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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Feb- 2021 -24 February
Extending 5% VAT cut ‘not enough’ to save hospitality, says tax pro
Sue Rathmell, indirect tax partner at MHA MacIntyre Hudson, has said the UK needs “bold and sweeping measures” to save the hospitality sector, calling on the government to do more than just extend 5% VAT measures. The statement comes ahead of the March Budget, with many in the hospitality sector…
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24 February
TGI Fridays to ‘emerge strongly’, plans new openings
TGI Fridays is reportedly well-positioned to “emerge strongly” from the pandemic, despite the massively fluctuating trading conditions of 2020, according to parent company Electra Private Equity. It said the restaurant group’s agility in responding to changing conditions, combined with careful financial and cash management, allowed it to end the year…
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24 February
Chancellor expected to extend furlough until May
Chancellor Rishi Sunak is expected to announce a further extension to the government’s furlough scheme until May in his Budget speech next week. According to The Times, the move is expected after Boris Johnson promised not to “pull the rug out” from businesses when restrictions eventually begin to ease under…
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24 February
UK kebab sector launches debut trade body
The UK’s first kebab industry trade body, the Kebab Alliance, has been launched with the intention to represent the sector which generates an annual £2.8bn. The organisation will be chaired by Ibrahim Dogus, the restaurateur who is also founder of the British Kebab Awards and chair of the British Takeaway…
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23 February
324,000 hospitality supply jobs at risk unless Gov takes action
324,000 jobs within the UK’s hospitality supply chain are at risk unless “businesses receive immediate financial support from the government”, according to UKHospitailty. The statement comes as part of research conducted by the group, where it was found that one in five jobs in the supplier workforce have already been…
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23 February
The Bok Shop eyes double-digit portfolio expansion
The Bok Shop, a Brighton-based fried chicken and vegan chicken restaurant group, has announced plans to open 10 sites across the UK over the next two years. Founded in 2017, the group expanded its portfolio a year later with the addition of a 90-cover restaurant in Eastbourne. Despite the constraints…
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23 February
German Doner Kebab to expand across UK
German Doner Kebab is reportedly eyeing a roll-out of sites across the UK, in a move that will see it almost double its presence with the addition of 47 new sites. According to Sky News, the expansion, which follows a period of heightened takeaway sales during the pandemic, will reportedly…
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23 February
UKH: Sector ‘devastated’ by late reopening date
UKHospitality has claimed that the sector is “devastated” by the late reopening date for hospitality, adding that the chancellor has “just nine days” to save thousands of businesses and hundreds of thousands of jobs that simply “will not be there” without a substantial package of compensation. The news follows the…
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22 February
PM outlines ‘roadmap’ out of lockdown
Prime minister Boris Johnson has set out his four-step “roadmap” to guide the nation out of lockdown “cautiously but irreversibly”, calling the plan a “one-way road to freedom”. Step one will begin from 8 March, when all schools will be allowed to open with outdoor after-school sports and activities allowed.…
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22 February
Hospitality businesses reopen in Jersey
Hospitality businesses in Jersey will reopen this Monday 22 February, with new restrictions in place to prevent the spread of Covid-19. Under new government guidelines, seated food and drink services may resume in licensed and non-licensed premises; however, alcohol can only be served with a main meal. Furthermore, alcoholic drinks…
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