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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Nov- 2020 -11 November
Government urged to reevaluate lockdown restrictions
Sacha Lord, the night time economy advisor for Greater Manchester, has urged parliament to reassess its latest lockdown measures. In a letter to the government legal department, Lord picked upon the “insufficient level of detail” provided by the study used to back up lockdown measures. He also called upon three…
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11 November
JD Wetherspoon reports 27.6% sale decrease
JD Wetherspoon chairman, Tim Martin has labelled the government’s latest hospitality restrictions “baffling and confusing”, as the company reports a like-for-like sales decrease of 27.6%. For the 15 weeks to 8 November 2020 the pub chain reported that sales in October were “significantly lower” than previous months, following the imposition…
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10 November
Employment stats ‘reinforce need for targeted support’, says UKH
The release of ONS employment figures “highlights the scale of the crisis” currently being faced by hospitality businesses and emphasises the need for additional support for the sector, according to UKHospitality. The figures showed that a record 314,000 people lost their job in the three months to September as the…
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10 November
Roux’s Waterside Inn to remain closed until 2021
The three Michelin star Waterside Inn restaurant in Bray will remain closed until 8 January 2021, as owner chef Alain Roux deems its re-opening “financially unfeasible”. Following the government’s latest ruling, the Waterside Inn closed on 5 November 2020, however the chef announced on Instagram he would extend this break…
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10 November
Almost a third of licensed premises already shut before lockdown
The latest market recovery monitor from CGA and AlixPartners has found that nearly a third of all licensed premises in Britain ceased trading before the end of October, due to trading restrictions. The report shows that 30.1% of licensed premises, equivalent to almost 12,000 sites, had closed their doors before…
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10 November
The City Pub Group appoints new COO
The City Pub Group has announced the appointment of Toby Smith as COO of the company, a newly created role which will begin with immediate effect. Smith brings with him 25 years of experience in UK hospitality, having previously held CEO roles at Stonegate Pub Company, Novus Leisure and Town…
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9 November
Pfizer reveals Covid-19 vaccine candidate is 90% effective
A successful Covid-19 vaccine is a step closer after Pfizer/Biontech revealed its vaccine candidate is 90% effective, according to its first interim analysis. The findings, which are well above the 50% effectiveness for a vaccine to be approved, comes following a clinical trial which involved over 43,000 people. Some 42%…
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9 November
Caffe Nero lenders prepare for CVA
Alcentra and Partners Group, which reportedly provides mezzanine debt to Caffe Nero, has called in financial advisers as the company prepares for a CVA that could potentially lead to permanent store closures and job losses. According to Sky News, Alcentra has requested FTI Consulting to join them in discussions regarding…
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9 November
Government extends restaurants and pubs takeaway permission
The Communities Secretary, Robert Jenrick, has reportedly extended the automatic permission for pubs and restaurants to serve takeaway food and drinks until 2022. The extension means that businesses will not have to obtain planning permission to provide takeaways until March 2022. According to i, Jenrick is set to make the…
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9 November
Sbarro opens first UK restaurant
Sbarro has announced its partnership with EG Group and its first restaurant opening in the UK. The pizza chain’s first restaurant is now open in Birmingham at EG Group’s Armada location. This site is the first of five new trial openings in the UK for 2020, complimenting another five planned…
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