20/01/2026 09:59:00
RedCat Hospitality has announced plans to exit its managed pub division to become a focused pub-with-rooms operator, reports the Morning Advertiser. Led by Coaching Inn Group, the company will bring together all of its pubs-with-rooms sites into one division, creating a 43-strong portfolio of inns across the UK. The business said the move would allow it to concentrate on investment, management time and future acquisitions. Under the stewardship of RedCat, the Coaching Inn Group has more than doubled in the past three years, growing from 18 sites and 513 rooms when acquired in 2021 to a 43-strong premium inns business operating nearly 1,500 rooms.
LondonMetric Property Plc has acquired nine more Premier Inn hotels from Whitbread in an £89m deal, reports The Caterer. The hotels, with a total of 955 bedrooms, are located at Southampton Airport, Kings Langley, Milton Keynes, Poole, Colchester, Fareham, Waltham Abbey, Chipping Norton and Warwick. The sale and leaseback portfolio is let on new 30-year leases and generates an annual rent of £5m. LondonMetric now owns 22 Premier Inn hotels, making Whitbread LondonMetric's fourth largest occupier, contributing £11.3m of annual rent. In September 2025, the UK-based real estate investment trust (REIT) also acquired five Premier Inn hotels for £44m. The announcement comes as Whitbread released its third quarter results for the 13 weeks to 27 November 2025. Total group sales were up 2% to £781m, with positive total accommodation sales achieved in both Premier Inn UK and Premier Inn Germany. UK revenue per available room was also up 3%.
JW Lees has reported a record trading month for December 2025, reports Pub & Bar. Managed Houses within the William Lees-Jones business led the charge, with Christmas Day sales up 20.5% on 2024. Over the six-week trading period to include Christmas and New Year, retail sales were up 9.9%, with drink sales up 8.4%, food sales up 10.4% and bedroom sales up 15.7%. The three-week core Christmas period from 15 December to 4 January saw retail sales up +14.1%.
Spinners, the UK's fast-growing competitive socialising brand, has announced it will open Spinners Chester in Spring 2026 in a £1 million investment that will transform the former Poundland unit on Frodsham Street into a vibrant new games, food and drink destination. Spinners Chester will be the brand's fourth UK venue, following the success of locations in Reading, Plymouth and Solihull, confirms Hospitality & Catering News. Known for combining interactive games with hand-crafted cocktails and social dining, Spinners has quickly established itself as a go-to destination for friends, families, celebrations and corporate socials.
Mitchells & Butlers has released its trading statement covering the 15 weeks ended 10 January 2026, writes Pub & Bar. The business says it traded very strongly across the festive season, with like-for-like growth of 7.7% over the core three-week period, supported by volume growth particularly over the five key festive days, which generated combined like-for-like sales growth of 10.5%. Through the first quarter, like-for-like sales have strengthened across the brand portfolio, growing to 4.5%. Total sales have grown by 3.5% in the year to date, with the business continuing to focus on investment in the estate. In the year to date, Mitchells & Butlers has completed 51 conversions and remodels. The business remains confident in its ability to manage the c.£130m of year-on-year cost headwinds it expects to face this financial year, driven primarily by increased labour costs and food cost inflation.
Dishoom is to soft launch its new Permit Room restaurant in Liverpool in February before the official opening in early March, reports The Caterer. The restaurant group's Permit Room spin-off is a more casual, drinks-led site that also offers an all-day menu. It's upcoming Liverpool opening is the fifth branch of the concept, joining Oxford, Cambridge, Brighton and Portobello in London.
UK's top Hotels, Restaurants and Bars unite to launch new 'Help Out Hospitality' campaign, writes Caterer Licensee Hotelier News.