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Story of the Day - 23 February 2026
Exclusive – Little Door & Co secures new funding to accelerate UK expansion
Little Door & Co, the house-party-inspired late-night bar and restaurant concept, has secured new funding to support the next stage of its growth, with plans to open two new venues in 2026, including its first site outside the capital, Propel has learned. The five-strong group, which was founded in 2014 by Kamran Dehdashti and Jamie Hazeel, has secured the new funding from alternative lender ThinCats.



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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
23 February 2026

James Watt to invest £10m into rescue bid for BrewDog
James Watt, the co-founder and former chief executive of Scottish brewer and retailer BrewDog, is to plough £10m of his own money into a rescue bid for the struggling craft brewer and retailer. Sky News reports that Watt, who stepped down as BrewDog’s chief executive in 2024, is assembling financial backing from external investors for the group.
23 February 2026

Exclusive – Franco Manca owner brings in advisors to review options
Fulham Shore, which operates the Franco Manca and The Real Greek restaurant brands, has appointed advisors to review its strategic options to ensure both brands are “on the strongest possible footing to realise their long-term potential”. The company, which is backed by the Tokyo-listed Toridoll and Capdesia, is understood to be working with Alvarez & Marsal on the process that is thought to have commenced this week, and could include a sale of all or parts of the company, or a restructure of the business.
23 February 2026

Caffè Nero named successful bidder for Washington DC-based Compass Coffee as business continues to gain traction in US
The Nero Group founder and chief executive Gerry Ford has told Propel that Caffè Nero is “really starting to gain traction in the premium coffee space in the US”, as the business was named the successful bidder for the 15-strong, Washington DC-based Compass Coffee business. Caffè Nero has been named the successful bidder at a bankruptcy approved auction for a new coffee roastery and 15 Compass Coffee stores across the wider Washington DC.
23 February 2026

Admiral Taverns reports record turnover of £210.4m as profits rise
Admiral Taverns, which runs 1,350 community pubs across the UK, has reported revenue increased to a record £210.4m for the year ending 1 June 2025 compared with £194.5m the previous year. Underlying adjusted profit was up to £68.9m from £60.8m the year before.
23 February 2026

Marco Pierre-White-backed dynamic pricing dining app secures new funding to support UK expansion
EatClub, the Marco Pierre-White-backed dynamic pricing dining app, has raised AUS$27m (£14.1m) in new funding to support its expansion in the UK. The Australian business launched in London last year.
23 February 2026

Private members games club concept preparing for international debut as it seeks franchisees to expand in the UK
Private members games club concept Executive Lounge is preparing for its international debut – in Islamabad, Pakistan – as it seeks franchisees with which to expand in the UK. Describing itself as a “private members recreation complex”, Executive Lounge offers games rooms for snooker, pool, bowling and ping pong, alongside Ps5 gaming, cinema viewing spaces and racing simulators.
23 February 2026

German Doner Kebab aims to open at 25 new sites this year with self-service screens and healthy options aimed at Generation Z
German Doner Kebab (GDK), which is backed by private equity group True, expects to open 25 new sites in the UK this year, with longer-terms plans for 900 outlets worldwide, as chief executive Simon Wallis said his tweaks to operations have “given partners confidence to invest” despite pressure on hospitality businesses. He told The Guardian: “My number one priority is to make the franchisees profitable. Labour has had the biggest impact on costs, and we have really leaned in to improve productivity.”
23 February 2026

New CEO plans executive overhaul at ‘fat and happy’ Diageo
Diageo chief executive Sir Dave Lewis is planning a major shake-up of his executive team, as the former Tesco boss moves to stamp out the ailing drinks giant’s “fat and happy” culture. The FT reported that Sir Dave is planning to replace several members of the company’s 14-person executive committee at the maker of Johnnie Walker and Captain Morgan.
23 February 2026

Firm investing £1bn in hotels in London's Mayfair names former chancellor as director
A new Middle Eastern fund that plans to invest more than £1bn in two luxury hotels in London’s Mayfair has appointed former chancellor Nadhim Zahawi as a director. Evolution Investment Fund has acquired a leasehold interest in both London Marriott Hotel Grosvenor Square and a development site with full consent near New Bond Street.
20 February 2026

Costa Coffee to increase barista pay by 4.1%, to invest £1.5m on new openings in Wales
Costa Coffee is increasing pay for more than 16,000 team members across its circa 1,500 UK company-owned stores by 4.1% from 1 April. The business said it will be the seventh pay increase for store team members since 2021.
20 February 2026

Cut & Craft owners focused on measured growth in major regional cities, invests £1.2m in expanding Leeds site
The team behind the Cut & Craft steakhouse concept has told Propel it is focused on measured growth in major regional cities, after investing £1.2m to expand its existing site in Leeds. The business, which currently operates sites in York, Leeds and Manchester, is expanding its site in Leeds’ Victoria Quarter scheme to create an adjoining cocktail bar and lounge area, following its continued “stellar performance and growing demand”.
20 February 2026

M&B to invest £2m on new Miller & Carter in Edinburgh
Mitchells & Butlers (M&B), the All Bar One and Harvester owner, has completed an off-market acquisition of the Charwood Bar and Grill in Buckstone Terrace in Edinburgh from a private seller. The company will reopen the 6,000 square-foot site later this year under its Miller & Carter Steakhouse brand following a £2m refurbishment, which is now underway.
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! 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, Propel chief operating officer – editorial, Mark Wingett, looks at the decision by Franco Manca’s owner to bring in advisors. David Page’s 2023 £93.4m sale of Fulham Shore, owner of Franco Manca and The Real Greek, to Toridoll and Capdesia appears well timed as the business now reviews strategic options amid tough trading. Page built Franco Manca into a 70-site national brand, but soaring food, labour and energy costs have squeezed its low-margin model. Despite marketing successes and steady revenues around £100m, profitability has faltered, estate consolidation is under way and restructuring looks likely as owners weigh their next move. Mark Wingett also discusses The Restaurant Group exploring the sale of its concessions business. The Restaurant Group is exploring a sale of its airport concessions arm as part of Apollo-backed restructuring under Andy Hornby. Though profitable and growing, the division is non-core and could help reduce debt while sharpening focus on growth brands like Wagamama and Brunning & Price. TRG is working with Lazard to gauge buyer interest. A sale would simplify the portfolio, generate cash for expansion and strengthen the balance sheet, positioning TRG as a more focused, scalable hospitality platform.
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, first-round bids have been lodged for BrewDog, which has hired AlixPartners to oversee a potential break-up as lender HSBC seeks to recover debts reportedly nearing £80m. Any deal is likely via restructuring, with more interest in brewing than its 70-bar estate, fewer than half of which are trading well. Potential suitors for select sites include Urban Pubs & Bars and Brava Hospitality Group. Meanwhile, Costa Coffee is targeting younger consumers with a nationwide matcha rollout after losing ground to trend-led rivals. The chain says it is selling one matcha every four seconds and plans further launches and experiential marketing. Also, growth brand Six By Nico has raised £2.5m via crowdfunding and expanded to 17 sites but appears to be rethinking a flagship Covent Garden opening, while exploring a new concept. Lastly, US import Dave’s Hot Chicken continues rapid UK expansion, as investor Bill Phelps backs emerging taco concept Mike’s Red Tacos for nationwide franchising.
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.
20 February 2026

Oxford Partnership – UK venues remain busy in January but drinking intensity softens post-Christmas
New analysis from The Oxford Partnership shows while UK hospitality venues remained busy at the start of the year, post-Christmas moderation led to softer drinking intensity and lower consumption levels. The report shows engagement across the on trade remained resilient, with venue occupancy rising to 64.2% and average dwell time holding at a festive-high 150 minutes, while the number of operating venues remained broadly stable.
20 February 2026

Gordon Ramsay Restaurants hires Maria Hamilton as global marketing director
Gordon Ramsay Restaurants has hired Maria Hamilton, formerly of The Revel Collective and Fuller’s, as its new global marketing director. Hamilton stepped down as marketing director of The Revel Collective last year, after just over a year and a half in the role.
20 February 2026

Heavitree doubles profit after selling one Exeter pub and receiving insurance settlement for another
South west tenanted pub operator Heavitree Brewery doubled its profit in the year to 31 October 2025 after selling one Exeter pub and receiving an insurance settlement for another. However, the circa 60-strong company warned it is forecasting to have “minimum headroom” on its overdraft facility due to forthcoming financial headwinds.
20 February 2026

Total Fitness reports Ebitda boost as revenue exceeds £50m
Total Fitness, which operates 16 locations across the north of England and Wales, has reported a revenue and Ebitda boost in the year to 30 June 2025. Revenue increased 12% to £51,609,000 (2024: £36,109,000) while adjusted Ebitda rose from £5,792,000 to £7,895,000, with Ebitda margin improving from 12.6% to 15.3%.
20 February 2026

Hero Brands planning more openings in Scotland and further afield for new Professor Green-led concept
The English pop artist and rapper Professor Green is to launch his new concept called PG Fast Food in Glasgow, next month, with two more openings planned in Scotland this year. Green, real name Stephen Manderson, will open the first site under the concept in Byres Road.
20 February 2026

Little Houses Group rebrands, sets out opening pipeline
Little Houses Group (LHG), the family members’ club concept from Charlie Gardiner, has rebranded as OurHouse and set out its next three openings. Propel revealed last spring that international investment firm Blackstone, which backs Merlin Entertainments and Village Hotels, had invested in the business.
19 February 2026

Red Engine CEO – ‘pivoting toward a technology-licensing or concession model isn’t a path we are looking to take’
Steve Moore (pictured), co-founder and chief executive of Red Engine, the hospitality group behind Flight Club and Electric Shuffle, has told Propel that while other operators are pivoting toward a technology-licensing or concession model, that “isn’t a path we are looking to take”. Earlier this week, the company reported sales rose 10% to £27.7m in its final three months of last year, culminating in a record December, with 22 of its 24 venues achieving their highest weekly sales.
19 February 2026

Burger King hires Alex Francis as director of omnichannel operations
Burger King UK has hired Alex Francis, formerly of Deliveroo, as director of omnichannel operations. He joins from Deliveroo, where he spent almost four years, holding such roles as head of UK and European operations.

Watch highlights from this year’s Propel summer conference and party.
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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