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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Jul- 2020 -10 July
The Restaurant Group secures £50m loan
The Restaurant Group has revealed it has accessed £50m from the Government CLBILS scheme, in a loan supported by Lloyds Banking Group. The operator said the move will give it “increased flexibility”, alongside the group adding an additional £10m to its overall committed debt facilities. The operator has also agreed…
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10 July
Opening weekend trade still down by 45% YoY
Managed pubs, bars and restaurants that opened last weekend saw like-for-like trading down by 44.5% against the year prior, according to latest figures from the CGA. Managed pubs and bars recorded sales that were down by 44.7% against the same weekend in 2019, while trade in reopened managed restaurants was…
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10 July
Cereal Killer Cafè closes two London sites
The founders of the Cereal Killer Cafè have announced the permanent closure of two of their London sites, attributing the coronavirus lockdown and industry uncertainty to the decision. In a statement posted on Facebook, brothers Alan and Gary Keery said they would be saying “Cheerio” to their cafes, “for now”,…
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9 July
Arrest over suspected furlough fraud
A West Midlands man has been arrested as part of an HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) investigation into a suspected £495,000 Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) fraud. HMRC officers executed a search warrant yesterday (8 July 2020) in the Solihull area and arrested the 57-year-old. This is the first arrest…
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9 July
Chancellor cuts hospitality VAT to 5%
Chancellor Rishi Sunak has unveiled a new scheme to pay companies £1,000 bonus per employee for those they keep on until January on part pay. Sunak said if employers bring back all nine million people who have been furloughed, this will be a “£9bn policy to retain people in work”.…
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9 July
Industry reacts to Sunak’s summer statement
The hospitality sector has widely welcomed the series of measures announced by the chancellor in his “summer statement” yesterday, with UKHospitality saying it is “reassuring” that he singled out hospitality and tourism as a “vital part” of the UK’s economy. Yesterday (8 July), along with a £9bn retention scheme that…
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9 July
New Brewdog drive-through set to open in the UK
Scottish craft brewer Brewdog has revealed plans to open a new ‘Brewdog Drive Thru’ in the UK. The sites will serve as beer collection points, hubs for electric vehicle deliveries as well as hubs for closed loop, zero waste packaging such as growlers, mini-kegs and returnable bottles. The group said…
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9 July
Brighton’s The Fix to permanently close
Brighton-based cocktail bar The Fix, within Artist Residence hotel has announced its permanent closure. Chef Dan Kennedy confirmed the closure via an Instagram post, which said: “Sad news unfortunately. We won’t be returning. “Covid-19 has hit our industry hard and made it too difficult for us to now run this…
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9 July
Burger King warns it may shut 10% of sites
Burger King UK has warned it may be forced to permanently close up to 10% of its restaurants. Speaking to the BBC, CEO Alasdair Murdoch said these closures could also lead to more than 1,600 job losses across its estate. He warned that government schemes “do not do enough” to…
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8 July
30,000 jobs at risk, warns Welsh Independent Restaurant Collective
A survey of more than 100 independent pubs, cafes, restaurants and event caterers has estimated that at least 30,000 job losses are expected in the Welsh hospitality sector, the Welsh Independent Restaurant Collective (WRC) has warned. The survey was carried out on 4- July, and came as pubs, cafes and…
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