All MCA Insight articles in March 2025 – Page 9
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Weekend Press‘We don’t need a Gail’s’ - the coffee shop boom dividing locals
Gail’s draws crowds and inspires social media memes, but attracts fierce criticism too, the BBC reports
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Weekend PressThe rise of the Ozempic menu and how weight-loss drugs are changing dining out
With more diners skipping mains, drinking less and sharing starters because of weight-loss drugs, the traditional three-course meal could soon be a thing of the past. Hannah Twiggs reports for The Independent
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Weekend PressGreggs is no longer on such a roll
Before last year, the bakery chain had enjoyed three years of double-digit like-for-like revenue growth, Natalie Thomas writes in the FT
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Weekend PressBill’s takes family-friendly dining to the Middle East
The casual restaurant chain made record sales of £96.4m in 2024, paving the way for expansion to Dubai, Riyadh and perhaps even Indian cities, The Times reports
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NewsCherry Equity Partners acquires Bistrot Pierre
The transaction will ensure 10 of the French-inspired restaurant group’s sites continue to trade, albeit eight restaurants will close immediately
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NewsWendy’s unveils next chapter of growth
The American QSR chain looks to add 1,000 net new restaurants globally by 2028, alongside longer-term plans to reach 400 in the UK
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NewsPizzaExpress shareholders to provide £30m cash injection
Bain Capital Special Situations is preparing to inject millions of pounds to help secure a refinancing of the restaurant group’s debt, Sky News reports
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NewsMcDonald’s turns to AI to boost efficiency
The fast food chain is rolling out AI-driven kitchen management, automated drive-throughs, and predictive maintenance across its 43,000 global restaurants
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NewsJust Eat expands automation with drone deliveries and AI
The food delivery platform is advancing its automation strategy with drone-operated deliveries and an AI-powered ordering assistant
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NewsIn pictures: Permit Room Oxford
Dishoom’s sister brand’s latest opening has seen a concrete shell transformed into a hospitality space to transport guests to mid-century Bombay
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NewsChipotle to ramp up UK equity growth
Speaking at MCA’s Food to Go conference, director of European operations Jacob Sumner said the Mexican-inspired fast casual chain continues to focus on London as a growth hub.
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Event NewsPolarisation and premiumisation: Food to go in 2025
Speaking at MCA’s Food to Go Conference, Lumina Intelligence’s Flora Zwolinski highlights the challenges and opportunities shaping the sector this year
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NewsBlack Sheep reports another year of strong growth
The coffee shop chain entered three new markets in 2024 while achieving double-digit same-store sales growth for five consecutive months at the end of the year
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NewsIndian QSR concept secures funding from Haldiram’s
Shree Krishna Vada Pav, which operates 18 sites across London, aims to reach 30 stores by the end of the year, with a projected turnover of £12m
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InterviewsRedCat Hospitality moves back into acquisitive phase
The Rooney Anand-founded group is looking forward to growing the business following a period of consolidation, CEO Richard Lewis tells MCA
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NewsOpenings of the week
MCA rounds up this week’s biggest openings stories, including Slim Chickens, Crêpeaffaire, Blacklock, and more
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NewsWildfarmed’s George Lamb: ‘Great tasting food starts with great farming’
Speaking at the Peach 20/20 Sustainability Summit 2025, Lamb shared the company’s unconventional origin story – one that began with a mid-life crisis, a summer in Ibiza, and a DJ with a failing farm
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Analysis & InsightDelivery sales fall as consumers continue to rein in spending
Restaurant delivery sales fell by 1% in January 2025 compared to January 2024, CGA by NIQ’s Hospitality at Home Tracker has found
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Analysis & InsightEating out frequency up with drink occasions gaining share
Consumers that engaged with the market enjoyed an average of 1.5 occasions per week, in the four weeks to 16 February 2025, with frequency up 5.6%, according to Lumina Intelligence
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InterviewsLittle Dessert Shop aiming for 100 sites in two years
The dessert parlour, which currently operates from around 50 locations, has five sites currently in the build phase and another five or six in the pipeline, founder Maz Ali tells MCA