30/01/2024 09:11:00
Pubs, bars and restaurants in the north have demonstrated growth and resilience over the past year, averaging 7.2% sales growth. Pub & Bar said that in a year marked by the cost-of-living crisis and escalating business rates, new research conducted by Northern Restaurant & Bar in partnership with CGA by NielsenIQ has revealed all northern England cities saw a growth in sales in managed pubs, bars and restaurants in 2023. Newcastle (12.7%) and York (9.2%) lead the uptrend, followed by Sheffield (7.1%), Liverpool (6.8%), Chester (5.6%), Manchester (4.8%), and Leeds (4.4%). Despite a 2.5% decline in total venue numbers across the British pub, bar and restaurant sector in the latest year to October, the industry also saw an average of 48 new openings per week.
The business that runs The Pig group has acquired a Cotswold hotel that comes with its own village pub. Pub & Bar reports that Home Grown Hotels, led by chairman Robin Hutson, has acquired the 17th century Barnsley House, located in the Cotswolds village of Barnsley, four miles from Cirencester. Barnsley House hotel also features a village pub, meaning the purchase will create the first pub operation under The Pig brand.
Popular Leeds-based brewery North Brewing has been rescued from administration by Kirkstall Brewery. North, which filed a notice of intention to appoint administrators, has struggled with escalating costs, rising interest rates and the cost of living crisis. However Steve Holt, founder of Kirkstall Brewery has now stepped in and the company will continue to be run as an independent brewery from its Springwell site with the existing management team left in place, says Morning Advertiser.
Pub giant Fuller's has said it is in "great shape" after Christmas and New Year sales surged by more than a fifth. The Chiswick-based company, which runs 370 venues across the UK, told investors that sales jumped 21.6% over the five-week period around Christmas and New Year, compared with the same period a year earlier, reports The Standard. It said the rise was driven by "great performance" across both its pubs and hotels. It comes days after rivals including JD Wetherspoon and Marston's also revealed a lift in festive sales as customers appeared to shrug off pressure from the higher cost of living to celebrate Christmas parties and dine out.
A decision on whether to scrap a ban which stops new pubs, bars and takeaways from opening in a city centre has been delayed. BBC News advises that Bristol City Council's licensing committee was split four to four in a vote on the issue on Thursday 25th January. Police opposed the idea, saying central Bristol's night-time economy was at "saturation point" and stretched their resources. A licensing officer said, although police wanted to retain the ban, there were cases where they had agreed conditions with applicants for licensed premises which suggested they did not fully endorse the restrictions. After more than an hour's debate, the stalemate could not be broken and the report will come back to a future committee meeting, which must be before 7 March, when the three-year policy expires.
Richard Caring has launched an auction for his share in the Ivy group starting at £1b. The Sunday Times revealed that the billionaire's advisers put a £1b price tag on the original Ivy restaurant in London's West End and its spin-off restaurants, the Ivy Collection and Ivy Asia sites. The Caterer reports that HSBC has started distributing marketing materials to potential buyers of the restaurant group, which Caring owns via a 50-50 joint venture with former Qatari prime minister Sheikh Hamad Bin-Jassim Bin-Jaber Al Thani. Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) is expected to be interested in the bid. At the end of last year, the fund took a 49% stake in Sir Rocco Forte's hotels group, valuing the company at £1.2b.
Trade bodies from across the brewing sector have joined forces to launch a new campaign, Make it 20%, urging the Chancellor to increase draught relief, reports Morning Advertiser.