Coronavirus

May- 2020 -

4 May

Azzurri Group drafts in advisors

Azzurri Group has reportedly drafted in KPMG as advisors to help the hospitality giant navigate the ongoing coronavirus crisis. According to The Sunday Times, the owner of Zizzi and Ask Italian has become the latest casual dining chain to draft in restructuring experts, following news that both Wahaca, Gourmet Burger…

1 May

Business may not survive with social distancing measures, claim restaurants

Three quarters of restaurants in the UK have warned that their businesses may not survive with social distancing measures in place. Operators including café chain Paul as well as JKS have suggested that new measures designed to enforce social distancing could pose an “existential threat” to their businesses, according to…

1 May

Hospitality takes on insurers over business interruption claims

Leading hospitality businesses have launched a campaign to force the insurance sector to honour business interruption policies. Headed by Rob Atkinson, a hospitality lawyer from Black and White Hospitality, which operates the Marco Pierre White group of franchised restaurants and manages a portfolio of hotels across the UK, a crowdfunding…

1 May

Chestnut to donate further 10,000 free meals to NHS key workers

Pub group Chestnut has revealed plans to donate a further 10,000 free meals for NHS key workers, bringing the total number of meals it aims to deliver over the coming months to 20,000. It comes after the group raised almost £25,000 since launching the initiative 12 days ago. So far,…

1 May

Greggs postpones reopening of stores

Greggs has reportedly backtracked on plans to reopen 20 of its sites next week, amid fears that it could encourage crowds to gather during the nationwide lockdown. The bakery chain had initially planned to 20 stores for delivery in the Newcastle area as part of a controlled trial. The trial,…

Apr- 2020 -

30 April

New Hospitality tracker sees first quarter sales drop 21.3%

The UK hospitality sector saw sales decline 21.3% in the first quarter of 2020, as the country and the industry moved into Covid-19 lockdown, figures from the newly launched UKHospitality Quarterly Tracker reveal. The tracker combines data from all sub-segments of hospitality with it showing the “cliff edge impact” of…

30 April

‘Lack of urgency’ in handing out Covid-19 grants to SMEs, says Colliers

Colliers International said it is concerned about the “lack of urgency” many local authorities are showing in paying out “much needed” grants to businesses, including recipients in the hospitality sector. Colliers said that according to the latest data published by the Government, five weeks after the grants were announced 38%…

30 April

JD Wetherspoon targets June reopening

JD Wetherspoon has stated its intention to reopen the group’s pubs and hotels “in or around” June despite the ongoing nationwide lockdown. It comes one day after McDonald’s said it will begin operational trials for a “potential and limited reopening”, though JD Wetherspoon has not yet outlined how it plans…

29 April

Sodexo signs up to C-19 Business Pledge

Sodexo has signed the C-19 Business Pledge created by former Cabinet minister, Rt Hon Justine Greening and entrepreneur David Harrison. The national scheme encourages employers to join the coronavirus effort by pledging to help their employees, customers and communities during this crisis. Signatory organisations give their backing to the three…

29 April

McDonald’s trials reopening of sites

McDonald’s has announced it is “working through a potential and limited reopening” following a nationwide closure during the pandemic. The group had initially closed all sites on 23 March as the coronavirus crisis continued to escalate, but is now trialling how sites may reopen with social distancing measures in place. …