Conran to sell his majority stake in D&D London
Sir Terence Conran has hired US investment bank Goldman Sachs to auction his 51% stake in D&D London, which has more than 20 restaurants in London, the US and France along with franchise sites in Japan and Denmark. The group, which is worth more than £200m, has been approached by a string of private equity firms and wealthy investors from the Middle East and Asia. D&D is seeking a partner to help transform it into a £1b company over the next five years through expansion in London, New York, Asia and the Middle East and a return to the hotel sector. It may also be contemplating a move into contract catering. Conran, who is currently launching The Broadway three-restaurant venture in London's Shoreditch, may retain a small stake in D&D. Goldman Sachs was appointed last month to sell a stake in the upmarket international Nobu restaurant chain, which has attracted interest from Richard Caring, Indian financier LDF and Travelodge owner DIC Capital.

– 10 May, View the full Daily Telegraph articles (Terence Conran cashes in on gourmet prices and Sir Terence Conran's restaurants up for sale)

Ramsay accused of hypocrisy over “out-of-season” call
Leading chefs have accused Michelin-star-chef Gordon Ramsay of hypocrisy over his call for restaurants to be fined for serving fruit and vegetables out of season. Ramsay said legislation should be brought in to force chefs to use locally-sourced produce instead of relying on food flown in from overseas. While sympathising with his principles, Anthony Worrall Thompson pointed out that he had found at least 15 items on Ramsay’s Claridges and Maze menus that would have warranted a fine. Oliver Rowe, owner of Konstam in Kings Cross (which sources 85% of its ingredients from the London Underground area), added that legislation would be draconian and unenforceable. -10 May, Read the full articles in the Telegraph and the Guardian >>
 
Growing market for home-brew biodiesel from pubs and restaurants
The rising popularity of home-brew biodiesel in the face of soaring petrol prices has given restaurateurs a money-spinning way of disposing of their drain-clogging waste oil. Since the law was relaxed to allow people to make 2,500 litres a year for their own use, it is estimated there are now 35 companies refining recycled oil commercially and some 20,000 individuals collecting oil from local pubs, restaurants and fish and chip shops. Gordon Elliott from Bolton saves himself £100 a month by recycling cooking oil that he collects every few weeks from the Hare and Hound pub in Marple, Cheshire, to produce diesel for his cars that cost him just 15p a litre compared with £1.25 a litre from petrol stations. – 10 May, Read the full Guardian article here >>

Diageo plans £520m Guinness brewery as part of restructure
Diageo is to invest €650m (£520m) in a new state-of-the-art Guinness brewery in Ireland as part of a restructure that will see it close two plants in Kilkenny and Dundalk, and lay off 250 of its 450 employees. The drinks giant will also redevelop its historic St James Gate Brewery in Dublin, which has been making Guinness since 1759 and is a leading tourist attraction, and restructure its Waterford brewery. The new brewery, which is due to open outside Dublin in 2013, will be the largest in Ireland and be the centre for its Guinness production. The moves mark Diageo’s biggest single investment in its infrastructure since it was created 10 years ago. – 10 May, View the full Daily Telegraph article here >>

By Angela Frewin

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