Today’s news in brief – 26/03/25

Trispan has brought together Pho, Rosa’s Thai and Mowgli under a holding group called Arcturus Group to become the UK’s largest multi-site casual dining operator in the Asian restaurant segment. Each brand will continue to operate independently, with existing CEOs Sarah Hills (Rosa’s Thai), Patrick Marrinan (Pho) and Nisha Katona (Mowgli) remaining at the helm of each business.

14forty has appointed Tom Mitchell as its new strategic partnership director. He joins Compass Group UK&I’s integrated facilities management provider from CBRE Global Workplace Solutions, having held positions in finance business development and technology integration. In his new role, Mitchell will be reporting to Donna Lee, the business and industry strategic partner for Compass Group UK&I, and help clients achieve their goals. 

Hammerson will be launching a new street food market at Brent Cross at the end of March as part of its expanded line-up of retail, leisure and hospitality brands. Occupying 20,000 sq ft of space, District will offer a 130-cover food court-style seating area encouraging communal dining and casual meet-ups, with grab-and-go options also available. The market has been designed to complement Brent Cross’s existing food and drink offer with over 30. 

Ballers Pizzeria in Lakeside, Cardiff, has named Giacomo Rimanti its new head chef. Established in 2020, the pizzeria began as a pop-up with a van and then evolved into a hatch in Heath, before opening the first bricks-and-mortar site in Lakeside in December 2023. Ballers focuses on Neapolitan-style pizzas with Spanish influences. Romantic joins from acclaimed and recently closed 591 by Anatoni’s in Canton, Cardiff.