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Slim Chickens sets 6 October for first UK drive-thru
02/10/2026Slim Chickens will open its first drive-thru in Great Britain at Broughton Shopping Park in Flintshire, Wales, at 12pm on 6 October 2026. Boparan Restaurant Group, described as the brand's UK master franchise partner, says the site will serve as…
Landsec exchanges contracts to buy Metrocentre for £516 million
02/10/2026Landsec has exchanged contracts to buy 100% of Metrocentre in Gateshead for £516 million, adding a shopping centre of 1.86 million sq ft to its retail portfolio. The listed property group announced the purchase on 1 October 2026, together with…
Vaping Products Duty takes effect at £2.20 per 10ml
01/10/2026Vaping Products Duty took effect across the UK on 1 October 2026 at £2.20 per 10ml of vaping liquid, alongside a stamps scheme intended to trace products through the supply chain. Retailers have until 31 March 2027 to sell existing…
McDonald’s opens Newport drive-thru, its third Isle of Wight restaurant
01/10/2026McDonald's opened its new drive-thru at St George's Retail Park in Newport, Isle of Wight, on Wednesday 30 September 2026. Customers filed in soon after the 11am ribbon-cutting. It is the island's third McDonald's, about seven years after the retail…
Taco Bell opens its first Ashford restaurant at Waterbrook Park
01/10/2026Taco Bell has opened its first restaurant in Ashford, Kent, at the new Waterbrook Park development in Sevington. Doors opened at 11am on Tuesday 29 September 2026, with queues outside, 25 staff and 50 covers. The new unit sits next…
Zambrero targets 36 new London sites in three years
30/09/2026Zambrero has appointed three development agents for Greater London and set a target of 36 new sites within three years. The Australian-founded Mexican food brand, which reports 17 UK sites, is aiming for 100 across the country by 2030, and…
Costa franchisee Optimum Group sees turnover slip 3% to £11.5 million
28/09/2026Optimum Group, the Liverpool operator behind almost 30 Costa sites across the North West, reported turnover down 3% to £11.5 million and pre-tax profit down to £475,496 in the year to 31 August 2025. The multi-brand franchisee says it is…
Morrisons begins selling in-store pharmacies to independent operators
28/09/2026Morrisons has started selling some of its in-store pharmacies, and hopes to have sold dozens of them by early 2027. The branches are being sold one by one to independent owners and will keep trading inside Morrisons supermarkets under their…
Amber Taverns lifts turnover 9.6% and heads inside the M25
28/09/2026Amber Taverns grew turnover 9.6% to £131.5 million and EBITDA 11.5% to £28.1 million in the year to 1 February 2026, while interest costs kept it in a pre-tax loss. The community pub group, which runs its pubs through an…
XP Factory sells Boom Battle Bar for up to £11 million
28/09/2026XP Factory has sold Boom Battle Bar, a competitive socialising brand with 24 company-run sites and five franchised sites, to Frasers Group-backed F.O Twenty-Four for up to £11 million. The AIM-listed group will now concentrate on Escape Hunt, where it…
