Ramy Abou-Setta

Reporter - The Argus


Words: Derry Journal - CLASH - LOOP- Whynow and more.


Contact: ramy.abou-setta@theargus.co.uk / ramyabousetta@outlook.com

The Argus •

TGI Fridays closes one Sussex restaurant while another is saved in rescue package

TGI Fridays will remain on UK high streets following a rescue deal for the chain, but more than 1,000 staff have lost their jobs with the immediate closure of 35 restaurants. Breal Capital and Calveton UK have acquired 51 restaurants after the group’s previous operator fell into administration. It means that nearly 2,400 jobs have been saved across the US-themed restaurant and cocktail bar. But joint administrators at Teneo said 35 restaurants were not included in the sale and have b...
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The Argus •

New sand sports centre on seafront due to open in summer

The new facilities at the newly developed Hove Beach Park and will be run by Yellowave, which already operates at the Kemp Town end of Brighton beach. A planning application was submitted by the operator to Brighton and Hove City Council on December 17 to demolish the existing Western Esplanade public toilets and erect a single storey detached community facility and sand sports storage. Part of the planning application is to redesign existing pavilions into a Yellowave Hub, a cafe and ki...
The Argus •

Rolls-Royce pump £300 million pounds into West Sussex manufacturing site

Rolls-Royce has announced an additional £300m in funding for its Goodwood manufacturing site based in Chichester. The Goodwood facility employs more than 2,500 people and produces up to 28 vehicles per day. It was granted planning permission in March for the changes, which will allow it to be better prepared for the brand’s switch to an electric-only brand by the end of 2030. Rolls-Royce Motor Cars (RRMC) will construct five new buildings at its base in The Drive, near Goodwood and t...
The Argus •

Three stores in Sussex put up for sale as Homebase goes into administration

Homebase was waiting on around £5 million of tax rebates before collapsing into administration last week. It comes as the stricken firm has set a deadline of the end of next week for potential buyers to snap up its remaining shops in the UK and Ireland. Homebase appointed administrators at consultancy Teneo after it was hit hard by an “incredibly challenging” three years for the DIY sector. Administrators struck a deal to sell Homebase to retail group CDS, which owns The Range and Wi...
The Argus •

Royal Mail is granted leasehold to build new depot

The cabinet at Brighton and Hove City Council has approved to grant a leasehold of the site at Patcham Court Farm at a meeting this afternoon. The lease will be for a term of 250 years of the site to Royal Mail for the provision of a 4,145sqm delivery office. This comes after more than 1,000 objections have been raised to the planning application since its submission in July 2022. The planning application was granted in September. One of the protest signs on a resident's property (Im...
The Argus •

Popular brand to open second store in city

Holland and Barrett submitted the application on September 4 to take over the empty site on 14-15 East Street in Chichester. This will be the second branch in the city, as the health store has another store on North Street. The empty site used to be a Clinton's, known for selling greeting cards, in 2018. It is unclear whether this would mean that the first branch will close and relocate. Chichester Anti-Recreation Partnership put up the sign on the empty site (Image: CARP) Bl...
The Argus •

Closure date announced for M&S store

Retailer M&S had outlined plans to shut its Crawley branch in March, which prompted concerns for the future of the area. The closure is said to be part of the retailer's plans to meet changing shopping habits. It has now officially announced that the store, which has been in Queensway for decades, will close its doors for good on November 16. Graham Bennett, M&S regional manager, said: “After consulting with our colleagues following our proposals earlier this year, our Queensway stor...
The Argus •

Workers' union enraged with TGI Fridays handling of axed staff

Brighton Marina staff are amongst the thousands that have been made redundant as TGI Fridays fell into administration last month.  Breal Capital and Calveton UK rescued the chain and acquired 51 restaurants but 35 restaurants have been immediately closed.  This resulted in over a thousand redundancies nationwide. It was confirmed that the Brighton Marina branch of the chain permanently closed with the nearest and only branch left open in Sussex being Crawley. TGI Fridays in Crawl...
The Argus •

TGI Fridays closes one Sussex restaurant while another is saved in rescue package

TGI Fridays will remain on UK high streets following a rescue deal for the chain, but more than 1,000 staff have lost their jobs with the immediate closure of 35 restaurants. Breal Capital and Calveton UK have acquired 51 restaurants after the group’s previous operator fell into administration. It means that nearly 2,400 jobs have been saved across the US-themed restaurant and cocktail bar. But joint administrators at Teneo said 35 restaurants were not included in the sale and have b...
The Argus •

Cafe closes its doors after nearly 20 years of service

The Mad Hatter Café in Montpelier Road, Brighton, revealed the news that it is closing on social media. The statement read: "After 18 wonderful years, Mad Hatter Café is closing its doors. “It has been an incredible journey filled with unforgettable moments, amazing food and most importantly, incredible customers like you.” A customer who visited the café recently said on TripAdvisor: “Found this place by chance as I was looking for a place for breakfast- all I can say it was exce...
The Argus •

Inside new city centre shop where hundreds queued for a first look

Korean beauty brand Pure Seoul had promised free gifts for the first hundred customers through the doors. The highly anticipated opening on the site of what was shoe shop Kurt Geiger comes after the retailer signed a ten-year lease on the premises. Pure Seoul has opened its doors today in Brighton’s North Street (Image: Cath Cookson) An Argus reporter counted up to 313 people queueing outside the store at around 11am. The line stretched from the bottom of North Street all the way up...
The Argus •

Sadness as award-winning restaurant closes after seven years

Mustards Bar and Restaurant on York Road in Bognor, a beloved restaurant in the heart of the town, announced the closure on social media. The statement read: “It is with heavy regret that we are unfortunately closing our doors permanently this Thursday. “I am eternally grateful for the support from every single person who has stepped into the restaurant over the last seven years, whether it be a once-in-a-lifetime visit, or once a month. Every single visit meant the world to us.” The...
The Argus •

We counted the number of empty shops in the city centre

After walking along North Street down to Castle Square, traversing to East Street then up Prince Albert Street to West Street and making my way across Western Road up until Montpelier Road, I found that there were 20 vacant ground-floor shops or units being advertised as to let. North Street has the majority of the empty units, two of which used to be Lloyds Bank and Virgin Money. Northern Rock stood prior to that until it was acquired by Virgin Money. It now sits as empty units surround...
The Argus •

Fight to put 'forgotten' part of city back on the map

Businesses in Kemp Town, Brighton, want to put the area back on the map as many shoppers mainly focus on commercial St James's Street. Barbary Lane, a local fashion store known for its Pride designs is “under threat of closure” after being in the heart of the city for eight years. Owner Lynne Gillett said: ”It's been such a tough few years for all small independent businesses, but we're now at breaking point.   “The Co-Op opposite is closed for 2 months and the expanded store will be...
The Argus •

Beloved fashion store known for its colourful designs 'under threat of closure'

Barbary Lane, a custom fashion and crafts store in Brighton's Kemp Town is under threat of closure after eight years in business. Lynne Gillett, the owner, opened the shop in St George's Road eight years ago. They sell items with all the colours under the sun, from quirky accessories to jewellery and hats. Alie Lock the shop manager (Image: Barbary Lane) Lynne said: ”What we want to bring is joy, confidence, fun, and help people express themselves fully, whoever they are. We won't be...