At a meeting with LOCOG to discuss the support that London’s hotels were giving to the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games, the British Hospitality Association strongly refuted claims that hotels in the capital were profiteering from the event. Speaking on behalf of the UK’s major hotel chains, Ufi Ibrahim, BHA’s chief executive, said that the industry had played … [Read more...]
Archives for March 2011
Noodle restaurant chain, Wagamama sold for £215m
The noodle restaurant chain Wagamama has been sold to London private equity group Duke Street Capital by Lion Capital, in an agreement worth circa £215 million. Lion Capital bought Wagamama back in 2005 for £100m and has since doubled the number of UK based restaurants. Wagamama is now the leading chain of Japanese noodle bars in the UK, has three outlets in the US and a … [Read more...]
Taking on the coffee boys, Tea Monkey aims to do just that
Taking on the coffee boys is a tall order but Tea Monkey aims to do just that by opening specialist tea cafes across the UK offering consumers something a little bit different. The company wanted to create a tea space…a place where people could chill or work, meet and eat. They wanted customers to have access to the latest technology…it had to be a space for all…and … [Read more...]
AG Barr profits continue to sparkle
Marketing Week reports today that soft drinks group AG Barr reported a 13% jump in annual profit to £31.6m in 2010, following strong growth from brands such as Irn-Bru and Rubicon. Like-for-like sales increased 10% to £222.4m for the twelve months to 29 January. The group says it outperformed a “buoyant” soft drinks market last year. The overall UK take home soft drinks … [Read more...]
London’s Bistro du Vin to open in Great Spirits
Marmalade martinis – shaken, not stirred – made with delectable Limited Edition Chase Marmalade Vodka and served with melt-in-the-mouth brioche: a fitting breakfast to mark the opening of London’s latest chic venue, the Bistro du Vin at Clerkenwell, which will be joining the city scene from April 7. The Williams Chase distillery has created an exclusive batch of it’s … [Read more...]
Mother’s day in Mayfair
Mum does all the hard work 364 days of the year, so take advantage of this offer to say thank you and make her day in a very special way ENJOY A ROYAL TREAT AT AVISTA RESTAURANT THIS MOTHER'S DAY Special Mother's Day Raffle sponsored by: Elemis Spa, Miller Harris Fragrances, English National Ballet, Davina Peace, House of Fraser, Bourjois, Classic FM & Desi Fontaine … [Read more...]
Top Secret Hotels on iPhone App launch
Travelocity’s iPhone application, one of the first introduced by an online travel company, now helps on-the-go travelers find discounted hotel rates in the eleventh hour using Top Secret Hotels. The Top Secret Hotels service offers an easy way to shop hotels and find unpublished rates that are up to 55 percent off Travelocity’s regular rates for the same top hotels on the same … [Read more...]
Travelodge to build £4m hotel in Enfield for 2012 Olympics
Travelodge and Frontier Estates have agreed contracts to build a 132 bed hotel at the Lumina Park development in Enfield in time for the London 2012 Olympics. The £4m hotel has already secured detailed planning permission to be built at Frontier’s Lumina Park development. Tony O’Brien, UK development director for Travelodge, said: “The London Borough of Enfield has a … [Read more...]
Ex Blue Seal UK Manager Martin Allen joins ChefQuip
After 26 years at the helm of Blue Seal ex UK Manager Martin Allen has taken on the role of General Manager - Director Designate at ChefQuip - and CaterQuotes is very pleased to report that we are very much in his plans to build the business.Over the last few years ChefQuip has acquired a number of brands that are well respected by both competitors and consumers alike. I hope … [Read more...]
HACCP principles made simple & easy
A quick 2 minute tour of The Safer Food System, giving you a quick insight into how this system can help you implement and manage a Food Safety Management System that includes HACCP principles in a catering business. Click the image below to see how we can make managing HACCP principles simple and easy, letting you get on with the much more difficult task of cooking … [Read more...]
Video Recipe – Philly Stroganoff à la Charlotte Hall
Charlotte Hall is Philly Local Hero in The North West of England. When she's not teaching or looking after her little boy, she's rustling up a deliciously simple Philly Stroganoff. This extremely tasty, simple and quick to cook meal can be seen through the video link below. … [Read more...]
Ipswich threaten top spot, Football Pie League update
Well they say in football it's never over till it's over and Ipswich Town FC are certainly demonstrating that. Commenting on last week's league action ‘a well known sporting legend’ said…In typical football style shown by all top teams a tactical change has made an impact. In last Saturday's home match against Scunthorpe the Ipswich Town match programme published a feature … [Read more...]
Greggs marketers shift focus to tactical social media
Marketing Week reports that Sandwich chain Greggs plans to switch to tactical marketing activity as it seeks to become the UK’s biggest sandwich and savouries outlet. The company will focus on tactical radio, press, social media and local store activity for the rest of 2011. The shift follows the brand-building campaign launched in 2010 that introduced the ’Home of fresh … [Read more...]
Jamie’s award winning app now on Android
Jamie Oliver’s award-winning cooking app ’20-Minute Meals’ now available to millions more on Android smart-phones. Following the global success of his iPhone app, Jamie Oliver makes cooking easier than ever by launching 20 Minute Meals on Android, available today. The app features 60 delicious recipes, gorgeous step-by-step photography throughout and 21 … [Read more...]
UK chain hotels market review, February 2011
Despite a three percentage point decline in room occupancy, profitability levels remained stable forLondon hoteliers in February, according to the latestHotStats survey from TRI Hospitality Consulting. The 0.4% increase in Gross Operating Profit perAvailable Room (GOPPAR) to £54.30 was drivenby a 7.4% increase in Achieved Average RoomRate (ARR) to £122.60. As a result of … [Read more...]