Whitbread is to market five Premier Inn hotels on a sale and leaseback basis, raising around £30m to further the group’s development plans.
Operating its 584 UK hotels on a predominantly freehold basis, Premier Inn will initially trial the concept with just five hotels as it explores alternative ways to raise development funds
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Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Is Wendy's/Arby's thinking donuts?
Wendy's/Arby's Group Inc. has been looking for a third brand to bring into the fold, and it may have found it in Krispy Kreme Doughnuts Inc. Business news service Briefing.com said Monday that the the donut brand was "the subject of chatter about a potential takeover by Wendy's/Arby's Group," as reported by Barron's.
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Taco Bell, 50 Cent settle lawsuit
Rapper 50 Cent will cost you more than a taco.
The rapper, whose real name is Curtis James Jackson III, yesterday settled the lawsuit he filed against Yum! Brands' Taco Bell, claiming the fast-food chain used his name to promote its tacos and burritos without his permission.
The terms of the deal were confidential, but he was asking for $4 million in damages.
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The rapper, whose real name is Curtis James Jackson III, yesterday settled the lawsuit he filed against Yum! Brands' Taco Bell, claiming the fast-food chain used his name to promote its tacos and burritos without his permission.
The terms of the deal were confidential, but he was asking for $4 million in damages.
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Cracker Barrel Reports 37% Increase in First-Quarter EPS
LEBANON, Tenn., Nov 24, 2009 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc. (Nasdaq: CBRL):
•Fully diluted net income per share of $0.78 for the first quarter of fiscal 2010, an increase of 37% compared with the prior-year quarter
•Revenue for the first quarter increased 1.3% to $581.2 million
•Comparable store restaurant sales increased 0.6%
•Comparable store retail sales decreased 4.8%
•Operating income margin in the first quarter was 6.5% compared with 5.7% in the prior-year quarter
Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc. ("Cracker Barrel," or the "Company") (Nasdaq: CBRL) today reported net income per diluted share of $0.78 for the first quarter of fiscal 2010, compared with $0.57 per diluted share in the first quarter of fiscal 2009, an increase of 36.8%. Net income for the first quarter of fiscal 2010 was $18.0 million compared with $12.8 million in the first quarter of fiscal 2009, which reflects a 16.7% increase in operating income and lower interest expense.
Read more:http://investor.crackerbarrel.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=426219
•Fully diluted net income per share of $0.78 for the first quarter of fiscal 2010, an increase of 37% compared with the prior-year quarter
•Revenue for the first quarter increased 1.3% to $581.2 million
•Comparable store restaurant sales increased 0.6%
•Comparable store retail sales decreased 4.8%
•Operating income margin in the first quarter was 6.5% compared with 5.7% in the prior-year quarter
Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc. ("Cracker Barrel," or the "Company") (Nasdaq: CBRL) today reported net income per diluted share of $0.78 for the first quarter of fiscal 2010, compared with $0.57 per diluted share in the first quarter of fiscal 2009, an increase of 36.8%. Net income for the first quarter of fiscal 2010 was $18.0 million compared with $12.8 million in the first quarter of fiscal 2009, which reflects a 16.7% increase in operating income and lower interest expense.
Read more:http://investor.crackerbarrel.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=426219
Icahn outbids Penn Nat’l to open Fontainebleau auction
LAS VEGAS - Billionaire investor Carl Icahn has offered a higher sum than Penn National Gaming Inc. to open bidding at a bankruptcy auction for the unfinished Fontainebleau Las Vegas casino-resort on the Las Vegas Strip.
A clerk in Miami for U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge A. Jay Cristol says Icahn offered $105 million Monday to buy the project from debtors plus $51.5 million in funding to resume construction, which already has cost more than $2 billion.
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A clerk in Miami for U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge A. Jay Cristol says Icahn offered $105 million Monday to buy the project from debtors plus $51.5 million in funding to resume construction, which already has cost more than $2 billion.
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Travelodge finds room for complaint in Premier Inn’s adverts for bargain rates
They are the titans of the British hotel industry, locked in a bitter price war amid the toughest economic conditions in living memory. In one corner sits Premier Inn, owned by Whitbread, with 582 budget hotels and more than 40,000 rooms across Britain. In the other corner is Travelodge, its private equity-controlled rival, with 377 UK hotels with 27,500 rooms.
And, after years of harmless pillow fighting, the gloves have come off in the battle for the budget traveller’s pound. Travelodge has lodged a formal complaint with the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) over the £29-a-room Christmas promotional campaign fronted by the actor and comedian Lenny Henry
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And, after years of harmless pillow fighting, the gloves have come off in the battle for the budget traveller’s pound. Travelodge has lodged a formal complaint with the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) over the £29-a-room Christmas promotional campaign fronted by the actor and comedian Lenny Henry
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Benihana Inc. Reports Fiscal Second Quarter 2010 Results
MIAMI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 24, 2009-- Benihana Inc. (NASDAQ: BNHNA; BNHN), operator of the nation’s largest chain of Japanese theme and sushi restaurants, today reported results for its 12-week fiscal second quarter ended October 11, 2009.
Richard C. Stockinger, Chief Executive Officer, said, "In the fiscal second quarter, we experienced a lower than expected comparable sales trend which pressured our operating margins. Additionally, we launched our Benihana Teppanyaki Renewal Program, which is focused on improving guest perceptions as they relate to image, quality, consistency, and lack-of-Japan. The decline in sales, its impact on operating margins, and incremental cost increases associated with the Renewal Program negatively impacted our results, and we failed to meet the leverage ratio required under our credit agreement with Wachovia. That agreement has now been amended.”
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Richard C. Stockinger, Chief Executive Officer, said, "In the fiscal second quarter, we experienced a lower than expected comparable sales trend which pressured our operating margins. Additionally, we launched our Benihana Teppanyaki Renewal Program, which is focused on improving guest perceptions as they relate to image, quality, consistency, and lack-of-Japan. The decline in sales, its impact on operating margins, and incremental cost increases associated with the Renewal Program negatively impacted our results, and we failed to meet the leverage ratio required under our credit agreement with Wachovia. That agreement has now been amended.”
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Cheap Boutique Hotels Gain as U.S. Travelers Skip $500 a Night
Nov. 24 (Bloomberg) -- The world’s largest hotel companies, stung by the industry’s biggest declines since the Great Depression, are trying to do for lodging what Ikea did for furniture: Offer fashionable products at low prices.
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc., the third- biggest U.S. lodging company, is developing boutique hotels for frugal travelers that cost about $119 a night. That’s a far cry from the $399 to $639 at the company’s upscale W Hotels. InterContinental Hotels Group Plc is following a similar strategy with its boutique chain Hotel Indigo.
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Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc., the third- biggest U.S. lodging company, is developing boutique hotels for frugal travelers that cost about $119 a night. That’s a far cry from the $399 to $639 at the company’s upscale W Hotels. InterContinental Hotels Group Plc is following a similar strategy with its boutique chain Hotel Indigo.
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Quiznos and Franchisees Reach Settlement of Multiple Class Action Lawsuits
CHICAGO, Nov. 23 /PRNewswire/ -- U.S. District Court Judge Rebecca Pallmeyer has preliminarily approved a settlement of four franchisee class action lawsuits filed against the Quiznos Franchise Company and others. The cases in Colorado, Wisconsin and Illinois, the earliest of which has been pending since 2006, allege violations of various state and federal laws in connection with the sale and operation of Quiznos franchises. Quiznos denied all claims, and the settlement agreement involves no finding or admission of liability.
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Monday, November 23, 2009
Largest BK franchisee staying loyal to the King
The Syracuse-based company that is the largest single owner of Burger King franchises is standing by the chain’s promotion of a cut-rate double cheeseburger, and is not participating in an uprising being mounted by many other franchisees.
The National Franchisees Association, on behalf of 850 other Burger King operators around the country, has filed a lawsuit against the Miami-based Burger King Holdings Inc., protesting the corporation’s insistence that its franchisees offer double cheeseburgers for $1.
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The National Franchisees Association, on behalf of 850 other Burger King operators around the country, has filed a lawsuit against the Miami-based Burger King Holdings Inc., protesting the corporation’s insistence that its franchisees offer double cheeseburgers for $1.
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Culinary Union sides with Station Casino’s creditors
The Culinary Union heightened the drama in its fight with Station Casinos last week, blaming a management-led buyout for the company’s bankruptcy filing and aligning itself with the company’s creditors.
The union issued a detailed report on the company’s financial woes, arguing that Station could have avoided bankruptcy had it not pursued a $5.7 billion deal to take the company private in 2007. It concluded with a call for creditors to demand that Station’s owners reinvest a significant part of the profits from the deal to help the company recover.
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The union issued a detailed report on the company’s financial woes, arguing that Station could have avoided bankruptcy had it not pursued a $5.7 billion deal to take the company private in 2007. It concluded with a call for creditors to demand that Station’s owners reinvest a significant part of the profits from the deal to help the company recover.
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Upper-upscale branded hotels’ operating expense trends
HENDERSONVILLE, Tennessee—Hotels have been cutting back on operating expenses because of the current economic conditions, but how have the past years’ expenses trended versus revenue growth? This article explores the past three years’ upper-upscale branded hotels’ operating revenues and expenses. (Upper-upscale brands include such brands as Hilton, Marriott, Westin and Hyatt.)
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STR Global reports Central and South America pipeline for October 2009
LONDON—The Central/South America hotel development pipeline includes 138 projects with 21,451 rooms, according to the October 2009 STR Global Construction Pipeline Report released this week.
Among the countries in the region, Brazil reported the most rooms in the total active pipeline with 8,958 rooms, followed by Panama with 4,139 rooms. Three other countries ended the month with more than 1,000 rooms in the total active pipeline: Argentina (2,421 rooms); Costa Rica (1,415 rooms); and Colombia (1,311 rooms).
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Among the countries in the region, Brazil reported the most rooms in the total active pipeline with 8,958 rooms, followed by Panama with 4,139 rooms. Three other countries ended the month with more than 1,000 rooms in the total active pipeline: Argentina (2,421 rooms); Costa Rica (1,415 rooms); and Colombia (1,311 rooms).
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STR Global reports Europe hotel pipeline for October 2009
LONDON—The Europe hotel development pipeline includes 570 hotels comprising 93,163 rooms, according to the October 2009 STR Global Construction Pipeline Report released this week.
Among the key markets, London, England, ended the month with the largest amount of rooms in the total active pipeline with 4,429 rooms, followed by Berlin, Germany, with 4,190 rooms. Hamburg, Germany, reported 2,084 rooms in the total active pipeline for the month.
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Among the key markets, London, England, ended the month with the largest amount of rooms in the total active pipeline with 4,429 rooms, followed by Berlin, Germany, with 4,190 rooms. Hamburg, Germany, reported 2,084 rooms in the total active pipeline for the month.
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STR reports Caribbean and Mexico pipeline for October 2009
HENDERSONVILLE, Tennessee—The Caribbean/Mexico hotel development pipeline includes 129 hotels comprising 18,715 rooms, according to the October 2009 STR Construction Pipeline Report released this week.
Among the countries in the region, Mexico reported the largest number of rooms in the total active pipeline with 10,615 rooms. Two other countries ended the month with more than 1,000 rooms in the total active pipeline: Puerto Rico (1,633 rooms) and the Bahamas (1,448 rooms).
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Among the countries in the region, Mexico reported the largest number of rooms in the total active pipeline with 10,615 rooms. Two other countries ended the month with more than 1,000 rooms in the total active pipeline: Puerto Rico (1,633 rooms) and the Bahamas (1,448 rooms).
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