05/03/2024 09:01:00
Anglian Country Inns (ACI) has acquired a Grade II listed pub on the north Norfolk coast. Morning Advertiser reports that the family run business bought the freehold of the White Horse in Home-next-the-Sea from Punch in October 2023. It acquired the operating lease from the tenant on Friday 23 February. ACI managing director James Nye said: "It is an exciting opportunity to add a beautiful pub in a beautiful location to the ACI family and very much looking forward to making it a big part of the Norfolk community."
Restrictions preventing new pubs, nightclubs and takeaways from opening in Bristol city centre will be kept. The policy covers a zone from the harbourside to Stokes Croft and from the Clifton Triangle to the edge of Broadmead. Council officers advised scrapping the rules but police and residents raised concerns that more venues could lead to an increase in crime and disorder, advises the BBC. It means that a new licensing application is presumed to be refused. According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the technical term for an area banning the licencing of new premises is a cumulative impact area, or CIA. This means the area faces extra rules due to high levels of litter, crime, anti-social behaviour and public urination.
Black & White Hospitality's flagship Mr White's restaurant in London's Leicester Square has closed after a little over two years' trading, reports the Restaurant. Launched in late 2021 by Black & White Hospitality CEO Nick Taplin and celebrity chef Marco Pierre White, the 14,500 sq. ft. venue traded as a 'steak, pizza and gin house'. Though the site - a former Chiquito that had been shuttered since the beginning of the pandemic - was a nil-premium deal, Mr White's was a big investment for Black & White Hospitality with a build cost of around £1.5m and a seven-figure rent.
The B&B Hotels chain is expanding into the UK with the takeover of a hotel located at Heathrow. Having announced its UK plans in late 2022, the takeover represents a milestone in the group's growth strategy, setting the stage for further investment in the UK market, reports Insider Media. Fabrice Collet, president and chief executive of B&B Hotels, said: "Our successful growth model and commitment to value for our guests have made us a beloved brand across Europe, and we're excited to bring that same experience to guests in the UK. We are accelerating our development in all the countries we are already in while continuing to establish ourselves in new markets. We aim to become the leader in sustainable value-for-money hotels with an ambition of 3,000 hotels within ten years."
Pip Lacey has confirmed she is in the process of selling the lease for the Hicce Hart pub in London's Islington, 14 months after it opened, reports The Caterer. The chef and her business partner Gordy McIntyre launched the 32-cover dining room and 52-cover pub in 2022 as a follow-up to their flagship Hicce restaurant in London's King's Cross. Hicce closed in December after five years of trading following the activation of a break clause in the landlord's lease. Hicce Hart is now listed as permanently closed on Google and its social media accounts have been taken down. In an email to The Caterer, Lacey said the decision to close Hicce Hart was "not based on success or monetary reasons".
Some 194 pub buildings were lost due to conversion or demolition last year, new figures have found. The research, which was collected by the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) and came from its pub database whatpub.com, also showed 1,293 businesses closed in 2023. However, it also revealed there were 296 new pub openings - where pubs have been built or buildings were converted for pub use - during the same period, advises Morning Advertiser. According to CAMRA, the closures represented 64m fewer pints sold around £103m was lost to local economies.
The owners of the Crooked House have been ordered to rebuild the pub "back to what it was", says Pub & Bar.