Coronavirus

Grants of up to £6,000 per site to ease Omicron blues

21-Dec-2021 By Joe Lutrario

Chancellor Rishi Sunak has committed to fresh support for hospitality including a grant of up to £6,000 per premises to help the industry weather the drop in business caused by the Omicron variant.

No restrictions (yet) and no help for stricken hospitality sector

21-Dec-2021 By Joe Lutrario

The Government is unlikely to introduce additional Covid restrictions before Christmas but has warned that further measures remain on the table and that data will be reviewed ‘by the hour’.

Delivery sales remain significantly up on 2019 levels

17-Dec-2021 By James McAllister

Delivery and takeaway sales for November were up 97% on pre-Covid levels, the latest CGA & Slerp Hospitality at Home Tracker shows.

Friday Five: the week's top news

17-Dec-2021 By James McAllister

This week's main hospitality news stories include the devastating impact of Omicron and Plan B on hospitality businesses across the country, Cedric Grolet coming to London, and Oakman's expansion plans.

Tens of thousands of hospitality venues face closure without support, warns Labour

17-Dec-2021 By James McAllister

The Labour Party has warned that tens of thousands of hospitality businesses face closure if Chancellor Rishi Sunak fails to step in and support struggling firms.

Welsh night-time economy 'considering legal options' as First Minister plans to close nightclubs again

17-Dec-2021 By James McAllister

Night-time economy businesses in Wales are 'considering their legal options' this morning after it was announced the country's nightclubs will be forced to close again from 27 December.

More calls for support as hospitality ‘suffers £4bn sales drop’

16-Dec-2021 By Joe Lutrario

UKHospitality says it is currently seeing a 25% reduction on expected trade, with industry bosses expecting a further drop of around the same as Christmas draws closer.

Omicron forces restaurants to shut up shop early for Christmas

16-Dec-2021 By Joe Lutrario

Cancellations and staff absences caused by the surging Omicron variant are forcing many restaurants to close early for Christmas.

Scottish hospitality faces 'lockdown by the backdoor' as social distancing returns

14-Dec-2021 By James McAllister

Hospitality businesses in Scotland will be required to reintroduce social distancing measures and collect contact tracing information under new curbs aimed at slowing the spread of the Omicron Covid variant.

Friday Five: the week's top news

10-Dec-2021 By James McAllister

This week's main hospitality news stories include announcement of 'Plan B' Covid restrictions in England, Hakkasan quietly closing Sake no Hana, and Baton Berisha departing the Ivy Collection.

'Dark day' for Scottish hospitality as people urged to cancel Christmas parties

10-Dec-2021 By James McAllister

Hospitality trade over Christmas and Hogmanay in Scotland has been left 'in tatters' after people were urged to cancel festive parties amid a rising number of Omicron Covid variant cases.

Johnson accused of 'throwing hospitality under the bus' as Covid curbs return

09-Dec-2021 By James McAllister

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been accused of 'throwing hospitality under the bus to save his own skin' as he announced the introduction of tougher Covid curbs including 'vaccine passports'.

Omicron concerns take bite out of recruitment as bookings fall

08-Dec-2021 By James McAllister

Job adverts in hospitality have fallen 25% in a week as operators scrap hiring plans amid a downturn in bookings caused by concern over the Omicron Covid variant, figures show.

Government mulls Christmas work from home order

08-Dec-2021 By Joe Lutrario

Work from home plans are being drafted by the Government as Boris Johnson considers bringing in tougher measures to slow down the spread of the Omicron variant.

Operators count the cost of mixed messages over Omicron

03-Dec-2021 By Joe Lutrario

Operators are counting the cost of the Government’s mixed messages around what employers and the public should do in the face of the new Omicron variant.

Cancel culture: Omicron jitters hit Xmas bookings

01-Dec-2021 By Joe Lutrario

Christmas party bookings are taking a hit as fears grow over the latest Covid-19 variant, with operators reporting cancellations of existing bookings as well as a drop off in demand for new bookings.

Central London weekend footfall back to pre-Covid levels, says Shaftesbury

30-Nov-2021 By Restaurant

Footfall in central London over the weekends has returned to 2019 levels, according to landlord Shaftesbury.

NTIA: ‘The late-night sector is still extremely fragile’

29-Nov-2021 By James McAllister

The Night Time Industries Association (NTIA) has welcomed the Government’s decision to not reimpose restrictions on hospitality and night-time economy settings in the wake of the new Omicron Coronavirus variant.

Young blood: exodus of 25 to 40 year-olds puts emphasis on younger workers

25-Nov-2021 By Joe Lutrario

New data reveals that 210,000 millennial workers have left the hospitality industry since December 2019, with younger workers stepping up to fill the gap.

Pret sales rise above pre-pandemic levels

24-Nov-2021 By James McAllister

Pret A Manger’s sales rose above pre-pandemic levels last week for the first time, according to Bloomberg’s Pret Index.

Extension of vaccine passports ‘will sound death knell for Scottish hospitality’

16-Nov-2021 By Joe Lutrario

Scotland’s hospitality trade bodies have released joint survey results highlighting the ‘impossible financial situation’ that an extension of vaccine certification would put the sector in.

‘Alarming’ prospect of vaccine passport expansion in Scotland

10-Nov-2021 By Georgi Gyton

Suggestions that Scotland’s vaccine passport scheme could be rolled out to pubs and restaurants is 'extremely alarming' to hospitality businesses, UKHospitality has said.

Government introduces new laws and code in bid to resolve commercial rent disputes

09-Nov-2021 By James McAllister

New laws and a Code of Practice are being introduced by the Government in the hope it will resolve disputes between landlords and commercial tenants over rent arrears.

Restaurant spend declines amid inflation concerns

09-Nov-2021 By James McAllister

Restaurant spending dropped by nearly 10% in October amid consumer concerns about inflation and rising household bills, the latest data from Barclaycard shows.

Top restaurant brands see 20% turnover decline in 2020

04-Nov-2021 By James McAllister

The UK's top restaurant brands saw their combined turnover fall by nearly a quarter last year, the latest data from the Lumina Intelligence Operator Data Index reveals.

Pub owners dip into personal savings to keep businesses afloat

02-Nov-2021 By Restaurant

Pub and bar owners lent their own businesses £138m to stay afloat during the pandemic, according to research from Growthdeck.

Jonathan Downey: “We’ve been completely screwed over. But we’ll be back”

01-Nov-2021 By James McAllister

Street Feast founder Jonathan Downey has vowed to bring the company back following its collapse last year.

CGA: 'Cautious optimism for strong December trading'

01-Nov-2021 By James McAllister

New CGA research provides 'cautious optimism for strong December trading' with young adults, in particular, set to embrace pubs, bars and restaurants for Christmas celebrations.

Autumn Budget: five things to look out for

27-Oct-2021 By James McAllister

Ahead of today’s (27 October) Autumn Budget, here are five things to look out for that will have a significant impact on hospitality as it recovers from the pandemic.

Sector warns of Plan B 'devastation' as Chancellor looks to assuage lockdown fears

25-Oct-2021 By James McAllister

Hospitality leaders have warned that the use of 'Plan B' measures to curb the rise in Coronavirus cases could 'decimate' the sector.

Food delivery maintains market share throughout summer

20-Oct-2021 By James McAllister

Food delivery’s market share remained steady over the summer despite the easing of lockdown restrictions, according to Lumina Intelligence.

Managed groups see 'significant' September sales bounce

18-Oct-2021 By James McAllister

Britain’s managed restaurant, pub and bar groups achieved a significant bounce in sales in September, the latest edition of the Coffer CGA Business Tracker reveals.

Restaurants boost wages amid staffing struggles

14-Oct-2021 By James McAllister

More than a third of UK hospitality employers have boosted pay and benefits in an attempt to attract and retain staff, new data from Lightspeed reveals.

Food to go accounts for one-in-four out of home occasions

13-Oct-2021 By James McAllister

Food to go continues to account for more than a quarter of out of home occasions, according to new data from Lumina Intelligence.

Nearly 1,000 licenced premises lost since July

13-Oct-2021 By James McAllister

An average of 16 licensed hospitality premises have closed everyday since the market fully reopened in July, the new Market Recovery Monitor from CGA and AlixPartners reveals.

Trade bodies make further call to keep VAT at 12.5%

12-Oct-2021 By BigHospiality

Hospitality and tourism trade bodies are once again calling on the Prime Minister to keep VAT at its current rate of 12.5%.

Compulsory NHS Covid passes for Wales get go-ahead after 'shambolic' Senedd vote

06-Oct-2021 By James McAllister

Nightclub industry representatives have reacted furiously after a narrow vote in the Senedd paved the way for mandatory NHS Covid passes for nightclubs and large events in Wales.

UKHospitality calls for targeted package of support in Budget submission

04-Oct-2021 By James McAllister

UKHospitality has called for a targeted package of post-pandemic support for the sector, including a permanent lower rate of VAT, in its Budget submission to the Treasury.

PizzaExpress plots new expansion as restaurants outperform market

04-Oct-2021 By James McAllister

PizzaExpress is 'well underway' with plans to open 50 new restaurants over the next three years.

Businesses 'at risk of insolvency or takeover' as trade bodies plead for rent support

04-Oct-2021 By James McAllister

The Government has been warned that hospitality businesses could be put 'at risk of insolvency or takeover' if forced to pay rent arrears accrued during the pandemic.

Trade bodies unite to call for VAT to stay at 12.5%

01-Oct-2021 By Joe Lutrario

Trade associations representing the UK’s hospitality and tourism sectors have joined forces to call on the Chancellor Rishi Sunak to introduce a permanent lower rate of VAT to accelerate the UK’s economic recovery.

Westminster launches consultation on Covid Passports

01-Oct-2021 By Joe Lutrario

The English government has launched a consultation requesting evidence on the proposal for mandatory Covid Passports for use in a ‘Plan B scenario’.

British Takeaway Campaign accuses Government of small business snub on Hospitality Council

30-Sep-2021 By James McAllister

The British Takeaway Campaign (BTC) has accused the Government of showing 'very little consideration' for small, independent businesses on its newly-formed Hospitality Sector Council.

More London areas opt for continuation of alfresco dining

29-Sep-2021 By Joe Lutrario

Westminster City Council will continue to allow hospitality businesses to setup alfresco dining areas on some streets within Pimlico, Belgravia and Mayfair following an “overwhelming positive” consultation with residents.

'Questions remain' over why the Scottish Government believes Covid vaccine certificates are necessary

29-Sep-2021 By James McAllister

Industry leaders have questioned why the Scottish Government continues to believe vaccine certificates are necessary for late-night venues, as Covid cases fall rapidly across the country.

Government assembles Hospitality Council to guide sector recovery

29-Sep-2021 By James McAllister

UKHospitality chief executive Kate Nicholls, Hawksmoor co-founder Will Beckett and Mowgli’s Nisha Katona are among the industry leaders to join the Government's Hospitality Sector Council.

Hospitality leaders call on Government to urgently loosen visa rules for staff

28-Sep-2021 By James McAllister

More than 65 hospitality leaders including Jeremy King, Yotam Ottolenghi and Skye Gyngell have signed an open letter to the Government demanding immigration requirements for hospitality workers be urgently loosened.

Drinks sales holding up despite operational challenges

27-Sep-2021 By James McAllister

Drinks sales continue to compare well to pre-Covid patterns despite a host of supply, staffing and cost pressures across the on premise, according to new data.

Three quarters of hospitality businesses likely to raise prices as supply chain challenges intensify

23-Sep-2021 By James McAllister

Hospitality businesses face a storm of supply chain problems and rising costs with three quarters of them are likely to raise prices for consumers as a result, new research shows.

Pret plans 200 new sites in two years as it ramps up expansion

22-Sep-2021 By James McAllister

Pret A Manger is to open 200 new UK sites in the next two years as part of an aim to double the size of its estate within five years.