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Kingfisher lifts profit outlook as first-half profits rise 10%
23/09/2026Kingfisher, the retail group behind B&Q and Screwfix, raised its full-year profit guidance after adjusted pre-tax profit rose 9.9% to £404 million in the first half. Screwfix continued to outperform while B&Q's like-for-like sales fell, as the group narrowed its…
Stonegate posts strong Q3 profit growth as pub conversions accelerate
23/09/2026Stonegate Group posted another quarter of rising profit in the 40 weeks to 5 July 2026, with operating profit up to £245 million as the tenanted pub operator pushed ahead with converting managed pubs into its leased and tenanted estate.…
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…
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…
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…
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…
KFC plans to acquire more than 60 restaurants in 2027
21/09/2026KFC is looking to acquire more than 60 restaurants in the UK during 2027, according to Propel. The plan sits on top of an estate that is roughly 95% franchised, and it follows a June deal running the other way,…
XP Factory’s franchised estate shrinks as owner-operated sites grow
08/09/2026XP Factory's audited results for the year to 29 March 2026 show group turnover up 3% to £59.6 million and adjusted EBITDA down to £5.5 million. For a franchise audience the figures underneath matter more: Escape Hunt's franchised sites fell…
Caffè Nero owner posts record £670m sales
03/09/2026The Nero Group, owner of Caffè Nero, posted record sales of £670 million for the year to 31 May 2026, up 8% on the previous year, as its core coffee brand delivered like-for-like growth of 4.5%. The group opened 72…
