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McDonald’s opens third Darlington drive-thru after repeated delays
22/09/2026McDonald's opens its third Darlington restaurant on 23 September 2026, a drive-thru on the Faverdale Industrial Estate that has slipped three times since construction began in March 2025. The brand has not named the operator, so whether the site joins…
How to open a car garage in the UK 2026
22/09/2026Anyone can repair cars for money in the UK. No licence, no registration, no qualification is required to open a garage and charge for the work. Testing those same cars is different: an MOT may only be carried out at…
Administrators appointed to Sayers and Poundbakery shop operator
22/09/2026Administrators were appointed to S&PB Retail Limited, the company behind the Sayers and Poundbakery shop estates, on 15 September 2026. The notice reached The Gazette six days later. The appointment follows the closure of 19 shops in August and around…
Greggs signs for drive-thru unit at £15 million Sunderland scheme
22/09/2026Greggs has signed for a drive-thru unit at Eastgate Point in Sunderland, a £15 million commercial scheme on the former Littlewoods site that has stood empty since 2010. The shop will create 12 jobs. It lands as the chain runs…
How to open a Superdrug shop in the UK: is it possible, who owns it and expansion plans
22/09/2026Superdrug trades from close to 900 shops in the UK and Ireland and reported turnover of £1.63 billion for 2024. It publishes no franchise offer. Every shop belongs to the company, which is itself owned by A.S. Watson and ultimately…
How to open a driving school in the UK 2026
22/09/2026It is illegal to charge for driving lessons in the UK without being on the approved driving instructor register. The registration belongs to the person, not the business, lasts four years and cannot be sold or passed on. Whatever else…
How to write a business plan in the UK 2026
21/09/2026The UK has no franchise disclosure document. No statute requires a franchisor to hand over audited figures, and no regulator checks what it does hand over. That makes the business plan the only place where the numbers are tested before…
How to open an estate agency in the UK 2026
21/09/2026No licence and no qualification are needed to trade as an estate agent in England. Three registrations are compulsory all the same, and trading without the anti-money laundering one is a criminal offence. Cross into Scotland, and the position reverses:…
Heineken leads bid for 300 Stonegate pubs in £300m deal
21/09/2026Heineken's UK pub arm Star Pubs is reported to be leading the bidding for around 300 pubs from Stonegate, in a deal valued at about £300 million. The talks were reported at the weekend on unnamed City sources and are…
Pizza Express owners explore £500m sale of 450-site business
21/09/2026Bain Capital and Cyrus Capital Partners have appointed Rothschild to explore a sale of Pizza Express, at a valuation reported at up to £500 million. Approaches have already come from trade bidders and investment firms. Any buyer takes on 370…
