News
The latest industry news from the business journalists at Catering Today. We bring you the latest on what’s happening in the restaurants, bars and catering industry, with exclusive stories, analysis, best practice and industry comment.
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Jan- 2024 -24 January
Wetherspoons H1 sales rise 10.1%
Wetherspoons has revealed that like-for-like sales were 10.1% higher during the 25 weeks to 21 January compared with last year. The pub chain attributed its performance to bar sales rising by 11.8%, food by 7.9%, and slot and fruit machines by 10.4%. Hotel rooms in its pub estate also saw…
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24 January
Big Table Group appoints new Banana Tree managing director
UK hospitality group The Big Table Group has appointed Kate Wilton as Banana Tree’s new managing director. The news comes after Anne Chow, current managing director, announced that she is stepping down from her role after 28 years with the business. Wilton will take up her new role at the…
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23 January
Creams Cafe reveals record festive trading
Creams Cafe has announced that it saw record trading over the festive period with like-for-like in-cafe sales up 5.8% in December against the same period in 2022. The company also revealed that its delivery sales experienced an uplift with an increase in sales of 2.5%. The year-on-year growth comes following…
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23 January
Marston’s sales jump 8.8% over festive period
Marston’s PLC has reported an 8.8% sales increase in the group’s managed and franchised pubs for the 16-week period to 20 January 2024. Both drink sales and food sales have been “strong”, a result which the pub company said demonstrates “the resilience and appeal of our predominantly suburban pubs”. Like-for-like…
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23 January
Popeyes UK to open over 30 sites in 2024
Popeyes UK has announced its expansion plans that will see it open over 30 new sites in 2024. The brand, which entered the UK in November 2021, currently has 36 locations, including five drive-thrus, plus seven delivery kitchens across the UK. The 30 new openings will take its total number…
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22 January
Today’s news in brief – 22/01/24
Compass Group has signed an agreement to acquire CH&CO for £475m. CH&CO currently generates annual revenues of roughly £450m and operates across a range of sectors. According to Compass, CH&CO’s diverse client base and broad geographic spread would complement its existing footprint in the UK and Ireland. Average sales in…
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22 January
Christmas hangover hits as drinks sales drop 7%
Average sales in managed venues dropped 7% in the week ended 13 January compared with the same week in 2022. After a strong Christmas and a solid first week of 2024, many people will have sought to save some money by staying in. Cold weather and ‘Dry January’ may have…
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22 January
Tomás Gormley to open Cardinal in Edinburgh this March
Scottish chef Tomás Gormley is set to launch his new fine dining restaurant, Cardinal, on Eyre Place, Edinburgh, in March 2024. Chef Gormley, who was awarded a Michelin star at Heron in 2023, is also chef-patron of Skua, which opened in Edinburgh’s Stockbridge in spring 2023 and the new Cardinal…
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22 January
Compass Group to acquire CH&CO for £475m
Global food service company Compass Group has signed an agreement to acquire CH&CO, a contract and hospitality services company that operates in the UK and Ireland, for an initial enterprise value of £475m. Plans of acquiring CH&CO comes as the company is a “highly regarded” management team and a track…
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19 January
Today’s news in brief – 19/01/24
Restaurants, pubs and bars saw sales rise 8.8% over the latest Christmas period compared with data from 2022, according to the latest CGA RSM Hospitality Business Tracker. The tracker also revealed that like-for-like sales grew 9.6% for pubs in December, while restaurants enjoyed an 8.3% upswing. Meanwhile, bars bounced back…
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