The Drinks Retailing Awards are set to take place on Tuesday 3rd February 2026 at The Dorchester Hotel, Park Lane, London.

The event includes a champagne reception, three course meal, post awards entertainment and sponsored bars.

Award categories include Independent Spirits Retailer of the Year, Independent Wine Retailer of the Year, Supermarket of the Year, Multiple Beer Retailer of the Year and Convenience Chain of the Year.

For more information please visit https://drinksretailingawards.

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The Specialist Importers Trade Testing (SITT) event is set to take place on Monday 23rd February 2026 at etc Venues, Manchester.

The event brings together the best specialist importers, independent buyers, hand-crafted wines from around the world and masterclasses, workshops and wine tasting.

For more information please visit https://www.sittastings.com/sittspring2026/en/page/home

French hospitality group Loulou Groupe is preparing to make its UK debut in autumn 2026 with the opening of 16 Charles Street in London’s Mayfair.

Founded in 2016 by siblings Gilles and Claire Malafosse, the group combines culinary and creative expertise: Gilles serves as the group’s restaurateur, while Claire leads as its artistic director.

The Parisian hospitality brand, named after Loulou de la Falaise, the muse of French fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent, is behind acclaimed venues such as Loulou Paris at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs.

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Jitse Groen, the founding chief of Just Eat Takeaway, is leaving the company after 25 years of leadership, coming shortly after its €4.1 billion (£3.6 billion) acquisition by Prosus.

The Dutch group confirmed that Roberto Gandolfo, chairman of the Just Eat supervisory board and head of Prosus Europe, is set to take over on January 1, contingent on regulatory approval.

Mr Groen founded Just Eat in 2000, transforming a student project into a global food delivery giant operating in 16 countries.

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The World Travel Catering & Onboard Services Expo (WTCE ) returns to Hamburg Messe, Germany between 14th and 16th April 2026.

The event showcases the latest onboard products and services from over 250 suppliers and
attracts over 800 airline and rail buyers looking to source new products, stay up to date with industry trends and build their business network.

For further information please visit https://www.worldtravelcateringexpo.com/en-gb.

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Uber has revealed that it will begin offering automated robot deliveries in December through a new partnership with Starship Technologies.

The service will debut in Leeds, where the delivery robots will be able to complete orders in under 30 minutes for journeys of up to 3.2 km.

The initiative is intended to enhance the overall delivery experience for customers, even as robot delivery services are expected to be scaled back across Europe next year.

Starship’s AI-driven robots have already completed more than nine million deliveries in seven countries worldwide.

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The London Coffee Festival is returning to The Truman Brewery between 14th and 17th May 2026 to celebrate London’s bustling and vibrant coffee scene.

The London Coffee Festival promises to be an unmissable event for discerning coffee lovers and those working in the coffee scene.

The festival will feature over 250 artisan coffee and gourmet food stalls, tastings and demonstrations from world-class baristas, interactive workshops, street food and coffee-based cocktails.

For further information.

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The Forecourt Show is the UK’s biggest trade-only event dedicated to the forecourt and fuel market, targeted at those who work within the commercial, manufacturing, environmental and retail sectors within the forecourt industry.

Taking place at the NEC, Birmingham between 13th and 15th April 2026, the show will host hundreds of suppliers showcasing their latest equipment and will provide the perfect opportunity to discover new business opportunities.

The Forecourt Show will run alongside Food & Drink Expo.

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The Farm Shop & Deli Show is set to take place between 13th and 15th April 2026 alongside the Food & Drink Expo, the Forecourt Show and the National Convenience Show.

The show brings together around 450 speciality suppliers for you to meet, and exciting new local and regional produce including chocolate, hot drinks, olives, condiments, meat and preserves to touch and taste.

The show will also feature live seminar and debates from industry leaders offering advice and information.

For further information.

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The National Convenience Show (NCS), is set to take place at Birmingham's NEC between 13th and 15th April 2026 alongside Food and Drink Expo, Forecourt Show and Farm Shop Deli Show.

The event will give you all the tools you need to drive your business forward, generate additional footfall, and cash in on increased basket spend.

Meet with around 600 suppliers and inspirational experts from across the country, source innovative new and niche products and learn about the latest consumer trends.

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The Food and Drink Expo (Part of the UK Food & Drink Shows) is set to take place at Birmingham's NEC between 13th and 15th April 2026.

The show offers buyers from the retail, wholesale, foodservice, manufacturing, and hospitality sectors a wealth of information and product sourcing opportunities, all conveniently under one roof.

The event will uncover the hottest trends, latest product launches and provide the opportunity to sample and source from over 1200 diverse suppliers. This is also a fantastic networking opportunity.

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British food assurance scheme Red Tractor has named Nick Major as chair of its poultry sector board and Veryan Bliss as chair of the fresh produce sector board.

In their roles, they will represent the interests of producers, processors, and retailers, while overseeing compliance with Red Tractor standards.

Major brings extensive experience to the role, having spent 38 years in various positions at international animal feed company ForFarmers.

“Farmers are rightly proud of the very high animal welfare and production standards we operate to in the UK.

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Bisto, the nation’s favourite gravy, has introduced a fully-recyclable packaging format across its foodservice range, saving almost 1,000kg of cardboard and 5.6 tonnes of plastic from entering the value chain each year.

The FSC-certified cardboard cases for Bisto’s Original, Poultry, Reduced Salt and Vegetarian Gravy Granules have each been reduced in height by 20mm. The plastic shrink wrap has also been removed from the outer packaging – a move that cuts plastic use and prevents the output of more than 15 tonnes of CO2 emissions each year. The Bisto foodservice range, which previously had a 92% recyclability rate.

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Following the huge success of the immersive Tim Burton afternoon tea at the Design Museum, Restaurant Associates is elevating their patisserie artistry once again to celebrate the launch of the Wes Anderson: The Archives exhibition.

Served in the museum’s elegantly styled Design Kitchen, the new afternoon tea promises to be a must-visit experience, offering guests a delicious continuation of their cultural journey. Bringing together food, design and cinematic storytelling, the menu offers a unique draw – captivating film fans, food lovers and design-enthusiasts alike.

Wes Anderson: The Archives exhibition is a compilation of the filmmaker’s personal archives.

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The inspiration behind The Petit Rosé, a 7% ABV Rosé, occurred when a cellar hand in the winery mistakenly topped up half a tank of Kylie Minogue’s Sparkling Zero Percent with a full-strength still Rosé. While wondering what to do next, Kylie and the Kylie Minogue Wines team tasted the result, and decided it was delicious. Following further experimentation and refinement – this time by design – a new, lower-ABV, gently sparkling rosé was created, under the project name, ‘The Happy Accident’, which has now hit shelves in the UK as Kylie Minogue Petit Rosé.

Over the last 4 years, studied data suggests an overall downward trajectory in the frequency of alcohol consumption by UK alcohol drinkers.

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The Ice Cream and Artisan Food Show is a two day event being held from 3rd February to the 4th February 2026 at Birmingham NEC.

As the only exhibition in the UK dedicated to the ice cream industry, the event will feature suppliers, caterers and manufacturers of ice cream and showcase a huge selection of ice cream varieties, equipment and supplies.

For further information please visit https://ice-cream.org/ice-cream-and-artisan-food-show/

Shaftesbury Capital has announced a trio of high-profile bakeries and cafés will be joining Covent Garden, reinforcing its reputation as one of London’s leading F&B destinations. New arrivals include Copain for its first UK location, a debut London bricks-and-mortar store for Oliphant & Pomeroy, as well as Hagen, each bringing distinct, high-quality concepts to the neighbourhood.

Copain is set to join Covent Garden with its debut 460 sq ft café, opening soon at 54 Neal Street and bringing its well-loved menu of artisanal baked items and coffee to the neighbourhood. This will be the location’s first bakery outside of Paris.

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European food delivery giant Just Eat Takeaway (JET) is set to eliminate around 450 positions across various countries and departments following a strategic business review.

The decision is intended to boost operational efficiency, with the company pledging support for employees impacted by the cuts.

Positions at risk include roles in customer service and sales administration.

The move follows Just Eat Takeaway’s plans to adopt automation and artificial intelligence technologies to strengthen its customer experience.

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Criterion Capital has officially opened its 1,000-pod Zedwell capsule hotel in London’s Piccadilly Circus, welcoming its first visitors.

The Zedwell Capsule Hotel Piccadilly Circus now occupies the Pavilion, a Grade II-listed building on Great Windmill Street, just a short distance from Zedwell’s flagship hotel in the Trocadero building.

Described as the world’s largest capsule hotel, the new project offers “cocoons” with soundproof, windowless walls, Hypnos mattresses, ambient lighting, and smart climate control — all priced from £30 per night.

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Deliveroo founder Will Shu will step down as chief executive of the food delivery company after its acquisition by US competitor DoorDash.

In May, DoorDash agreed to acquire Deliveroo for £2.9bn as part of its European expansion strategy, with the deal set to complete on 2 October.

Shu co-founded Deliveroo in London in 2013 with his childhood friend Greg Orlowski. The company now operates in nine countries and reported its first profit in 2024, following a £32m loss the previous year.

The company floated on the London Stock Exchange in 2021 with a valuation of £7.

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