With plans to open more than 40 new locations, the brand is accelerating its expansion well beyond London, moving into new regions and formats, including suburban sites and high-footfall retail destinations. Backed by Bain Capital, GAIL’s remains focused on what made it successful in the first place: high-quality craft baking, thoughtful sourcing, and a clear point of view on sustainability. Growth hasn’t come at the expense of standards, it’s been built on them. The next pha

For much of the past decade, the role of the CIO was defined by infrastructure, stability, and cost control. Systems needed to run, data needed to be secure, and technology was often seen as a support function rather than a driver of growth. In 2026, that model no longer holds. Across restaurants, QSR, and hospitality, the CIO has moved to the centre of the business. Technology is no longer an enabler of strategy. It is the strategy. And the modern CIO is now responsible not

The playbook for food and beverage leadership is shifting. Scale alone is no longer enough. Today’s leaders are operating with greater precision, adaptability, and clarity of vision, as they navigate a more complex and fast moving global market. Across North America and Europe, a new set of priorities is emerging, reshaping how businesses operate, grow, and compete. Speed and simplicity have become critical. Menus are being refined, formats streamlined, and operations optimis

This achievement places Walmart in a rare group historically dominated by technology companies, highlighting how far the boundaries between retail and tech have blurred. What’s driving this shift is not just scale, but transformation. Walmart has steadily evolved from a physical retail giant into a digitally enabled ecosystem, investing heavily in e-commerce, automation, data infrastructure, and supply chain intelligence. The result is a business that increasingly operates le

While discussions are still at an early stage and valuation figures remain unconfirmed, the business, last valued at around $500m (£375m), could approach a $1bn (£750m) valuation depending on the outcome of the deal. Founded in 2020 in Brooklyn, Blank Street has scaled rapidly by tapping into younger, trend-driven consumer habits, with a strong focus on formats like matcha-based drinks and compact, high-footfall store locations. Since entering the UK in 2022 with openings in