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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…
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,…
Joules to open four new stores after administration
18/09/2026Fashion and homeware retailer Joules is to open four shops, in Northallerton, Harrogate, Basingstoke and Gretna, taking its estate to around 57 sites. The expansion marks a new stage in the chain's recovery since it collapsed into administration in November…
Auntie Anne’s opens its 50th UK and Ireland site in Eastbourne
18/09/2026Auntie Anne's opened its 50th UK and Ireland store at The Beacon in Eastbourne on Saturday 12 September 2026, the halfway mark towards a stated target of 100 sites by 2030. Sales across the estate rose 14% to £15.2 million…
KFC franchisee Gastronomy opens its 50th restaurant in Shrewsbury
18/09/2026Gastronomy opened its 50th KFC restaurant on Monday 14 September 2026, at Hazledine Park in Meole Brace, in the town where the franchisee has kept its head office since the 1990s. The drive-thru created 38 jobs and takes the group's…
Wingstop opens in Bournemouth as UK estate passes 100 sites
18/09/2026Wingstop opens its first Bournemouth restaurant on Friday 18 September 2026, in the former Franco Manca unit at Bobby's on Commercial Road. The site follows the chain's 100th UK and Ireland opening in Inverness in August, and lands as master…
Co-op adds six Peacocks and Bonmarché concessions
18/09/2026The Co-op has opened six new "store within a store" concessions with fashion retailers Peacocks and Bonmarché, taking its total to 20 sites across the two brands. The concessions sit inside existing Co-op shops in England, Wales and Scotland, extending…
Morrisons adds 71 Morrisons Daily franchise shops in 2026
17/09/2026Morrisons has opened 71 new Morrisons Daily franchise shops so far in 2026, as the supermarket group reported its fifteenth consecutive quarter of sales growth. Third-quarter like-for-like sales rose 3.2%, and cumulative cost savings since 2022 are nearing £1 billion,…
