Conran to expand into the hotel business
Conran restaurants boss Des Gunewardena wants to expand into the hotel business. Gunewardena, who with David Loewi completed a £50m buyout of the restaurants from Sir Terence Conran last September, has a number of proposals on his desk and is looking at sites in London and New York. – Scotland on Sunday, 6 May.
Ramsay urges British to eat horses
Gordon Ramsay is to shatter the last taboo of English cuisine by urging the public to eat horse meat. The controversial chef claims horse meat is tasty and nutritious and should be part of the British diet. Ramsay reveals his horse meat stance in a new series of The F-word, which starts on Tuesday on Channel 4. – Sunday Telegraph, 6 May.
Las Iguanas chain gets a new potential bidder
Tragus, the restaurant group that owns Café Rouge and Bella Italia, is understood to be among potential bidders for Las Iguanas, a chain of 12 Brazilian eateries owned by Piper Private Equity. Tragus, which is controlled by Blackstone Group, is thought to be eyeing several potential acquisitions after losing out to Robert Tchenguiz’s R20 in the £123m auction of La Tasca, the tapas bar operator. – The Times, 7 May.
De Vere to spend £25m on Loch Lomond luxury resort
De Vere Hotels will this week announce a £25m investment into its flagship Cameron House property in a bid to transform it into the Gleneagles of the west. The hotel group will unveil a multi-million-pound room extension which will also including a new leisure club and conference facilities. Hotel manager Philip Mahoney says the investment will catapult Cameron House into Scotland's number one luxury hotel resort. – Scotland on Sunday, 6 May.
M&B rule out Reit status
Mitchells & Butlers is set to disappoint Robert Tchenguiz, the property tycoon, by ruling out spinning off its £5.5bn property portfolio into a real estate investment trust (Reit). The company has told the City it will report back on what it plans to do with its property on May 22, alongside its first-half results. Tchenguiz, who holds 16% of M&B shares, has made preparations for a hostile bid if the company doesn't concede to his plan. – Sunday Telegraph, 6 May.
Premier Travel Inn to spend £30m developing in Gulf
Whitbread’s Premier Travel Inn chain has secured almost £30 million in financing from National Bank of Dubai and Emirates Bank International to develop its first three properties in Dubai under a joint venture with Emirates Group. – The Times, 5 May.
By Bob Gledhill
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