10/06/2025 10:06:00
Sales and profits at the pub operator Young's are both sizeably up, as the group reveals its full-year financial results for the 52 weeks ended 31 March 2025, reports Pub & Bar. The group saw strong like-for-like revenue growth of 5.7%. Total revenue for the period was up 24.9% to £485.8m, and adjusted EBITDA up 23.2% to £113.6m. Managed house EBITDA for the period was up 22.4% to £138.3m. Young's generated an adjusted operating profit of £71.4m, achieving what it claims is a sector-leading margin of 14.7%. This is despite National Living Wage increases of almost 10%, utility costs and H1 head office dual running costs of £2.1m from the City Pub Group acquisition.
The Government is to launch a new emissions cutting trial that will see pubs, cafés, restaurants and hotels receive free energy and carbon cutting advice to help slash their bills. The initiative will offer more than 600 small and medium-sized hospitality businesses free energy and carbon reduction assessments, delivered by Zero Carbon Services, to 'cut energy costs, support productivity and boost growth.' The scheme will support operators to make cost effective changes such as fixing insultation gaps, upgrading to low energy lighting or tweaking heating settings. According to the Government, the trial is expected to save the sector £3m on bills and reduce 2,700 tonnes of carbon emissions, advises The Restaurant.
Family brewer and pub operator McMullen & Sons has reported a strong year of growth, with profit before tax rising to £16.4m, a 34% increase, as its retail division delivered another robust performance, writes The Morning Advertiser. Turnover at the group's 115 managed pubs reached £115m, up 8.1% year on year, with gains supported by price increases, strategic investment and site acquisition. Profit now exceeds pre-Covid levels in nominal terms, although chairman Charles Brims warned that "real-terms recovery after inflation continues."
Chickpea is set to expand with the launch of its 10th site, as the business continues to expand out of its Wiltshire heartlands and further into Dorset. The group has announced it will open The Fleur de Lys Inn in Dorset next month, marking the Group's first location in the county and eighth pub with rooms overall, says Boutique Hotelier. The Fleur de Lys Inn dates back to the 17th century and is situated in the village of Cranborne, within the chalk download area of outstanding natural beauty known as the Cranborne Chase. The Inn has been closed for six months and is undergoing a sensitive renovation to create a re-freshed layout, retaining as many of the original features as possible as well as the creation of nine bedrooms upstairs.
Budget hotel chain Easyhotel has been acquired by Tristan Capital Partners' discretionary fund, European Property Investors Special Opportunities (EIPSO 6), in a deal worth over £336m. The transaction sees 100% of Easyhotel's shares come under the ownership of the London-based real estate investment firm, reports The Caterer. Prior to this, 50% of the hotel group's shares were owned by Bidco, a consortium of ICAMAP and Cadim Fonds, following a £138.7m takeover in 2019. Over the past three years, Easyhotel has evolved from being a UK-focused, asset-light business to a company that now generates two thirds of its total revenue from outside of the UK.
Popeyes has secured new finance facilities totalling £43m to support the continued rollout if its growth plans across the UK, writes The Grocer. The chain has agreed the financing with Barclays Corporate Banking. The facilities, alongside the company's existing support from private equity firm TDR Capital, which last year took a majority stake in the business will provide it with the flexibility to build on its success in the UK and execute its expansion plans over the coming years. Plans for 45 new restaurants this year are projected to create 2,500 jobs.
After years of decline, Britain's late-night licensed venues have stabilised, rising 2% in the year to 30 March 2025, despite a 25.1% drop since 2020, reports The Morning Advertiser.