Wagamama

Coverage focuses on the performance, expansion, and brand strategy of the UK’s leading pan-Asian casual dining chain, known for its open kitchens, communal seating, and fast-casual service model. Reporting includes new site openings, delivery and click-and-collect rollouts, vegan and seasonal menu innovation, tech-enabled ordering, and group-level developments under parent company The Restaurant Group. Insight is designed for operators tracking high-volume branded dining, consumer health trends, and competitive movement across the mid-market segment.

Nov- 2018 -

12 November

Business

Restaurant Group plans rights issue to fund Wagamama purchase

The Restaurant Group (TRG) has announced it is a offer a discounted rights issue in order to fund its purchase of Wagamama. As many as 290 million new shares are set to be issued in a ‘13 for nine’ rights issue priced at 108.5p. Current shareholders and analysts have already…
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Oct- 2018 -

30 October

Business

The Restaurant Group buys Wagamama

Frankie and Benny’s owner The Restaurant Group (TRG) has announced it has conditionally agreed to purchase Mabel Topco, operating as Wagamama for a cash payment of £357m. TRG said its offer valued Wagamama at £559m and it would convert some of its existing sites into Wagamama restaurants. It plans to…
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29 October

Business

Profits at top 100 UK restaurant groups plunge 80% to £37m in a year

The total pre-tax profits at the UK’s top 100 restaurants have plummeted by 80% in the last year to £37m, down from £194m 12 months ago according to accounting firm UHY Hacker Young. The drop means that pre-tax profits at the UK’s top 100 restaurant groups have fallen 89% from…
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17 October

Advice

Shaping your proposition and brand with your customer at its heart

Restaurants around the UK, many of which have failed to put their customers at the heart of their proposition, are closing daily. Remaining operators now find themselves asking how they can achieve this. There are many tools that F&B businesses can implement in creating a true customer-first approach. Below are…
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Sep- 2018 -

13 September

Business

Brewer and hospitality company SA Brain & Co joins new Welsh hospitality hub

Brewer and hospitality firm SA Brain and Co has joined Hospitality Cymru’s portfolio of high street household licensing names. Hospitality Cymru, part of UKHospitality, was forged earlier this year from a merger between hotels and restaurant representatives, British Hospitality Association (BHA) and the Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers (ALMR). The…
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6 September

Apps & Technology

Wagamama joins Deliveroo Editions

From this week customers will be able to order meals from Wagamama cooked and prepared at Deliveroo’s purpose built, delivery only, “super kitchen” in Battersea. Wagamama’s Editions service will offer the same menu as its restaurants however Deliveroo says the dishes will be re-designed for delivery. Caleb Merkl of Deliveroo…
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Aug- 2018 -

10 August

Restaurants

Wagamama ‘outperforms competitors’ consistently for four years

Restaurant chain Wagamama has said it “traded ahead of the competition consistently for over four years (220 weeks)” as its latest financial results showed a 7.4% like-for-like sales growth in the year to 29 April 2018. The group’s turnover increased 11.1% to £71.1m in Q4 and it reported 7.7% UK…
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10 August

Features

The rise of veganism

Veganism is sweeping the globe as the biggest trend of this year, but what’s the history behind the world’s most rapidly evolving lifestyle choice? At a glance, it may seem like a fad, but if you scratch the surface, it’s a way of life that has been steadily increasing in…
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Jul- 2018 -

27 July

Restaurants

More restaurant groups to fail before year-end, analysts predict

At least two or three more restaurant groups are expected to fall before the end of 2018, analysts from real estate agents Christie and Co have predicted. In the first half of 2018, a number of high profile operators have turned to company voluntary arrangements (CVAs) as a means to…
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Jun- 2018 -

29 June

Features

The rise of the delivery-only kitchen

In today’s increasingly competitive restaurant market, delivery presents potential for growth. The lure of increased brand awareness and extended the customer base, while utilising surplus kitchen capacity, logically translates into opportunity to drive sales. As delivery becomes an expected part of the offer, operators need to understand how to effectively bring…
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