, petrol forecourts and convenience stores.
Two Heads Beer Co eyes Gipsy Hill site as it reports ‘very strong’ trading period: Independent craft beer retailer Two Heads Beer Co, which is currently fund-raising on crowdfunding platform Crowdcube, is eyeing a site in Gipsy Hill, south London, as it reports a “very strong” period of trading. The company, which is led by former BrewDog head of retail acquisitions James Hickson, is also set to introduce pizza by the slice to its sites and plans to expand its coffee pop-up, launched in Putney, to other stores. It stated: “June was a bumper month of sales and July is shaping up to be even bigger as we continue to grow the momentum we’ve built going into the summer. Our coffee pop-up in Putney is proving very popular. Its initial performance has vindicated our belief our customers and locals were crying out for good coffee and we will be putting it into a couple of other stores. Meanwhile, we are working on our plan to introduce pizza by the slice into our stores, something we think would enhance the customer experience and grow incremental revenue. This is something we are really excited to introduce, initially in our Clapham Junction store, followed by Tunbridge Wells. Beer and pizza is a match made in heaven. We are also actively looking for new sites and have entered very early negotiations on a new site in Gipsy Hill.” Two Heads Beer Co has so far raised £372,800 from 311 investors in its crowdfunding campaign as it looks to open four stores. The company, which operates six sites, was initially looking to raise £350,000 and was offering 14.9% equity in return for the investment. The company remains in negotiations over potential sites in Herne Hill and Surbiton. Hickson founded We Brought Beer in 2014. It merged with fellow bottle shop business The Beer Boutique in January, with founder Jon Kaye becoming executive chairman of Two Heads Beer Co.
Hastings Hotels reports pre-tax profit boost as turnover nears £40m: Hastings Hotels, which owns and operates seven venues across Northern Ireland, has reported turnover increased 7.8% to £39,632,526 for the year ending 31 October 2017, compared with £36,763,548 the year before. Pre-tax profit was up to £5,235,783, compared with £4,918,796 the previous year. Gross margin rose to 85.98% compared with 85.79% the year before, according to accounts filed at Companies House. In their report accompanying the accounts, the directors described the financial results as “satisfactory” and pledged to continue to “seek every opportunity to increase profitable turnover”. They also paid tribute to group founder Sir William Hastings, who died in December at the age of 89. The group opened the £53m, 300-bedroom Grand Central Hotel in Belfast last month and the venue includes a Sir William Suite. Its other hotels include Belfast’s Europa, Stormont and Culloden hotels, while it also owns a 50% stake in Dublin’s Merrion Hotel.
Creams Cafe franchisee opens debut site, plans further venues: Franchisee Khawaja Hassan has opened his debut Creams Cafe – in Epsom in Surrey – and is planning further venues. Hassan funded the opening of the dessert parlour in High Street with a £284,000 finance package from HSBC. Creams serves waffles, milkshakes, freakshakes and 36 varieties of Italian gelato-style ice cream. It also offers a wide range of sundaes, including the hot chocolate fudge volcano, and crepes such as the Belgian banana burrito. Hassan said: “I am excited to be opening Epsom’s first Creams franchise with HSBC’s support. I can’t wait to hear what our customers think of the cafe and our Italian and American-inspired desserts.” David Hamblin, HSBC’s area director for south London business banking, added: “My team has worked closely with Khawaja to secure the most suitable funding package for this new outlet. He has big plans to open more sites in the future and we hope to continue our support.” Creams Cafe was founded in 2008 and operates more than 70 sites in the UK.
Team behind Brixton restaurant Salon to launch sister site in Peckham: The team behind Brixton restaurant Salon is to launch a sister site in Peckham. Levan will launch in October focusing on contemporary European dishes and taking inspiration from “new-wave bistronomy”. The restaurant will offer breakfast favourites such as pastries and croque monsieur in the morning, while the lunch menu will reflect European bistro classics such as potato, chanterelle and vacherin pie. The evening menu will consist of smaller sharing plates and heartier dishes such as smoked pollack with spinach and 50-day aged rump with wild garlic aioli. The drinks list will include French wine and bespoke cocktails, the Evening Standard reports. Levan will be housed in a converted warehouse and consist of two main spaces – a large dining area and a bar with high tables for walk-ins. As at its sister restaurant, Levan will be committed to sustainability with more than 90% of waste reused or repurposed. Unused food such as herb stalks will be incorporated into infusions, while spoilt milk will be used to make cheese curd.
Brewhouse & Kitchen to open Hoxton site this week: Brewhouse & Kitchen, the brewpub business led by Kris Gumbrell and Simon Bunn, will open its latest site – in east London’s Hoxton – this week. The site, which is the company’s 21st, housed former restaurant, cafe and bar The Beagle and is next to the newly developed Hoxton train station. The venue has been refurbished ahead of its opening on Thursday (19 July) and will feature a 50-capacity restaurant and outdoor seating. It will also feature two seated bars – one outside. The venue will offer the company’s new summer menu, complete with seasonal beer pairing suggestions and 23 vegan and vegetarian options. Bunn said: “We are excited to open a brewpub in Hoxton and look forward to making lots of local friends, providing a service to the growing community.” In May, Brewhouse & Kitchen exchanged contracts to buy the freehold of Wabi restaurant in Horsham, which will be its first site in West Sussex. The company told Propel it was also “in legals on two further venues”.
Purity Soft Drinks chief steps down: David Bell, chief executive of Black Country-headquartered Purity Soft Drinks, has stepped down from his role. Bell had held the position since 2014, when he succeeded Garry Nield having previously held roles at Mars and Young’s Seafood. Purity was founded in 1892 and has been backed by private equity firm Langholm Capital since 2012. Langholm Capital declined to comment on the news but a spokesman told Insider Media the split was “amicable”, describing the move as a “parting of the ways”. Purity did not respond to requests for a comment. Purity Soft Drinks owns tonics brands Juice Burst and Firefly. In April, the company reported an increase in turnover from £18.5m to £19.8m for the year to 31 March 2017. However, pre-tax profits fell from £1.3m to £928,961 during the same period. At the time, Purity blamed the decline in profit on the impact of the Brexit vote on currency and further investment in its brands.
Kensington-based Indian restaurant Chakra starts expansion with Kingston riverside site: Kensington-based Indian restaurant Chakra has started expansion by opening a second site in London, in Kingston-upon-Thames. The restaurant is perched on the banks of the river and offers a contemporary fine-dining take on Indian cuisine. Arjun Varma launched Chakra’s Kensington restaurant seven years ago. The site underwent a refurbishment and reopened last month sporting a new look and menu. The brand’s menu features dishes such as Chakra Channa (Assam tea-infused chickpea with channa masala and tomatoes), and fish moile (Kerala-style sea bream in coconut milk gravy). In May, Propel reported Chakra was looking to expand across London by launching a number of key delivery kitchens under the brand Chakra To Go and rolling out restaurants. The first delivery kitchen opened in Wimbledon in June.
Fish and seafood restaurant inspired by Wright Brothers opens in Hull: A new fish and seafood restaurant has opened in Hull inspired by the city’s maritime heritage and London’s Wright Brothers concept. James and Paula Stockdale have launched Humber Fish Co in the regenerated Fruit Market waterside district. Humber Fish Co features chilled seafood and fish displays, with customers dining at marble-topped tables or around a counter surrounding the open kitchen. The 1,350 square foot restaurant has 50 covers inside and 36 outside. The restaurant’s decor features an upturned “clinker” fishing boat. The venue also takes inspiration from Wright Brothers’ restaurant in London’s Borough Market. Stockdale said: “We want to bring the quality of food and surroundings you get at Wright Brothers and other leading seafood restaurants around the country to Hull.” The £80m Fruit Market regeneration is driven by Wykeland Beal, a joint venture formed by commercial developer Wykeland Group and housebuilder Beal Homes in partnership with Hull City Council.
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