Government refuses to shut door on ‘vaccine passports’ for pubs and restaurants as outdoor hospitality gets go-ahead to reopen next week: The government has not shut the door on pubs and restaurants having to ask customers to produce “vaccine passports” – but they will not be introduced before indoor hospitality is due to reopen in May. It comes as the government confirmed outdoor hospitality will be able to resume next Monday (12 April). Covid status checks are likely to become “a feature of our lives” until the pandemic recedes, the government has said. There was nothing stopping businesses checking the covid status of customers provided they were not breaking equalities laws, the government argued. A new document published on Monday (5 April) makes clear the government is actively looking at how covid status certification can be used to open up parts of the economy shuttered in the current lockdown. A covid status certificate would show one of three things – a person has had a covid vaccine; a negative result from a lateral flow or PCR test that day or the day before; or proof of natural immunity, such as a positive PCR test in the past six months. The government is looking at converting an existing NHS app for smartphones and tablets so it can show reliable proof of such results, but would also offer a paper version for people without such devices. The document makes clear the government believes covid status checks could “play a role” in reopening theatres and nightclubs as well as spectator events, such as festivals or sports events, because it would help manage the risk of virus spread. However, the government position is much less clear when it comes to pubs, restaurants and other parts of the hospitality sector. The document said “it is possible” covid status checks could “play a role in reducing social distancing requirements” in these environments, meaning a hospitality venue could potentially operate at a higher capacity if it carried out status checks on customers. However, the document states ministers have not yet reached conclusions, so for now normal social distancing rules apply. UKHospitality chief executive Kate Nicholls said: “We're delighted hospitality can start to emerge from restrictions next week as planned. We are also reassured by the comments of the prime minister regarding the use of vaccination certification in hospitality. This would have been very difficult to implement and placed a huge amount of additional stress on an industry that has suffered enough. Such a scheme would have hindered the ability of thousands of hospitality businesses to return to sustainable levels of trade, to recover and to be viable, and we urge the government to avoid this at every stage, and at all costs.” The British Beer & Pub Association reiterated only about 40% of pubs would be able to reopen outdoors next week, “making it all the more important the government sticks to its roadmap dates”. Punch chief executive Clive Chesser said: “Even those pubs that are able to open are likely to be trading at a loss, and pubs will only return to profitable trading levels once the restrictions are fully lifted.”

Sponsored message – Fridays builds a positive culture of safety with Trail: Fridays has implemented Trail across its 85 sites, bringing operations and safety teams together. Rolled out to the entire estate during the pandemic, Fridays safety and risk manager Sioned Hatcher said: “Trail has improved our central visibility and control. We are able to ensure all sites are working with the most up-to-date and relevant checklists – this has been of the utmost importance as we have adapted our safety and operational procedures during the covid-19 pandemic. By opening the lines of communication between our safety and operational teams, we have been able to embed our positive safety culture and influence habitual behaviour.” Trail co-founder Joe Cripps added: “Working with Sioned has been amazing – she’s a really knowledgeable safety professional who really embraces digital compliance. Teams love Trail – it’s the most usable system out there – and Sioned’s engaging, easy-to-understand content ensured all levels of Fridays were bought in. I’m really proud we’ve contributed to Fridays’ new and improved safety culture.” Find out more about Trail here. If you have information you would like to feature in a sponsored message, email paul.charity@propelinfo.com

 

Propel Premium subscribers to receive access to Propel’s library of lockdown videos and Friday Wrap interviews: Premium subscribers now receive access to Propel’s library of lockdown videos and Friday Wrap interviews. Subscribers receive a password that allows them to instantly watch the interviews, which feature industry leaders such as The Restaurant Group chief executive Andy Hornby, PizzaExpress managing director Zoe Bowley and Rekom UK chief executive Peter Marks sharing their lessons of lockdown. Meanwhile, guests on the Friday Wrap discussing their views on the sector include UKHospitality chief executive Kate Nicholls, Greene King chief executive Nick Mackenzie and sector investor Luke Johnson. Subscribers also receive exclusive access to the Propel multi-site operator database. The exhaustive database of businesses, which comprises 1,628 companies, is the most comprehensive multi-site operator information in the sector – and reflects the tumultuous changes of the past year with several hundred businesses disappearing and replaced by several hundred new ones. A new multi-site database will be sent to Premium subscribers at the end of each month with a report on new companies and changes in the multi-site universe. It provides company names, the people in charge, how many sites each firm operates, its trading name and its registered name at Companies House if different, and what each business specialises in. In a new feature this year, there is a synopsis of what the business does and significant news associated with it. Propel Premium subscribers also receive their morning newsletter 11 hours early, at 7pm the evening before our 6am send-out; regular video content and regular exclusive columns from Propel insights editor Mark Wingett. An annual premium subscription costs £395 plus VAT for operators and £495 plus VAT for suppliers. Email anne.steele@propelinfo.com to sign up.

Sector dismayed at government ‘backsliding’ on reopening restrictions: Sector trade bodies have written to prime minister Boris Johnson to express their incredulity at the government’s “stealthy backsliding” on pub reopening rules. UKHospitality, the British Beer & Pub Association and the British Institute of Innkeeping have stated their outrage by the threat of more impositions on pub businesses. Despite the “cautious” approach to restarting the economy, the industry had been relieved to hear all restrictions would be removed by 21 June. However, the hospitality industry could be burdened with vaccine passports as well as “over-complicated” test and trace rules and an inability not able to take payments indoors at reopening – “a triple whammy for hard-pressed publicans who have been forcibly closed for months”. The review into covid status certification, led by Michael Gove, may recommend pubs and other hospitality venues demand immunity proof from people, to allow them to enter – with the threat of fines for venues if non-compliant. The government has also announced all customers will need to sign into the pub on entry, rather than just one member of the group as was previously the case. This will add more confusion and inconvenience for customers and staff, the trade bodies argued. For reopening on 12 April, for outdoor services only, the government has refused to confirm payment at the bar will be permitted. The trade bodies said this means customers may be unable to make payment in outdoor spaces, particularly in rural pubs with poor connectivity levels, yet it is deemed safe to take payment inside in all shops and in non-licensed cafes and other venues from this point. The trade bodies said: “Government has promised the country we will be reopening but we are now being told this will be with our hands tied behind our backs. Pubs will already be trading at a loss when they reopen with all the existing restrictions and covid-secure measures in place. Adding further disproportionate and discriminatory measures threatens the very survival of thousands of businesses. If government insists on restricting our ability to trade then it will need to stump up more business support. We need to see a further extension of the business rates holiday through to October and more furlough support to save the millions of jobs we support.”

 

Further financial support needed for Welsh operators despite reopening timeline now being in place, warns UKHospitality Cymru: Further financial support will be needed for Welsh operators despite a reopening timeline being outlined for the sector, UKHospitality Cymru has warned. First minister Mark Drakeford has stated pubs and restaurants can operate outdoors from Monday, 26 April, as long as coronavirus rates remain low. He said after 17 May, the government would “consider enabling indoor hospitality and remaining visitor accommodation to reopen in advance of the spring bank holiday” on Monday, 31 May. In response, UKHospitality Cymru executive director Dave Chapman said: “It’s great to have some clarity. However, we believe non-alignment with England will cause confusion over opening, encourage cross-border travelling and damage our competitive offer by driving away eager customers. It would be a smoother and more sensible route for indoor hospitality to be opened in line with England on 17 May. In addition, the timelines show we could be shut for another seven weeks or so, therefore, more vital funding will be required to help keep jobs and our businesses afloat. We are in constant discussions with Welsh government over additional support and appeal to it to ensure the effect of the backing we have had to date is not jeopardised by failing to top up assistance in this period.” Meanwhile, the Welsh Pub & Beer Association said the timeline “gives pubs something to plan towards”. It also said pubs still need restart grants like those in England and Scotland to enable them to survive through to reopening.

  

UKHospitality says sector must be ‘at the heart’ of rebuilding Scottish economy in election manifesto: UKHospitality has emphasised the sector must be at “the heart” of the Scottish government’s plans to rebuild the economy in its newly published parliament election manifesto. Its manifesto, Rebuilding Scotland’s Hospitality and Tourism Sectors, has been released ahead of the 2021 Scottish parliament election. It highlights the “vital importance of the hospitality and tourism sectors as an economic and cultural force in Scotland” and the crucial need for them to be supported. It also emphasises the disproportionate harm caused by the pandemic and the critical need for hospitality and tourism businesses to be at “the heart of the Scottish government’s plans to rebuild the economy”. Among its calls for a diverse range of measures is a full review of business rates with a shift away from tax on property, the creation of a well-funded marketing programme to promote Scottish tourism, and a moratorium on new regulations coming from Scottish government that will impact the hospitality sector as it recovers. UKHospitality Scotland executive director Willie Macleod said: “Our businesses are a major driver of economic growth, providing 10% of national employment. A robust and fully supported hospitality sector, given the tools to flourish and grow, should be central to any Scottish government’s plans, and to rebuilding the economy. Businesses that will be expected to lead the recovery of the Scottish economy will have to do so from a position of immense vulnerability. That will require vital support from Holyrood. Our sector can be in the vanguard of efforts to promote green issues such as carbon reduction and sustainability. We can also spearhead national efforts to promote healthier attitudes to food and drink.”

 

Job of the day: COREcruitment is supporting a brand that is expanding its digital proposition and ecosystem, and has ambitions to define a world-leading digital experience. The head of digital role, based in London and paying circa £70,000, is results-driven, with clear targets around weekly e-commerce sales, subscription and database growth, and return on investment of paid media investment all directly tied to the overall company financial model. The ideal candidate would have experience in the “accessible luxury” market, with a strong understanding of the food and beverage market as well as direct-to-consumer e-commerce and subscription sales. Anyone interested can email Gemma@corecruitment.com

 

Doppio Malto eyes 100 UK sites as it plans debut in Glasgow: Italian restaurant chain Doppio Malto has chosen Glasgow for its first opening in the UK, with the owner citing Italy's connection with the city for the decision – it is the first of 100 planned sites. The brand, which currently operates 28 restaurants across seven Italian regions and one in France, will open in June in George Square, creating more than 40 jobs. The 8,000 square foot site was formerly occupied by Jamie’s Italian and before that housed Glasgow's biggest post office. It is currently undergoing a significant refurbishment, which will include the creation of a basement bar and a 180-seat restaurant. Doppio Malto, which translates as double malt, specialise in craft beer and “hearty” Italian food. Doppio Malto chief executive and founder Giovanni Porcu said: “The past year has been incredibly tough for the restaurant sector, but finally there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Unlike more traditional Italian dining concepts, Doppio Malto represents modern Italy and its love of feel-good food, atmosphere and craft beer. I have no doubt the people of Glasgow will embrace us with open arms and enjoy this unique new offering.” Doppio Malto’s goal is to open 100 restaurants throughout the UK following the group’s rapid growth in Italy in recent years. Porcu added: “Glasgow is a wonderful city with a deep connection with Italy, so this felt like the natural place for us to lay our UK foundations. The dining scene is vibrant and exciting, so we are looking forward to being part of that and welcoming Glasgow customers.” After the First World War, a sizeably community of more than 4,000 Italian-Scots began to emerge, with Glasgow hosting the third-largest community in the UK. Since then, there has been a steady flow of migration between the two countries with a large proportion of the community working in the hospitality industry. 

Bluewater to introduce host of experiential leisure experiences: The longest and fastest zip wire in England, Skywire, is to open on Wednesday, 14 May at Bluewater shopping centre in Kent. Landsec is redefining the Bluewater experience and Skywire is the first of nine attractions that will comprise Hangloose Adventure, a new large-scale leisure offer at Bluewater. Skywire is the focal point and includes four individual 725-metre-long zip wires linked to a 15.5-metre high dispatch tower situated on Bluewater’s 40-metre high chalk cliffs, creating a vertical drop of 55 metres. Riders of the Skywire will achieve speeds of up to 60 mph as they make their descent. Three more Hangloose Adventure experiences are set to launch at Bluewater over the next 12 months. First, Europe’s largest rock climbing wall will open, providing Bluewater’s guests with an opportunity to safely scale the cliff walls. This will be followed by another first when a giant swing opens, another European first for Bluewater. Reaching a height of 45 metres, equivalent to a 12-storey building, the swing is twice as high as Hangloose’s original giant swing at the Eden Project in Cornwall. Completing the first wave of experiences is Skydive, in which guests can fly up to ten metres high and free-fall in a 200mph column of air. The only one of its kind in Europe, Skydive will open early 2022. These will be followed by five more experiences – a bungee tower; giant slide; clip and climb; waterdrop boulding wall; and Via Ferrata, a route-marked climb using metal rails and rungs embedded in Bluewater’s cliff walls. Meanwhile, Bluewater is to host The Luna Cinema for a new drive-in format from Monday, 12 April. The Luna Cinema’s latest venue will hold about 180 cars per screening and present a programme of two screenings per night, plus an afternoon matinee at weekends, and have a click and collect food and drink offer. The screen will sit up on the top level of the multi-storey car park. 

Pret appoints Jane Coleman as head of franchising UK & Ireland: Pret A Manger, the JAB Holdings-owned business, has appointed Jane Coleman, formerly of Starbucks and the Coffeesmiths Collective, as head of franchising UK & Ireland, as the brand looks to understand the potential for growth in this area. Propel understands Coleman, who was formerly director of franchising at Starbucks UK, will join the business this month to lead its work on exploring franchise opportunities for Pret in the UK and Ireland. Last month, Clare Clough, Pret managing director UK & Ireland, intimated the company could be set to introduce a franchise model as it looked to back up its recent grocery range deal with Tesco by opening sites in more suburban areas. Coleman spent more than eight years at Starbucks. More recently working as a consultant, she also had a brief spell as operations director for the north at Coffeesmiths Collective.

 

Arkell’s set to receive business interruption insurance pay-out of at least £2.5m after original claim denied: Swindon-headquartered brewer and retailer Arkell’s is set to receive a business interruption insurance pay-out of at least £2.5m after its original claim was denied. The company revealed it had received confirmation from its insurance company that it now has a claim following the result of the Financial Conduct Authority test case at the Supreme Court earlier this year. Arkell’s said it would also push on with its first new-build pub in more than 15 years – at Crest Nicholson’s Tadpole Garden Village development in north Swindon – “when we have the money”, but it will now be smaller in size. The company’s banks have deferred capital repayments on all loans while staff across the board have taken a voluntary salary reduction. Other measures taken to reduce cash flow during the pandemic included putting 90% of the workforce on furlough and rescheduling pension payments. The update came as Arkell’s reported turnover for the year ending 31 March 2020 was down 2.6% to £23.6m, compared with £24.2m the year before. The company said prior to the disruption caused by covid-19, an increase of 2% was anticipated. Profit before tax fell to £2m, compared with £3.3m the year before as a result of the pandemic and “significant” repair and refurbishment projects being carried out. In light of the pandemic, the only leasehold site in the estate has been written down by £262,000. In his report accompanying the accounts, chairman James Arkell said: “The company has never in its history had such restrictions on its trading ability. But we can see the light at the end of the tunnel.” Arkell’s operates more than 90 pubs.

 

Watson – it is do or die time for a lot of people in the pub industry: It is “do or die time for a lot of people in the pub industry”, Clive Watson, executive chairman of City Pub Group, the owner and operator of 48 premium pubs across southern England and Wales, has said. Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Watson said: “Of the 48 pubs we have 26 will open next week, including those offering takeaway. We have 750 staff on furlough at the moment and we will be bringing back about 300 next week. Bear in mind when we reopen next week, pubs will have only been open for about four months of the past 13 months. The government grants have helped, the business rates holiday has definitely helped. In some cases, we don’t have pubs, which are leased, but where we do landlords on the whole have struck decent deals, but yeah it has been really tough we’ve had to live off our fat basically, and for a lot of pub groups there isn’t that much fat. For small independent tenants, who lease their premises from big pub companies they don’t have many reserves so it is do or die time for a lot of people in the pub industry.” On the prospect of vaccine passports for pubs, Watson said: “I think that would be a real shame if that happened and I know the government is piloting schemes for what I call big-ticketed events such as concerts as they tend to be one-off events. They have the infrastructure, they are ticketed events, so maybe a pilot scheme might work for them. But for pubs, indoors or outdoors, as I said, the three areas of bureaucracy, the fact the staff have to police environments that aren’t ticketed and also discrimination to customers. I just don’t think it's practical, whether it is inside drinking or outside drinking.”

 

Gilkes – customers are excited to return and we have to hope this is not a third false start: Inception Group, which owns and operates concepts including Cahoots and Mr Foggs, is to reopen half of its estate next week, as co-founder Charlie Gilkes said it was “clear customers are excited to return”. Sites reopening next Monday (12 April) – as they have some outside space – are Mr Fogg's House of Botanicals in Fitzrovia, Mrs Fogg's in Liverpool Street, Mr Fogg's Tavern in Covent Garden, Cahoots in Soho and the group’s speakeasy bar, Barts in South Kensington. The remaining venues including both Bunga Bunga in Battersea and Covent Garden are due to reopen on Monday, 17 May and Maggie's – the group’s nightclub – reopens on 21 June. The group also continues to sell Cahoots and Mr Fogg's cocktails and cocktail making kits by post. Gilkes said: “Bookings have been encouraging and we can't wait to get back open. It’s clear customers are excited to return and we have to hope this is not a third false start and that on 21 June we say goodbye to social distancing for once and all allowing us to operate at full capacities again.”

 

Bitters ‘n’ Twisted Venues to open ‘traditional fish and chip shop’ in Birmingham: Midlands-based multi-site operator Bitters ‘n’ Twisted Venues is to reopen one of the two venues it closed in Birmingham last year under a new “traditional fish and chip shop” concept. Fillet of Soul will replace the former Buffalo & Rye eatery in Bennett's Hill. The company closed cocktail bar Island Bar in Suffolk Street and Buffalo & Rye last summer. Bitters ‘n’ Twisted owner Matt Scriven told the Birmingham Mail: “It was a very sad decision to close Island Bar, but thankfully I was able to renegotiate my lease on the unit for Buffalo & Rye. The restaurant was too small to enforce social distancing as a restaurant but works perfectly as a takeaway. The concept is very much to offer traditional fish and chips – with highest quality ingredients doing our national British dish proud. The colour scheme is very red, white and blue – which evoke Britishness! But it’s also a very cool retro environment. We'll be playing soulful tunes – hence the name. Fillet of Soul will be very much in the ethos of traditional fish and chips shops that you'll find in most suburbs, but the difference will be everything will be made fresh to order.” Bitters ‘n’ Twisted Venues’ other sites in Birmingham include The Victoria and The Jekyll & Hyde. It also operates Bodega Cantina sites in Birmingham, Leicester and Worcester.

  

Jollibee lines up Leeds opening: Jollibee, the Philippines fast food group, which last month said it plans to invest £30m on expanding in the UK, has lined up an opening in Leeds. Propel understands Jolibee, which plans to open ten new sites in 2021, has targeted an opening at 92-93 Briggate in the city. The fried chicken brand, which operates about 1,200 sites worldwide, plans to be in “every major city in the UK”, and is planning a further 15 to 20 openings here next year. It currently operates three sites in the UK, with a flagship site on the ex-Bella Italia site in Leicester Square, complete with a new store design concept, set to open next. It also has openings lined up in Reading, Nottingham, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Newcastle. Its expansion in Europe will include its first restaurant in Spain, which will open later this year in Madrid. 

 

Black and White Hospitality launches group legal action against insurance company over business interruption policies: Black and White Hospitality, which owns the rights to restaurant brands belonging to Marco Pierre White, has launched a group legal action against its own insurers, Tokio Marine Kiln, regarding a refusal to cover costs incurred under its business interruption policies during covid-19. Black and White Hospitality has appointed specialist insurance solicitors, Fenchurch Law, to lead the fight. Black and White legal director Rob Atkinson said: “Our policy wording is very clear. If there is a closure by a statutory body then the policy should provide coverage. Given the government ordered us to close down, it’s hard to see how there can be any ambiguity around this. Despite rulings from the Supreme Court and the Financial Conduct Authority, our insurers continue to play games. We are left with no other choice but to press on with legal action. We have grouped together with other policyholders across this UK and are ready to take this as far as we need to.” Atkinson explained a letter had been sent to the insurer and court action will follow unless matters are resolved. He added: “The response from Tokio Marine Kiln has come as a dreadful shock but we will refuse to accept the unacceptable. We are aware of other groups of policyholders getting together to take similar action against other insurers. One thing is patently clear, the hospitality industry, as a whole, will not take this lying down and will continue to fight until the insurance companies honour the policies they were happy to collect premiums under for all those years.”

 

Just Eat doubles its target on moving staff to full employee status: Just Eat has brought almost 2,000 self-employed riders on to employee contracts. In December, the company set itself a goal of having 1,000 riders on employee contracts by the end of this month, meaning they would get holiday pay, sick pay and pension allowances. UK managing director Andrew Kenny has now told the Evening Standard that Just Eat is already almost at 2,000. Kenny said: “We got to 1,000 in about half the time we thought we would. We’re at close to double that right now and are expanding it all the time. When we move into a new city like Liverpool, we do it with this new model so they can get hourly pay, a pension, sick pay, holiday pay and so on.” The news from Just Eat comes as shares in rival Deliveroo failed to rebound on its second day of trading after closing down 26.3% on its first day on the London Stock Exchange. The company’s shares closed at 287.45p on Wednesday (31 March), which saw about £2bn wiped off the value of the takeaway delivery firm. In trading on Thursday morning (1 April), the shares had fallen a further 3%, but then climbed back slightly to be down by 1.5% in mid-afternoon, trading to 283.20p. 

 

Time Out Group to raise £2m more than planned: Time Out Group, the global media and entertainment business, has said it will tap markets for £2m more than initially planned as it looks to “emerge from this period of disruption in a stronger position”. The company said there has been strong demand from institutional investors to participate in its plan to raise £15m, which it announced earlier this week. The group said it had, therefore, increased the amount it was seeking to raise by £2m to £17m, representing about 17.1% of its shares value. Time Out Group chief executive Julio Bruno said: “Thanks to the support of our shareholders and new investors, this successful fundraise will allow Time Out to emerge from this period of disruption in a stronger position. We now look forward to once again opening the doors of our existing Time Out Markets and to opening new ones in great cities around the world.” Launching the £15m equity raise, the company said it would help position it “to make the most of our post-pandemic opportunity”. Last month, the company announced it had withdrawn from plans to open a Time Out Market in London’s Waterloo “due to the impact of the covid-19 pandemic”. The first Time Out Market opened in 2014 in Lisbon and the business currently operates sites in Miami, New York, Boston, Montreal and Chicago. The company is due to open sites in Dubai in the first half of this year, Porto in 2022, Abu Dhabi in 2023 and Prague in 2025.

 

KellyDeli to roll out new Asian food concessions in Asda: KellyDeli, owner of international sushi franchise Sushi Daily, is rolling out “one-stop Asian food counters” called Sticks, Bowls and Rolls in selected Asda stores across the UK. It has opened counters at the Asda Birchwood Superstore in Warrington, Skelmersdale in West Lancashire, Hyde in Greater Manchester, Tilbury in Essex, Rawtenstall in Lancashire, Basingstoke in Hampshire and in Merseyside Asda, in Southport. The kiosks offer “convenient meals and snacks to take home” with prices ranging from £2 to £10. Customers can choose from skewered meats and tofu, rice bowls, bao buns and sushi, or there are bundle boxes. KellyDeli’s UK managing director Ian Roberts said: “We’re excited to announce our new concept Sticks, Bowls and Rolls, which will offer Asda customers varied and interesting Asian-inspired dishes with a range of comfort food or healthier alternatives. We hope Sticks, Bowls and Rolls will provide our customers with a delicious and exciting meal to have at home and bring some joy to their food shopping. We also know it’s very easy to feel hungry when at the supermarket, so the option to heat up our dishes to enjoy straight away will brighten up any day.” Sushi Daily has more than 800 counters in 11 countries.

  

Wi5 raises $6m to fund growth: Mobile order and pay company Wi5 has raised $6m (£4.4m) in a pre-Series A funding round led by West Hill Capital. The company, which works with operators including Vietnamese street food restaurant group Pho, Boxpark and Urban Pubs & Bars, will use the funds to increase its market share in the UK and scale rapidly in the US. Already gaining traction in key cities such as Texas and Miami, Wi5’s international expansion will initially focus on the US, where it expects revenues to overtake those from the UK within 18 months. Wi5 founder and chief executive Prask Sutton said: “For too long, so many smaller hospitality businesses have been excluded from the benefits of modern sales technology due to the resources required to set up and manage such high-performance solutions. We’re on a mission to change this. Today’s consumer expects operators to meet their demand for online ordering, without compromising the experience.”