Business

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…

TriSpan, a global private equity firm, has announced its acquisition of a majority stake in Pho, the Vietnamese restaurant group. Carried out by the company’s dedicated restaurant fun Rising Stars, the terms of the transaction have not been disclosed. Following the takeover, Robin Rowland, European operating partner at the private…

Investment in the hospitality industry reportedly dropped 52% year-on-year to £649m in the first three months of 2021. According to analysis of ONS data conducted by business tax relief consultancy group Catax, UK business investment in hotels and restaurants fell £702m from Q1 FY20’s £1.4bn of investments. The figure also…

Consumer spending within the hospitality industry has remained at less than 70% of pre-pandemic levels, according to the latest report by the Office of National Statistics (ONS). Despite turnover increasing to £6.9bn in May 2021 from £1.2bn the prior year, the figure is still around 25% lower compared with May…

Pub Group Stonegate has reportedly filed a £845m claim against three insurers for losses it suffered during the pandemic.  According to the Financial Times, the group is seeking £845m in a claim submitted to London’s High Court against insurers MS Amlin, Liberty Mutual Insurance Europe and Zurich. The company, which…