News
The News section on Catering Today delivers the latest updates and developments across the UK hospitality and catering industry. Covering restaurants, pubs, quick service brands, and catering groups, it reports on company announcements, market performance, government policy, and sector-wide trends. With a focus on commercial and operational impact, Catering Today’s news coverage keeps hospitality professionals informed of the events and decisions shaping business conditions and strategic opportunities across the sector.
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Feb- 2021 -12 February
UK suffers record 9.9% GDP slump
GDP declined by 9.9% in 2020, a figure which is more than double of what was recorded in 2009 after the UK’s financial crisis. According to the ONS, the fall was largely due to restrictions which were in place for most of the year, forcing the economy to operate at limiting trading levels. Figures…
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12 February
Mitchells and Butlers pub branch announces permanent closure
A Mitchells and Butlers (M&B) pub, in Didsbury Manchester has announced that it will be permanently closing, as ongoing restrictions continue to take a toll on the hospitality sector. In a social media post owners of The Stoker’s Arms stated that due to “circumstances outside of their control” the pub…
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12 February
Wine Drinkers UK calls for excise duty cuts
Wine Drinkers UK (WDUK) has written an open letter to the chancellor calling for a reduction to the UK’s wine tax. The group claims that wine has been singled out for excessive increases to wine duty, while other alcoholic beverages such as beer and spirits have seen successive duty freezes.…
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11 February
Uber sees food-delivery revenues double in Q4
Uber has announced that its food delivery platform has experienced a 224% year-on-year revenue increase for Q4 2020. Despite the £984m in global revenues, the firm’s delivery arm posted an adjusted EBITDA loss of £105m for the period. While Uber’s delivery business did experience losses during the quarter, these had…
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11 February
Sri Lankan restaurant The Coconut Tree to open its seventh site
Sri Lankan street food restaurant group The Coconut Tree has announced plans to open a seventh site in Bath. The seventh site – which will join branches in Cardiff, Bristol, Oxford, Cheltenham and Bournemouth – is on track to open at 36 Broad Street in late Spring. The Coconut Tree…
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11 February
Platinum abandons Marston’s takeover
Platinum Equity, a US-based private equity firm, has confirmed that it will no longer move forward with a proposed takeover of Marston’s, after the pub group “unanimously rejected” its proposal earlier this month. Last month, Marston’s confirmed that Platinum put forward an unsolicited, non-binding proposal of a possible cash bid…
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11 February
Hospitality should prepare for ‘turbulent year’, says Duff and Phelps
Business owners across the hospitality and leisure sectors throughout the UK need to “take stock” and prepare themselves for yet another turbulent year, says Duff and Phelps. The message comes as the financial solutions provider believes there is “no sign” of current restrictions easing. It comes as current reliefs such…
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10 February
Big Table Group agrees deal with Centre Parcs restaurants
continued demand for our Bella Italia, Café Rouge and Las Iguanas brands in high volume, high quality locations. “Alongside this, the deal is testament to the commitment each of our restaurants have to delivering fantastic dining experiences to Center Parcs’ guests and the significant investment will ensure that we can…
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10 February
Hospitality sector attracted investment in 2020 despite Covid-19
BDO’s annual ‘Restaurants and Bars Report’ has found that despite the tough trading conditions, the restaurant, pub and bar sector continued to attract investment in 2020. According to the group, interest from investors was judged by the fact that the eventual loosening of lockdown restrictions and a successful vaccine roll-out…
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10 February
Beer and pub leaders push for reopening date as sales plummet 56%
The British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) and business leaders of the beer and pub industry are pushing the government to confirm a clear timeline and date for the reopening of the sector. It comes as it was revealed that trading restrictions and lockdowns caused sales of beer to plummet…
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