Business

UK economic growth slowed down in July, growing by 0.1% compared with 1% in June 2021, according to the latest data by the Office of National Statistics (ONS). With the spread of the Delta variant and the “pingdemic” taking its hold in July, gross domestic product (GDP) still remains 2.1%…

Gordon Ramsay Restaurants has announced that the group swung to a £5.1m loss before tax in FY20, down from £15.2m profits the previous year. Consolidated turnover at the company also fell 36.9% year-on-year to £34.5m for the year ended 31 August 2020. The celebrity chef’s restaurant group attributed the decline…

Consumer card spending rose 15.4% in August, compared with the same period in 2019, with growth recorded across all sectors apart from international travel, according to new data from Barclaycard. For the hospitality and leisure sector, restaurant spending broke into positive growth for the first time since the pandemic hit…

Labour supply problems could last for up to two years and will not be solved by the end of the Job Retention Scheme, the CBI’s director-general, Toby Danker has warned. The warning comes as the CBI’s director-general has set out priorities for both business and government to guard against labour…

Bookers who don’t turn up to hospitality reservations without telling the venue reportedly cost the hospitality industry £17.6bn per year. According to research conducted by hospitality technology firm Zonal and data and insight consultancy CGA, one in seven customers have failed to make a reservation without warning ahead since April.…

SSP Group, an operator of food and beverage outlets in travel locations worldwide, has announced that Jonathan Davies has been appointed as deputy CEO. He will step into the position with immediate effect, and will also continue in his current role of CFO. This follows the recent announcement that Simon…

Just Eat has announced it will create more than 1,500 new customer service jobs over the next 12 months, in collaboration with Sunderland City Council.  The new roles will be based in Houghton le Spring, Sunderland. Overall, Just Eat is investing more than £100m into the region across the next…

UK unemployment fell to 4.7% for the quarter to 30 June 2021, a drop of 0.2% when compared to the previous three month period. According to the ONS, this was coupled by a 0.3% rise in the UK employment rate to 75.1% in the same period, closing the gap with…

Wendy’s has committed to opening 700 delivery kitchens across the UK, US, and Canada by 2025. The dark kitchens will be developed in partnership with REEF Kitchens, an operator of mobility, logistics hubs, and kitchens. In turn, REEF will become the first Wendy’s franchisee in the UK as Wendy’s launches…

Domino’s Pizza Group (DPG) has sold the entire shareholding for its Swiss business for CHF 0.3m (£0.2m) in a bid to further streamline the business.  The disposal of Domino’s Switzerland is expected to be on a debt-free, cash-free basis, with a normalised level of working capital. The transaction, which should…