Investment

Our coverage tracks financial activity shaping the UK foodservice and hospitality sector, from venture capital and private equity backing to corporate acquisitions, refinancing deals, and growth funding. Our reporting is focused on the operators, brands, and concepts attracting capital, and what that means for the wider industry. Whether you’re a restaurant group seeking funding, a pub chain monitoring market valuations, or a catering contractor analysing competitor growth, our investment coverage delivers intelligence that helps business leaders understand where money is flowing, and why. Expect deep dives, expert commentary, and deal-by-deal context, all tailored to the foodservice trade.

Oct- 2022 -

14 October

Restaurants

Battersea Power Station Restaurants set to open

Battersea Power Station is set to re-open on Friday 14 October, with restaurants including Le Bab, Where The Pancakes Are, Poke House, Clean Kitchen Club and Paris Baguette set to open their doors to the public. Also launching is Control Room B, a new bar concept from Inception Group, London’s…
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12 October

Cafes and Coffee Shops

Pret A Manger announces £10m staff pay rise

Pret A Manger has announced it will be investing an additional £10m in staff pay to support its UK workforce with the rising cost of living, with all UK employees across shops and its support centre set to receive a 5% pay increase, effective 1 December 2022. This means that…
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11 October

Pubs and Bars

Greene King acquires Hickory’s

Greene King has announced its acquisition of Hickory’s, a BBQ smokehouse restaurant group, for an undisclosed sum, with plans to grow it into a national dining brand. As part of the transaction, Greene King plans to accelerate the national roll out of the Hickory’s brand beyond the North West, with…
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10 October

Restaurants

Uber Eats launches £250k fund to support Black-owned restaurants

Uber Eats has announced a cash boost of £250k for Black-owned restaurants across the UK as the company “significantly” expands its Black Business Fund in 2022. In collaboration with Enterprise Nation and Be Inclusive Hospitality, the Uber Eats Black Business Fund will award the fund to 25 small Black-owned businesses,…
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6 October

Restaurants

Burger & Lobster turnover surges 40%

Burger and Lobster has announced its turnover surged 40% in the financial year ending 2 January 2022 (FY22), growing from £16.3m to £22.8m year-on-year. The nine-strong London-based restaurant group recorded EBITDA of £1.8m and it hailed net assets of £2.5m for FY22 with positive funds balance. The group performed ahead…
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6 October

Pubs and Bars

Yummy Pubs offloads The Wiremill to Hall & Woodhouse

Yummy Pubs has sold The Wiremill, near Lingfield in Surrey, to independent family brewer Hall and Woodhouse for an undisclosed sum. Business partners Anthony Pender, Tim Foster and Jason Rowlands will now be pursuing separate projects, following their 15-year partnership at Yummy Pubs. Following the move, Yummy Pubs will rebrand…
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5 October

Features

Is the UK pub and bar market on track for £8bn growth in 2022?

“There’s a plethora of difficult situations for pubs at the moment; penetration is down and spending is relatively flat,” says Katie Prowse, senior insight manager at Lumina Intelligence. “Consumers are also limiting their out-of-home visits, which is having an impact on pubs, on top of cost increases.” Despite macroeconomic challenges…
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4 October

People

McDonald’s appoints new independent director

McDonald’s has announced the appointment of Kareem Daniel as an independent director of the board, effective 1 October 2022. Daniel currently serves as chairman of Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution at The Walt Disney Company. He is responsible for driving the overall growth and profitability of Disney’s global media businesses,…
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Sep- 2022 -

30 September

Business

Downing acquires Pub People Group

Investment manager Downing has acquired The Pub People Group (Pub People) and merged it with its existing investment in Autumn Pubs Limited (Autumn), which has been managed under contract by Pub People since 2012. Funds managed by Downing will be the majority shareholder in the combined business (the group), and…
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29 September

Business

Big Table Group acquires Banana Tree

The Big Table Group, operator of Las Iguanas, Bella Italia and Café Rouge, has acquired the fast-casual Pan-Asian restaurant chain, Banana Tree, adding a new cuisine flavour to its family of restaurant brands. The group said Banana Tree is famous for its authentic, exotic and street-food inspired dishes, with flavours…
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