Sector businesses in Wales to shut at 6pm from Friday, banned from selling alcohol: Pubs, bars, restaurants and cafes in Wales have been told to close at 6pm from Friday (4 December) in an attempt to curb the spread of coronavirus in the … view

Government set to give pubs and restaurants more money: Pubs and restaurants affected by new coronavirus restrictions will be given extra cash to help get them through Christmas, The Daily Telegraph has reported. Prime Minister Boris John … view

Sector leaders write to PM calling for winter economic plan for hospitality’s recovery: Bosses from companies including Azzurri Group, PizzaExpress, Loungers, Greene King, Stonegate Pub Company, Mitchells & Butlers, JD Wetherspoon and T … view

Sector expresses outrage over hospitality transmission ‘evidence’: Sector bosses have lambasted the government’s “evidence” over the transmission of covid-19 in the hospitality sector. The data, released on Friday (27 November), … view

UKHospitality – new tier system will wipe out £7.8bn of trade in December: Trade body UKHospitality has claimed £7.8bn worth of trading will be wiped out by government’s new tier system as 98% of the sector is placed into tier two a … view

Operators blast government as 99% of country put in tier two and three restrictions: Operators have blasted the government after it announced 99% of the country will be placed into tier two or three restrictions post-lockdown. Measures ar … view

M&B reports loss of £123m in Full Year: Mitchells & Butlers has reported a £123m loss for the year to 26 September. The company stated: “This financial period has been dominated by the impact covid-19 has had on the organisation and … view

More than 50 pub and brewing bosses warn PM that sector ‘could be lost forever’ unless government changes course: More than 50 pub and brewing bosses have sent a letter to prime minister Boris Johnson saying pubs are being “scapegoa … view

New vehicle backed by Sir Malcolm Walker acquires Individual Restaurants estate in £40m deal: Ice Acquisitions, a new vehicle controlled by Sir Malcolm Walker and Tarsem Dhaliwal, has bought back the Piccolino, Restaurant Bar & Grill, Op … view

Trade body condemns mockery of pubs in Christmas plan: The British Beer & Pub Association, the trade association representing brewers and pubs, has condemned government’s proposed plans to reduce restrictions over the Christmas period, … view

BBPA – tier restrictions will cost wet-led sites £1.5bn and destroy thousands of pubs: The British Beer & Pub Association has written to the chancellor Rishi Sunak ahead of Wednesday’s spending review to urge him to deliver emergency … view

“Let’s go to the Winchester, have a nice cold pint, and wait for this all to blow over”. Ah, if only we could, this week, follow Simon Pegg’s advice in escaping a zomb … view

Wetherspoon highlights government’s serious pandemic response flaws: JD Wetherspoon has produced a 23 page online edition of Wetherspoon News, its pub magazine, with articles from leading academics, doctors and other commentators, highl … view

UKHospitality urges government to adopt Welsh model of limited household mixing as survey reveals Brits feel safest in industry venues: UKHospitality has urged the government to throw the sector a lifeline and adopt the Welsh model of lim … view

Spend in food delivery could hit £7.1bn in 2020 – a huge rise of 42%, frequency of visits up 16%: The food delivery market could hit £7.1bn this year, which would represent a huge rise of 42% on 2019 while the frequency of delivery vi … view

Pubs and restaurants to feel the brunt of new tier system: Pubs and restaurants will bear the brunt of a new covid tier system so that shops, cinemas and gyms can reopen under plans announced by Boris Johnson on Monday, The Daily Telegrap … view

Tougher tier system to be introduced, 10pm curfew to be pushed back an hour: A tougher three-tiered system of local restrictions will come into force in England when the lockdown ends on 2 December, the government has said. Prime minister … view

 

Deltic calls for rent-free period to avoid closure, Cineworld mulls CVA: The Deltic Group has called for rent-free periods from landlords in order to help it secure a sale to stop it from closing while Cineworld eyes a company voluntary a … view

Christie & Co – distress to hospitality sector is likely to increase in early 2021: Stephen Owens, managing director of pubs and restaurants at Christie & Co, has predicted a wave of distress to hospitality going into the new year – p … view

‘Talk more to us and talk sooner’ says Ralph Findlay in government call to evidence, ‘we never got above break-even’ says Kate Nicholls: Ralph Findlay, chief executive of Marston’s, has called on the government to talk more to t … view

Talk to any sports fan about their aspirations for their team at the start of a new season and without fail, the vast majority, against all previous historical data and their bett … view

Greene King appoints Clair Preston-Beer as new managing director for Local Pubs division: Brewer and retailer Greene King has appointed Clair Preston-Beer to its executive board as the new managing director for the more than 600-strong Lo … view

England’s regional covid tier system may need to be “strengthened”: England’s regional covid tier system may need to be “strengthened” to get the country “through the winter”, a senior government adviser has said. Public H … view

Sector spend recovery ‘will take years’ says NPD’s Dominic Allport, QSRs seize opportunities: Consumer spending in hospitality won’t return to the levels seen in 2019 for years, according to NPD Group foodservice director Dominic … view

Luke Johnson – landlords offering deals up to 50% lower than previous passing rents with significant contributions: Sector investor Luke Johnson has said landlords are offering deals of up to 50% lower than previous passing rents and th … view

Revolution Bars Group gets CVA approval, updates on financial position, CFO change: Revolution Bars Group, which operates 72 bars under the Revolution and Revolución de Cuba brands, has had its company voluntary arrangement (CVA) approve … view

Authors: Paul Chase, George Davidson, Amber Staynings, Victoria Oatesview

Christmas period to be ‘acid test’ for industry as tougher restrictions drive pub and restaurant group sales into reverse in October: The Christmas period will be the “acid test” for the industry as the rollout of more regional co … view

Exclusive – Individual Restaurants undergoing accelerated sales process: Individual Restaurants, which operates circa 30 sites under the Piccolino and Restaurant Bar & Grill brands, is undergoing an accelerated sales process, after appo … view

Young’s – last six months one of the toughest periods in our 189 year history: London-based pub retailer Young’s has reported turnover of £51.1m in the 26 weeks ended 28 September, less than one-third of £168.2m turnover for the s … view

‘New normal’ forecast for July 2021, expect third lockdown in January: The UK will return to as close to a pre-covid normality by July 2021, according to George Davidson, former interim head of insights and analytics at Greene King. D … view

The government has prescribed another four weeks of lockdown for England to regain control over the virus. As we come towards the end of the first week, we take a glance at Wales, which emerged fro … view

JDW’s Tim Martin – ‘regulatory situation is a complete muddle’: JD Wetherspoon has reported that the 15 weeks to 8 November 2020 saw like-for-like sales decrease by 27.6%. The company stated: “Sales in October were significantly … view

Hospitality leaders urge chancellor to use tax relief to ‘save the industry’: A group of leading figures from the hospitality industry are urging the chancellor Rishi Sunak to use tax relief to encourage investors to support the hospi … view

Toby Smith joins City Pub Group as chief operating officer: Veteran operator Toby Smith is to join the board of City Pub Group as chief operating officer, a newly created role, with effect from 10 November 2020. The company stated: “Tob … view

Wendy’s chief executive – we have a strong pipeline of UK locations including drive-thrus: Todd Penegor, chief executive of Wendy’s, the third-largest quick service restaurant chain in the US, has said the company had a strong pipel … view

Hornby – please give us long enough to know how we ramp back up: Andy Hornby, chief executive of The Restaurant Group, the Wagamama and Brunning & Price owner, has called on the government to give the sector as much notice as possible w … view

Turtle Bay appoints Nick Crossley as chief executive: Turtle Bay, the Caribbean restaurant brand backed by Piper, has appointed Nick Crossley, formerly of Mitchells & Butlers (M&B), as its new chief executive, Propel has learned. Crossley … view

David Campbell appointed group chief executive of PizzaExpress: David Campbell, the former chief executive of Wagamama, has been appointed group chief executive of PizzaExpress, as the chain announced the completion of its recapitalisatio … view

Extension to business rates holiday and VAT cut ‘bare minimum’ still required despite continuation of furlough: An extension of the business rates holiday and the VAT cut is the “bare minimum” still required to ensure businesses s … view

Chancellor extends furlough scheme until March: Chancellor Rishi Sunak has announced the furlough scheme will be extended until March. It means the government will continue to pay 80% of staff wages, up to a maximum of £2,500, after the … view

BBPA – longer term support and review of restrictions needed to save 12,000 pubs from permanent closure: The British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA) has urged the government to provide more longer term support to save as many as 12,000 pu … view

Shepherd Neame – ‘we are determined to emerge from crisis in a position of strength’: Brewer and retailer Shepherd Neame, the owner and operator of 319 pubs in Kent and the south east, has reported it traded well up to the outbreak … view

Trade bodies demand government support to secure future of pubs, hospitality and supply chains: Trade bodies representing UK hospitality, pubs and supply chain businesses have called on the government to provide a six-month investment pla … view

Trade bodies demand government support to secure future of pubs, hospitality and supply chains: Trade bodies representing UK hospitality, pubs and supply chain businesses have called on the government to provide a six-month investment pla … view

Jonathan Neame – There is zero trust within hospitality about the government’s strategy: Jonathan Neame, chief executive of Kent-based brewer and retailer Shepherd Neame, has said that there is zero trust within hospitality about the … view

Operators report surge in pre-lockdown bookings: Operators have reported an influx of bookings as consumers look to eat out before the latest national lockdown from Thursday (5 November). Jack Stein, chef-director of Rick Stein Group,< … view

As hospitality operators prepare to go into another lock-down, businesses must rely on tighter controls to minimise losses and ride out the waves of continued uncert … view

BBPA – 12,000 pubs may never re-open: More than a quarter of all pubs face permanent closure in the wake of the new lockdown in a crisis described as greater than that even posed by the Second World War, The Daily Telegraph has reported … view

UKHospitality advises government on business rates revamp to avoid ‘disproportionate burden’: Trade body UKHospitality has submitted its response to phase two of the government’s review of business rates. The submission calls for an … view

“Apologies to the 30 odd new people we were due to start employing next week at our new restaurant. You’ve just been screwed over by a bad PowerPoint presentation, lousy data and a hopeles … view