Investment

Tennis champion Andy Murray invests further in hospitality businessess

19-Aug-2015 By Emma Eversham

Andy Murray has been revealed as one of the investors backing healthier eating chain Tossed on crowdfunding platform Seedrs.

Healthy eating chain crowdfunds almost £1m towards expansion

03-Aug-2015 By Sophie Witts

Healthy eating chain Filmore & Union has nearly doubled its CrowdCube target to raise almost £1m towards expansion in the North of England.

Handmade Burger Company secures funding for restaurant refurbs

16-Jul-2015 By Emma Eversham

Handmade Burger Company has received a £600k cash injection from Finance Birmingham to help it fit out its soon-to-launch site at Grand Central in Birmingham and refurbish two of its existing restaurants.

Grind & Co launches crowdfunding drive to raise £1.5m towards expansion

15-Jun-2015 By Sophie Witts

London-based independent coffee and cocktail group Grind & Co has today (15 June) launched a CrowdCube campaign to raise £1.5m towards national expansion and allow the company to take control of its own supply chain.

Valor Hospitality Europe expands UK hotel portfolio

26-May-2015 By Sophie Witts

Newly formed management company Valor Hospitality Europe has added a further five hotels to its expanding portfolio.

BrewDog plans first hotel as part of £25m crowdfunding campaign

22-Apr-2015 By Emma Eversham

Craft brewer BrewDog has announced plans to build a craft beer themed hotel as well as expand its UK bar estate and extend its brewery capacity by raising £25m through its Equity for Punks crowdfunding campaign.  

Harry Ramsden's begins Yorkshire expansion

09-Mar-2015 By Sophie Witts

Fish and Chip brand Harry Ramsden’s are opening a new site in Shipley in April, the first under the company’s partnership with JVP Ventures. 

Harry Ramsden's begins Yorkshire expansion

09-Mar-2015 By Sophie Witts

Fish and Chip brand Harry Ramsden’s are opening a new site in Shipley in April, the first under the company’s new partnership with JVP Ventures. 

Sir David Michels launches hotel investment fund

02-Mar-2015 By Carina Perkins

Ex-Hilton chief Sir David Michels has launched a £200m fund targeting investments in the UK and European hotel sectors.

People 1st calls for ‘systematic’ approach to hospitality training

19-Feb-2015 By Noli Dinkovski

People 1st has called on hospitality employers to develop a more ‘systematic’ approach to training in order to guarantee a return on investment (ROI).

VIEWPOINT

Debbie Taylor of Macdonald Hotels & Resorts on why there is finally optimism in the regional hotel market

13-Feb-2015 By Emma Eversham

Debbie Taylor, managing director for Manchester and the North West at Macdonald Hotels & Resorts, talks about the general optimism for regional hotels and why investing in them and their people can help with continual growth. 

The Hotel Collection invests in green technology to save £360k a year

05-Feb-2015 By Emma Eversham

Independent hotel group The Hotel Collection says it is expecting to shave more than £360,000 a year of its energy bill after investing in green technology.

Jurys Inn acquired by Lone Star Funds for £680m

28-Jan-2015 By Emma Eversham

Hotel group Jurys Inn has been bought by an affiliate of private equity firm Lone Star Funds for £680m. 

Strong performance for easyHotel

09-Dec-2014 By Melodie Michel

‘Super budget’ brand easyHotel has announced a 34 per cent increase in revenue to £3.5m for the year ended 30 September 2014.

QHotels adds six former De Vere properties to its portfolio

20-Nov-2014 By Lauren Houghton

Hotel operator QHotels has taken over six former De Vere Hotels and De Vere Luxury Lodges, taking its portfolio to a total of 27 hotels. 

Government urged to regulate sharing economy

17-Nov-2014 By Melodie Michel

Pop-up marketplace Grub Club is urging the government to better regulate ‘sharing economy’ businesses like itself in order to ensure their protection.

Generator Hostels gets €60m from Invesco for expansion

13-Nov-2014 By Melodie Michel

Luxury hostel brand Generator has secured €60m of capital from US real estate investor Invesco, with plans to grow its portfolio to 20 properties by 2018.

Line-up announced for 2014 Henry Stewart hotel finance conference

27-Oct-2014 By Lauren Houghton

Experts from Hilton Hotels, Travelodge and Accor UK and Ireland will speak at this year's Finance for Hotel Investment and Development in the UK and Continental Europe conference.

Piper takes stake in Hickory’s Smokehouse

20-Oct-2014 By Mark Wingett

Piper, the private equity backer of Loungers and Be At One, has acquired a stake in Hickory’s Smokehouse, the north west-based American BBQ restaurant chain.

Viewpoint

Charles Scudamore on HCP and the UK hotel market

18-Sep-2014 By Carina Perkins

Charles Scudamore is the principal and founder of Hetherley Capital Partners (HCP), a specialist hotel real estate investment and asset management firm, based in London. He talks BigHospitality about the current state of the UK hotel investment market...

St James’s buys Legacy Falcon Hotel

10-Sep-2014 By Melodie Michel

St James’s Hotel Group has acquired the Legacy Falcon Hotel in Stratford-upon-Avon after it was placed into administration on 8 September.

US investment firm buys 11 QMH hotels

11-Aug-2014 By Melodie Michel

Eleven QMH hotels operating under the Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn and Best Western PLUS brands have been acquired by US investment firm Marathon Asset Management for an undisclosed sum.

London set to become one of world's leading hotel markets

24-Jun-2014 By Carina Perkins

London’s hotel market is set to boom in the coming years as tourism visits to the capital continue to rise, according to consultancy firm HVS.

Regional hotel market picks up as investors look for higher yield

22-May-2014 By Melodie Michel

The UK hotel sector has seen a surge of activity, and the regions are becoming particularly attractive to investors.

Great year for Luminar as capital investment starts to pay off

21-May-2014 By Melodie Michel

Nightclub operator Luminar has posted a profit before tax of £3.4m for the year ended in February 2014 – a 34 per cent increase over the previous year.

Macdonald Hotels operating profits up 7%

28-Apr-2014 By Melodie Michel

The hotel group has announced operating profits of £14.9m for the year ended March 2013, an increase of 7 per cent over the previous year.

BDO forecasts further growth for hotels in 2014

07-Apr-2014 By Carina Perkins

Record visitor numbers, movement in the MICE market and resurgence in the regions should drive further growth in the UK hotel sector this year, according to business advisors BDO LLP.

Starwood Capital buys De Vere Venues

11-Mar-2014 By Luke Nicholls

International private investment firm Starwood Capital Group has acquired hotel operator and meeting and events space provider De Vere Venues for £232m.

Orchid Group reveals plans for significant investment in 2014

07-Mar-2014 By Carina Perkins

The Orchid Group has revealed plans to carry out ‘significant works’ across 13 of its businesses in this financial quarter, with more to follow in the rest of the year.

Hotel booking site Top10.com secures $8m of additional investment

04-Mar-2014 By Carina Perkins

UK travel start-up Top10.com has secured $8m of investment to expand its recommendation-based hotel booking system.

Egyptian hotelier invests in North Wales property

05-Feb-2014 By Carina Perkins

An Egyptian hotelier has bought the 31-bed hotel Brig y Don Hotel in Llandudno on the North Wales coast with hopes of transforming it into a 3-star holiday destination.

Four Pillars Hotels bought by US investment group

17-Jan-2014 By Carina Perkins

US investment firm Starwood Capital Group has announced the acquisition of UK hotel operator and owner Four Pillars Hotels.

Hotel transactions on the up as foreign investment rises

13-Jan-2014 By Luke Nicholls

If 2013 was the year that the spotlight returned to hotels as an investment class, 2014 will be the year that foreign capital continues to pour into the industry with the completion of a number of major portfolio deals.

In good spirits: Operators trade strongly in run-up to Christmas

18-Dec-2013 By Luke Nicholls

Britains’s restaurant, pub and bar groups are in good stead in the run up to Christmas with like-for-likes up by 1.7 per cent in November compared to the same month last year.

Oakman completes £5.5m fundraising, appoints new FD

03-Dec-2013 By Luke Nicholls

Oakman Inns & Restaurants, the Peter Borg-Neal-led group, has successfully raised £5.5m of funding through the pub-focused Enterprise Investment Scheme.

Harry Ramsden's to return to Yorkshire under new franchise agreement

01-Nov-2013 By Emma Eversham

Fish and chip restaurant brand Harry Ramsden's will make its return to Yorkshire next year through a new franchise deal with JVP Ventures. 

Orchid’s ‘pubs and people’ focus helps deliver modest growth

30-Sep-2013 By Luke Nicholls

The Orchid Group has reported what it calls ‘a period of significant progress’ in 2012, with a modest underlying sales growth across its c240-strong estate following a refinancing of the business.

Risk Capital Partners takes majority stake in Red Hot World Buffet

28-Aug-2013 By Mark Wingett

Risk Capital Partners, the Luke Johnson-led investment vehicle, has completed the acquisition of a majority stake in Red Hot World Buffet (RHWB), the seven-strong group, founded by Helen and Parmjit Dhaliwal.

Travelodge invests £18m in opening sixth Cambridge hotel

13-Aug-2013 By Emma Eversham

Budget hotel chain Travelodge has today become the largest hotel operator in Cambridge following an investment of £18m to open its sixth hotel in the city.  

Luminar turnaround working as nightclub operator returns to profit

18-Jul-2013 By Emma Eversham

Nightclub operator Luminar says its efforts to turn the business around seem to be working as it posts a return to profit for its first full year of trade. 

What a waste: UK hospitality industry accused of overspending on energy by £180m a year

24-May-2013 By Peter Ruddick

The UK hospitality industry is overspending on energy by £180m per year, according to new analysis from the Energy Efficiency Financing (EEF) scheme.

NatWest and RBS launch £150m leisure industry fund

20-May-2013 By Peter Ruddick

NatWest and RBS have worked closely with VistEngland on the details of a new £150m fund designed specifically for the leisure industry which was launched today.

Family-run Soar Mill Cove Hotel to complete £2m redevelopment

15-May-2013 By Peter Ruddick

The family team behind the Soar Mill Cove Hotel in Salcombe are in the final stages of a redevelopment programme to refurbish the Devon venue, a project they have said has already delivered a nine per cent boost in Easter income. 

John Vincent and Brad Blum set up restaurant investment business

08-May-2013 By Mark Wingett

John Vincent, co-founder of Leon, has teamed up with ex-Burger King and Olive Garden executive Brad Blum to launch a new investment vehicle called Five to Seven.

City Pub Company acquires three pubs as part of plan to operate 20 by 2014

07-May-2013 By Peter Ruddick

City Pub Company, the operator founded by the team behind the Capital Pub Company, has revealed it has acquired three sites and made two appointments to its senior management team in order to support further growth.

Benito's Hat secures £1.4m private investment deal for accelerated roll-out

07-May-2013 By Luke Nicholls

Private equity investor Calculus Capital has invested the majority share of £1.4m into Benito’s Hat, with the fast-casual Mexican chain planning to grow from four to 10 sites by the end of next year.

Drake & Morgan to grow to 70 sites with Bowmark Capital investment

22-Apr-2013 By Emma Eversham

Bowmark Capital has bought bar and restaurant group Drake & Morgan for £30m with plans to grow the business to 70 sites across the UK. 

D&D London undergoes management buyout to help further restaurant expansion

22-Apr-2013 By Emma Eversham

D&D London has confirmed that private equity firm LDC has performed a £50m management buyout of the restaurant group.

Hotel transactions fall, will 2013 be the year of the portfolio deal?

06-Mar-2013 By Luke Nicholls

The number of UK hotel transactions dropped by 12 per cent in 2012, but there is good news on the horizon according to one industry expert who claims 2013 could be ‘the year of the portfolio deal’.

Admiral reports ‘significant progress’ with debt pay-back

28-Feb-2013 By Luke Nicholls

Two-and-a-half-years after Admiral Taverns was hit by the recession, the tenanted pub group has reported a ‘robust’ performance for the 52 weeks to May 2012, disposing of 259 sites for £48.8m and spending £8m on capex to put the business ahead of its...