Roasting Plant Coffee raises $7m toward further expansion in UK and US: US coffee shop concept Roasting Plant Coffee has secured $7m (£5.7m) of new funding, as it looks to open 345 new sites over the next five years in the UK and across the Pond. Propel understands the new investment has been secured from the company’s existing investor base, such as former Marks & Spencer chairman Lord Stuart Rose, and from new backers, including a number of high-net-worth individuals from New Zealand. First developed by US entrepreneur Mike Caswell in 2007, the brand currently operates five sites in London and five in the US. Chief executive Jamie Robertson told Propel that Roasting Plant Coffee planned to open three new sites in the UK and three in Washington DC this year, before ramping up its expansion plans from the start of 2024. He said: “Of the 345 new sites we believe we can target, I would imagine a third will be in the UK, and the majority located in London. We will look to add three sites in both countries this year and then we’ll push when we’re ready to do one a month, and then the next year follow that with two openings a month. It’s just making sure we get the right sites, because with our tech we can do high-volume locations. What we’ve gained from the last three years is great data about what the business is capable of, so it just gives us more stretch in terms of locations.” The business has also done two concept stores with supermarket chain Fresh Market, in North Carolina and Florida. Robertson said: “Fresh Market was acquired last year, so it’s taken a little bit of time to make sure we’re on the same page going forward, but we’re hopeful that we’ll start to grow shortly. We decided for our company-owned stores that the north east in the US is probably the safest bet. We want to make sure we gain our confidence and get the right rent to footfall ratios, so that’s why we’ve chosen Washington DC, where the three new stores will be based.”

 

Two days to go before release of updated Premium Database of Multi-Site Companies, 22 businesses being added: A total of 22 new multi-site companies, operating 92 sites, have been added to the next edition of the Propel Premium Database of Multi-Site Companies, which will be released on Friday (31 March), at midday. The updated Propel Multi-Site Database, which is produced in association with Virgate, includes regional restaurant operators, growing bakery brands, and expanding hotel operators. Premium subscribers will also receive a 2,000-word report on the new additions to the database. The comprehensive database is updated monthly and provides company names, the people in charge, how many sites each firm operates, its trading name and its registered name at Companies House if different. The database now features 2,811 companies. Premium subscribers will also receive the next edition of the New Openings Database on Thursday, 6 April, at midday. It focuses on newly announced openings and upcoming launches in the sector and is updated every month. The next edition also includes a 6,000-word report on the new additions to the database. Premium subscribers also receive access to three other databases: the Propel Turnover & Profits Blue Book; the UK Food and Beverage Franchisor Database; and the Who’s Who of UK Food and Beverage. Companies can now have an unlimited number of people receive access to Propel Premium for a year for £895 plus VAT – whether they are an operator or a supplier. The single subscription rate is £445 plus VAT for operators and £545 plus VAT for suppliers. Email jo.charity@propelinfo.com to upgrade your subscription. Premium subscribers are also to be given exclusive access to the recording and slides to Propel Multi-Club Conferences. Premium subscribers also receive their morning newsletter 11 hours early, at 7pm the evening before; regular video content and regular exclusive columns from Propel group editor Mark Wingett.

 

Manchester to become first UK city to charge ‘tourist tax’: Tourists visiting Manchester will have to pay a daily fee as part of a new “city visitor charge”. Authorities in the city will implement the new charge from Saturday (1 April), charging visitors staying in city-centre hotels or rental apartments per room for each night of stay. The hope is the daily charge of £1 will not deter travellers from visiting the city and instead raise some £3m a year to help build local infrastructure. It comes amid a major expansion of Manchester’s hospitality sector, which will see nearly 6,000 hotel rooms added over the coming years. It’s one that hoteliers hope will lead to an extra one million overnight stays. The city is the first in the UK to introduce a tourist tax, following in the footsteps of European hot spots such as Madrid and Rome. The money will help fund the new Manchester Accommodation Business Improvement District, which is designed to “improve the visitor experience” and “support future growth of the visitor economy” over the next five years. The tax will apply to apartments specifically built to be holiday lets, but not typical Airbnbs. Manchester may be the first UK city to make the move, but it will not be the last. Edinburgh is about to introduce a £2-a-night tourist tax after city officials voted through plans for it in November last year. Oxford, Bath and Hull have considered a similar move in recent years, but opted against it.

 

Lord – Friday could be probably the scariest moment for hospitality since covid: Sacha Lord, the night-time advisor for Greater Manchester, has said this Friday (31 March) could be “probably the scariest moment for hospitality since covid” as government support on energy is withdrawn. Speaking to Talk TV, he said: “Everything falls away this Friday. You have to look quite a few months ahead, and the government support was put in place as long as you were part of a contract. So, the big energy firms came in and they pressurised and scared operators into signing these long-term contracts. The supports falls away this Friday, and operators are now stuck in these contracts. I know people who are paying three times what they should be paying. It’s completely untenable, and it’s wrong what’s going on. Now, my biggest issue here is where is Ofgem? It is here to protect us, it’s here to protect the businesses. And quite frankly, it’s done nothing whatsoever, and is about as useful as a chocolate teapot. I think it should be coming in this week and insisting those big energy firms tear up these contracts, and let us just pay what we should be paying.”

 

BrewDog founder hints at launch of new start-up financing concept: James Watt, chief executive of Scottish brewer and retailer BrewDog, has hinted the business is set to launch a new concept to help operators raise start-up finance. Watt, who founded BrewDog with Martin Dickie, said the initiative is set to launch tomorrow (Thursday, 30 March), and has been inspired by two brushes with the TV show Dragon’s Den. He said: “Some of you may be familiar with the ill-fated story of BrewDog and Dragon’s Den. In 2008 we applied to Dragon’s Den and got as far as the final screen test, and we pitched our hearts out before the producers rejected us. We were totally crushed. We were prepared to offer the Dragons 20% of our business for £100,000. Based on our latest BrewDog valuation, that investment would now be worth more than £300m, meaning the Dragons missed out on by far the best deal in Den history. We always look to find opportunity in adversity, so spurred on by the rejection, we came up with a new plan to grow our business and involve our fans as investors. In 2009 we launched Equity For Punks as we pioneered a whole new generation of business models and built a global community of more than 220,000 investors. Our Dragon’s Den rejection turned out to be one of the best things that happened to us. But our Dragon’s Den story does not end quite there. A couple of years ago, the Dragon’s Den producers were looking for new Dragons, and I found myself on the final shortlist. Once more, I made it to a final screentest as I sat alongside Deborah Meaden as we assessed whether we would invest in a prospective business. Once more, I fell short at the final hurdle, narrowly missing out on fulfilling one of my lifelong ambitions and becoming a Dragon. However, just as in 2008, I decided to use the rejection as a catalyst to try and create something better. Just as the 2008 rejection helped us create a whole new business model, I have used the most recent rejection to come up with a new concept when it comes to raising start-up finance. With BrewDog, we have been fortunate enough to build a unicorn, now I want to help others do exactly the same.” 

 

UberEats introduces new standards for virtual restaurants as it removes ‘low-quality listings’: UberEats is removing some of the virtual restaurants on its app “to help weed out low-quality listings” as it introduces new standards. While some of the virtual restaurants are independently run, others belong to larger companies that franchise out their brand to a chain of individual operators. But since some of these ghost kitchens are often run by the same company – and sometimes out of the same location – that can lead to repetitive listings, where one restaurant may have different branding but the same exact menu. Those are the type of redundant listings that UberEats is cracking down on, reports the Wall Street Journal. UberEats now requires virtual locations to have menu items that “are at least 60% different” from any other virtual restaurants “operating from that same physical location”. The same goes for the brand’s “parent restaurant”, or the kitchen that houses the virtual brands. Additionally, UberEats will now require the ghost kitchen and its parent restaurant to maintain a 4.3-star rating or higher, have 5% or fewer orders that they have cancelled, and have a 5% or lower inaccurate orders rate. UberEats noted it “reserves the right to remove virtual restaurants from the platform that are not in compliance”. UberEats is removing around 5,000 virtual kitchens from the app in violation of this policy, including 14 virtual brands selling the same menu out of a deli in New York City. There are currently a total of around 40,000 virtual listings on UberEats – a steep increase from the 10,000 on the app in 2021 – and they make up about 8% of all the restaurants listed there in the US and Canada, according to the Wall Street Journal. John Mullenholz, UberEat’s virtual restaurant head, told The Verge. “We took care to introduce standards that let our restaurant partners continue to flex their creativity, as we know delivery-only concepts are an exciting way for operators to invest in the growth of their businesses.”

 

Job of the day: COREcruitment is working with a luxury members’ club in London that is looking for a head of sales and membership to join its senior leadership team. A COREcruitment spokesperson said: “You will be responsible for driving revenue for the club through membership, table bookings, and a particular focus on private hire and events. The business is looking for a proactive and experienced individual, with a strong background in luxury hospitality and a fantastic network, who can really hit the ground running. Responsibilities will include creating and developing a private hire and event sales strategy, building and nurturing relationships to drive sales and repeat business, membership acquisition and retention, and communicating with members.” The salary is up to £70,000. For more information, email marlene@corecruitment.com

 

Itsu looks to challenge ‘McDonald’s of this world’ with launch of first hot menu site: Itsu, the healthy Asian food chain, has launched its first hot menu site as it looks to “challenge the McDonald’s of this world”. The company launched the new restaurant concept this week after converting its existing site in Regent’s Place, near Warren Street underground station in London. The 96-cover site focuses entirely on steamed hot food rather than sushi boxes. Itsu founder Julian Metcalfe told Propel the new site was operationally “awesome”. He said: “The use of tech and new equipment helped knock down so many ancient barriers to healthy fast food.” On further sites under the new concept, he said: “We are building Wood Green and Kensington High Street already, and about six others, including Exeter, any day now.” He also said further existing sites may be converted to the new format. The decision to launch the first Itsu with an exclusively hot menu has been inspired by “consumer demand for nutritious, affordable fresh food”. Metcalfe said: “Although sushi has been the bedrock on which Itsu was built, in order to provide healthy fast-food that will challenge the McDonald’s of this world, we need to build on our success in hot food innovation. We’ve been busy perfecting how to serve healthy food fast, using our new steamers, the antithesis of the deep fat fryer. It’s now, thanks to our 20-year journey of innovation with cooking techniques, equipment and building a brand people trust, that we’re able to get the ball rolling.” The opening will focus on bao, broths, dumplings and noodles, sustainable ingredients that Itsu has seen huge sales uplifts of, in both its restaurant and supermarket businesses over the past five years. Bao buns make up more of the menu, as do dumpling dishes and broths. A new £3.99 chicken bao — dubbed the “big’bao” — comes with spring onion, woodear and shiitake mushrooms. Menu items start from as little as £2.79, with an overall aim to keep the average spend per head in line with existing Itsu sites, at under £7. The latest Itsu opening is one of 18 new sites the brand has planned for 2023. 

Family-owned Surrey bakery looking to open at least another three shops this year as it expands footprint after securing £1.5m funding package: Independent, family-owned Surrey bakery and retailer, Cavan Bakery, is looking to open at least another three shops this year as it expands its footprint to support growing demand after securing a £1.5m funding package from Lloyds Bank. The business, which has 13 bakery shops across Surrey and south London, as well as a cafe at Molesey Boat Club, produces 40 different types of bread each day and 30 different pastries, buns and cakes, alongside snacks such as sausage rolls and sandwiches. In total, more than 80,000 products are supplied into its shops and cafes, as well as wholesale to local businesses each week. Cavan Bakery has moved into a 15,000 square-foot purpose-built baking facility in Walton-on-Thames, with the site almost three times larger than its previous 5,200 square-foot space. The fit-out of the former warehouse was designed by the business to create the customised space required to implement its ambitions to grow, which includes at least three new shops in 2023. Jeff Greenall, director at Cavan Bakery, said: “We’re really privileged that we’ve been able to grow at a strong and steady rate, particularly over the last decade as people have discovered the craft of skilled artisan bakers who provide quality and diverse goods. Our new bakery and shops will ensure that, because quality is baked into everything we do – literally.”

 

200 Degrees promotes Nicki Jones to FD, becomes company’s first female director: Coffee roaster and retailer 200 Degrees, which is backed by Foresight, has made its second senior promotion of 2023, with Nicki Jones becoming financial director. Joining 200 Degrees last year as financial controller, Jones takes on the financial director position from Stephen Fern – who was promoted to managing director of the company earlier this year. With 20 years’ experience in the financial industry, Jones will help to implement and oversee 200 Degrees’ growth strategy and is the first female director at the company. Both promotions follow a continued period of expansion for 200 Degrees and come as it prepares to open its 19th coffee shop, and eighth barista school, in Chester this spring. Fern said: “As we continue on our growth journey, it is important we continue to strengthen the infrastructure and foundations of the business for now and the future. Nicki brings a wealth of expertise in finance and hospitality. In a short time, she has built great relationships within the 200 Degrees family and has made and assisted with implementing significant improvements across all facets of the business.” 200 Degrees was founded by Rob Darby and Tom Vincent in 2012. 

 

South west hotel group returns to profit and pre-covid levels of turnover as it pays back £4m CBILS loan in full: South west-based hotel group Manor House has returned to profit and pre-covid levels of turnover, and paid back £4m borrowed through the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme in full. The company, which operates the Manor House Hotel and The Ashbury Hotel golf resort in Okehampton, west Devon, reported turnover of £15,795,017 for the year ending 31 March 2022, up from £4,040,023 in 2021. This is also a slight increase on the £15,016,817 reported in the year ending 31 March 2020, in which only the last few weeks of trading were affected by covid. A pre-tax loss of £2,189,430 in 2021 was turned into a profit of £1,589,042 (2020: profit of £549,628). The company received £344,540 in government grants compared with £2,456,996 in 2021. At the year end, it had net current liabilities of £3.35m (2021: £2.84m) and net assets of £18.75m (2021: £17.97m). Director Michael Armstrong, in his report accompanying the accounts, said: “The directors have prepared detailed financial projections through to March 2025 that show good margins and profitability. Current anticipated bookings remain healthy. The company has a programme of works to enhance its pottery craft production and the continued improvements of its golf courses.” Manor House features in the Propel Turnover & Profits Blue Book. Its turnover of £15,795,017 is the 326th highest in the database. Its pre-tax profit of £1,589,042 is the 259th highest in the database. The Blue Book ranks companies by turnover, profit and profit conversion, listing directors’ earnings for the past five years. Companies can now have an unlimited number of people receive access to Propel Premium for a year for £895 plus VAT – whether they are an operator or a supplier. The single subscription rate is £445 plus VAT for operators and £545 plus VAT for suppliers. Email jo.charity@propelinfo.com to upgrade your subscription.

Lucky Voice sees best-ever opening with new Liverpool Street site: Lucky Voice, the social entertainment brand, has said its new venue in London’s Liverpool Street has been its best ever opening, as the business continues to “exceed pre-covid performance”. The 4,800 square-foot ground-floor unit opened in February 2023 within the newly re-branded Devonshire Square, following a £1.2m investment. The opening is part of plans by the company to double the size of its estate over the next two years. The Liverpool Street site generated record first month revenue, 12% up on the previous record, held by the group’s Holborn site in 2019. Its busiest night since opening was Saturday, 4 March, which saw a 25% uplift in sales when compared to the Holborn opening pre-covid, with average spend per head up 13% over the period compared to the Holborn launch. Charlie Elek, managing director at Lucky Voice, said: “We’re absolutely thrilled with the start we’ve made at Liverpool Street. 2022 was our best ever year, and already we’re anticipating that 2023 will be even better as momentum continues to build behind the brand. Our mission is to combine karaoke with great service, technology and food and drink, and this opening has been the first step as we seek to grow and invest in our venues to continue to provide the most amazing experience, both for guests and for our teams.”

 

Greene King lines up Kings Worthy site for Crafted Pubs concept: Brewer and retailer Greene King has lined up a site near Winchester for the latest opening under its fledgling Crafted Pubs premium format. Propel understands the Nick Mackenzie-led pub company is to convert its Cart & Horses site in the village of Kings Worthy into the format. Plans to renovate the 18th century pub are underway. Greene King operates a handful of sites under the Crafted concept, which it launched in 2021 after investing a six-figure sum in transforming former Chef & Brewer pub The Boat, in Catherine De Barnes, near Solihull, into the format. Further openings under the Crafted format have followed in Wokingham, Sutton Coldfield and Dorking.

 

Pizza Pilgrims to make Midlands debut next month with Nottingham launch: Pizza Pilgrims, the London pizzeria brand, will make its Midlands debut next month. The site in Carlton Street, Nottingham, will launch on Monday, 17 April, in what was the city’s oldest jewellery shop. The pizzeria will accommodate 80 covers, with 66 inside and 14 in an outside area. The venue will include a “disco toilet” as well as a “Dramattic Rave Cave”, filled with costumes and featuring a screen for karaoke, and can also cater for up to 20 diners. Dramattic, which will be on the third floor, will also be open to community and arts groups to use. James Elliot, who founded the business with brother Thom, said: “We’re excited to be firing up our ovens and bringing our puffy-crusted Neapolitan pizzas to Nottingham. It’s such a vibrant city with an amazing music scene so we have designed a pizzeria to match. Coming for pizza should be special, and we fully intend on making this the most fun pizzeria possible!” 

 

Wiltshire pub operators open third site: Multiple pub operators Kirsten and Nathan Cortilla have opened their third site. The couple are running the Three Brewers in Corsham in Wiltshire, their first in partnership with Red Oak Taverns, the national pub operator founded by Aaron Brown and Mark Grunnell in 2011. With Red Oak, the couple, who also run the Flemish Weaver in Corsham and the White Hart in the village of Atworth, have transformed the Three Brewers, including adding a children’s play area. New breakfast and pub lunch menus and themed food nights will be introduced later this spring. Kirsten, who has run pubs with Nathan for 15 years, said: “We found the pub by chance, and both being from the local area, we knew it well. We always wanted to run a pub that was a proper community hub, and this was the one. We worked in partnership with Red Oak Taverns to pull our plans together, and with the joint investments, we are well on our way to creating a place where everyone is welcome.”

 

Kaspa’s opens fourth store of 2023: Dessert parlour brand Kaspa’s has opened its fourth store of 2023, an 80-seater restaurant at 12 County Walk in Taunton. It follows openings in Stevenage, Plymouth and Bury this year. The brand is aiming to add five more stores to its rapidly growing portfolio by the end of June. Kaspa’s has more than 100 restaurants around the UK, and founder Azhar Rehman told Propel in December that he sees a runway for up to 500 UK sites, focusing his next rollout on kiosks and smaller stores.

 

Team behind Estabulo Rodizio plans Sakku Samba opening in Barnsley: The team behind Brazilian all-you-can-eat steakhouse brand Estabulo Rodizio Bar & Grill is to open a further site under its Sakku Samba concept, in Barnsley. The business, which is led by Zack Isaak, plans to open a circa 300-cover site in the town’s The Broadway scheme, in Charles Street, which had previously been earmarked for an Estabulo. Isaak, who also operates Sakku Samba in Leeds, is set to open a further site under the Sakku Samba concept, an Estabulo Rodizio, and a second Caffe Noor site at Rotherham’s Forge Island development. The first Sakku Samba – a mix of Japanese and Brazilian cuisine and influences – opened in the former Artisan and Manchester House sites in Spinningfields, Manchester, last year. Next month, Estabulo will open its first site in Scotland and 11th in total under the steakhouse brand, in Aberdeen’s Union Square.

 

Big Fang Collective opens Cardiff site, two more openings in pipeline: Big Fang Collective, the Imbiba-backed entertainment venue operator that owns the Ghetto Golf and Golf Fang brands, has opened its first site in Wales, in Cardiff, and has a further two openings in the pipeline for 2023. The Natasha Waterfield-led business invested £1.5m into the new Golf Fang venue, its sixth site under the brand, which is based in Mary Ann Street. Golf Fang Cardiff is an 18-hole golf course in an environment surrounded by bespoke art, combining crazy golf with theatre, cocktails and DJs. The new site, which was previously home to the city’s Rainbow Casino, has been divided into two floors of “jaw-dropping sets, taking you on a journey throughout the venue’s different themes”. The venue’s most stand-out feature is the 18 foot-high wavy slide that transports guests from one floor of the venue to another. Last year, Imbiba invested £5m in Big Fang Collective to aid its growth both in the UK and internationally. Propel understands Big fang Collective is in talks of a further two sites for this year. Waterfield said: “Cardiff is an incredible city whose people have been so supportive of our opening. We have an incredible team behind this venue and can't wait for it to be enjoyed.”

 

Mediterranean operator makes London restaurant debut: Mediterranean operator Ivo Dimitrov, who owns several restaurants in Greece and Spain, has made his London restaurant debut. Dimitrov, who has lived in London for more than 20 years, has opened Mediterranean concept Cavo at the new Tottenham Court Road Station development, The Outernet, in Denmark Street. The 11,300 square-foot open plan restaurant, on the fourth floor, includes a separate private dining room and an adjacent 1,300 square-foot rooftop terrace. The menu features a “Mediterranean Odyssey” of small plates, including seared scallops in champagne, garlic, chilli, and parsley butter; zuppa di cozze (mussels, octopus, red prawns and freselia), and tagliolini al tartufo piemonte, made with 36-month aged Parmesan. Among the main courses is “Mediterranean Seafood Celebration”, made up of a selection of fresh oysters, seasonal seafood platters, fish and crustaceans, and a “Mediterranean Barbecue Experience”, with cuts of meat grilled over Spanish coals. A drinks list of classic cocktails, champagnes and wines sourced from around Europe is also available.

 

Dutch hospitality group appoints new head of operations and CFO as it eyes UK hotel expansion: Dutch hospitality group Zien Group has appointed a new head of operations and chief financial officer as it eyes expanding its hotel network into the UK. Founded in September 2022, Zien Group is the parent company to Eden Hotels, which operates 14 hotels in the Netherlands. As well as refining its Dutch portfolio to create “a new brand of independent hotels”, Zien has ambitions to grow further across Europe and the UK. To help with these growth plans, it has appointed Jens Gmiat as head of operations and Ruben Satink as chief financial officer. Gmiat has previously worked, mainly in chief operating officer roles, at brands such as Soho House, Ruby Hotels and Zoku over the past 25 years, while Satink has spent the last two decades working in finance and strategy across four continents and seven countries. “Jens and Ruben are joining our leadership team at a pivotal time for Zien Group as we focus on delivering an ambitious growth plan reimagining some of our existing hotels, as well as new acquisitions across Europe and the UK”, said Zien Group chief executive Billy Skelli-Cohen, who previously held the same position with Lore Group. There, he led the acquisition and operation of hotels including Sea Containers London.

 

Cheshire hotel and gastropub group opens fifth site: Cheshire hotel and gastropub group, Nelson Hotels & Inns, has opened its fifth site. Propel reported last summer the group was breathing new life into the 17th century The Manor at Greasby in Greasby, Merseyside, a gastropub with covers for up to 160 diners and a wedding barn for up to 80 guests. It has now opened the venue, with the restaurant offering an all-day menu including Asian fusion cuisine and new takes on British classics. Guests can choose from 30-day aged steaks or fresh pizza and flatbread made in a wood stone oven, as well as from afternoon tea and morning coffee menus. A new garden room conservatory has also been added, for alfresco dining in the summer months. Andrew Nelson, director at Nelson Hotels & Inns, said: “We’ve created a homely yet elevated restaurant with a unique menu that we think will attract a large regional footfall beyond Merseyside. We have every faith in our standout restaurant team to make this happen and we’re looking forward to a very special summer on The Wirral.”

 

Deliveroo expands rapid delivery grocery service in London: Deliveroo has expanded its rapid delivery grocery service, Deliveroo HOP, in London. Two new delivery-only grocery sites have opened, in partnership with Waitrose in Acton and Morrisons in Norbury, and bring the total number of London HOP sites to 11, with Deliveroo HOP available right across London. The Acton site is the second delivery-only HOP site in partnership with Waitrose, following its first in Bermondsey, and has more than 1,300 products available. Norbury’s HOP site has in excess of 1,600 products available. Deliveroo HOP first launched in Vauxhall, with Morrisons, in September 2021, and has since grown across the UK and to other international cities, including Milan, Paris, Hong Kong, and Dubai. Deliveroo has also rolled out new innovations in the capital, such as its first walk-in store in New Oxford Street, where consumers are able to shop for groceries in-person, alongside a new model of HOP that sees Deliveroo offering its expertise and technology to grocery partners. Carlo Mocci, chief business officer UK & Ireland at Deliveroo, said: “It’s fantastic to be rolling out our HOP service in further prime locations across the capital, bringing greater choice, flexibility and selection to even more customers and building on our existing partnerships with major grocery brands.” At the end of 2022, Deliveroo had about 18,000 grocery sites live globally, compared with more than 11,000 at the end of 2021. 

 

Lakedown appoints head brewer ahead of opening of new site: East Sussex-based Lakedown Brewing Co has appointed Clark Coslett-Hughes as its new head brewer. Coslett-Hughes joins from Bedlam Brewery and brings with him a “wealth of experience” ahead of the opening of the new brewery later this year. The news comes a month after Lakedown recruited ex-Dark Star Brewing Co managing director, James Cuthbertson, as a partner in the business. Lakedown Brewing Co managing partner Chris Rule said: “We’re looking forward to Clark joining the team in April as head brewer. Having established himself in the Sussex brewing scene over the past few years, we’re pleased he’s coming on board at such an exciting time.” The new site is scheduled to open in late summer.

 

Luxury hotel operator reports business starts to return to trading levels seen pre-covid: Maybourne Hotel Group, the Qatar owned British luxury hotel operator, has said business has started to return to trading levels seen pre-covid. It comes as the company reported turnover increased 18% to £12,918,000 for the year ending 31 December 2021 compared with £10,949,000 the year before. In the year before the pandemic, the company turned over £14,372,000. Pre-tax losses increased to £5,707,000 from £4,561,000 the previous year (2019: loss of £2,653,000). The business received £314,000 through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (2020: £816,000). No dividend was paid (2020: nil).