Adnams chairman – “small rural pubs no longer work or us”: Adnams chairman Jonathan Adnams has argued that running small rural pubs is no longer a business model that works for the Suffolk brewer and retailer. He told The Eastern Daily Press: “The internet has revolutionised people’s lives – how they want to communicate and meet. We have to recognise that village pubs have been under stress now for seven years. Rising costs are part of the picture, increasing taxation on alcoholic products over the years make drinking out expensive compared to home. There has been a dramatic social change, particularly in rural areas, rather than in the more urban areas where you walk around the corner to the pub. In rural areas getting people to go out in their cars on weekdays is a problem, and I don’t see it changing too much. I think we see that the model where smaller rural pubs work for Adnams is no longer the case.” Two weeks ago, Marston’s chief executive Ralph Findlay suggested to Propel that the company no longer wanted to own pubs taking less than £5,000-a-week. He said it was likely that Marston’s would have no tenanted pubs by 2016 although he was “not going to be categorical about that”. However, the success of Marston’s franchises, which will grow in number to 800 by 2016, showed this model was suited to a wide range of pubs taking between £5,000-a-week and £15,000, the latter ordinarily run as managed sites, he said.

Nottingham venues embrace cafe culture: A survey has found Nottingham venues have embraced cafe culture with the number of establishments offering diners the chance to eat outside up by 86% over the past decade – with 54 places now offering the alfresco experience. The city’s Broad Street and the Cornerhouse have long been focal points for many wanting to sit in the sun but pavement dining is now available in all four major quarters of the city centre. Nottingham City Council says it is keen to help create a cafe culture vibe – and a £770,000 project to alter the walkways and kerbs to make Broad Street better for pavement dining is nearing completion. Nick McDonald, city councillor in charge of jobs and growth, said he hadn’t expected pavement dining to take off as quickly. “We’re looking at other areas – like Heathcoat Street – places where there are a lot of independent bars and restaurants to see if it will work – we’re keen to see more places look at outdoor eating.” Ironically, Nottingham is also introducing a late-night levy.

County of Mayo loses 20% of its pubs in less than a decade: One fifth of all pubs and licenced premises in the Irish county of Mayo, which has a population of 130,638, have closed since 2005. With that figure expected to rise, local publicans are claiming that rural pubs are facing extinction. Since 2005, the number of licenced premises in the county has decreased from 467 in 2005 to 376 by the end of 2013 – a fall of 20%. Across the country 1,000 pubs have closed since 2007. Kiltimagh publican Marty O’Hora, the public relation officer of the Mayo Vintners’ Federation of Ireland (VFI), argues that the overhead costs are putting rural pubs out of business. “Here in Kiltimagh, when I did up my pub 17 years ago, there were two hotels and 17 pubs. Now there are seven pubs and one hotel. We are basically down to a third of what we had. You would think there would be more business for us, but there is not. A lot of it is down to emigration and hard times; people do not have the money to spend,” he said.

French hospital to open wine bar for terminally ill patients: A hospital in the French city of Clermont-Ferrand is to open a wine bar where terminally ill patients will be able to enjoy a “medically supervised” glass or two with their families. “Why should we refuse the charms of the soil to those at the end of their lives? Nothing justifies such a prohibition,” the Clermont-Ferrand University Hospital Centre said in statement. The centre’s head, Dr Virginie Guastella, said terminally ill patients had the right to “enjoy themselves.” The hospital will be the first in France to offer such a facility for patients and their families. Staff will be specially trained before it opens in the hospital’s palliative care centre in September.

New $1bn hotel opens in Paris with rooms starting at €695: A new $1bn hotel, the Peninsula, has opened its doors in Paris, the city latest five-star hotel. Qatar’s Katara Hospitality and Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels invested the money jointly, buying the building from the French foreign ministry, which had taken it over after World War II when it had served as the German army headquarters. With 200 rooms including suites with rooftop gardens, a spa, and the Peninsula’s signature Rolls-Royce limousine service, the hotel has introductory rates from €695 going up to €25,000 a night for the most expensive suite. It also boasts an in-house developed tablet application to manage the temperature and the lights of each room.

Palmers Brewery reports turnover and profit boost: Bridport-based brewer and pub operator JC and RH Palmer has reported a turnover and profit rise in the year to 31 March 2014. Turnover rose to £8,723,857 compared to £8,577,682 the year before. Pre-tax profit jumped to £1,300,362 from £1,098,258 the year before. The company stated: “We have been busy investing in our pub estate again this year, totally rejuvenating the George Hotel in Bridport and, after the year-end, completing the £1.3m re-building of the iconic Anchor Inn at Seatown. Food, accommodation and improvements in the quality of our licensees is driving the business. We have seen a substantial increase in sales at retail level and rental income but wet sales are taking longer to recover. However, it is pleasing to see volume increases on a par with 2012, which is outperforming the market.”

Corbin and King’s London hotel to open in October: The Beaumont, the first hotel opened by Chris Corbin and Jeremy King, who operate Brasserie Zedel, The Wolseley and The Delaunay, is due to open early this Autumn. Reservations are now open for room bookings from 9 October 2014 onwards at the hotel, which is located at Brown Hart Gardens in Mayfair. Rates for a Classic King room start at £395 for two people, including a Beaumont breakfast, free Wi-Fi, complimentary in-room teas, Nespresso coffees and soft drinks, and VAT.

Wetherspoon secures second Sittingbourne site, reveals Morley opening date: JD Wetherspoon has secured a second site in Sittingbourne, Kent (population: 62,5000) – the town’s former courthouse, which has faced demolition. JD Wetherspoon has confirmed it has bought the site in Park Road for an undisclosed sum and that it plans to spend £1.5 million on it. It already runs The Summoner in the town, which is at the bottom of the High Street near Bell Road. It’s understood there are no plans to close the first site. Of the new site, spokesman Eddie Gershon said: “There are no plans to demolish it at all. It needs planning permission and a licence and we are looking to put in applications for both of these in due course. If we get them we will start developing it. It’s an interesting looking building and we will remodel it like we have done with other sites such as theatres and post offices. There is also an option to have a beer garden at this site.” Meanwhile, Wetherspoon has revealed that its new Morley town centre pub, The Picture House, will open in Queen Street on 2 December, with work beginning on site on 11 August. Wetherspoon chief executive John Hutson said: “We are pleased to announce our on site and opening date for Morley. We have been keen to open a pub in the town for a while and are delighted that the pub.”

Stonegate Pub Company to open Popworld in Aldershot tomorrow: Stonegate Pub Company is to expand its Popworld brand with an opening in Aldershot tomorrow (Friday 8 August) on the site of a former Yates’s. The new Popworld will create ten new jobs. Yates’s was given permission by Rushmoor Borough Council’s licensing sub-committee to remain open until 3.30am in June, a decision that was criticised despite no objections being put forward by Hampshire Constabulary. Councillors have claimed that later opening hours will cause neighbours to have to put up with disturbances, and some warned that copycat applications from similar and related establishments would follow.

Mint Group Holdings files revised accounts: London bar and nightclub operator Mint Group Holdings has filed revised accounts at Companies House for the period ending 31 March 2013. The new accounts arise because it “has since transpired that the company was not exempt from preparing group accounts”. The Companies House filing shows turnover of £12,471,503 compared to £13,509,958 for the year before. Pre-tax profit was £2,458,4884 compared to £1,435,526 the year before. The accounts state that Obar, Camden was demerged from the group on 29 November 2012 for £3,919,500, which was also the dividend paid in the year.

Essex burger brand doubles up: Entrepreneur Henry Burgess is to expand his burger brand Henry Burgers to a second site in Essex. The second site opens in what was the Louis XIV bar and party venue in Leigh Broadway. The opening follows the conversion of Southend’s Sunrooms nightspot into the first Henry Burgers site last September. The former Louis XIV venue has seen the upstairs bar removed to make space for more seating – the restaurant will now hold up to 100 diners. Burgess said: “We’ve had people wanting to book tables for months. It’s been mental on that front, so it looks like we will be well-received – which we’re pleased about.” The second site will employ 20 staff. 

Oliver Peyton – “I’d like a bakery on every high street”: Restaurateur Oliver Peyton has set out his ambitions for the six-strong chain of Peyton and Byrne bakeries he operates. He told The Daily Telegraph: “My dream is to have one of these shops on every high street in Britain, but it’s one of those businesses where you have to learn it as you go along. We want to become the best in the world by expanding, bring more talent in and becoming more creative. I’m hoping in the next couple of years the company can really start to fly. The future of the country is making companies like ours much bigger.” 

Green bar concept opens in Manchester’s Northern Quarter: A ‘green’ bar concept, Allotment, has opened in Manchester’s Northern Quarter. It has hanging baskets, potted plants, a corrugated iron bar and its own herb garden. The opening is owners Gavin Williams and James Kennedy’s first. They say they aim to create something quintessentially British and the concept is inspired by the UK and its great outdoors. The Dale Street bar has stripped back décor replete with clean wooden floors, picnic benches and nooks and crannies littered with trowels and spades that nestle behind a metal trellis. Food is served everyday from 12pm to 8.30pm and the menu includes comfort food like fish and chips and Cumberland sausage and mash, and a seasonal menu focused on fresh produce, salads, and butties. They serve a picnic basket: an afternoon tea for two with sandwiches, scones and homemade cake.

Marston’s applies for new-build in Exeter, to open new-build site at Chesterfield regeneration site: Midlands-based Marston’s has applied for planning permission for a new-build pub restaurant on Exeter’s Pinhoe Road, near its junction with Exhibition Way. The intention is to create a new access road to the pub/restaurant from Pinhoe Road and this would also serve future development on the overall site. There is a proposal for a development of retirement homes adjacent to the pub. If granted planning permission by the city council, the site would have 180 covers and car parking for 58 cars. Meanwhile, a new-build family pub and restaurant is to be opened by Marston’s on Derbyshire County Council’s flagship regeneration site bringing 40 jobs to the area. The new pub, The Little Castle, will be sited on the Markham Vale development off junction 29A of the M1 near Chesterfield. It is expected to be built by December.

Starbucks aims to double up in Crawley: A planning application has been submitted by Starbucks to open a new shop in Crawley town centre. If approved it would open in a vacant shop on the north side of Queen Square. Permission is being sought from Crawley Borough Council to change the use of the building from retail to a restaurant or café. There would be an outdoor area with 100 chairs. At present, the only Starbucks in Crawley is at the Cineworld in Crawley Leisure Park.

PizzaExpress to continue musical theme with Abu Dhabi opening: A new PizzaExpress is to open in Abu Dhabi this autumn. The move follows the launch of its Jazz@PizzaExpress branch in Dubai’s JLT, and the new venture, called TheJazzRoom@PizzaExpress, is expected to follow a similar theme. The licensed venue will offer live musical entertainment, both local and international. Located on the fifth floor of the capital’s World Trade Centre Mall, it’ll have both an indoor seating area and an outdoor terrace. It will have seating for up to 220 diners. Anand Radia, managing director of PizzaExpress UAE, said: “With the popularity and success we have experienced in Dubai, we felt that Abu Dhabi was the next logical destination, largely because it has a thriving food, beverage and hospitality market. We believe there is more than sufficient demand and the right target audience for our unique concept. The PizzaExpress vision and experience has provided many thousands of diners in Dubai with something very different and we now want to bring this to the capital. On top of the wide selection of dishes on our menu, there is no doubt [that] the calibre of musicians and artistes we attract has been integral to our growth.”

Hammerson adds Bryon and Chimichanga to Highcross: Hammerson has signed restaurant brands Byron and Chimichanga at Highcross shopping centre, Leicester. The two lettings will complete the transformation of St Peter’s square from a retail and restaurant quarter to a dedicated restaurant and café mix. The new restaurants join an already successful line up including the Cinema de Lux and Frankie & Benny’s. Chimichanga is to open a 2,625square foot (244sq m) restaurant, which will be the brand’s first in Leicester. Byron will open a 3,006 square foot (280 sq m) restaurant, also new to the city and the brand’s first within Hammerson’s portfolio. Both restaurants will open later this summer. Chris Daly, catering leasing executive at Hammerson, said: “Both brands are a great addition to the existing catering offer at Highcross and will offer something new to diners. It’s testament to the centre’s draw as a regional destination that we are able to bring new dining brands to Leicester and to our portfolio.” Tom Byng, Byron’s founder, said: “We’re looking forward to bringing proper hamburgers to Leicester and opening in what is an ever more vibrant location.”

Survey finds diners object to restaurant phone-usage: More than three quarters of UK diners now find the use of mobile phones in restaurants to be rude and annoying. That’s according to research commissioned by Bookatable, which found that 79% of diners found texting, taking calls and posting photos on social media to be a “ruination” of their dining experience. The survey also found that 46% were too scared to complain. One in four Brits find that the most frustrating thing about restaurant mobile phone use is how it interrupts the flow of conversation at the table. Meanwhile, 20% claimed they would visit a restaurant more often if mobile phones were banned altogether, and over a quarter said that Facebook and Instagram posts of friends’ meals were boring. A total of 28% of people surveyed said they regularly updated social media when dining out.

Domino’s renews sponsorship of X Factor app: Domino’s Pizza UK is returning as the sponsor of The X Factor app for the second consecutive year. The Domino’s brand will continue to run across the app, as well as within bespoke second screen ad formats and unique interactive features. As part of the digital partnership, Domino’s and ITV will also run a number of interactive campaigns throughout the series using ITV’s dual-screen ad format, Ad Sync, where users will once again be able to win themselves Domino’s deals. Last year, Domino’s launched the mini skill game, Fiery Fingers of Fire, which invited users to win a money-off coupon if they tapped a pizza 500 times in one minute. Engagement figures were impressive, revealing 63% of users played the game and 18% succeeding in claiming the voucher. The game returns this year with a brand new feature allowing users to save their vouchers using the Domino’s wallet. Within the app, users will also be able to access a Domino’s hub incorporating additional engaging content and receive a range of Domino’s rewards. The partnership will also be amplified via social media platforms. Simon Wallis, sales and marketing director of Domino’s, said: “Saturday evening is a key family occasion for us so we’re chuffed to be sponsoring The X Factor app again this year. Mobile is developing as our most important sales channel and as second screen behavior becomes normalised, we’ve seen how it is the glue that turns the traditional ‘lean back’ of TV to an immersive and interactive experience; a Big Night In. The award-winning X Factor app and our recent Domigoals app demonstrates our expertise here, supports our ‘mobile first’ strategy and builds on our heritage of partnering with family brands in a dynamic, contemporary and relevant way.”

Three Punch staffers graduate with masters qualification: Three Punch Taverns members of staff have graduated with a Level 7 Masters qualification, designed to enhance their strategic thinking and leadership abilities. Punch partnered with Leeds Metropolitan University to design the MSC in Multi-Unit Leadership as part of its commitment to develop its aspirational leaders. Punch’s learning and development manager Helen Willis, regional operations director Andy Crump, and new business development manager Stuart Burley were all presented with their Masters qualifications at a ceremony at Leeds Metropolitan University last month. Helen Willis said: “It has been a big commitment to undertake the qualification alongside the day job but I have really enjoyed it. It has definitely given me a much wider business perspective and helped me to think at a more strategic level.”

Blumenthal couple take over Enterprise Inns site: A couple who used to work for chef Heston Blumenthal have taken over the Miller of Mansfield in Goring near Henley, Berkshire, an Enterprise Inns pub. Nick and Mary Galer have spent £75,000 refurbishing the former 18th-century coaching inn in High Street. The pub and hotel was run down when they moved in and was due to be closed by South Oxfordshire District Council because the kitchen posed a health risk. The business now has a four-star hygiene rating. The Galers, who previously worked at the two pubs in Bray that are part of Blumenthal’s Fat Duck Group, have redecorated the restaurant, bar and courtyard and introduced a new menu. Nick Galer is head chef and his wife runs the front of house team. 

Campaigners vow to maintain fight against Cote opening: Campaigners have vowed to continue fighting plans for a new Cote in Dorking town centre, after the proposals moved a step closer. Neighbours and shoppers are annoyed that Mole Valley District Council’s licensing sub-committee has approved a premises licence for a branch of the site in St Martin’s Walk. The licence was granted, subject to conditions, despite the fierce objections of neighbours, who argued the late night opening would disrupt those living in the flats above the proposed development. They also argued that the plans to turn what was previously furniture shop Maison into a restaurant was against the council’s own Town Centre Plan to promote the growth of retail opportunities in the area.

Strada to close Exeter site next month: Italian restaurant Strada will close in Exeter next month, seven years after it opened in the city. It is understood that around ten staff are employed at the premises in Princesshay. John Harvey, Exeter city centre manager, said: “It is an extremely high profile unit that trades extremely well and I am very confident that a new and exciting brand will join the line up in the near future.” Strada was one of the first restaurants in the Princesshay development when it re-opened in 2007. At the time it was the brand’s first outlet in the south west. A representative of the company said that the restaurant in the glass pavilion building in Bedford Street will close in September.

Pay for Greene King boss dips: Total remuneration for Greene King chief executive Rooney Anand dropped slightly from £2.69m in the 2012-2013 financial year to £2.66m in the most recent 2013-2014 financial year, the annual report states. His basis salary increased from £530,000 to £551,000 for the slightly longer 53-week financial year. Anand’s annual bonus fell from £572,000 to £525,000, which is 97.1% of the maximum. Payments under the long term incentive plan declined from £1.44m to £1.42m. Finance director Matthew Fearn saw total remuneration drop from £736,00 to £688,000 although his basic salary climbed from £335,000 to £348,000. He received 90.3% of his potential bonus, which worked out at £257,000. Remuneration committee chairman Lynne Weedall said: “Profit before tax and exceptionals (PBTE) increased by 7.4%, the dividend by 6.8% and our share price by 22% year on year. This strong performance, following equally encouraging results in previous years, means that the awards made under the LTIP three years ago will vest in full on the third anniversary of their grant this summer. The bonus outturn this year is 97% of salary for the chief executive and 90% of salary for the group finance director. We continue to exercise restraint in executive pay levels and salary increases for the executive directors will be a maximum of 2.5% for this year, which is in line with the workforce generally.” Executive directors at Greene King are required to build a shareholding in the company that equates to at least 100% of salary. Anand is also a non-executive director of JB Drinks Holdings and earned and retained £30,000 (2013: £22,500) in the year. His basic salary has increased 2.5% to £554,115 for the current financial year.

Masterchef finalist plans larger premises: Masterchef finalist Eamonn Hunt is relocating his popular Lincoln restaurant the Bronze Pig to increase capacity. The current West Parade location allows the former joiner, who appeared on the hit TV show in 2012 and finished fifth, to do only 30 covers a night. The relocation to Burton Road is in a premise with a capacity of around 55 covers. The location, 4 & 6 Burton Road, was purchased with planning permission for accommodation also and Hunt hopes to introduce bed and breakfast rooms in the long term. “We are taking bookings, especially on Friday and Saturdays, in some instances through to next year,” he said. “We have generally got a five or six week wait for tables on Friday and Saturday. We have currently only got a very small restaurant.”

Agent Christie + Co sells Yorkshire only five star hotel: Agent Christie + Co reports bidding from national and international hotel groups and investors was exceptionally competitive for Yorkshire’s only 5-Star hotel — the award-winning Cedar Court Grand Hotel & Spa in York. The freehold hotel has been sold to Splendid Hospitality Group who will take ownership of the hotel from the end of August. Splendid, which controls a portfolio of 13 hotels with nearly 1,300 bedrooms located in London and across the UK, is an existing investor in the York hospitality market. The company owns the Express by Holiday Inn near Monks Cross and is currently on site developing a boutique hotel in Walmgate, which will operate under IHG’s ‘Indigo’ brand. The Grade II Listed Cedar Court Grand Hotel & Spa was constructed in 1906 as the headquarters for North Eastern Railways and redeveloped, following a circa £30 million investment, as a luxury hotel by Cedar Court Group, opening its doors for business in 2010. The hotel comprises 107 guest rooms, including 13 suites, Hudson’s and HQ restaurants. Shiraz Boghani, Chairman of Splendid Hospitality Group, said: “The York hospitality market is an exceptionally robust one and quite simply, assets of this quality do not come along every day. More importantly, York is a top UK destination people want to visit both for business and for pleasure and we look forward to working with the hotel’s management team to deliver a best-in-class service for our guests.”

Burger King’s 33-year-old chief executive has turned the company into a cash machine: Burger King’s 33-year-old chief executive Daniel Schwartz, a former analyst, has helped engineer a total restructuring of the burger chain in just 13 months on the job, turning the struggling burger chain into a “cash machine”, Bloomberg Businessweek’s Devin Leonard has claimed. Schwartz’s experience of two months spent in company sites at the start of his appointment led him to believe that the complicated menu was slowing down orders. So he simplified the burger chain’s offer to include dishes that are easier to assemble. Schwartz has helped reduce Burger King’s corporate headcount from 38,884 to 2,425 by refranchising restaurants,. He has implemented deep cost-cutting measures that axed many executive perks, including lavish offices that employees called “Mahogany Row” and a $1 million annual party at a chateau in Italy. Schwartz has also negotiated deals with restaurant operators in Brazil, China, and Russia, which have helped grow the number of Burger Kings worldwide by 12% to 13,667 over the past year. In the first quarter of this year, the company’s like-for-like sales increased 2% and net income nearly doubled to $60.4 million.

Freedrinks extends ZEO range: ZEO, the soft drink designed to refresh the category, is launching ZEO Berryz this September, a blueberry, raspberry and cranberry flavoured extension to the low-calorie range. ZEO Berryz offers a sweeter flavour profile than the current citrus-based range, broadening the appeal of ZEO to a wider audience. With just 45 calories per bottle and with no artificial ingredients or additives, ZEO Berryz is in line with the current low calorie range, which caters for the growing number of health-conscious consumers. Mark Young, chief executive of brand owner Freedrinks, said: “The launch of ZEO Berryz follows the success of the current range and is the latest step towards our wider growth plans for the brand. With our current variants doing so well across the trade and consumers enjoying the complexity and depth of flavour in ZEO, we wanted to broaden our customer base by creating a flavour that is sweeter in taste.”

Changes proposed to Northern Ireland licensing laws: Proposed changes to Northern Ireland’s licensing laws would see a relaxation of Easter opening hours and longer ‘drinking up time’ Social Development Minister Nelson McCausland has said. Addressing the controversial issue of Easter opening hours, which involves restrictions between Holy Thursday and Easter Sunday, McCausland has proposed to change the law on Holy Thursday and Easter Saturday to bring it in line with typical weekday opening hours. It would allow pubs to stay open an extra hour until 1am on those nights. But there are no plans to change the law around Good Friday and Easter Sunday. In the case of Good Friday, alcohol can only be sold in pubs between 5pm and 11pm, while the cut off time on Easter Sunday is 10pm. Other changes will see an extension to ‘drinking up time’ from 30 minutes to one hour “to discourage customers drinking too quickly and to allow more gradual departure especially from large venues”. Courts have also been permitted to grant licensed premises permission to open by an additional one hour, to 2am, on up to 12 occasions each year. Smaller pubs without food or entertainment licenses, which are currently allowed to open until 1am for up to 20 occasions each year, can now open late for up to 85 occasions per year. On the flipside, pubs will be banned from selling ‘carry-outs’ or allowing customers to remove alcohol from premises during late opening hours. DSD also want a ban on ‘pour you own pint’ tables and alcohol vending machines.

Café Rouge opens express site with first rotisserie and shop: Tragus Group’s Café Rouge brand is building on the success of its ‘express’ site at Euston station with an opening at Victoria Place serving rotisserie chicken and providing a chance to shop. It is aimed at commuters using the transport hub with a focus on takeaway items, including fresh pastries, baguettes and croques. There will also be a rotisserie, available for the first time at a Café Rouge site, with freshly roasted chicken for guests to dine in and enjoy or to take home. To appeal to those customers keen to work while they eat, Café Rouge has installed a large communal table fitted with power points, for anyone who fancies a glass of wine or bar food while they do some after work emailing – with free WiFi available too. Furthermore, as a one-off for Victoria Place, Café Rouge is launching a new shop full of French treats for customers to buy and enjoy in their comfort of their home. Items available include French Dijon sauce pots, olive oil, wine and champagne, craft beer, Café Rouge coffee bricks and hot chocolate tins, as well as bread boards and copper pans. Edyta Pytel, general manager at Café Rouge Victoria Place, said: “Victoria Place is right in the middle of a transport hub, with tourists, local residents, local employees, commuters, shoppers and the pre-theatre crowd passing through – a huge potential audience, and this has encouraged us to create something a little different for our new site. We wanted to provide more of a grab and go offering for the thousands of people who visit Victoria every day but may not have time to stop for a meal, while our shop is a completely new venture for us and one we feel will prove popular with those looking to create a French feast at home, or pick up a quick gift.”

New research shows one in four sector workers are migrants: New research by People 1st has shown that migrants play a enormous role in the hospitality industry and are filling key roles at all levels of business. The new report, Migrants in the Hospitality Industry, shows that 26% of the hospitality industry is made up of migrants, with 28% coming from Europe, and that the figures has grown significantly (23%) since 2009. Martin-Christian Kent, executive director at People 1st, said that it was the many migrants working in the industry that were helping to meet businesses’ needs. “It’s a simple fact that without migrants working in our industry, we would have far greater skill gaps and skills shortages that we currently do. In fact, our industry is the fourth largest employer of people from abroard, with 6% of all migrants in the UK work in hospitality. That counts for a lot of jobs and we’re now starting to see just how important they are; 28% of managers are migrants and they fill 37% of skilled roles in the industry. Just two examples really show the real impact migrants are having; 44,000 restaurant and catering managers are born outside the UK, and so are 91,000 chefs.” The report also highlights that migrants are also filling entry level roles and highlights key benefits of hiring migrant workers, including the fact that they: are more flexible than British workers and are more willing to undertake shift work, which benefits seasonal industries like hospitality; generally have better soft skills than UK workers, which are critical in a number of roles; Are more willing to accept a job with potentially poor pay, poor working conditions and that may be lower than their skill level due to their willingness to work. While the hospitality industry as a whole is benefiting from the skills of migrants, the report found that many of these workers are concentrated in three key areas; London (69%), Greater Manchester (25%) and the West Midlands (28%). Kent said: “It’s perhaps not surprising that urban areas like London and Manchester have higher rates of migrants working in hospitality, as cities traditionally attract more migrants than rural or coastal areas.” Kent noted that while migrants clearly play a key role in the hospitality industry and will continue to do so for many years, the report also highlights alternatives to recruiting migrant staff members. “Over the past couple of years we’ve been operating ‘employment academies’, which provide training to jobseekers and link employers with providers so that they can find suitable candidates for their vacancies. We’ve also launched an accreditation scheme for colleges, which recognises good practise and excellence in training. By hiring from accredited colleges, employers can be assured that they are gaining highly-skilled employees.”