Greggs sues Zurich Insurance for £100m over unpaid covid claim: Greggs has mounted a £100 million legal claim against the Swiss insurance giant Zurich after a disagreement over a covid-related payout. The chain, which has more than 2,00 … view

McDonald’s to launch MyMcDonald’s Rewards in UK in 2022: McDonald’s is to launch its first global digital reward scheme, MyMcDonald’s Rewards, in the UK in 2022. The offer launched in the US earlier this month and already has 12 m … view

Various Eateries reports Coppa Club like-for-likes up 21%: Various Eateries, the owner, developer and operator of restaurant, clubhouse and hotel sites in the United Kingdom, has reported very encouraging trading since the recommencement … view

Morgan Stanley – government might have reversed its mindset on the pub: Morgan Stanley analyst Jamie Rollo has suggested yesterday’s Budget might signal a reversal in the government’s mindset in relation to the pub. In a note, he st … view

Exclusive – Urban Pubs & Bars buys 13 Barworks sites: London bar group Barworks has sold 13 of its 19 sites to Urban Pubs & Bars. The geography of the portfolio is highly complementary to Urban’s existing estate sites, expanding its p … view

Cost increases could mean pint price could rise by 25p to 30p: The price of a pint of beer will have to rise by as much as 30p to help pay for higher wages and energy costs, City Pub Company has warned. On Monday, the government said the … view

Italian pasta concept Miscusi to launch sustainable eating reward scheme at debut UK site: Italian pasta concept Miscusi will launch its debut UK site at the start of December with a new loyalty scheme rewarding consumers making sustainab … view

Pret A Manger agrees Canadian expansion deal: Pret A Manger and A&W Food Services of Canada have reached an initial agreement to introduce the Pret brand and products to A&W restaurants in Canada. A spokesman said: “Through the terms of … view

Spanish Restaurant Group set to open tenth Tapas Revolution site, reviewing options for future of La Tasca brand: Spanish Restaurant Group (SRG), the team behind Tapas Revolution, will open the brand’s tenth site in Liver … view

BrewDog to open 26,500sq ft global flagship site in London’s Waterloo: Scottish brewer and bar operator BrewDog is to open its biggest site to date, complete with bars, brewery, workspaces, bowling alley and coffee shop, in London’s W … view

Supper closes £2.4m fundraise: London-based premium food delivery service Supper has closed a £2.4m equity and debt fundraise with private equity investment firm Growthdeck. The funding will enable Supper to build on its accelerated gro … view

Booster jabs will prevent lockdown, says Rishi Sunak: Shops, pubs and restaurants must not shut again to deal with covid, Rishi Sunak has said, as he insisted that vaccines meant there could be “no more lockdowns”. In an interview wit … view

 

Hospitality sector fears going under if government imposes new covid ‘plan B’: Pubs, bars, restaurants and hotels could not survive a second Christmas lost to covid-19 restrictions, hospitality bosses have warned, as the government fa … view

Alastair Scott – industry needs to resolve tips ‘puzzle’ to help staff properly understand their pay: Malvern Inns founder Alastair Scott is considering absorbing service charges into menu prices so staff can more easily work out th … view

Pret confirms plans to enter self-service vending machine market with Pret Express trial: Pret A Manger, the JAB Holdings-backed brand, is to attempt to rival Costa Coffee in the self-service vending machine market, with the trial of Pret … view

Business rates bill to soar by £1bn: Business rates are set to rise by £1bn next year – sparking demands for the hike to be cancelled until the system is reformed. The jump in the tax on commercial property is based on inflation data … view

Black Sheep Coffee plots US market entry following investment from NBA star: London-based coffee shop operator Black Sheep is planning to break into the North American market after receiving funding from basketball player Kristaps Porzing … view

Deliveroo reports ‘strong’ third-quarter performance: Deliveroo has reported “strong” performance in the third quarter of 2021 and has increased its full-year guidance for gross transaction value (GTV) growth. The company said GTV … view

Food and drink businesses seeing ‘terrifying’ price rises with inflation running at almost 20% for hospitality firms: Food and drink companies are seeing “terrifying” price rises, according to industry bosses, who have warned abou … view

Morris – our site pipeline is stronger than ever, rents down by up to 30%: Richard Morris, chief executive of the recently listed Tortilla, has said the company’s pipeline of sites “is looking stronger than it has ever done” and t … view

Door security staff shortages ‘now becoming critical’: Door security staff shortages in the night-time economy are becoming critical, the Night Time Industries Association (NTIA) has warned. The lack of security personnel comes at a t … view

Strong September for managed hospitality venues but rolling 12-month sales down 10%, still difficulties for London sites: The UK’s leading managed restaurant, pub and bar groups achieved a significant bounce in sales in September, the l … view

Strong September for managed hospitality venues but rolling 12-month sales down 10%, still difficulties for London sites: The UK’s leading managed restaurant, pub and bar groups achieved a significant bounce in sales in September, the l … view

Raymond Blanc’s restaurant group set for £50m takeout: The restaurant chain founded by celebrity chef Raymond Blanc is poised to change hands in a deal that will allow it to expand its pubs business. Brasserie Bar Co, which owns the Fr … view

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Loungers maintains ‘significant outperformance of market’ with like-for-like sales up 26.6% since 20 May: Cafe bar operator Loungers has said its “significant outperformance of the market” since indoor trading restarted on 17 May … view

UKHospitality requests urgent Treasury meeting, with Rishi Sunak set to delay business rates reform: UKHospitality is requesting an urgent meeting with the Treasury following reports the government’s plans for a major overhaul of busine … view

Domino’s reports 8.8% like-for-like sales increase in Third Quarter: Domino’s Pizza UK has reported a strong performance, in its Third Quarter, the 13 weeks to 26 September, with system sales of £375.8m, up 9.9% and like-for-like sal … view

Corbin & King has ultimate vision ‘to put The Wolseley restaurant in every major capital city around the world’: The ultimate vision of London-based restaurant operator Corbin & King is “to put The Wolseley restaurant and hotel in e … view

Although life without covid is far from over, the industry is thriving within the recent sense of normality. As a legal practice specialising in licensing, we have found that req … view

Marston’s – trading has been 94% of 2019 levels since 12 April: Marston’s has reported that since restrictions were lifted on 12 April, the group has seen a continuous improvement in trading. It stated: “For the most recent quarte … view

Industry loses almost 1,000 more sites since July but managed sector proves robust: Britain’s number of licensed premises fell by almost 1,000 between July and September, the new Market Recovery Monitor from CGA and AlixPartners reveals … view

Meat producers have warned of spiralling prices this Christmas: Meat producers have warned of spiralling prices this Christmas triggered by a surge in the cost of carbon dioxide after a rescue deal was struck to protect the flow of the vi … view

CrepeAffaire plans to triple portfolio over next three years with up to 50 new franchised stores, includes 20 UK and overseas sites in 2022: Crepe concept CrepeAffaire, which currently has 25 sites in four countries, has announced plans t … view

Turtle Bay back on the expansion trail, like-for-like sales up 76.6% on 2019 levels: Caribbean restaurant brand Turtle Bay has returned to the expansion trail, as the 42-strong business reported “exceptional trading” during the first … view

Luminar founder Stephen Thomas launches new late-night business: The founder of Britain’s biggest nightclub group has set up a new business targeting opportunities in the beleaguered late-night sector. Stephen Thomas, who built Luminar … view

Caring-backed businesses secure new £168m credit facility: The Richard Caring-backed Caprice Holdings, The Birley Group and Troia UK Restaurants – the parent company of the Ivy Collection – agreed a new £168m revolving credit facili … view

Burger King UK cooks up £600m float: Burger King’s UK division is set to float on the London Stock Exchange for about £600 million as demand rebounds from the covid pandemic. The UK arm of the restaurant giant is close to appointing a … view

Brighton Pier Group reports strong summer and £5m insurance pay-out: Brighton Pier Group has reported business interruption insurance claims totalling £5 million have been recently settled with its insurers. Payments on account of £4.1 … view

Nicholls – locking in lower VAT rate will create 125,000 jobs and keep UK tourism competitive globally: Keeping the VAT rate for hospitality at 12.5% will create 125,000 jobs and produce money for the government after just four years, a … view

Revolution reports sales 17% ahead of two years ago: Revolution Bars Group, the operator of 67 bars, trading mainly under the Revolution and Revolucion de Cuba brands, has reported sales up 17% between 19 July and 2 October compared to tw … view

New campaign demands the government locks in 12.5% VAT rate for hospitality and tourism: Chancellor Rishi Sunak is facing calls to make the 12.5% VAT rate permanent for hospitality and tourism via a major new campaign, VATsEnough. The cam … view

New campaign demands the government locks in 12.5% VAT rate for hospitality and tourism: Chancellor Rishi Sunak is facing calls to make the 12.5% VAT rate permanent for hospitality and tourism via a major new campaign, VATsEnough. The cam … view

PM to reveal ‘national living wage’ rise to £9.42 an hour in a few weeks: Prime minister Boris Johnson will announce a significant rise in the minimum wage within weeks as he pledges to end the “broken” model of a low-wage, low-g … view

Virtual restaurant brand company secures £3m in seed funding as it looks to become ‘bigger than Domino’s’: Virtual restaurant brand company Peckwater Brands has secured £3m in seed funding. The round, led by Fuel Ventures, tees th … view

Caffe Nero hires advisers for debt talks as Issa brothers circle: Caffe Nero has hired advisers as it seeks to refinance debts of almost £150m and keep the billionaire Issa brothers at bay. The Telegraph reports that Gerry Ford, the coff … view

Coffee shops and restaurants see biggest bounce back in rental payments: Coffee shops, gyms and restaurants are becoming confident in their recovery post-lockdown and increasingly met their rental requirements, according to Colliers. The … view

EG Group acquires Cooplands: Forecourt and roadside operator EG Group has acquired CS Food Group Holdings, which trades as bakery business Cooplands, for an undisclosed sum. Cooplands owns and operates bakery assets in the UK, including t … view

Tim Martin – big task for the industry is getting tax equality with supermarkets but sector ‘needs to get its act together’ to make it happen: JD Wetherspoon chairman Tim Martin has told Propel the big task for the industry over the … view

Former Conran restaurant empire D&D to change hands in £100m takeover: The restaurant empire founded by Sir Terence Conran is to change hands for the first time in nearly a decade after its owners entered exclusive talks with a little-kn … view

Exclusive – C&C Group to consider sale of stake in Admiral Taverns: Brewer C&C Group is to consider a sale of its 47% stake in Admiral Taverns, the circa 1,600-strong pub company, which recently acquired community pub company Hawthorn i … view

Wetherspoon LFLs below 2019, planning to appoint worker directors: JD Wetherspoon has reported like-for-like sales are still below 2019 levels. The company reported sales down 38.8% to £772.6m in the 52 weeks ended 25 July. It made a los … view

Trade bodies call for permanent lower VAT rate of 12.5% to avoid derailing sector’s recovery: Sector trade bodies have joined forces to call on chancellor Rishi Sunak to introduce a permanent lower rate of VAT for the hospitality and to … view

Trade bodies call for permanent lower VAT rate of 12.5% to avoid derailing sector’s recovery: Sector trade bodies have joined forces to call on chancellor Rishi Sunak to introduce a permanent lower rate of VAT for the hospitality and to … view