Today’s news in brief – 24/09/24

D&D London is in talks to rescue the UK operations of TGI Friday’s, Sky News has reported, following the collapse of its UK parent company Hostmore last week. Industry sources told Sky the deal was likely to see the new owners taking over the majority of its 89 sites, despite this it is still expected that a significant number of jobs will be lost.

Five Guys saw its European sales rise by more than £90m in 2023. According to filings on Companies House, pre-tax losses also halved to £16.2m over the same 12-month period. In the UK specifically, Five Guys’ revenues rose by 13.5% to £316.4m from £278.6m recorded in 2022.

50 pubs a month have “vanished” from English and Welsh communities during H1, according to analysis of official government data. The overall number of pubs in England and Wales, including those vacant and being offered to let, fell to 39,096 at the end of the first half of 2024 to 30 June down 305 compared with 39,401 at the end of 2023.

Newcastle upon Tyne’s Landmark Oriental has been brought to market. Occupying a “prominent” position on Stowell Street, the restaurant is positioned amongst an established drinking and dining circuit, and the long-established business is considered a “household name” in the city and the wider North East region.