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All MCA Insight articles in January 2025 – Page 6
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NewsGDK sales surpass £160m
Parent company Hero Brands said the kebab chain will continue to expand globally, while fried chicken concept Sides will roll out 200 UK sites over the next decade
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InterviewsDrake & Morgan’s Rising Star ‘integral to the success of the business’
Drake & Morgan’s Graham Hall pays tribute to “superstar” people and culture director Chantelle Christy, in the first of a series focussing on Rising Star finalists ahead of the MCA Hospitality Awards
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NewsRare Restaurants sees turnover up but losses widen
Since the year end, the Gaucho restaurant operator has continued to ”outperform market measures”, with strong like-for-like growth through the Christmas period and a positive start to 2025, marketing director Mark Sansom tells MCA
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NewsJKS Restaurants achieves £73m turnover
The multi-brand group, which operates c25 restaurants across the UK and Middle East, has continued to introduce new concepts while expanding existing ones
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NewsThe Alchemist celebrates record year
The bar group’s sales surpassed £60m for the first time, bolstered by its first overseas outpost in Berlin, with plans to step up international expansion this year
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NewsNWTC Christmas trading up 5.5%
The strong trading comes after a CVA in October 2024, with three non-profitable sites to close in January, but customers responding well to site conversions
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Newsitsu appoints former Pret CFO to board
Adam Jones joins the healthy Asian brand as a non-executive director, where he reunites with Pret co-founder Julian Metcalfe and former CEO Clive Schlee
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NewsMcDonald’s drops diversity initiatives after pressure from ‘anti-woke’ activist
In a seperate development, the fast-food chain said it would no longer set “aspirational representation goals” and will end its requirement for suppliers to make a diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) commitment
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NewsMcDonald’s accused of being a ‘hotbed of harassment’
Amid fresh allegations of sexual harassment, McDonald’s UK CEO Alistair Macrow insisted the brand had taken action and strengthened standards during questioning in parliament
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NewsNando’s to reveal refreshed vision
The group will focus on amplifying its commercial performance through social and economic inclusion, community, planet, and partnering with purpose, according to CEO Mark Standish
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NewsWendy’s appoints operations director
Adie Twining, previously of McDonald’s and Ben’s Cookies, will serve as director for UK & EU operations as the QSR chain continues to grow
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InterviewsSir Tim Martin: ‘Difficult conditions will always create opportunities’
Writing for The Times, the Wetherspoon founder and chairman said the main challenge this year is still tax equality with supermarkets
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NewsO2 reports record sales
The AEG and Crosstree owned arena had more than 10m visitors in 2024, with sales across F&B, retail and leisure up 6%
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Analysis & InsightPubs and restaurants saw modest December sales growth
For British consumers looking for ways to make savings, almost half (49%) said they planned to cut back on eating out in restaurants last month, with spending also impact by winter illness, according to Barclays
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NewsBig brands added to Food to Go Conference line-up
Chipotle, Papa John’s, Costa Coffee and Ole & Steen will be speaking at MCA’s upcoming Food to Go Conference on 6 March 2025
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Analysis & InsightHealth and treatonomics emerge as mega-trends
Health-led trends continue to expand their influence on menus, albeit customers continue to prioritise treats and experiences, according to Lumina Intelligence
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Analysis & InsightFestive cheer or fear – how is the hospitality industry feeling about 2025?
Many hospitality businesses are trying their best not to put price increases on the customer, but for some this will be inevitable, writes Benjamin Wiles, managing director at Kroll financial advisory
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NewsRitchie steps down as Buns From Home CEO
Shereen Ritchie is leaving her role after nearly two years at the business, with founder Barney Goff to take over as chief executive
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NewsPure reduces losses and continues to focus on B2B channel
The food to go retailer and caterer said travel strikes during 2023 could not stop the momentum of its growing catering business which now makes up 35% of overall sales
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NewsUpham Group exploring funding options
The pub group is “optimitistic” it will secure the funding needed to complete on several acquisitions early in the New Year, director David Butcher tells MCA