lost
The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) is calling on the government to rethink plans to weaken protections in the planning system in England, which it says could lead to thousands of pubs being lost forever. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government is consulting on plans to change the National Planning Policy Framework.
12 February 2026
Exclusive – JD Wetherspoon plans to invest £2.5m on new West End pub
JD Wetherspoon has told Propel it plans to invest £2.5m on opening a new pub in London’s West End. The company has applied to open on the former Coyote Ugly site in Shaftesbury Avenue, which closed last year and had a capacity of 350.
12 February 2026
McDonald’s UK&I reports 8.5% comparable sales growth in fourth quarter and more than 10% marketplace sales growth, including record-breaking Black Friday weekend
McDonald’s UK&I has reports 8.5% comparable sales growth in the fourth quarter of 2025 and more than 10% marketplace sales growth, including a record-breaking Black Friday weekend. The company said it closed 2025 with “one of its strongest quarters in recent years, despite the challenging climate for the wider hospitality sector”.
12 February 2026
Heineken to cut up to 6,000 jobs as beer demand declines
Heineken has announced plans to cut up to 6,000 jobs over the next two years, amounting to about 7% of its global headcount, as it struggles with declining demand for beer and “challenging market conditions”. The company said the job cuts will come from brewery closures and consolidation already under way in Europe, as well as merging smaller markets into “clusters” to eliminate costs and centralising back-office operations.
February 2026 ~ Premium Club
Premium Club readers to receive all the videos from Restaurant Marketer and Innovator. Propel Premium Club members are to be given access to the entire recording of the 2026 Restaurant Marketer & Innovator Conference. Members are now able to access all the videos of the event.
James Hacon, managing partner at Think Hospitality.
Maria Vanifatova, chief executive and founder of Meaningful Vision.
Mark Bentley, business development director at HDI.
Sara McKennedy, managing director at Coco di Mama, Éadaoin McDonagh, chief operating officer at White Rabbit Projects, Laura Irving, managing director at JKS Restaurants, and Marcel Khan, chief executive at Fulham Shore.
Romy Miller, chief marketing officer at Knoops.
Pho: Libby Andrews, marketing director at Pho, talks to Charlotte Mair, founder and managing director at The Fitting Room.
Dishoom: In conversation with Fleet Street Communications chief executive Mark Stretton, co-founder Kavi Thakrar.
Alexis Melikov, chief executive of Tigermilk.
Jordan Graham, founder of Sugar Snap, in conversation with Paul Catterson, director at Orto Pizza, Sam Shephard, founder at Juice Jar, andPeter Coleman, co-founder of Seed
Aqua at 25: stories beyond the view: Marie Guenot, marketing director at Aqua Restaurant Group.
Michael Radley, co-founder at Joli, is joined by Hilary Ansell, marketing consultant and interim marketing director at Wasabi, Hester Mitchell, digital marketing manager at Bleecker Burger, and Tom Patrick, marketing director for Banana Tree and Las Iguanas at Big Table Group.
Evie Horsell, head of communications UK & Ireland at Big Mamma Group
Russell Danks, managing director at Laine Pub Co,
Kiran Quinn, group marketing director at RedCat Hospitality
Laura Lewis, marketing director at Arc Inspirations.
David Tester, head of marketing at Franco Manca, is joined by George Lamb, co-founder of Wildfarmed
Five concepts, one vision — Incipio at Olympia: Rory Graham, marketing and brand director at Incipio Group.
Jayson Perfect, chief operating officer at Butcombe.
What’s Next in Hospitality? The 2026 Playbook: James Hacon, Managing Partner at Think Hospitality.
Katy Moses, managing director at KAM.Heleri Rande, partner at Think Hospitality, in conversation with Chris Miller, founder at White Rabbit Projects, Loui Blake, co-founder at Long Lane, and Nicci Clarke, marketing and culinary director UK at Sodexo Live!.
Creative spaces, bold moves: Anthony Knight speaks to Tom Kidd, founder of SetList.
When hospitality meets entertainment. Thinking out of the box: Michelle Farrell, chief growth officer at Boxpark.
The neighbourhood effect: Marshall Dallas, Partner at Think Hospitality, speaks with Ankur Wishart, co-founder at Boxcar, and India Filippidis, head of marketing at Boxcar & The Italian Greyhound.
Madeleine Phillips, marketing director at Various Eateries.
Deborah Jones, senior client success manager at Proinsight, speaks to Michael Farquhar, chief operating officer at ETM Group.
Krishnan Doyle, founder at COREcruitment.
The multi-concept challenge: Markus Thesleff, founder of Thesleff Group.
Dave’s Hot Chicken’s digital activation: Peter Critchley, UK chief executive at Trison, is joined by Keyana Mohammadi, head of marketing at Dave’s Hot Chicken.
Tessa Graham, group brand director at Tashas Group.
Olivia Fitzgerald, managing director at 125 Data & Insights, speaks with Tom James, managing director at Bill’s. Dan Brookman, chief executive and co-founder of Airship & Toggle. Daniel Bennett, global head of behavioural science at Ogilvy Consulting: Originality in the age of AI. Heleri Rande, partner at Think Hospitality, in conversation with Afroditi Krassa, founding director of Afroditi, and Bob Conwell, managing director at Mr Lyan Studio. Digital marketing for growth. Carey Benn, chief executive at Guestwise, in conversation with Naddy Onions, marketing director at Prezzo Italian, James Metcalfe, sales and marketing director at Urban Pubs & Bars, and Ewa Turney, senior product lead at Mitchells & Butlers. Aaron Morgan, head of marketing and Paul Jones, head of IT at The Alchemist. Dojo: Jon Knott, head of data projects at Dojo. Laura Vana, associate partner at Think Hospitality, in conversation with Kat Schofield, sales and marketing director at Permanently Unique Group, Holly Hilton, marketing director at Market Place Food Halls, and Ria Pattni, director of marketing at JKS Restaurants. Laura Vana, associate partner at Think Hospitality, in conversation with Tasos Gaitanos, co-founder at Brother Marcus, Alex Large, co-founder at Brother Marcus, Tommy Giraux, head of restaurant systems at Honest Burgers. Joe Comiskey, digital director at Stonegate Group. Joel Robinson, chief executive at Openr, in conversation with Toby Herbert, head of IT at Hall & Woodhouse, Sara McKennedy, managing director at Coco di Mama, and Mark Bentley, business development director at HDI. Sophie Clarke, UK team lead at Popmenu, in conversation with Charlie Wood-Jones, Co-founder at Cawsburger. Dan Brookman, chief executive at Airship and Toggle. Mark Warburton, founder of Cow & Sow and Alan Armstrong, fractional marketing director.
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.
February 2026 ~ Premium Club
Propel 500 is back for the second year. It will bring together the top 500 players shaping the industry, offering not only comprehensive listings but also deep insights into the forces driving growth, innovation, and transformation across the sector. Propel 500 will provide critical insights into the companies leading the charge in hospitality, including turnover, number of sites, key staff, and more. The 45,000-word report will also include exclusive analysis to provide a full understanding of the market’s dynamics, as the top companies in the sector shift position after a challenging year. Mark Wingett will review the mergers and acquisitions changing the shape of the Top 500 as size increasingly matters. Katherine Doggrell will examine the key developments in UK hotels and look into one of the sector’s brightest lights; experiential leisure. Tim Street dissects the UK’s rapidly developing franchise market. Data expert Mark Bentley, business development director at HDI, will look at emerging growth sectors, and Meaningful Vision founder Maria Vantifatova will analyse the latest trends in the quick service restaurant market.
Propel 500 will be released on Friday, 9 January at 9am and is
£595 plus vat.
Existing Premium Club Members can receive it on Friday, 9 January at 9am for
£395 plus vat.
Premium Club members will receive the report for free on Friday, 27 February at 9am.
Pre-order Propel 500 today by emailing: kai.kirkman@propelinfo.com
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.
February 2026 ~ Premium Club
Premium Club Opinion provides weekly insights from industry leaders. In this current edition, David Roberts, corporate partner and head of leisure at international law firm CMS, discusses how hospitality has just become a front-line election issue. He says that commentators argue the UK hospitality sector, contributing £62bn annually, is undervalued and overtaxed. With Reform UK spotlighting VAT cuts, hospitality has become an election issue, isolating Labour’s defence of the 20% rate. The sector seeks not bailouts but a fair playing field: business rates reform, a 10% VAT rate, EIS expansion, youth wage flexibility, benefits-to-work incentives, restored Entrepreneurs’ Relief, and even a dedicated hospitality ministry. Advocates say such reforms would drive growth, jobs and investment, revitalising high streets and recognising hospitality as a strategic national asset, not a dispensable luxury. Meanwhile, Ben Robinson, director of Pub Partnerships at north west brewer and retailer Robinsons, explains why pubs are so important. He says that village pubs are far more than businesses; they are social anchors. They bring together people from different backgrounds in ways no algorithm can replicate, quietly building trust and “social capital” through everyday encounters. In an age of online division and rising loneliness, pubs offer rare spaces where disagreement coexists with belonging. As other institutions close, they remain informal community living rooms. While alcohol has harms, the pub’s true value lies in connection. When one shuts, a community loses memory and support. The British pub is enduring social infrastructure, not nostalgia.
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.
February 2026 ~ Premium Club
Mark Wingett’s Premium Club Diary delivers insider sector gossip every week to Premium Club members. In this week’s edition, UK hospitality is buzzing with expansion and innovation. Bain Capital is advancing plans for Gail’s, with Goldman Sachs circulating teaser documents to potential investors. Previously valued at up to £500m and linked to interest from McWin Capital Partners, Gail’s operates about 185 sites and plans 40 openings by February 2026. New projections suggest capacity for as many as 800 UK locations. Also, Brava Hospitality Group, owner of Prezzo, continues to explore growth beyond a core brand refresh and Jamie’s Italian relaunch. It has trademarked potential new concepts, including Chick Magnet and Capri Pizza, though no launches are imminent. Meanwhile, in the US, Wagamama, owned by The Restaurant Group and backed by Apollo Global Management, has moved its headquarters to Tampa to support southeastern expansion and strengthened its culinary leadership. Lastly, Mission Mars is trialling a smaller-format bar in Liverpool, and Pret A Manger has launched a nostalgic 2016-priced menu across its New York estate.
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.
12 February 2026
Benugo names Stephen Cox as new commercial and finance director
Benugo, the operator of deli cafes and catering in high-profile venues, has named Stephen Cox as its new commercial and finance director. Cox was previously finance director at Caterlink for nine years, and before that spent six years at Benugo’s parent company, WSH Group. He replaces Paul Bowley, who stepped down as Benugo’s finance director at the end of last year after 12 and a half years in the role.
12 February 2026
Alfresco dining to return to London under mayor’s licensing policy
Alfresco dining could return to London this summer after the mayor, Sir Sadiq Khan, laid the groundwork for a city-wide licensing policy. This could pave the way for Khan – who is known to want to pedestrianise parts of Soho and other areas of the capital to boost hospitality, nightlife and spending – to make decisions without the 32 boroughs and the City of London, all with different licensing policies, being able to intervene, reports The Times.
12 February 2026
200 Degrees returns to profit and reports record sales
200 Degrees, the Nero Group-owned brand, returned to profit in the 14 months to 31 May 2025 and reported record sales. The 24-strong company, which was acquired by Caffe Nero Group in October 2024, changed its reporting period following the sale.
12 February 2026
Blend Family reveals full line-up for new Birmingham food hall
Blend Family, the team behind Kargo MKT in Salford’s Media City and Tower Bridge Collective in London, has revealed the full line-up at its new food hall in Birmingham. Opening in Digbeth, Alfred Works will see the former Custard Factory site reimagined.
12 February 2026
Hospitality bosses urge government to scrap unfair holiday tax
Leading hospitality and leisure chief executives have called on the government to scrap plans for a visitor levy in England. A letter to chancellor Rachel Reeves that has some 200 signatories from accommodation providers including Butlin’s, Haven, Hilton, IHG Hotels & Resorts, Merlin Entertainments, Parkdean Resorts, Travelodge and Whitbread, has warned the proposed holiday tax will “hit families hardest, put jobs at risk and drain money from local businesses and communities”.
12 February 2026
Chancellor misled public on pubs tax raid, says watchdog
Chancellor Rachel Reeves has been criticised by a watchdog for misleading the public over her tax raid on pubs. The Telegraph reported that the UK Statistics Authority (UKSA) said Reeves “should have been clearer” about the true effect of her tax plans when she claimed they would cut business rates to a 35-year low.
11 February 2026
Neos Hospitality paid £10m for 20 The Revel Collective bars, Peach Pubs sold to Coral Pub Company for £6.5m
Neos Hospitality paid £10m for 20 The Revel Collective bars, while Peach Pubs was sold to Coral Pub Company for £6.5m, an administrators’ report has revealed. Propel reported on 27 January that Coral Pub Company, a new vehicle led by Ted Kennedy, who was previously managing director of Whitbread’s managed pub division and former chairman of Dominion Hospitality, has acquired Peach Pubs, via a pre-pack administration.
11 February 2026
Coca-Cola confirms it will retain ownership of Costa Coffee, UK ‘doing well’
Coca-Cola has confirmed it will retain full ownership of Costa Coffee after a failed attempt to sell the company, but said it was reviewing the brand’s business in China. Last month, it was reported that Coca-Cola had scrapped plans to sell Costa after bids from private equity suitors fell short of its expectations.

Watch highlights from this year’s Propel summer conference and party.
Video presentations of all the speakers are available to Premium Club members, join to unlock exclusive access to 100 insightful videos each year.
To view pictures from the event click here
22 April 2025
Unlock the Power of Change: Download McCain's Impact Report Today!
McCain’s Streets Ahead Programme, powered by KERB, is transforming the UK street food scene by empowering the next generation of entrepreneurs, particularly those facing barriers to entering the hospitality industry.
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.
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March 25th 2026
Propel Multi Club — New directions in a period of strong headwinds
Operators of multi-site hospitality companies can book up to three free places, or operators who are Premium subscribers can claim up to four free places by emailing: kai.kirkman@propelinfo.com