13/01/2026 09:29:00
Urban Pubs & Bars has acquired five venues across the capital amid a renewed expansion drive. The deals, which are due to complete on 19 January, includes the Prince Regent in Herne Hill, on which Fleurets acted on behalf of Urban Pubs & Bars. The Caterer reports that Urban has also acquired four Brunning & Price outlets: the Roebuck and the Steam Packet in Chiswick, the Queens in Crouch End and Coco Momo brasserie in Kensington. With the addition of these five sites, Urban Pubs & Bars now operates 65 venues across London, delivering annual sales in excess of £100m.
Not-for-profit organisation Pub is The Hub, has highlighted how pubs can apply for grants of up to £6,000 to create additional services and activities, writes The Morning Advertiser. The range of services could include community cafes, village stores and allotments, to activities such as theatre and craft workshops, for rural, remote or deprived areas, enabling them to bring people together in a bid to combat social isolation and loneliness.
Rachel Reeves has avoided another damaging rebellion against her economic policies with the promise of a U-turn on controversial tax hikes for pubs in England, after weeks of protest from her colleagues and the hospitality industry. Government sources said on Thursday (8th) the chancellor was finalising a support package for the struggling industry that would include reductions to business rates for pubs, which had been facing a 76% rise on average over the next three years. Industry figures welcomed news of the U-turn, which comes after similar climbdowns over cuts to winter fuel payments, cuts to disability benefits and a rise in inheritance tax for farmers. But with the Treasury yet to publish details of the support package, Reeves's colleagues say they are willing to push ahead with an amendment to the government's finance bill if they feel it does not go far enough, reports The Guardian.
Criterion Capital has acquired the 732-room St Giles London Hotel on Tottenham Court Road, in a £220m deal, confirms Boutique Hotelier. Criterion has freehold ownership of the block on which the hotel sits and has been trying to acquire the three-star hotel since it was brought to market last February. It bought the 732-bed hotel from Malaysian group IGB Berhad. Now, Criterion has completed the reunification of the entire site, restoring single ownership for the first time since its original development, after years of fragmented ownership and operation. With this acquisition, Criterion's West End hotel portfolio now comprises over 3,700 operating hotel rooms, with a committed pipeline set to exceed 9,000 rooms by 2029.
Bowling concept Lane7 will open three new venues in the first quarter of the year and is undergoing a restructuring process that will bring its disparate brands together, reports The Restaurant. Sites will open in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Leeds in the first quarter of 2026, with development across all sites expected to start before the end of March. Alongside the expansion, the Lane7 Group will bring all of its brands under a single administration structure, in what it hopes will be a 'transformational year' for the business and which will help 'turbocharge' growth plans.
Plans for Soho House to be taken private could be in jeopardy after a major investor in the £2bn deal pulled out of a $200m (£149m) funding commitment, reports The Caterer. In August last year, the London-based members' club announced it would move back to private ownership after four years on the New York Stock Exchange in a multi-billion-pound deal with a group of investors including MCR Hotels and actor Ashton Kutcher. However, in a notice filed (8 January), MCR Hotels disclosed to existing shareholders Yucaipa, founded by Soho House executive chairman Ron Burkle, that it was unable to fund its closing commitment by the expected closing date. The Financial Times reported shares in Soho House sank more than 20% following the announcement.
'2026 will be a year of rebuilding, refreshment and transformation' for Bow Street Group, reports MCA Insight. The former Tasty operator plans to invest in its estate and introduce new menus following a strong end to 2025.