Propel Newsletter Archive Page

Next Who’s Who of UK Hospitality to feature more than 236,000 words of content, released on Friday: The next Who’s Who of UK Hospitality will feature more than 236,000 words of content when it is released to Premium Club members on Friday (21 June), at midday. The database now features 876 companies, and this month’s edition includes 11 new additions and 58 updated entries. The companies, listed in alphabetical order, will have their most recent results reported as well as broader information around Ebitda, plans and trading style available. The database merges Companies House information, interviews and other public information to provide an easy to reference and exhaustive guide to the sector. Premium Club members also receive access to five other databases: the Multi-Site Database, produced in association with Virgate; the New Openings Database; the Turnover & Profits Blue Book; the UK Food and Beverage Franchisor Database and the UK Food and Beverage Franchisee Database. All Premium Clubs members will be offered a 20% discount on tickets to Propel paid-for events including Social Media for Profit (18 July), the Talent and Training Conference (1 October) and Restaurant Marketer and Innovator (two days in January 2025). Operators that are Premium Club members are also able to send up to four members of staff to each of our four Multi-Club Conferences for free. Premium Club members receive their daily Propel Info newsletter 11 hours earlier than standard subscribers, at 7pm the evening before. They also receive videos of presentations at eight Propel conference events two weeks after they are held. This represents around 100 videos of industry insight over the course of the year. Premium Club members will be sent a dedicated monthly newsletter that will highlight key updates in the sector and direct subscribers to all the vital content their membership offers. Premium Club members also receive exclusive opinion columns every Friday at 5pm, which include the thoughts of Propel group editor Mark Wingett and a host of industry leaders from across the sector. A Premium Club subscription costs an annual sum of £495 plus VAT for operators and £595 plus VAT for suppliers. Companies can now have an unlimited number of people receive access to Premium Club for a year for £995 plus VAT – whether they are an operator or supplier. Email kai.kirkman@propelinfo.com today to sign up.

Labour pledges new powers to protect pubs and hints that beer duty will be frozen: The Labour party has promised new powers to protect pubs and hinted beer duty will be frozen. Shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves unveiled a five-point plan to save traditional pubs after 80 called last orders in the first three months of this year. Strong new “right to buy” powers will be given to communities to purchase beloved assets and business rates will be replaced with a fairer system, reports The Sun. Ms Reeves said: “Brits love our locals. Let’s back our landlords to keep our pubs going. We want to save the British pub because I know what an important institution they are in so many communities.” Reeves spoke to customers and even pulled a pint at The Humble Plumb as she hit the campaign trail in the Southampton Itchen constituency. She also gave the strongest hint yet that beer duty could be frozen when, if elected, she unveils her first Budget this autumn. Jeremy Hunt extended the freeze in the spring but that is due to expire next February.

London dragging down UK’s productivity growth as office staff continue to work from home: London is dragging down Britain’s productivity growth as office staff continue to work from home, new figures show. Productivity in the capital tumbled in 2022, according to the Office for National Statistics, taking output per hour worked – a key tool to measure each employee’s efforts – to its lowest level since 2009. London’s productivity dropped by 2.7% between 2019 and 2022, the ONS said, with Wales the only other region to fall. The strongest growth came in the north west of England, where productivity jumped by 7.9% over the same period, reports The Telegraph. Dwindling productivity in the capital is a hangover from the pandemic, according to economists, as they said remote working has harmed growth. Adrian Pabst at the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR) said: “There are very few jobs which can be done as well at home as they can be at the office. Working zero days from the office, which you can see in the civil service, is just not working out. There is not the same coordination, not the same interactions and people do not feel as motivated. There are all sorts of things that do not happen when you are in the office.” Despite its poor performance since the pandemic, London remains the UK’s most productive region by a long way. Output per hour in London was 26.2% higher than the UK average. The south east was the only other region to see productivity levels outperform the national average, with output per hour 10.8% above the national norm. Wales, meanwhile, propped up the productivity table, with output per hour 17.3% below the national average. Outside London, the strongest performer was North Hampshire, where productivity is around 54% higher than the national average. Although London maintained its position as the country’s most productive area, the productivity gap – the difference between London and the rest – is the smallest it’s been on record. Back in 2007, London was just under 40% more productive than the average region.

NTIA accuses political parties of turning their backs on youth and culture after 32 independent venues shut weekly in 2023-24: The Night Time Industries Association (NTIA) has accused the UK’s political parties of turning their backs on youth and culture after reporting that 32 independent venues shut weekly in 2023-24. The trade body said it is “deeply concerned to report a devastating trend reshaping our nightlife” and that “this wave of closures is tearing out the beating heart of our vibrant nightlife”. It went on to brand the manifestos presented by political parties as “disappointingly superficial” and failing to address critical issues including cultural development. NTIA chief executive Michael Kill urged them to listen to “the 2 million under-30s employed in the night-time sector, the billions that take part in nightlife and to recognise the 90,000 businesses vital to our cultural fabric”. He said: “As the election approaches, it is crucial for political parties to engage meaningfully with the younger generation. Our nation’s future hinges on their participation and empowerment. We urge parties to move beyond rhetoric and offer substantive policies that address real concerns and support our cultural sector. We call on all political parties to demonstrate genuine commitment to our nation’s future. Young voters and cultural advocates deserve more than empty promises; they deserve inclusion, recognition, and a vision that ensures our nightlife can thrive once again. Immediate action is essential to prevent further devastation and preserve our nightlife as a beacon of creativity and innovation.”

Labour warned that boosting national minimum wage risks stoking inflation: Experts have warned that Labour’s plan to boost workers’ pay risks stoking inflation. Economists at HSBC said that forcing firms to spend more on wages could drive up prices, or alternatively, could prompt firms to cut jobs. HSBC noted that “for now, the party’s efforts to win over the business and economic establishment appear to be paying off”. But the bank said there was “still scope for non-market friendly surprises” after the election, including a “really bumper increase” in the national living wage or a rise in capital gains tax, reports This is Money. The bank’s report scrutinised the potential impact of the party’s ‘genuine living wage’ policy, which would mean that the cost of living is, for the first time, used to calculate the minimum wage. That could drive it up from £11.44 to £12 across the UK and £13.15 for London, HSBC’s economists suggested. In a ‘best-case’ scenario that would lure more people back to work, raise productivity, lift tax revenues and result in fewer people claiming benefits. However, HSBC senior economist Elizabeth Martins said the reality ‘might not be so Panglossian’ – a reference to the absurdly optimistic character Dr Pangloss from Candide, the 18th century satirical novel written by Voltaire. “A higher minimum wage could increase costs and reduce efficiency, adding to unit labour costs,” Martins said. “This, in turn, could either push firms into reducing headcount – that is, higher unemployment – and/or sustain lingering inflation pressures, keeping bank rate higher for longer. While this has been a risk that hasn’t really crystallised since the minimum wage was introduced, at some level it would presumably have a detrimental impact on unemployment – we just don’t know where it is until we reach it.”

Drink drive limit could be reduced to equivalent of one beer: Doctors will campaign for the next government to reduce the drink-driving limit to the equivalent of just one beer. Current drink-driving limits in England are the highest in Europe at 80mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood. However, the British Medical Assocation want the limit to be decreased to 50mg and just 20mg for new drivers. Motorists would only be allowed the equivalent of one small glass of wine or beer under the new proposals supported by the Alcohol Health Alliance, road-safety charity Brake and the Institute of Alcohol Studies. The BMA also suggested mandatory health-risk warning labels on alcohol. Carrie Reidinger, population health policy advice and research officer at the BMA, told The Times: “We think it’s really important to call on the government to lower the legal limit. This is in line with the approach taken by many European countries such as Ireland and Greece.” After Scotland decreased its limit to 50mg in 2014, researchers described the move as failing to have any real impact on the number of road accidents. Across Europe, nowhere other than England, Wales and Northern Ireland has a drink-driving limit of more than 50mg per 100ml of blood. In Slovakia, Hungary and the Czech Republic, the legal limit is zero.