Private equity
Reporting centres on investment activity across the UK hospitality and foodservice sector, with analysis of buyouts, growth capital, and ownership changes involving restaurant groups, pub companies, and catering operators. Coverage includes deal flow, fund strategy, portfolio performance, and investor outlook, offering valuable intelligence for senior executives, founders, and stakeholders navigating funding, expansion, and exit planning.
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Aug- 2020 -21 AugustCoronavirus
Accommodation and food service sectors see 53% drop in insolvencies
The accommodation and food services sectors have seen a 53% drop in insolvencies from May to July 2020, compared to the same period in 2020. According to RSM, some 597 insolvencies were recorded by the Insolvency Services for May to July 2019 and 279 for the same period this year.…
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10 AugustRestaurants
22,000 restaurant jobs lost so far in 2020, double 2019 total
The number of jobs lost across the embattled restaurant and casual dining sector so far this year is already nearly double the amount shed during the whole of 2019. Figures compiled by the Centre for Retail Research show so far a total 22,039 jobs were lost across large restaurant groups…
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3 AugustRestaurants
Casual Dining Group rebrands following takeover
The Casual Dining Group (CDG) has rebranded as The Big Table, following its acquisition by private equity firm Epiris. A new business formed by the firm has successfully concluded a deal to take control of the Las Iguanas, Bella Italia and Café Rouge chains, alongside their existing management team led…
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Jul- 2020 -16 JulyCoronavirus
Pizza Express set to fall into hands of its lenders
Pizza Express is reportedly set to fall into the hands of its lenders, possibly as early as this month, which could lead to the possibility of store closures. According to the Financial Times, its lenders are in talks with its Chinese owners Hony Capital for a debt-for equity swap with…
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Jun- 2020 -30 JuneCoronavirus
Byron set to appoint administrators
Byron has reportedly filed a notice of intention to appoint administrators after it “teetered on the brink of financial collapse” following Covid-19. According to Sky News, the burger chain is now looking to secure a takeover of the group, and is holding “detailed” talks with three unnamed potential buyers in…
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5 JuneCoronavirus
Azzurri Group considering sale options
The Azzurri Group is reportedly working alongside advisors in a bid to find a potential buyer for the restaurant giant, according to Sky News. The parent group of Ask Italian and Zizzi, which is currently owned by private equity firm Bridgepoint, is now in the process of contacting prospective bidders…
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Mar- 2020 -24 MarchFood and Drink
Eat to permanently close after 24 years of trading
Sandwich chain Eat has closed its UK business permanently after 24 years of trading, its owner Pret Manger has announced. Its sandwich shops closed temporarily last week after the government announced its latest social distancing measures, however Pret Manger has since tweeted announcing the closures would be permanent. It tweeted:…
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Jan- 2020 -16 JanuaryBusiness Bites
All hail Trump for his damp squib trade deal with China
Do you know what, I don’t know anything about the detail of Trump’s new ‘deal’ with China, designed to hit ‘pause’ on the escalating trade tensions between the two countries after a couple of years of rancour. But I am going to assume, given the president has described it as…
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Dec- 2019 -13 DecemberRestaurants
TGI Friday’s reports rise in sales
Restaurant, TGI Friday’s has reported 12-month-growth resulting in a 1.5% rise in like-for-like sales. The results for the year ending on 30 September, reported a 2.4% increase in sales, alongside a 0.5% rise in EBITDA to a total of £26.9m. The restaurant also reported a net debt of £47.4m as…
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9 DecemberRestaurants
Pho owners consider sale ahead of expansion plans
The private equity owners of vietnamese restaurant chain Pho are reportedly mulling over a potential sale of the business. According to the Sunday Telegraph, Gresham House, which acquired the chain from Livingbridge in 2018, is considering offloading the business before it embarks on a plan to increase its store state.…
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