Today’s news in brief – 16/04/25
Big Mamma Holdings has seen its turnover rise 10% to £44m in 2024. According to the group’s filings at Companies House, last year was the first where all six restaurants – Gloria, Circolo Popolare, Ave Mario, Jacuzzi and Carlotta in London, and La Bellezza in Birmingham – were operating. Out of the six, five restaurants operated throughout the year, as La Bellezza only opened in November 2024. The profit uplift was attributed to the London restaurants’ strong performance “in excess of expectations”.
Shepherd Neame’s managing director, Jonathon Swaine, will step down on 17 April 2025 after nearly three years in the role. Before joining Shepherd Neame, Swaine held senior positions at Fuller Smith and Turner, including operations director for Quality Managed Pubs and Hotels, and managing director of Fuller’s Inns. The pub group stated that in the light of its decision to reduce the number of its managed houses, the company plans to reorganise roles and responsibilities to reflect the composition of its pub estate.
Hospitality businesses are one of the most frequent applicants for revenue based finance, according to SME funder 365 Finance, which found that the UK hospitality industry accounted for £43.7m of funding in 2024 – representing a 16.9% increase on 2023. Alongside this, the number of advances 365 Finance approved for the hospitality sector last year increased 20.6% from the previous year. The company believes that this will be further exacerbated by the increases to National Living Wage and employer NICs.
Spring Street Pizza will open in London’s Borough on 29 April. The restaurant by Michelin-star chef Tom Kemble will be located under the arches just off Southwark Bridge Road, next to Omeara and Four Quarters. The 19-cover restaurant will serve 18-inch pizzas by the quarter, half or who to dine in or take away. Having headed up the Michelin-starred The Pass At South Lodge, he was previously head chef at Bonhams, where he led the restaurant to earn a Michelin star within seven months of opening.