Loungers reports like-for-like sales up 23.7%: Loungers has reported like-for-like sales up 23.7% in the nine weeks from 17 May to 18 July 2021 versus the same period in 2019. The company said it is benefiting from post-covid trends, flexible working driving traffic to local high streets rather than city centres, community presence, and staycationing. Seven new sites have opened to date in the current financial year, and the company will return to opening sites at the pre-covid-19 level of 25 sites per year. Nick Collins, chief executive of Loungers said: “I am delighted with the strength of our performance since re-opening, with like-for-like sales of +23.7%. Each time the business has re-opened over the past 18 months, we have achieved consistent, sector-leading sales growth. We welcomed the removal of all covid related restrictions on Monday and whilst there is naturally short-term uncertainty, we are looking ahead with real confidence. We have already opened seven very strong new sites this year, and I am delighted we are now back opening sites at a run-rate of 25 sites per year. We want to play our part in driving economic growth as we come out of covid, improving high streets across the UK and providing amazing hospitality in communities. The strategy that we outlined when we floated the business in 2019, and our place on the high street, have never looked more relevant. The last few weeks have been very challenging operationally, and as we head into the summer holidays, the operating environment will continue to be difficult as we face interruption due to positive covid cases and self- isolation and a very tight labour market in a number of locations. Once again our team have approached the challenge with enthusiasm and commitment and I am enormously grateful and proud of the contributions made at every level in the business. The resilience shown by our team over the last 18 months has been remarkable. We are committed to using our growth to provide fantastic careers and progression opportunities in the hospitality sector, and with around 1,250 employee shareholders, rewarding loyalty with ownership in the business.” Sales in the 52 weeks to 18 April were down 52% compared to the year before to £78,346,000. It made loss before tax of £14,722,000. Chairman Alex Reilley added: “We have also made significant strides in the construction of our pipeline of new sites, not only in terms of quantity but more importantly in terms of quality. In the near 19-year history of Loungers we have never had a better pipeline of sites and such is the quality that we have genuine competitive tension. Critically I believe the sites in the pipeline, which stretches well into FY23, represent at least top quartile opportunities and in some cases I see sites that I believe could be in our top ten best performers. It is difficult not to get too carried away when looking to the future. We have a business that is currently trading fantastically well and a really exciting, fully formed pipeline of new sites, which we are now opening at the same rate as before the pandemic. The business is led by a best-in-class executive management team, which in turn is supported by a superb senior management team. However, whilst small, the threat of further disruption in the future from covid-19 still remains and we have to be mindful of that. We are currently also dealing with a very substantial shortage of staff in hospitality and, whilst I believe Loungers are faring better than most, it remains unclear whether this is an acute short-term challenge or something we are going to be grappling with longer term. In my 28 years in hospitality, recruitment has always been challenging but I have never known there to be such a shortage of people in the sector as there is now. We desperately need the sector to work together and then, more importantly, for the government to assist in helping to address the labour crisis we currently have. Whilst there are big challenges ahead, we have, I believe, the best team to rise to these challenges. I also believe there are very few businesses in our sector that have such a strong platform to continue to build from and such a fantastic opportunity to grow. Post-pandemic there are some unique opportunities for a business like Loungers and we fully intend to seize them.”

Premium database of multi-site companies sees operators with large UK growth potential added: A number of new companies being added to Propel Premium’s database of multi-site companies have the potential for huge growth in the UK. The updated database, which is produced in association with Virgate and has the most comprehensive multi-site operator information in the sector, will include a minimum of 66 new companies when it is released on Friday, 30 July, at midday – and is only available to Propel Premium subscribers. The 66 new companies operate 275 sites between them. The players with big potential in the UK include London-based Lebanese fast food concept Za’ta. The concept launched in Baker Street in September 2020 and has announced it is looking for a second site and plans to grow to a ten-strong estate within the next year. Ready Burger is a plant-based restaurant concept founded by boxer Anthony Joshua’s former personal chef Adam Clark and entrepreneur Max Miller. It operates a site in London’s Crouch End and is set to open a second site in summer 2021 with plans to have a 40-strong estate by 2024. LebanEats is a London-based Lebanese grab-and-go concept. It runs five sites across central London as well as a kitchen in Chiswick and plans to open 25 new sites across the UK within the next couple of years via franchises. The go-to database 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. Companies can now have an unlimited number of people receive access to Propel Premium for a year for £895 plus VAT – whether they are an operator or a supplier. The regular single subscription rate of £395 plus VAT for operators and £495 plus VAT for suppliers remains the same. Premium subscribers also receive access to a second exclusive monthly database, the Blue Book. The Blue Book database provides an insight into UK operator turnover and profitability over five years, profit conversion and directors’ earnings. The latest version, which was released on Friday, 9 July, features a total of 280 companies. They are ranked by turnover and profit conversion. It also shows directors’ earnings over five years and the top-earning director. Total turnover for the 280 companies is £25.8bn. The minimum company turnover to be included will be £4m. Subscribers also receive access to Propel’s library of lockdown videos and Friday Wrap interviews and now also have access to a curated video library of the sector’s finest leaders and entrepreneurs, offering their insights on running outstanding businesses in the sector. 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. Email jo.charity@propelinfo.com to sign up.

Young people support vaccination, security staff licensing on a cliff edge: Most young people support compulsory vaccinations to enter nightclubs, polling suggested yesterday, despite staunch opposition from Tory MPs and some ministers, The Times has reported. The newspaper added: “Some 57% of those aged between 18 and 25 told a YouGov survey they supported the policy, which will see clubs in England require proof of double vaccination from their customers from the end of September. No 10 failed to rule out taking the same approach to other settings such as pubs later in the year. Boris Johnson’s spokesman said: “The prime minister talked about the sort of areas we were considering and nightclubs are where there is significant evidence ... but we’re going to use the coming weeks to look at the evidence, particularly both in the UK and globally, before making a specific decision.” He said Johnson was “not keen for that to happen in pubs” but “we will want to consider the evidence” as the main risk factors were close proximity at night and alcohol consumption. Under the new rule, announced on Monday, nightclubs and other large venues will be legally required to bar customers if they have not been vaccinated from the end of September, when all over-18s will have been offered two jabs. The decision has sparked uproar among Conservative MPs who warn it risks creating a two-tier society.” Meanwhile, the GMB union has argued covid certificates for nightclub entry useless as a chocolate fireguard if there are no door staff left to enforce them, says GMB union. The union for security workers, said if a training cliff edge for security licences is not relaxed it could ruin the prime minister’s nightclub covid passports plan. From 1 October, door supervisors and security guards must have completed additional top-up training to renew their licence to carry out their work. This includes additional classroom training that many of the current workforce have been unable to complete because of the pandemic and additional costs put on workers. GMB is calling for the Home Office and Security Industry Authority to release its impact assessment of the upcoming changes to the SIA licencing scheme on the workforce, a relaxation of deadline so that door supervisor and security guards have additional time to complete the training and more support for the workers to cover costs of the additional training. Nadine Houghton, GMB national officer, said: “Covid passports will be as useless as a chocolate fireguard if there are no licenced door and security staff left to enforce them. The SIA and Home Office are pressing ahead with changes to security licences that leave the whole workforce facing a cliff edge. The sector is already facing massive recruitment challenges. Now door staff are being expected to stump up – and find the time for – additional training in the middle of a pandemic, or face losing their livelihoods. It’s ridiculous. This deadline needs to be shifted and the workforce supported, otherwise we will see chaos and disorder at our late-night clubs and venues and no trained security to ensure partygoers and the public are kept safe.”