Miscellaneous

🍺 Mission Mars' Albert’s Schloss brand surged with a 51% revenue growth to £71.1m in the 2023 financial year from £47.1m the previous year, contributing £32.3m from just three sites. Rudy’s Pizza, another brand from the group, generated £29.3m from around 20 sites, both outperforming their market segments by 15%. Adjusted EBITDA for the group rose to £8.7m from £5.2m. Albert’s Schloss, launched in Manchester in 2015, expanded to London, taking over the former Rainforest Café site, with plans for further expansion.

📱 Hollie Race appointed as influencer marketing director at Trending Travel, previously content and brand manager at Travel Counsellors for nearly two years. Race has experience from In The Style as a senior creative executive and creative manager, and held a senior brand manager role at The Fragrance Shop. Kieran Shew, managing director, and CEO Keith Herman of Trending Travel welcome her expertise to enhance influencer campaigns.

🎶 Oliver Zon, at age 21, organized his first electronic music festival in June 2012 at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, which faced challenges due to external factors. Zon learned from this experience not to be blinded by dreams. He later founded the QSR brand Kebhouze, which opened its first store in December 2021 during a challenging post-pandemic period, yet received positive customer feedback from the outset.

✈ TPConnects, a global IATA-certified travel aggregator, partners with Kyte to offer low-cost carrier (LCC) content to its travel partners. This partnership allows access to airlines like Ryanair and easyJet through Kyte's advanced API, enhancing TPConnects' retail solutions by providing a greater range of low-cost flight options with ancillaries. Flight Centre Travel Group, the majority shareholder of TPConnects, will also benefit from the Ryanair content via this new solution. The strategic agreement aims to support the corporate travel market by making LCC content more accessible.

📺 Netflix promotes a culture of freedom and responsibility, emphasizing high performance over loyalty or effort. To foster a culture of excellence, Netflix seeks employees who possess nine values: judgment, communication, impact, curiosity, innovation, courage, passion, honesty, and selflessness. The company grants freedom but demands accountability, parting with those who fall short of standards to pave the way for top talent. This strategy aims to ensure Netflix's success across multiple generations.

🍴 Andrew Edmunds Restaurant, located in an 18th-century townhouse on Lexington Street, will temporarily close for structural works from 12 July and plans to reopen at the end of August. The restaurant, established in 1985 by the late Andrew Edmunds, continues to take advance bookings for private dining, wine tastings, and WSET courses. Edmunds, a significant figure in 'old Soho', died in September 2022 at age 79. Head chef Tom Trubshaw has been leading the kitchen since 2016.

🌿 Silo, a zero-waste restaurant in London, surpassed its crowdfunding goal, raising £11,127 from 88 backers with five days remaining. Chef founder Douglas McMaster plans to create a Fermentation Factory to supply fresh koji for culinary use, fostering a waste-reducing culture among restaurants and individuals. Crowdfunding options include a £25 DIY Miso pledge and a £100 factory tour. The initiative builds on Silo's journey since its 2014 Brighton inception and 2019 London relocation.

🏩 After the Labour party's landslide victory with over 400 seats and a majority of around 170, UKHospitality chief executive Kate Nicholls urges swift action on their commitments. Business leaders advocate for reduced employer National Insurance Contributions, reformed planning laws, and better support for green investment in hospitality within the first 100 weeks. Suggestions include altering the business rates system, lowering the threshold for hospitality visas, and cutting VAT on food and drink sales to stimulate growth and alleviate staffing and investment challenges.

🍕 London-based Zia Lucia pizzeria, with nine restaurants and a new site in Reading, partners with GNF Worldwide for global franchise expansion. Founders Gianluca D’Angelo and Claudio Vescovo, since 2016, plan a tenth London location in Chelsea and aim for 5-10 UK sites within three years. They offer unique pizzas with four dough options, including gluten-free and charcoal. Their growth strategy targets 100 stores in five years. Related venture Berto focuses on hand-made pasta in Islington.