Reilley – unhelpful speculation could easily send sector in an unrecoverable tailspin: Loungers chairman Alex Reilley has warned the government that hospitality is in a perilous position and unhelpful speculation could “easily send the sector into an unrecoverable tailspin”. In a twitter thread, he said if the government was waiting for proof about how desperate the situation is for hospitality “you’re not far off seeing it”. Reilley wrote: “To the UK media, speculating about when lockdown will end and filling your column inches or air time with hospitality-hating celebrity scientists doom-mongering and demonising pubs, bars and restaurants might well be dramatic but please understand this. The livelihoods of millions of people in this country hang in the balance and when ‘experts’ throw it out there the science says hospitality shouldn’t reopen until May (or worse) and even then, it would be under tiers is devastating, worrying, and crushing news to many. To the government, if what SAGE is telling us all, from its front and centre position, is how you see it you need to tell us. If it’s not you need to tell us. Hospitality is in a perilous position and unhelpful speculation could easily send the sector into an unrecoverable tailspin. Also, understand this. Coming out of lockdown into tiers is not the end of lockdown for hospitality. You might not need to call it lockdown anymore but trading in any tier other than tier one is either not permitted or is pretty pointless. We will remain in lockdown in all but name. To Rishi Sunak, Kwasi Kwarteng, Paul Scully and Boris Johnson – by 3 March it will be ‘game over’ for thousands of hospitality businesses and if we are genuinely looking at a summer reopening at best you are going to need to provide substantially more support than we currently have. At the moment we don’t even know whether you’ll continue with existing support measures. Businesses in hospitality either don’t know whether they’ll survive or can’t plan because you want to keep us all waiting. With the greatest of respect get a grip! To anyone reading this, remember this. The media, the scientists, and the politicians who dictate, control, and play God with our lives at the moment do so in the knowledge their job is secure, that they can pay their mortgage, and frankly that they’re alright, Jack.”

Sponsored message – Grice Collins Long launches tenant services division: A spokesman said: “At Grice Collins Long (GCL), we offer our clients clear and expert advice, specialising in food and beverage, travel and at-hand-retail. GCL has recently expanded its agency and property management divisions. We are delighted to introduce our tenant services division, providing property related specialist advice to occupiers of leasehold premises. Drawing from a wealth of experience in the commercial sector, both client side and in private practice, we can help you efficiently manage your property function. We are confident we will achieve a cost reduction on your planned and reactive maintenance. Our skilled team can streamline this vital function using a cloud-based management system with an interactive dashboard, providing direct access to contractors nationwide via our outsourced maintenance manager service. GCL is able to provide expert advice on lease renewals, lease extensions and rent reviews, and can also audit and challenge your service charges and building insurance premiums. We aim to maximise bottom line profit from your estate with proactive asset management, acquisitions advice and strategic disposals. We can help you become leaner and more agile in response to the ever-changing environment. Contact 01462 833370, for tenant services queries email Alex Stanhope (astanhope@gcllimited.com), for agency or property management queries email Neil Grice (ngrice@gcllimited.com), or visit www.gcllimited.com.” If you have information you would like to feature in a sponsored message, email paul.charity@propelinfo.com

Government extends council lockdown powers until July: The government has quietly extended lockdown laws to give councils the power to close pubs, restaurants, shops and public spaces until 17 July this year. It comes after prime minister Boris Johnson admitted late last week “it's too early to say when we'll be able to lift some of the restrictions”. The government had pledged to review the lockdown measures in the middle of next month. The changes to the Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (England) (No.3) Regulations 2020 were made as part of a review of the third lockdown by health secretary Matt Hancock earlier this month. This law – originally introduced on 18 July last year – allows a local authority to close or limit access to premises or outdoor spaces in its area to prevent the spread of coronavirus, including stopping events. The regulation, which applies to England only, was due to expire last week. UKHospitality chief executive Kate Nicholls told The Telegraph: “It is surprising it has been extended for so long when it remains uncertain what restrictions will be in place, and given the large proportion of the population will be vaccinated by then.”

NTIA calls for urgent government action before Budget to save thousands of businesses and jobs: The Night Time Industries Association (NTIA) has called for urgent action by the government before the Budget to save thousands of businesses and jobs. NTIA chief executive Michael Kill said: “Urgent action is needed from the chancellor to extend the current furlough and self-employed provision, as well as extend the business rates holiday and VAT relief for wet-led sales businesses until the end of 2021, to save hundreds of thousands of businesses and jobs, before he sets the Budget. A huge proportion of businesses will not survive past February, and we are currently losing an estimated 40 businesses a week with more than 650,000 jobs lost already, and further job losses when furlough comes to an end in March. Businesses are under an immense amount of pressure to manage their workforce and their financial commitments without any foresight. They are in desperate need of a clear long-term strategy in their fight to survive the pandemic.”

Health passports ‘could allow vaccinated Brits back into pubs and restaurants': Department of Health chiefs are said to be in talks with a technology expert that has developed a “health passport” to allow Brits vaccinated against covid to return to normal life. The so-called health passport features a round barcode or VCode that could allow officials to scan people from three metres away. The Sun said pub and restaurant operators could then tell if a person has been vaccinated and would also be told the date and results of all covid tests. Louis-James Davis, of VST Enterprises, is said to be in talks with the Department of Health over the scanner. He claimed the scanner was “unhackable and tamper proof”. He said: “It’s not yet clear what restrictions will be in place later in the year but the VCode would be able to handle any of them. Organisers would be confident about letting you into an event and you would feel safe, knowing the others around were also in the low-risk category.”

Petitions committee chair writes to PM urging him to meet with hospitality minister campaigners: Catherine McKinnell, chair of the petitions committee, who led the debate into creating a dedicated hospitality minister role earlier this month, has written to prime minister Boris Johnson urging him to meet with the people behind the idea and consider their request. Part of the letter stated: “Hospitality is one of the few industries that exists in every corner of the country and it will play a crucial role in our recovery from the covid-19 recession, particularly in providing jobs for our young people. It also impacts on the arts, culture and tourism and it’s crucial we draw on the expertise that exists in the sector and ensure there is a strong voice for it in government to help get things right going forward. As the minister responding to the debate said, you are the only person in government with the authority to create such a position. More than 200,000 people have signed the petition that led to this debate and it is gaining support still. It was started by publisher Claire Bosi and supported by industry leaders including chefs Tom Kerridge and Angela Hartnett, and hotelier Robin Hutson. I know they would be keen to meet with you to discuss their proposal and their concerns for the industry’s future. There is enormous gratitude for the support the government has already given the sector. However, this doesn’t amount to a long-term strategy and without fully understanding and representing the needs of the industry, I fear the government risks repeating the mistakes that were made in last summer’s reopening. I urge you to take time, alongside your ministerial colleagues who currently share responsibility for the sector, to meet with Claire and her fellow petitioners to listen to their concerns and fully consider this request.” During the debate McKinnell highlighted hospitality was caught between “two crowded departments” – the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport – that “creates an incentive for passing the buck between departments, which reinforces the case for a minister for hospitality”.

Industry leaders call on nightlife fans and workers to submit evidence to parliamentary inquiry: Industry leaders from across the night-time economy have called on music fans and nightlife lovers to take part in a new parliamentary inquiry on covid-19 and the night-time economy. Following the launch of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for the Night Time Economy in December, the group of cross-party MPs and peers met again on Thursday (21 January) to continue discussions on the challenges facing the nightlife sector due to covid-19 and the ensuing restrictions. The meeting was attended by several representatives from the night-time economy, including the Night Time Industries Association; UKHospitality; UK Music; Sacha Lord, night-time economy advisor for Greater Manchester; and London night tsar Amy Lamé. Now, industry leaders from across the sector have urged all music fans, nightlife lovers and night-time economy workers to take part. An industry-wide online survey has been launched by the APPG and is asking for employers, employees, freelancers and consumers to take part and share their views on how the sector has been affected by the pandemic and its importance to the cultural and economic life of the UK. The survey has already received several thousand responses, which will help to provide those in government a greater understanding of nightlife industries and the specific challenges facing the sector. The survey can be accessed via www.ntia.co.uk/appg. UKHospitality chief executive Kate Nicholls said: “The night-time economy is a key component of the hospitality sector. Two thirds of town centre revenue is generated after 6pm and one third after 10pm. For almost a whole year, our hospitality businesses have traded below profitability and just one in five have enough cash to get beyond February. Businesses cannot plan, cannot negotiate with landlords, and cannot see a way out of this crisis while they have no certainty about when they will reopen, the conditions in which they reopen, and the support available. With the right support, the night-time economy can get back to being the engine of economic growth for our towns and cities to recover and flourish.”

Oakman Inns considers investing in covid testing facilities: Dermot King, chief executive of Oakman Inns, is considering investing in covid testing facilities or asking guests to show vaccine status proof on arrival. Speaking to the Sunday Times, King said: “If you’re saying we have a controlled process at the door, where we guarantee everybody inside is covid-free, that would allow us to go back to a more natural operation. We wouldn’t have the restrictions of limited capacity because everyone inside the venue would be negative or immune.” King said he wants clarity from ministers on installing his own testing facilities at Oakman’s 28 pubs. He said: “Businesses like ours would be happy to invest in it if, first, we were allowed to, and second, if we had sign-off [from the government] the results it gives you are accurate.” Anthony Pender, co-founder of Yummy Pubs, said: “The idea is we’d just carry on with good practices until we’re told it’s absolutely safe.” He believes any policy that requires vaccine passports could be discriminatory. He said: “If the vaccine hasn’t been tested on pregnant women, does that mean we won’t allow a pregnant lady into our venue? To me that’s not what hospitality is all about.” UKHospitality chief executive Kate Nicholls thinks the answer lies in testing. She said: “You could see how testing could be used to open up things like the Southampton boat show, or Wimbledon, or a nightclub, if they tested people in the queue. You could show your phone to say you’d had a negative test. That’s probably more workable for operators.”

New cash cocktail urgently needed to save industry jobs in Wales, says UKHospitality: Extended lockdown means pubs, bars, cafes and hotels across Wales immediately need a new and potent cash cocktail of financial support to survive, UKHospitality Cymru has said. Executive director David Chapman said: “The Welsh government has worked with us to define and deliver sector-specific help which, with the crucial contributions of furlough, business rates relief and VAT cuts from Westminster, has kept many of our businesses alive. However, our current sector help here in Wales only covered businesses until Thursday (21 January) and all the signs are this week’s government three-week review will continue lockdown. It is possible we will face enforced closures or very limited trading possibly to Easter and even beyond, and with vital Westminster help running out, a serious financial cliff edge is looming large on the horizon. We need a further protected and ring-fenced sector-specific fund in Wales that can extend existing assistance and, in particular, this should focus on our businesses that provide jobs to local people. Even while closed, they continue to pay overheads, national insurance and other contributions to keep their furloughed staff on payroll and have nothing left to do that. At the moment business rates relief, a significant help for many larger employers, will end in early April and furlough at the end of April. If this vital support is stripped away or reduced then jobs will have to go on a significant scale as employers are now without reserves and leveraged to the hilt.” UKHospitality has already urged the chancellor to extend the VAT cut to 5% for a further 12 months and enact a further business rates holiday for hospitality for 2021-22 to protect communities and repair businesses.

Music festivals ‘still possible’ this summer: Music festivals are "still possible" this summer, despite the cancellation of Glastonbury, the head of the Association of Independent Festivals has said. Paul Reed said Glastonbury “is a different beast to most festivals and most likely ran out of time due to the size and complexity of the event”. Smaller events could still happen if the government ensures organisers can access cancellation insurance, he said. He told BBC Breakfast: “For most festivals, the cut-off point is more likely the end of March.” On Thursday (21 January), Glastonbury organisers Michael and Emily Eavis called off their festival for the second year in a row because of the coronavirus pandemic. “In spite of our efforts to move heaven and earth, it has become clear we simply will not be able to make the festival happen,” they said in a joint statement. “We are so sorry to let you all down.”

Hospitality sector helping lead the way towards hitting ‘net zero’: The hospitality industry is one of the leading sectors to set goals to reduce its carbon footprint and impact on the environment, according to new research. The UK government recently set out its plan for a green industrial revolution to ensure the country reaches its 2050 net zero targets to reduce carbon emissions. YouGov conducted the survey on behalf of energy management, fuel supply and sustainability company World Kinect Energy Services. The research revealed 59% of UK hospitality businesses have a sustainability plan in place to help reduce carbon emissions, and only 24% acknowledged not having plans to introduce one. Overall, 40% of the 1,021 UK small and medium-sized enterprises surveyed do not have a plan in place to become more sustainable, with 30% not intending to put a net zero strategy in place at all. More than half 53%, however, do have a plan in place to ensure they hit the 2050 deadline, yet only 34% have actually achieved any goals. The study also sought to identify the barriers that could be preventing businesses from making further progress towards hitting sustainability targets. Budget is cited as the biggest hurdle with almost half (47%) of hospitality businesses saying financial costs are the largest barrier to sustainability. A total of 58% of operators in the hospitality sector have also seen their plans to become more sustainable halted by the covid-19 pandemic, as priorities have shifted.

New York City's restaurant industry loses 140,000 jobs during pandemic: New York City restaurants and bars have lost more than 140,000 jobs during the coronavirus pandemic as the industry continues to be hard hit amid the ongoing crisis. The New York City Hospitality Alliance told The Independent the sector experienced a 43% drop in employment across 2020 and a “shocking” 55% loss in the full-service restaurant sector. Between November and December alone, the industry lost another 11,700 jobs, which the alliance said could be attributed to more permanent restaurant closures, the rescission of indoor dining, and the winter months. The Independent Restaurant Coalition said the coronavirus stimulus package passed by the Trump administration in December does “falls short” of providing support to the industry. Andrew Rigie, executive director of the New York City Hospitality Alliance, called on the Biden administration to enact the Restaurants Act stimulus plan to support businesses “very soon”. The act, which seeks to establish the $120bn targeted fund geared towards assisting small restaurants and bars impacted by the covid-19 crisis, passed the House in October. In New York City, in particular, restaurant owners are still forced to limit their trade to kerbside and takeout only as other cities start to reopen to customers. In an interview with Good Morning America, Rigie said: “Why is indoor dining closed in New York City when it's open at 50% indoor occupancy around the rest of the state where the infection and hospitalisation rates are higher? But it's not too late for all levels of government to step up and provide restaurants and workers the support they need to give them a fighting chance of survival.”

Job of the day: COREcruitment is supporting an event and exhibition business that is keen to bring on board a head of sales. This position is based in London and is paying circa £60,000. This events business has an exception client list and works with some fantastic venues. It is looking for a motivated and ambitious head of sales, ideally who is experienced managing a team of sales managers generating business through new and existing leads across venues and outdoor spaces. Anyone interested can email Lucia@corecruitment.com 

Subway appoints Nigel Doughty to oversee UK and Ireland business: Global sandwich franchise Subway has appointed Nigel Doughty, the former managing director of Paul UK, to oversee its circa 2,500-strong UK and Ireland business, Propel has learned. Doughty replaces Colin Hughes, formerly of Pret A Manger and EAT, as the brand’s country director for the UK and Ireland. Doughty joins Subway after more than ten years with the Middle East-based Alshaya Group, where he was vice-president of its food retail division – premium casual brands. Prior to that, he spent four years as managing director of Paul UK. He has also had stints at Maison Blanc and Costa Coffee. Hughes, who also served as a non-executive director at Barburrito for two years, had led Subway in UK and Ireland since the summer of 2018. Pre-covid, the business has been rolling out its new-look Fresh Forward store format across its UK and Ireland estate. 

JD Wetherspoon – Guardian article stating company ‘looking to buy smaller pubs on the cheap’ is ‘completely untrue’: JD Wetherspoon has said statements by The Guardian that said the company was looking to “buy smaller pubs on the cheap amid the covid crisis” and “is targeting pubs in central London” are “completely untrue”. Wetherspoon stated: “Wetherspoon operates pubs that are three or four times larger than average and rarely ‘targets’ existing pubs. Wetherspoon's press release on 19 January said the company was ‘considering ... a number of properties in central London, the freehold reversion of pubs of which it is the tenant, and properties adjacent to successful pubs’. All the company's pubs in central London had other uses before Wetherspoon's occupation – for example, the headquarters of the Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank, the former Marquee Club and the former ballroom of the Great Eastern Hotel.” Wetherspoon chairman Tim Martin said: “The downfall of the master spy Karla in John Le Carré's epic novel was precipitated by creating a fictitious ‘legend for a girl’. The Guardian should avoid legends and stick to the truth, lest it suffers the same fate as Karla.”

Dishoom secured £8m of additional funding to get through crisis: Indian restaurant group Dishoom secured £8m of additional funding to get through the crisis, including £5m under the Coronavirus Large Business Interruption Loan Scheme. In accounts for the year to the end of 2019, the company said £4m of this had been drawn down to the signed date of the accounts with the remaining £1m expected to have been drawn down last October. The group also secured a £3m loan from its shareholders, £1.5m of which had been drawn down to date, with the remainder available to be drawn down over the next 12 months, if required. The company said it had also secured a waiver of covenants from its lenders through to September 2021. The group, which saw turnover in 2019 pass the £50m-mark for the first time – up 17.7% to £52.92m – continued to support its charity partners during lockdown and has provided 15,000 free meals to NHS key workers during the pandemic. Last October, the company, which operates five restaurants in London and one each in Birmingham, Manchester and Edinburgh, promoted long-term operations director Brian Trollip to managing director. Earlier this month, the company launched a delivery kitchen service in Cambridge – its second outside London. The company has retained all jobs since the start of the pandemic and even created an additional 50 roles with its six delivery kitchens in London and one in Brighton.

Megan’s appoints Gill Clements as new finance director: London-based cafe and deli concept Megan’s has appointed Gill Clements, formerly of Byron, as its new finance director, Propel has learned. Clements stepped down as Byron’s finance director earlier this year after almost three years with the better burger brand, just under half of which was as its finance director. She has been replaced, initially on an interim basis, by Gavin Cox, who has a “wealth of experience within food manufacturing businesses”. It is also understood Megan’s has applied to take over the former Le Pain Quotidien site at 214 Chiswick High Road. Megan’s appointed Sarah Hills as its new managing director last October. Hills, who was previously managing director of Bill’s and The Restaurant Group-owned Wagamama, joined Megan’s as it was preparing to open its tenth site, in Surbiton. 

Sarah Willingham – market conditions over next three to five years will be ‘once in a lifetime opportunity’ to recapitalise fundamentally great businesses and help them grow: Sarah Willingham, chief executive of bar company Nightcap, has said market conditions over the next three to five years will be “a once in a lifetime opportunity” to recapitalise fundamentally great businesses where debts have skyrocketed due to covid and help them grow. Over the past few months, Nightcap, which has floated on AIM, has raised £6m to help battered hospitality businesses survive and expand after the crisis. Its first acquisition was bar group The London Cocktail Club (LCC), which Willingham had already invested in alongside chef Raymond Blanc, with plans to grow the ten-strong business to 40 sites. Now Willingham has a “wish-list” of other small and mid-size bar chains she would like to buy and help expand. She told the Mail on Sunday: “I'm expecting a possible acquisition will be part of a private equity company restructuring for one of their portfolio companies. If private equity firms are carrying heavily indebted businesses that need restructuring and they don't want to expose themselves further by putting more money in, then we are a good solution for that. We can come in with equity to help fundamentally sound businesses restructure.” Willingham said in contrast to the historical model of private equity firms buying pubs and restaurants by loading them up with debt, the new financing model will be about injecting equity to reduce debt and restructure balance sheets. Willingham said the shift of power from landlords to tenants meant LCC was being offered a pipeline of premium sites it could never have afforded pre-covid. Citing one example, Willingham said a vacant site in Kensington, west London, has scrapped its usual £150,000 premium, knocked 30% off the rent and thrown in a year rent-free. But having renegotiated all the rents for LCC she said some landlords have been “diabolical”. She added: “I'm thinking ‘I'm opening loads of sites over the next five years but I'm never going to sign another lease with you’.”

Escape Hunt to acquire French master franchise partner, raising £1.4m through share placing: Escape room operator Escape Hunt has agreed a deal to acquire its French master franchise partner, BGP Escape, and to raise £1.4m through a share placing. Of the funds raised, about £330,000 will be used as consideration for the acquisition and associated costs; £150,000 to fund potential additional investment in the French and Belgian business; and the balance to continue the UK roll-out of owner-operated sites. Escape Hunt said the deal for BGP Escape was expected to close within the coming weeks, subject to completion of due diligence, finalisation of contracts and compliance with local law requirements. In connection with the acquisition, Escape Hunt announced a placing of 8,036,904 new ordinary shares of 1.25p each at 17.5 pence per share to raise approximately £1.4m before expenses. The placing price represents a discount of 4% to the five-day average closing middle market price of the company's shares between 15 January and 21 January. The acquisition values BGP Escape at about one time its average unaudited Ebitda for 2018 and 2019 after all franchise fees paid to Escape Hunt and will take the total number of owner-operated sites to 17. In 2019, BGP Escape had combined turnover from the Paris and Brussels sites of €1.0m (2018: €1.4m), received total royalties from sub-franchisees of €346,000 (2018: €415,000); generated Ebitda after royalty payments to Escape Hunt of €263,000 (2018: €397,000); and made profit after tax of €125,000 (2018: €195,000). Escape Hunt chief executive Richard Harpham said: “Prior to covid, the French/Belgian territory was a very strong performer for Escape Hunt and we are confident demand will return to previous levels once the current restrictions are lifted. We are excited about the prospects for the region and are delighted to be the owner of the business for the next stage in its journey.”

Milestone Group to open food hall in Liverpool: Sheffield-based The Milestone Group is to open a food hall in Liverpool's Metquarter, with the scheme set to create more than 130 jobs. The food hall will be branded as the General Post Office and open in the late spring. Serving as a nod to the former use of the building as Liverpool's head post office, it will be located at the Victoria Street entrance, adjoining Everyman. The venue will offer a variety of cuisines under one roof, championing independent regional operators and offering support and incubation for the “best this emerging food scene has to offer”. Confirmed tenants include Patty B's Burgers, Thai 25, Dirty Herb Vegan Chicken and Bubble Tea. Matt Bigland, founder and director at The Milestone Group, said: “General Post Office will be a hub for Liverpool's emerging food hall scene. With a mix of design and culinary excellence, it will showcase the best in up-and-coming food and drink talent in the heart of Liverpool city centre.” The opening of General Post Office will complete the remixing of the Metquarter and bring it back to a “significantly let position”. Alex Hyams, asset manager for Queensberry, said: “We're delighted to be bringing Milestone Group as experienced food hall operators to Liverpool. General Post Office will be the largest food hall in the city centre and adds to the dynamic blend of uses that make up our offering at Metquarter.” The Milestone Group operates four sites in Sheffield including craft beer and pizza restaurant Craft & Dough and The Milestone gastro-pub.

Zelman-backed Novators Hospitality opens sushi restaurant in Notting Hill: Novators Hospitality – which is backed by Misha Zelman and led by Tim Mills, former operations director at Pho and head of operations at Paul UK – has opened a new sushi restaurant in London’s Notting Hill. The company has launched Sumi in the former Andina site in Westbourne Grove, as first revealed by Propel in November. The restaurant is currently offering a click and collect service. The main event is the Sumi Box (£45), which comprises of a variety of salmon and tuna along with scallops, sea bream and eel. There's also a sashimi box (£35) and a vegan box (£25) while an omakase meal is available in the evening. Sammy Weinbaum, at CDG Leisure, acted on the deal. Novators Hospitality is also behind Endo at Rotunda in White City, which was awarded a Michelin star in 2019.

Secret Cinema defends immersive Dirty Dancing event proposals: Secret Cinema has defended proposals for an immersive Dirty Dancing event in east London, saying it will invest in local businesses after residents claimed it would be “hijacking” vital green space this summer. The company, one of the biggest cinema experience brands in the world, was given a licence by Waltham Forest Council to use Low Hall sports ground in Walthamstow for three months, despite more than 100 complaints, reports the Evening Standard. Residents and campaigners said the event, which could run from mid-July to mid-September and is billed as a mix of “steamy dancing and dangerously catchy songs”, will bring noise pollution, a risk of covid-19 transmissions and stop locals from using the playing fields for most of the summer. At a meeting, residents said the event would make the sports ground unusable for local children, while others complained about the show leaving “no positive legacy” and described it as “hijacking and damaging public land”. The Secret Cinema chief executive, Max Alexander, said the company always engaged with local communities, and planned to give 1,500 free tickets to residents and invite local schools to use the site in the daytime.