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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Oct- 2020 -13 October
Number of licensed establishments fallen by 25,000
Nearly 25,000 fewer licensed premises are currently operating when compared with pre-lockdown numbers. A total of 90,000 establishments had returned to trading by the end of September, according to the Market Recovery Monitor report conducted by CGA and Alix Partners. This means that roughly one in five sites remains closed…
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13 October
UK unemployment rises to 4.5%
The UK unemployment rate increased to 4.5% during the three months to August, the highest level in over three years. According to the latest figures from the Office of National Statistics (ONS), the total number of unemployed increased by 138,000 to 1.58 million people. It comes as over 227,000 people…
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13 October
Herman ze German to permanently close all UK sites
Herman ze German has announced the permanent closure of all its UK sites. The fast food brand, which specialises in German sausages, operates four sites across London in Soho, Charing Cross, Fitzrovia and White City. In a message to customers on Instagram, the group cited the financial impact of Covid-19…
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13 October
Mitchells & Butlers begins redundancy talks with staff
Mitchells and Butlers has begun consulting with a number of its staff regarding redundancy payments as the company struggles with the fallout from Covid-19. According to the BBC, the chain which owns brands such as Harvester and All Bar One has not yet disclosed how many jobs are at risk,…
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12 October
PM unveils three-tiered lockdown system
Prime minister Boris Johnson this afternoon announced a new three-tier lockdown system that will see some hospitality businesses in the North-West forced to close from Wednesday. Under the new system, different rules for regions will be classified as being on ‘medium’, ‘high’ or ‘very high’ alert depending on the rate…
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12 October
Almost 50% of hospitality staff remain on furlough, study finds
Approximately 43% of the hospitality workforce remains on the government’s furlough scheme, according to new research from hospitality software provider Fourth. The latest joint study indicates that many hospitality workers’ jobs “hang in the balance”, and that nationwide footfall is falling again, despite the momentum generated by August’s Eat Out…
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12 October
Tim Hortons UK expansion will create 2000 new jobs
Tim Hortons reportedly has plans to expand across the UK and Ireland in a bid to “capitalise” on the growing trend of drive-through dining. According to the BBC, the Canadian coffee chain said it hopes to open an outlet in “every major city and town” over the next two years.…
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12 October
CMA approves Carlsberg Marston’s merger
A merger between Marston’s Brewery and Carlsberg UK has been approved by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). Despite its greater valuation of £580 million to Carlsberg’s £200 million, Marston’s will hold a 40% stake in the combined company. However, alongside the equity portion of the deal, Marston’s will also…
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12 October
G-A-Y owner begins formal legal challenge against 10pm curfew
Jeremy Joseph, CEO of G-A-Y, has instructed barristers from Kings Chambers and Simpson Miller to challenge the government’s latest round of Covid-19 restrictions which are affecting the hospitality industry. The pre-action protocol has been served to specifically challenge the government’s decision to implement a 10pm curfew on hospitality premises, which…
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9 October
Gov to cover 67% of wages for firms forced to shut
Chancellor Rishi Sunak has announced that businesses forced to shut due to local restrictions will be eligible for a grant that pays two-thirds of staff salaries. The government will pay two-thirds, or 67%, of each employee’s salary, up to a maximum of £2,100 a month, if the business is forced…
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