Today’s news in brief – 07/10/24

TGI Fridays is close to a rescue deal with D&D London owners Breal Capital and Calveton, as they could acquire the majority of the business as early as 7 October. Sky News has learnt that the rescue deal will salvage more than 2,000 jobs and an announcement is likely to be made once the transaction is completed. 

Punch Pubs has added three more sites to its portfolio – The Bull in Bedford; the Grey Horses Inn in Carlton-in-Lindrick and The Salmon Leap in Totton. The Bull, which is close to Bedford’s town centre, will sit within Punch’s leased and tenanted estate with publicans Dean and Sarah Harris at the helm.

Stonegate has introduced its Social Pub and Kitchen brand to consumers, following the refurbishment and rebranding of pubs across England and Scotland. With more than £5m invested into refurbishing its pubs in FY24 and with more to come in FY25, this investment project aims to enhance its managed estate and create more than 300 jobs. 

The Montgomery Group will launch The Bat and Ball in November, the pub with rooms located in Cuddesdon, Oxfordshire, will be the second opening from owner Ben Moss, who successfully took over the 15th-Century pub The Lamb Inn in 2022. It also marks the beginning of the Oxfordshire pub group.