From Pizza Express to Channel 4: Who is Luke Johnson, Revolution Bars Group’s new chair? September 9, 2024 After a lengthy restructuring process that included £12.5m in emergency funding, Revolution Bars has appointed Luke Johnson as its new chair. The former Pizza Express and Channel 4 chairman provided £3m of the financing and owns a 20 per cent stake in the company. He will replace outgoing chair Keith Edelman, whose nine years in the role [...]
‘Game over’ for TGI Fridays’ UK owner Hostmore as shares crater almost 90 per cent September 9, 2024 TGI Fridays’ UK owner Hostmore is set to be wound down in a move that could wipe out its shareholders, after revealing it had dropped plans to buy the US restaurant chain for £177m. Shares in the London-listed company tanked by almost 90 per cent following the announcement on Monday. Hostmore, a hospitality firm which [...]
Macdonald Hotels & Resorts back in the red as cost increases bite September 9, 2024 Macdonald Hotels & Resorts slumped back into the red during its latest financial year as it battled a rise in its costs. The group, which is headquartered in East Kilbride, Scotland, has reported a pre-tax loss of £3.5m for the year to 28, September, 2023, after having posted a pre-tax profit of £44.5m in the [...]
Revolution Bars brings in industry veteran Luke Johnson to replace long-standing chairman September 9, 2024 Revolution Bars has announced the appointment of well-known investor Luke Johnson as non-executive chairman of the struggling business. Johnson will replace Keith Edelman, who has served as chairman for the last nine years. Earlier this month, the pub and bar chain completed a comprehensive restructuring plan designed to steer the business back to profitability, which [...]
Haven and Warner Hotels owner slips into the red after Butlin’s sale September 4, 2024 The group behind Haven holiday parks and Warner Leisure Hotels fell into the red after the sale of Butlin’s, it has been revealed. Bourne Leisure, which is owned by investment giant Blackstone, has reported a pre-tax loss of £166.5m for 2023, according to newly-filed accounts with Companies House. The loss comes after the group reported [...]
The Waterloo Wetherspoons is utterly miserable: Of course it is September 3, 2024 In accordance with tradition, I am in the grips of a savage and well deserved hangover as I enter The Lion & The Unicorn, the massive new Wetherspoons that opened yesterday at Waterloo Station. It takes its name from the Lion and Unicorn Pavilion that was constructed for the 1951 Festival of Britain, a celebration [...]
Will Manchester be the biggest winner of the Oasis reunion tour? August 30, 2024 The Gallagher brothers’ hometown of Manchester is set to win big from the long-awaited Oasis reunion tour, with international fans expected to descend on the city in droves. The tour, which was announced by the brothers earlier this week, is predicted to deliver a huge boost to the UK hospitality sector, with experts anticipating that [...]
Starmer’s illiberal smoking restrictions are just the start August 29, 2024 Freedom cannot be entirely indexed to smoking, but an administration’s approach to tackling it says a lot about how they plan to govern, says Joseph Dinnage Imagine you and your colleagues have just finished a day of graft on the trading floor and you’re all looking to relax. What to do? You all rightly decide [...]
The Capitalist: City boys fight for £1k Oasis tickets as corporate demand explodes August 29, 2024 Oasis tickets look set to be the hottest corporate perk next year, with firms already splashing out for packages, The Capitalist has learned.
Oasis: UK economy set for ‘supersonic’ boost with reunion tour including Wembley gigs August 27, 2024 Statisticians can look forward to endless queries about Oasis' impact on the economy after the mercurial Mancunians announced a long-awaited reunion tour.