Scottish hospitality operator Lomond Leisure Group have secured their sixth venue and are looking out for further sites.
Chris Thynne, of Lomond Leisure Group, outside The Kilderkin, on the Royal Mile, in Edinburgh. Photograph: Phil Wilkinson
Kilderkin, on The Royal Mile in Edinburgh, is the closest pub to Holyrood Palace and the Scottish Parliament, and is Lomond Leisure’s third site with Star Pubs. The companies are breaking ground this week on a £170,000 revamp of the pub, which will be renamed The Parliament Arms. It is scheduled to open in mid-March, creating 20 new jobs.
“We enjoy partnering with Star Pubs — they’re supportive, transparent, and easy to do business with,” said Lomond Leisure Group director Chris Thynne. “The Parliament Arms is our second refurbishment with them in the last year. We like their collaborative approach; they listen to us and deliver what we want.”
Having added three new venues to their portfolio since the start of 2025, Lomond Leisure are now considering expansion in areas that attract tourists. Places such as Edinburgh, the north of Scotland, and St Andrews are on their radar, in addition to destination spots in northern England.
• Greene King Pub Partners, the leased, tenanted and franchise division of Greene King, has announced it has reached the major milestone of 100 franchise pubs.
The milestone has been hit just over four years after Greene King launched its first franchise concept, Hive Pubs, in late 2021, and almost two years after it opened its first Nest Pubs franchise in 2024.
To build on this momentum Greene King plans to open 30 more Hive and Nest pubs in 2026. It will expand its franchise operations into Wales and the South West of England for the first time.
• Dr Sylvie Van Zandycke (pictured above) has been appointed president and general manager of Lallemand’s brewing business, succeeding Brent Jordan. The company is a global provider of fermentation ingredients, process aids, enzyme, and education to the brewing industry.
Brent will move to the role of senior vice-president and special advisor at the Lallemand Group level, while simultaneously supporting the brewing management team and leadership transition over a period of time.
Sylvie has a bio-engineering degree from Belgium and a PhD in yeast physiology from Oxford Brookes University. She joined Lallemand in 2004, leading the genetic analysis lab in Montreal, and held a number of positions over the years.
More recently, in her role as director of sales and marketing for yeast, nutrients, and bacteria, she contributed to building a talented team and growing the high quality, premium brewing yeast business for the last nine years.
• Sunrise Beverages, which has focused on the acquisition of a number of premium beer brands, over the last four years, has appointed Jerry Shedden as sales director.
Jerry brings with him almost 20 years of director-level experience in FMCG, as well as an in-depth knowledge of the drinks industry and hospitality sector from a background that includes roles at AB InBev, Bacardi, Heineken, Brewdog, and Asahi.
The Sunrise Beverages portfolio includes Wild Beer Co, Curious Brewery, Gipsy Hill, St Peter’s Brewery, and Portobello Brewery.
• Market Taverns has announced the appointment of Miles Slade as managing director, alongside Chris Gosling as Chief Accountant, as the business builds on positive trading momentum and prepares for its next phase of growth.
Miles joins with extensive experience in the hospitality sector, including senior roles at RedCat Pub Company, Urban Pubs & Bars, and JD Wetherspoon. Chris Gosling brings strong financial and operational experience from his previous senior roles with the St John Restaurant Group, Pizza Storm and Corbin & King.
• Heineken is to cut up to 6,000 jobs worldwide over the next two years, in the face of falling beer sales and challenging market conditions.
“We really do this to strengthen our operations and to be able to invest in growth,” said chief financial officer Harold van den Broek.
