Hospitality & Leisure

The US coffee giant's expansion plans come just six months after it closed 10 UK sites.

The placemaking agency will help the Mexican restaurant chain expand its presence in London and other major UK cities.

The building has consent for around 40,000 sq ft of grade-A offices, or use as a hotel or members club.

The £33m acquisition includes the group's UK brewing operations and 11 pubs in Birmingham, London, Aberdeen, Dublin, Edinburgh and Manchester.

The firm plans to open 60 additional sites across London "in the coming years", a move that will more than double its footprint in the capital.

James Watt is also assembling financial backing from external investors for his bid to buy the ailing craft beer giant.

AlixPartners has been appointed to oversee the sales process following two years of losses and the closure of a string of bars.

The former Debenhams unit at the Castle Quay shopping centre will be converted into 50,000 sq ft of play and activity zones, set to open this summer.

The council said it wants an operator for the 170-metre tall visitor attraction  "who will invest, innovate and deliver an even better experience for residents and visitors".

The plans form part of a wider £500m regeneration of the town centre, which will see the redevelopment of the Wythenshawe Civic shopping centre.

Football grounds and other sports venues are playing an increasingly central role in urban regeneration.

The deals, facilitated by Savills and Hanover Green, take the mixed-use development close to full occupancy, with its final retail unit under offer.

Notable properties in the portfolio include the Millstream in Hertford and the George IV in Sawbridgeworth.

It comes ahead of a major £15m expansion of the shopping centre's foodhall, which represents Landsec’s largest single investment in Trinity Leeds since its launch in 2013.

The joint venture has acquired George House, a 1970s building with a total floor area of 99,740 sq ft.

Sadiq Khan has been urged to revamp licensing, protect venues from noise complaints, provide more late-night public transport and consider business rates relief for the sector.

Neos Hospitality Group and the Coral Pub Company have bought two of the chain's brands in separate deals.

Treasury minister Dan Tomlinson said the £80m-a-year package would, from 1 April, be worth £1,650 for the average pub. Bills will then be frozen for a further two years.

The 22 pubs across the UK are all let on long leases with annual RPI-linked rent reviews.

The venue will comprise two 1,500-seat auditoriums capable of delivering simultaneous productions.

Founded by Asma Khan, the restaurant is moving from Kingly Court, off Carnaby Street, into a larger unit at 38-40 Rupert Street.