03/03/2026 09:13:00
American pharmaceutical company Tilray has completed a £33m deal to acquire BrewDog, reports the Morning Advertiser. The agreement gives Tilray ownership of the BrewDog brand and its intellectual property, the UK brewing operations, and 11 brewpubs in UK and Ireland. It is also in talks to acquire BrewDog assets in the US and Australia. The company, which is based in New York, estimated its total global beverage platform would grow to $500m in revenue annually following the acquisition.
Red Oak Taverns has purchased The Wheatsheaf in Midhurst, West Sussex, from Hall & Woodhouse, marking the group's first freehold property acquisition of the year, reports Catering Today. The sale of the historic site, which dates back to 1621, was brokered by leisure property agent Fleurets at a guide price of £495,000. The acquisition follows the expansion of Red Oak Taverns' lending group last month, with NatWest joining OakNorth to fund the company's long-term growth strategy. The transaction is the second between Red Oak and Hall & Woodhouse, following a 10-pub deal in 2021.
A solid performance from its UK hotels helped drive like for like revenue at PPHE Hotel Group up 3.7% to £457m, writes The Caterer. The group said that despite subdued trading in the Netherlands and Germany for the year to 31 December 2025, like for like revenue per available room (revpar) rose 2.4% to £123.50 and average room rate increased marginally by 0.7% to £163. Occupancy was 75.8%. PPHE added that due to increases in national insurance costs in the UK and the lower margin contribution from newly opened hotels, which include the art'otel London Hoxton, like-for-like EBITDA margin decreased to 30.4%, while overall like-for-like EBITDA increased by 2.1% to £139m.
Gordon Ramsay's Bread Street Kitchen at 22 Bishopsgate will serve a tasting menu for the first time and feature a 24-hour sports bar when it opens this spring, reports The Restaurant. The all-day restaurant, which will be located on the 59th floor of 22 Bishopsgate, which is already home to Ramsay's Lucky Cat and Gordon Ramsay High, will mark Gordon Ramsay Restaurants' 100th site. The restaurant, which opens during Gordon Ramsay Restaurants' 15th anniversary year, will be the most ambitious Bread Street Kitchen to date, with more than 35 new dishes on the menu as well as its first-ever five-course tasting menu.
Star Pubs has reopened The Market Inn in Truro, following a three-year closure, reports Pub & Bar. It is the pubco's first Just Add Talent (JAT) managed operator pub in Cornwall. With the project costing £450,000, Star Pubs will have invested £2.5m in 13 JAT pubs by the end of the first quarter - its fastest ever start to a year for new managed operator site openings. The refurbishment of The Market Inn also benefited from a grant from the New Life for City Buildings Project, which is funded by the Truro Town Deal.
Bowland Inns and Hotels has reported a pre-tax loss of £1.04m for the year ended 31 May 2025, despite revenues increasing by 3% to £25.4m during the period, reports Hotel Owner. The group, which operates 14 hotels and a brewery, revealed in its filing at Companies House that rising interest rates and exceptional costs impact the final result. Bowland's interest payments rose 18% during the period, while one-off costs reached £754k - of which £329k was made up of pre-opening expenses. However, the operator maintains that its operational performance remained steady, with EBITDA remaining largely unchanged at £4.2m. Operating profits increased from £1.06m to £1.39m.
The Government has indicated it could reconsider aspects of hospitality taxation, after pubs and business rates dominated discussion on BBC's Question Time last week, reports the Morning Advertiser. Responding to calls from chef and publican Tom Kerridge for a reduction in VAT, culture secretary Lisa Nandy said: "We are listening and we are not afraid to go away and rethink and try and do things differently."