How Steven Bartlett’s first Dragons’ Den investment collapsed May 14, 2025 The full story of how the first company that Steven Bartlett invested in when he joined hit BBC One show Dragons’ Den collapsed and was rescued has been revealed for the first time. City AM reported in March that artisan cheese retailer Cheesegeek had been acquired by Scotland-based Albex Group for what was then described [...]
Papa Johns boss brands rising costs a ‘perfect storm of difficulty’ May 13, 2025 The UK boss of pizza chain Papa Johns has branded the rising costs his business is facing as a result of"perfect storm of difficulty".
Pizza Hut: The fortune owed by firm behind UK restaurants before rescue May 12, 2025 The company behind Pizza Hut’s restaurants in Britain owed more than £50m as it collapsed before being rescued, it has been revealed. Heart With Smart (HWS) was saved in January by an entity controlled by investment firm Directional Capital in a deal which salvaged all but one Pizza Hut location. Its new owner was the [...]
Papa Johns to serve up profit after closing over 40 sites May 6, 2025 The UK boss of pizza giant Papa Johns has revealed the company is eyeing a return to profit in 2025 after closing more than 40 restaurants last year. Managing director Chris Phylactou confirmed the business is “no longer losing money” and is on track to report its first UK profit since 2021. Speaking on an [...]
Mowgli Street Food returns to profit as it creates over 100 jobs May 1, 2025 Mowgli Street Food, the restaurant chain run by celebrity chef Nisha Katona, has returned to profit and created more than 100 jobs. The Liverpool-headquartered business has reported a pre-tax profit of £512,178 for the year to 31 July, 2024, new accounts filed with Companies House have revealed. The total comes after Mowgli Street Food posted [...]
Food inflation rises to its highest level in almost a year April 29, 2025 Food inflation has risen to its highest level in almost a year as cost pressures begin to weigh on prices. Food inflation increased to 2.6 per cent year on year in April, against growth of 2.4 per cent in March and above the three-month average of 2.4 per cent, according to the British Retail Consortium [...]
Lidl eyes Mayfair and Chelsea stores amid £500m expansion April 28, 2025 You could soon shop at a Lidl store in the swanky London districts of Mayfair and Chelsea as the low-cost supermarket plans dozens more store openings as part of a £500m expansion plan. The German-owned business, which controls 7.8 per cent of the UK grocery market according to latest Kantar figures, has published a list [...]
Eat, drink, sleep repeat: From martinis to ceviche – the best London spots past and present April 24, 2025 Studying successful luxury brands is a personal passion of mine; At their best, they inspire the people working within them to achieve what they didn’t think possible, whilst creating a huge following of passionate advocates spreading their brand love and purchasing power. If you have success in both of these areas, the profits will follow; [...]
McCain: Chips favourite doubles profit to £100m in three years April 7, 2025 Profit at the UK arm of potatoes giant McCain Foods surged to almost £100m during its latest financial year, it has been revealed. The North Yorkshire-headquartered UK arm of the Canadian giant has reported a pre-tax profit of £98.7m for the 12 months to 30 June, 2024. The figure, revealed in new accounts filed with [...]
Explainer: What could a UK-US trade deal look like? April 1, 2025 US President Donald Trump is expected to impose new tariffs on imports from countries around the world this week, with the UK set to be affected by the global tax changes. No10 has confirmed the government is “actively preparing for all eventualities” ahead of Trump’s announcement on April 2, and that we “expect the UK [...]