Monday 11/5/15
PropelInfonews.com: McDonald’s seeks permission to convert pub closed since 2011: McDonald’s is seeking planning permission to convert a pub in Nottingham, closed since, 2011 into a drive-thru restaurant. The Wheatsheaf in Nuthall Road, Bobbers Mill, was acquired by the development company Paragon at the end of 2014 for £225,000 plus VAT. A planning application has now been submitted to Nottingham Council by the burger chain to convert the pub into a restaurant with car parking and a drive-thru lane and is currently pending consideration.
Propelinfonews.com: Caffe Nero to open third outlet in Lincoln: Caffe Nero is to take over a site on the corner of St Marks and the High Street in Lincoln after the former tenant, an independent operator called Cafe M, moved out. A spokesman for Standard Life Investments said: “We can confirm that Cafe M has recently left St Marks Shopping Centre. We’re looking forward to welcoming Caffe Nero to the centre shortly.”
Golf Club Management: England Golf introduces guide to help golf clubs recruit women: England Golf, the organisation that runs amateur golf in England, has launched the most comprehensive guide ever produced to help golf clubs attract women to their venues. Women account for just 15 percent of golf club members in England and, on average, there are 50 vacancies for women per club. Britain is one of the worst performing nations in the world for female participation as a percentage of overall golf participation, and in most major European countries the percentage is at least double that of England. England Golf has produced a wide range of factsheets, supported by the findings from focus group research, golf clubs, other sports and other relevant insight. Lauren Spray, women and girls’ participation manager for England Golf, commented: “Women offer the largest growth area in golf, with 63 percent of clubs targeting them for membership. “We’ve produced these factsheets to offer suggestions and recommendations based on the latest research and learnings from clubs which are having success. Clubs which want to grow their women’s membership can pick and mix from a wide range of ideas.” The factsheets cover key areas including recruitment, retention, playing opportunities, membership, websites and social media, club environment and volunteers. Guidance on marketing and communication will be available shortly. Read More
Propelinfonews.com: Prezzo lines up Rickmansworth opening: Italian chain Prezzo has lined up an opening in Rickmansworh for July. Prezzo will be opening in Rickmansworth High Street in July, replacing the Remo’s Piazzo, which has left the town after 34 years. Nina Hosking, chair of Rickmansworth Chamber of Commerce, said: “It was a great shame to see Remo leave the town after 34 years – (but) this new restaurant will provide employment for local people and hopefully become a destinational attraction. I am concerned, however, that this may affect the footfall to the other smaller independent Italian restaurants in the town, but if Prezzo gets (its) marketing right, this could bring a whole new audience to Rickmansworth.”
MorningAdvertiser: JDW threatens legal action over meal deal copyright
By Mark Wingett, 11-May-2015
JD Wetherspoon has threatened to take legal action against competitors including Stonegate, Greene King, Whitbread and Mitchells & Butlers over meal deals which it says are infringing its copyright.
Tuesday 12/5/15
Hospitality and Catering News: Enterprise Inns moves strategy to managed pubs + commercial leases: Enterprise Inns plc, the leading operator of leased and tenanted pubs in the UK, has announced its interim results for the six months ended 31 March 2015, as well as a strategic review designed to have a managed pub business operating in the region of 750-850 pubs by September 2020, and a commercial property business with around 900-1,000 property assets. Read More
Propelinfonews.com: Coventry witnesses foodservice boom: Coventry is experiencing an explosion of foodservice outlets, with 124 new restaurants and take-aways opening across the city in the past 12 months. The city saw 59 new restaurants opening, up by a fifth from the same 12 months in 2013-2014, when 49 new restaurants opened. The number of new takeaways opening was up 44%, with 65 new takeaways opened and registered in the 12 months, against just 45 in the same period in 2013-2014.
Bighospitality.co.uk: Mark Sargeant to open Soho restaurant Morden & Lea
Emma Eversham, 11-May-2015
Mark Sargeant has announced plans to open a restaurant – Morden & Lea – in Soho next month.
http://www.bighospitality.co.uk/Business/Mark-Sargeant-to-open-Soho-restaurant-Morden-Lea
Propelinfonews.com:Oakman Inns to open first Greene King pub next month: Oakman Inns and Restaurants, led by Peter Borg-Neal, will open its first Greene King pub next month on 5 June. The Navigation Inn, on the Grand Union Canal in Cosgrove, Northamptonshire will be re-opening after a £1.5m refurbishment. The project included exposing original stonework, re-instating previously blocked-up fireplaces, and building a new extension incorporating a large outdoor decked viewing platform and an extended restaurant area overlooking the new gardens.
Wednesday 13/5/15
Propelinfonews.com: Grillstock to open in Leicester next month: The Grillstock barbecue chain will open up in a former PizzaExpress in St Martin’s Square, Leicester next month, with the creation of 45 jobs. Jon Finch, co-founder of Grillstock, said: “We’re stoked to be opening in Leicester, a city that reminds us of our home in Bristol with its underground culture.” The chain’s signature communal tables will have space for up to 110 diners. It currently runs restaurants in Bristol, Bath and Walthamstow, East London. A spokesman for PizzaExpress said: “With two other restaurants in Leicester, including one in nearby Highcross, we decided it was the right moment to close our restaurant in St Martin’s Square.”
Propelinfonews.com: New Cotswolds site takes Brakspear managed estate to five: The pub operator and brewer Brakspear has expanded its managed pub estate with the purchase of the George Hotel in Shipston-on-Stour, Warwickshire. The addition of the Grade II listed building brings Brakspear’s fledgling managed estate to five sites. The George Hotel is on Shipston’s main square and is a food led-business with a restaurant and two private dining/function rooms, and 16 letting rooms. Trading will continue as usual while Brakspear plans a major refurbishment, designed to bring the quality of the site up to the standard of the other four managed houses. Tom Davies, Brakspear’s chief executive, said: “We’re delighted to have acquired this large, characterful site in a prime location in the Cotswolds.
Thursday 14/5/15
Golf Club Management: Giant holes ‘would save golf’ says master greenkeeper: One of the most respected golf course consultants in the world has become the latest high profile figure to state that increasing the size of hole cups in golf would be hugely beneficial to the game. Laurence Pithie, Europe’s first ‘Master Greenkeeper’, who sits on Greenkeeping magazine’s distinguished editorial advisory panel, has said increasing the size of the holes would attract more golfers and be better for the environment. “Golf is not as popular as it once was and there needs to be a viable alternative,” he said. “Making golf more fun, more affordable and taking up less time to play has to be the key objectives. A relatively simple option and one that has been mentioned in the past is to increase the size of the golf hole to around eight inches (200mm). This idea is not aimed at replacing the existing hole size on established full length courses, but it could be introduced on ‘entry level’ nine-hole or short-hole courses.” Pithie listed the benefits that would be gained from increasing the size of the hole – these include faster play, better scores and less fertiliser input on greens. Read More
Propelinfonews.com: Headstart Group turns The Wilson in Hull into tapas bar: Headstart Group, the conglomerate that owns the award-winning 1884 Dock Street Kitchen in Hull, is turning its sister restaurant in the city’s docks, The Wilson, into a tapas bar under the name 1884 Wine and Tapas. The refurbishment and conversion from The Wilson extends the bar and kitchen areas, with seating booths installed along the windows to give diners a view of the marina. The al fresco quayside dining area has been retained, giving 1884 Wine and Tapas a capacity of more than 100.
Morningadvertiser: Marston’s and M&B results reveal profit rises
By Emily Sutherland, 14-May-2015
Marston’s and Mitchells & Butlers have announced sales results with the overall picture looking bright for both companies.
http://www.morningadvertiser.co.uk/Operators/Marston-s/Marston-s-and-M-B-results-reveal-profit-rises
Propeinfonews.com: Loungers to open ‘flagship’ Cosy Club in Birmingham: Loungers, the all-day dining group backed by Piper Private Equity, will open its ninth Cosy Club site tomorrow (Friday) in a Grade II listed former banking hall in Birmingham. The latest Cosy Club opening, which is the groups’ 62nd site overall, is located in a former Midland Bank on Bennetts Hill. It comes after a £1.1m investment, which is Loungers’ largest investment in a single site to date.
Friday 15/5/15
Propelinfonews.com: Enterprise chief executive – we’re already talking to other managed experts: Enterprise Inns’ chief executive Simon Townsend has revealed after news of its deal with Rupert Clevely that the company is already “in a number of conversations” with other managed pub experts with a view to developing more joint venture managed pubs. Townsend said the company was talking to operators at the moment who had not considered tenanted and leased pubs. He told City analysts that he thought that company’s new “managed expert” model would appeal to a number of existing multi-site operators within the estate who would view the opportunity as a good way to use its existing central overhead costs more efficiently. Enterprise’s first joint venture is with Clevely, the founder of Geronimo Inns, now run by Young & Co, at a pub in an as yet unnamed London suburb that is expected to open this summer. Clevely has a 25% stake in the joint venture and is already paid a base salary.
BigHospitality.co.uk: Norfolk-based Ingham Swan teams up with local farm in ‘grow your own’ project
By Noli Dinkovski, 14-May-2015
A Norfolk restaurant is to work with a local farmer to grow and manage the majority of its seasonal British produce.
Propeinfonews.com: Prima Hotels venues go into administration: A number of four-star hotels owned by the Cheshire-based operator Prima Hotels Group have entered administration. The hotels are, the Stanneylands Hotel in Wilmslow, where Prima has its head offices; Nunsmere Hall Hotel in Northwich, Cheshire; the Quorn Country Hotel in Leicestershire; and Hellaby Hall Hotel in Rotherham. Ryan Grant, Lee Causer and Catherine Williamson from AlixPartners have been called in as administrators. A further appointment has been made over the Royal Terrace Hotel in Edinburgh. The administrators said they would continue to trade the hotels while “exploring all options”. The hotels will be operated by Legacy Hotels and Resorts. Grant said: “We will continue to trade the hotels on a ‘business as usual’ basis and intend to honour all bookings made prior to our appointment. We believe the businesses are attractive to a range of potential buyers and welcome expressions of interest from third parties to acquire any or all of the sites. We would also like to thank the staff for their continued support and professionalism during this process.” Prima Hotels also runs the Holiday Inn, Manchester.