Fridays owner Hostmore remains on track despite Omicron cancellations January 17, 2022 Hostmore, which owns Fridays, has confirmed that its earnings and new site pipeline are on track despite weaker trading over the festive period. The hospitality firm’s board expects earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation for the year to January 2 to be “well ahead” of £18.6m. London-listed Hostmore, which also owns cocktail bar [...]
How the wine-in-a-can revolution is hotting up thanks to The Uncommon January 14, 2022 Canned wine has had a refresh. The UK market alone is now already worth over £3.5m and has grown 125 per cent over the last two summers. Now the sector has produced the first UK winemaker to achieve B Corp status. The Uncommon has been certified by B Lab, the not-for-profit behind the B Corp [...]
Sessions Arts Club review: A restaurant worthy of all the hype January 14, 2022 Every now and then, sometimes once or twice a year, sometimes less, a place opens that combines all the right elements in just the right order to create the rare alchemy that we call the “it” restaurant. Gloria did it with its maximalist Italian amore della vita, as did Gymkhana with its studiously crafted modern [...]
Pubs lament ‘dreadfully disappointing December’ but toast rebounding January sales January 13, 2022 Pubs and restaurants were knocked back by low trade over the Christmas period, although rebounding sales in recent days have offered a ray of hope for the beleaguered sector. Sales in pubs, restaurants and bars were down 60 per cent on Christmas Day on pre-Covid levels, according to data from UKHospitality and CGA. Transactions were [...]
Tencent leads $96m funding round into Dublin restaurant tech firm Flipdish January 13, 2022 Tencent has led a $96m funding round into Dublin-based restaurant tech firm Flipdish which values the firm at $1.25bn.
Bolt drives shared mobility model with £524m investment January 11, 2022 Ride-hailing app Bolt has announced a new funding round of €628m (£524m) to further scale its existing products and accelerate the transition from owned cars to shared mobility in cities.
We discover the perfect family-friendly ski retreat in Austria’s Arlberg January 10, 2022 “So glad you’re here”: the oft repeated words from hotel and restaurant owners who have just emerged from a strict lockdown and are, for the first time in months, welcoming tourists. We had chosen the Arlberg region (specifically St. Anton and St. Christoph) for a pre-Christmas ski when all things Covid were looking up. As [...]
Elephant and Castle redevelopment to progress to second phase after loan win January 10, 2022 The redevelopment of the former Elephant and Castle shopping centre has been given a boost after the securing of a development loan. Build-to-rent developer Get Living has acquired £365m from Starwood Capital, The Times reported. This will enable the second phase of the redevelopment, which is set to create 485 homes and a new campus [...]
Delivery boom: Tortilla wraps up a successful year with 79 per cent revenue surge January 10, 2022 Tortilla, the largest and most successful fast-casual Mexican restaurant group in the UK, wraps up the year with a group revenue surge of 79 per cent to £48.1m.
Restaurant groups suffer £673m in losses as bosses call for tax relief January 10, 2022 The country’s top restaurant groups saw losses skyrocket in a year, hitting £673m, as bosses have called for more cash to help ailing venues. The top 100 groups saw losses increase 174 per cent in the year to the end of September 2021, according to an analysis of company accounts by accountancy firm UHY Hacker [...]