Story of the Day:
WatchHouse raises more than £6.1m in record time, plans international franchise programme
2 May 2024
Specialty coffee concept WatchHouse has raised more than £6.1m in one day from its latest crowdfunding campaign, in what is thought to be the fastest for non-tech equity raise.
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Other News:
2 May 2024
Revolution Bars Group – the operator of the Revolution, Revolución de Cuba and Peach Pubs brands – has revealed that Nightcap – owner of the Cocktail Club, the Adventure Bar Group, Dirty Martini and the Barrio Familia group of 46 bars – has explored a deal for the business but hasn’t yet made an offer.
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2 May 2024
A deal was agreed in November for Young’s to acquire the owner and operator of circa 50 pubs across southern England and Wales, which valued the business at around £162m.
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2 May 2024
Rarebreed Dining, the steak-focused pub company, has appointed advisors to assist with a strategic review of the business and its property assets as it gears up to consider its options.
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2 May 2024
Yum! Brands has reported KFC system sales in the UK fell 1% for the first quarter ended 31 March 2024 compared with the previous year.
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2 May 2024
Caprice Holdings, the Richard Caring-backed, high-end restaurant business, has hired Yavuz Pehlivanlar, formerly of 50 Eggs Hospitality and D Ream International, as its new chief operating officer.
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2 May 2024
More than $15.4bn (£12.3bn) was wiped off the value of Starbucks as trading began on Wall Street after it revealed sales fell for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic.
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2 May 2024
Big Mamma Group, the McWin backed restaurant group, has moved closer to making its regional debut after applying for a licence on a site in Manchester.
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2 May 2024
Lemon Pepper Holdings, the company behind the rollout of Wingstop in the UK, is set to add a site in Ealing, west London, to its 2024 opening pipeline.
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2 May 2024
Zambrero, Australia’s largest Mexican quick-service franchise, which received £143m in equity financing to open more restaurants in Britain and Ireland last year, is planning to open a second site in Manchester.
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2 May 2024
Coca-Cola Company has reported a 3% decline in unit case volume performance across its coffee division in the first quarter of 2024, which it said was primarily due to the performance of Costa Coffee in the UK.
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2 May 2024
Itsu, the circa 85-strong, healthy Asian food chain, has hired Kate Thompson, formerly of Costa Coffee and Sainsbury’s, as its new property director.
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1 May 2024
Hostmore, the parent company of TGI Fridays, has temporary suspended trading on the London Stock Exchange following a delay to the publication of its annual financial report.
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1 May 2024
Chris Kempczinski, chief executive of McDonald’s, has said that “industry traffic is slowing” across all of the brand’s major markets
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1 May 2024
Munchies founder Shafkat Khan has said he is aiming to grow his business to 50 sites and that delivery data leads him to where he opens next.
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1 May 2024
Heart with Smart Group, which operates Pizza Hut Restaurants and is an Itsu franchisee, has told Propel it plans to “reignite new unit growth in 2025” after restructuring its balance sheet, which includes a new £5m working capital facility.
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1 May 2024
Luxury hot chocolate shop concept Knoops has added sites in Bristol and York to its opening pipeline for this year.
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1 May 2024
Global sandwich brand Subway has been bought by private equity firm Roark Capital for circa $9.5bn (£7.52bn) after the deal was cleared by regulators.
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1 May 2024
Nusa Kitchen, the south east Asian takeaway concept, has returned to the expansion trail with an opening in London’s St Paul’s.
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1 May 2024
Popeyes UK, the US fried chicken quick service restaurant brand backed here by TDR Capital, is to make its debut in Leeds next Wednesday (8 May), with the opening of a delivery kitchen site.
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1 May 2024
Hawaiian poké specialist Honi Poké is set to open its second regional site, in Leeds.
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1 May 2024
Wimpy UK, the Famous Brands-owned burger chain, has said it is keen to sign up new franchisees as it launched a new Legend menu to celebrate 70 years since its launch.
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30 April 2024
Nick Collins, chief executive of café bar operator Loungers, has said that the business remains “really excited” by its roadside diner concept Brightside, with a fourth site under the format set to open in the second half of this year.
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