News
The latest industry news from the business journalists at Catering Today. We bring you the latest on what’s happening in the restaurants, bars and catering industry, with exclusive stories, analysis, best practice and industry comment.
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Sep- 2021 -17 September
Aviva Investors offloads eight Marston’s pubs for over £20m
Aviva Investors has sold eight freehold public houses operated by Marston’s to an unnamed buyer for over £20m. Aviva’s asset management business had owned the assets while the pub operators ran the establishments with guarantees from Marston’s topco. Advised by global real estate advisor CBRE, the deal includes leases that…
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17 September
August delivery and takeaway sales up 176% on 2019 levels
August delivery and takeaway sales were 176% higher than in August 2019 and 70% higher than in the same period for 2020, according to the latest CGA and Slerp Hospitality at Home Tracker. While year-on-year growth has slowed since the first quarter of 2021, when the sector was completely closed…
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16 September
The Alchemist to open first Scottish site amid £1.5m investment
The Alchemist, is set to open its first-ever Scottish bar and restaurant next month in Edinburgh’s new St. James Quarter. Representing an investment of £1.5m, the site is set to offer “a mystical apothecary of theatre served” cocktails alongside all-day casual dining. Located within the largest development Edinburgh has seen…
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16 September
Bain Capital acquires Bread Holdings
Gail’s Bakery parent company Bread Holdings, which also owns The Bread Factory, has been sold to Bain Capital Credit in partnership with EBITDA Investments for an undisclosed sum. The move is backed by entrepreneurs Henry McGovern and Steven K. Winegar, to support the group as it moves into its 4th…
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16 September
Itsu introduces 11% entry level pay rise
Itsu has introduced an 11% hourly wage rise for its entry level employees to a minimum of £10.40 an hour. Effective from 17 September, the increase will impact 1,000 existing employees across the group’s 72 UK sites. Through the wage hike, the Asian-inspired restaurant group plans to extend its level…
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16 September
Stem and Glory pledges carbon neutrality by end of year
Stem and Glory has announced its pledge to become carbon negative by the end of the year. Following the restaurant’s participation in the London Mayor’s “Better Futures Programme” the group has brought forward its pledge to the end of this year. The group already has a number of other initiatives…
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15 September
Mayor of London calls for ‘Covid Recovery Visa’
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has added his voice to calls for the Government to create a new ‘Covid Recovery Visa’ to address the alarming labour shortages affecting a wide range of industries, including hospitality, in the wake of Brexit and the pandemic. In a speech at Bloomberg’s ‘The…
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15 September
UKH warns of ‘drastic’ Covid-19 contingency measures impact
UKHospitality has warned the Government of the potential ‘drastic’ fallout should any of its Covid-19 restrictions currently left on reserve be introduced over the Winter. Announced on 14 September, the Autumn and Winter plan for 2021 targeted vaccines uptake and booster jabs as the key way to limit the spread…
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15 September
The Restaurant Group H1 losses narrow to £58.8m
The Restaurant Group has narrowed its statutory pre-tax profit losses for the six-month period ending 4 July 2021 to £58.8m from £234.7m the previous year. The group, which owns Wagamama, saw revenues dip to £216.8m from £227.2m in 2020 as a result of the trading restrictions imposed at the beginning…
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15 September
Inflation sees biggest jump on record in August
UK inflation saw its largest jump since records began in August, as the rate spiked to 3.2% in a 12 month period, up from 2% year-on-year in July. Despite the rate soaring past the Government’s 2% inflation target, the Office for National Statistics’ (ONS) claimed that this “is likely to…
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