Today’s news in brief – 09/12/24

Drinks sales edged back into growth by 1% in the last week of November, according to CGA and NIQ’s Daily Drinks Tracker. It comes as a welcome upswing after a “tricky” previous week and fluctuations throughout the autumn and early winter. Drinks sales were up year-on-year on five of the seven days of the week, with growth peaking at 8% on Saturday thanks to a combination of mild weather, Premier League fixtures and St Andrew’s Day.

Caffè Nero has secured new partnerships with Waitrose and John Lewis, which will see the coffee chain open sites in five Waitrose stores and the first Caffè Nero in a John Lewis store in White City, London. This latest announcement builds on the coffee chain’s relationship with Waitrose, which was established in 2021, and will see the two companies develop a new cafe concept. 

Stonegate Group has opened Rita’s Beerhall and Ballroom, a new concept in Leeds, following a £1m investment to transform the city centre location into a “beerhall for cocktail lovers”. The pub company’s aim is that the new venue will become “famous for its seven day a week programme of live music and entertainment”. Rita’s also serves pizzas, which are available as giant slices or XXL 24-inch sharers, as well as build-your-own sundaes.