Peppermint

What Peppermint does

Peppermint is a UK-headquartered, privately held events and venue bar operator founded in 2003 by Alex Brooke and Adam Hempenstall. The company provides turnkey food and beverage services — bar design, staffing, stock, technology, and operations — to more than 50 festivals, sports events, music venues, and stadia annually, including BST Hyde Park, Cheltenham Gold Cup, The Open, OVO Wembley, and Hyde Park Winter Wonderland. Its commercial offerings are delivered through three primary models: Revenue Share/Concession, Profit Share, and Management Fee. The company also operates two owned destination venues — Between the Bridges on the Southbank (opened 2021) and Riverside East in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park (opened 2025) — and runs the Brew LDN craft beer festival and the Wünder Bar event space.

Peppermint's underlying technology platform is built around an installed base of more than 2,000 EPOS terminals feeding proprietary real-time sales reporting dashboards, supported by over 100 million transactions accumulated across 20+ years of operations. The company has deployed self-pour drink dispense, frictionless "just walk out" payment, ultra-fast draught dispense, and self-service order screens at major events, and uses its transaction dataset combined with third-party consumer intelligence (Lumina Intelligence) to drive bar range design, pricing architecture, and consumer trend forecasting.

The go-to-market is primarily B2B enterprise sales to festival promoters, venue operators, and sports event managers, anchored by decade-long relationships with AEG, Live Nation/Cuffe & Taylor, and a channel partnership with Levy UK that extends reach into The O2, Wembley Arena, Dreamland, The Piece Hall, and Johan Cruijff Arena. The wholly-owned sister company Equals Agency (established 2015) handles brand activation and sponsorship, managing £5m+ in activation budgets across 20+ brands annually. Sustainability is a positioned differentiator: through a partnership with A Greener Future since 2018, Peppermint has reduced scope 3 emissions by 85% from a 2019 baseline. The company is led by its two co-founders alongside a recently expanded senior team that includes a Finance Director (ex-Legends) and Sales and Commercial Director (ex-Broadwick Group).

Name

Peppermint

Legal name

Peppermint Events Limited

Website

https://peppermintbars.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Peppermint is the UK's leading festival, event and venue bar operator, providing turnkey bar, food and beverage services to 50+ major UK festivals, sports events, music venues and stadia annually, and operating owned destination venues Between the Bridges and Riverside East.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Event Bar Operations Services

NAICS

Caterers (72232), Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (722410)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Bar & Beverage Catering (Mobile Bar, Bartending) (HSACAGAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Beverage Service (Coffee/Tea/Juice) & Refreshment Stations (HSACAGAJ)

Keywords

• Festival bar operations
• Event bar management
• Stadium bar services
• Concession operations
• Mobile bar solutions

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Bar Operations & Concession Management: Peppermint provides complete turnkey bar operations at festivals, events, venues, and sports stadia. Commercial arrangements include Revenue Share/Concession models (splitting bar revenue at agreed percentages), Profit Share arrangements (splitting profit after all bar costs), and Management Fee structures. The company stocks, staffs, and operates bars from design through execution.
2. Concessions & Street Food Management: Peppermint curates and manages food trader partnerships and concessions at events, working with street food traders and premium caterers. They can fully tailor food selection to match event themes and manage the entire food and beverage operation.
3. Fixed Venue Operations: Peppermint owns and operates fixed venue destinations including Between the Bridges (London's largest beer garden) and Riverside East. These venues generate revenue through food and drink sales, event hire, corporate bookings, and ticketed entertainment events.
4. Venue Hire & Events: Riverside East and Between the Bridges offer venue hire for corporate meetings, workshops, presentations, private celebrations, and large-scale events. Venues feature multiple private spaces suitable for gatherings from 20 to 2,000 guests.
5. Brand Activation & Sponsorship Services: Through sister company Equals Agency (established 2015), Peppermint delivers brand activations and sponsorship at events and festivals. Equals manages over 20 brand relationships and over £5m of activation and sponsorship budgets annually.
6. Bar Consultancy: Peppermint provides bar consultancy services including operational planning, commercial modeling, technology solutions integration, and staff training for venues and events.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Peppermint provides complete turnkey bar and concessions operations for UK festivals, music venues, sports stadia and corporate events — delivering staffing, stock procurement, bar design, technology (EPOS, self-pour, frictionless payment) and live analytics under Revenue Share, Profit Share or Management Fee arrangements. It complements this B2B service with two owned consumer destination venues (Between the Bridges and Riverside East), the Brew LDN craft beer festival, and brand activation services through sister company Equals Agency.

Product overview

Peppermint is an award-winning events and bar operations company providing high-performance food and drink solutions to the UK's greatest events, festivals, sports events, venues, and stadia. The company operates a multi-service portfolio centered on its core Festival Bars & Event Bars offering, supplemented by Stadium and Venue Bars, Concessions and Street Food, Pop Up Events, Backstage/VIP Services, and Bar Consultancy. The company also offers technology solutions including frictionless, self-pour, and real-time reporting capabilities. Peppermint operates fixed venues including Between the Bridges (London's largest beer garden on the Southbank) and Riverside East (in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park), and hosts the Brew LDN craft beer festival. Through its sister company Equals Agency, Peppermint provides brand activation and sponsorship services. The company was founded in 2003 and services over 50 events annually, leveraging 20+ years of transaction data and operational insights.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Equals Agency: Brand activation and sponsorship agency handling over 20 brands and managing £5m of activation and sponsorship budgets annually.
• Between the Bridges
• Riverside East
• Brew LDN

Products and services

• Festival Bars & Event Bars Turnkey bar operations for UK music festivals and outdoor events, covering bar design, staffing, stock, technology and reporting. Customers include AEG (BST Hyde Park), Live Nation/Cuffe & Taylor (Camp Bestival, Radio 1 Big Weekend), Mighty Hoopla, All Points East and Secret Garden Party.
• Stadium & Venue Bars Fast, efficient premium bar operations for sports stadia, racecourses and music arenas, available as fully managed service or concession-led model. Customers include OVO Wembley, The O2 (via Levy UK), Cheltenham Racecourse, Epsom Derby and The Open.
• Concessions & Street Food Curated food trader selection and concessions management for events, including street food traders and premium hospitality catering through partners such as Payne & Gunter, plus on-site restaurants and creative dining experiences.
• Pop-Up Events Complete event production and operation services for venues of all sizes, from creative programming and operations to margin optimisation, covering bar design, staffing and stock.
• Equals Agency — Brand Activation & Sponsorship Brand activation and sponsorship services delivered at UK festivals and events operated by Peppermint, managing 20+ brand relationships and over £5m of activation and sponsorship budgets annually. Operates as Peppermint's sister company led by Managing Director Ziggy Gilsenan.
• Between the Bridges Owned destination venue on London's Southbank spanning 4,000 sq ft of indoor and outdoor space, offering street food, craft beers, cocktails, live entertainment, corporate and private hire for up to 2,000 guests. Operates April–December and hosts the Brew LDN craft beer festival.
• Riverside East Owned events destination in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, Stratford, featuring an all-day café, dining (roast dinners £22/person), and versatile event spaces including a 1,000-capacity outdoor yard for corporate hire and ticketed events.
• Brew LDN One of the UK's largest craft beer festivals featuring 60+ premium brands including low/no-alcohol beers, spirits, cocktails and live music, held at the Between the Bridges venue.

Quantifiable outcome

• 65,000+ daily attendees served at BST Hyde Park with 40+ bars and 400+ metres of serving space
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers19 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• A Greener FuturecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Sustainability partnership since 2018 focused on measuring and reducing Peppermint's carbon footprint. A Greener Future helped establish Peppermint's baseline carbon footprint in 2019 and continues to support their aggressive carbon reduction programme. The partnership has enabled 85% reduction in scope 3 emissions. CEO Claire O'Neil noted Peppermint's 'openness for collaboration' and industry position enable positive change across event design, planning, partnerships, delivery and review phases.
• Equals AgencycoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 1 January 2015Equals Agency is Peppermint's sister company established in 2015 to deliver brand activation and sponsorship services. Peppermint refers brand and sponsorship clients to Equals, while Equals ensures brand activation requirements are met at events where Peppermint operates bars. Equals manages over 20 brand relationships and £5m+ in activation budgets annually. Managing Director Ziggy Gilsenan leads the agency.
• AEGflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013Long-standing partnership since 2013 delivering bars at BST Hyde Park and other AEG events across Europe. Peppermint operates 40+ bars at BST Hyde Park with 300+ metres of serving space and 1,400+ staff per day. The partnership has evolved to include sustainability collaboration, making BST 2024 AEG Europe's most carbon-friendly festival series. AEG's Director of Sustainability specifically praised Peppermint as 'absolutely crucial' to sustainability initiatives.
• Life Water / DROP4DROPminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2009Water charity partnership since 2009 providing clean water to communities in need. Through volume purchasing of Life Water, Peppermint has funded four drinking wells in developing countries, including a deep borewell providing clean water to 1,211 people in Achamnaidu Kandriga Village, Tamil Nadu, India.
• Live NationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-term partnership delivering bar operations at Live Nation festivals and events. Peppermint works with Cuffe & Taylor (a Live Nation company) whose Director of Operations Joe Robinson has praised Peppermint's attention to detail and consistent delivery over many years of partnership.
• Levy UKcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Levy UK to support venues with premium F&B experiences including The O2, Wembley Arena, Dreamland (Margate), The Piece Hall (Halifax), and Johan Cruff Arena in Amsterdam. Peppermint provides specialist bar operations expertise within Levy UK's broader hospitality offering.
• Payne & GunterminorOthersPremium event caterer partnership for hospitality and event catering at world-class sports events and festivals including Wimbledon and The Open. Peppermint collaborates with Payne & Gunter to provide comprehensive F&B solutions alongside their bar operations.
• Lumina IntelligenceminorOthersConsumer intelligence partnership providing category trend forecasting, purchasing behavior data, and demographic intelligence. Lumina Intelligence's Eating and Drinking Out Panel data informs Peppermint's bar range design and pricing architecture decisions. Research on spirits growth, cocktail preferences, and no/low alcohol trends directly shapes product offerings.
• Drinks Brands & SuppliersminorOthersPartnerships with leading UK drinks brands provide access to proprietary consumer intelligence, category trend forecasting, and brand activation opportunities. Brands commission consumer research and share insights with Peppermint, informing product range decisions and enabling co-marketing initiatives at events.
• LegendsminorOthersDavid Hough, Peppermint's Finance Director, joined from Legends where he spent six years as Finance Director. Legends is a major international venue and events hospitality company, suggesting potential future partnership opportunities in European markets where Legends operates.
• Broadwick GroupminorOthersKate Ayre, Peppermint's Sales and Commercial Director, joined from Broadwick Group where she spent six years as Head of Spaces. Broadwick Group operates premium venue concepts including The Leadenhall Building and The Pelligon, Canary Wharf. This connection suggests industry expertise and potential venue partnership opportunities.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Sodexo Live!: Sodexo's events and hospitality division serves stadiums, concert venues, and festivals worldwide. A broad incumbent competitor with greater capital and geographic reach, overlapping with Peppermint on premium event F&B operations.
• Delaware North: Global hospitality and food service company operating at major sport and entertainment venues. A larger incumbent with established venue partnerships that compete for the same high-profile events and stadium accounts as Peppermint.

Direct peers

• Legends Hospitality: US-based premium hospitality partner for sports stadiums, arenas, and live events globally. It is a direct competitor for major event bar/concession contracts and Peppermint's recent Finance Director hire came from Legends.
• Levy UK: Part of Compass Group, Levy UK is the UK's leading hospitality and catering partner for major sport and entertainment venues (The O2, Wembley Arena). It is both a partner and direct competitor to Peppermint for premium venue F&B contracts.
• Smart Group: UK event hospitality and bar operator providing services across festivals, corporate events, and venues. A direct UK peer competing for similar boutique and mid-tier festival bar contracts.
• Payne & Gunter: Premium event caterer serving world-class sports events and festivals including Wimbledon and The Open. Existing partnership partner of Peppermint, but also a direct competitor in the high-end event hospitality space.
• Reynolds Catering: UK-based event catering and bar operator serving festivals, sporting events, and corporate functions. A direct comparable in scale and service offering, particularly for premium UK outdoor events.

Emerging players

• Arcade Food Hall: London-based multi-vendor food hall and events venue in Battersea. An emerging player in the destination food and beverage venue space that overlaps with Peppermint's owned-venue consumer business.
• Freight Island: Manchester-based food, drink, and events destination operated as a hybrid destination venue and event space. A peer to Peppermint's Between the Bridges and Riverside East owned-venue strategy in the destination events space.
• Broadwick Group: UK venue and experiential operator developing premium venue concepts including The Leadenhall Building and The Pelligon. Peppermint's Sales & Commercial Director joined from Broadwick, and the companies operate in adjacent venue and event hospitality space.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/peppermintbars
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@PeppermintEvents
• Facebookfacebook.com/peppermintevents
• LinkedInuk.linkedin.com/company/peppermint-bars-&-events
• Instagraminstagram.com/peppermintbars

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Peppermint