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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Apr- 2020 -30 April
New Hospitality tracker sees first quarter sales drop 21.3%
The UK hospitality sector saw sales decline 21.3% in the first quarter of 2020, as the country and the industry moved into Covid-19 lockdown, figures from the newly launched UKHospitality Quarterly Tracker reveal. The tracker combines data from all sub-segments of hospitality with it showing the “cliff edge impact” of…
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30 April
‘Lack of urgency’ in handing out Covid-19 grants to SMEs, says Colliers
Colliers International said it is concerned about the “lack of urgency” many local authorities are showing in paying out “much needed” grants to businesses, including recipients in the hospitality sector. Colliers said that according to the latest data published by the Government, five weeks after the grants were announced 38%…
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30 April
JD Wetherspoon targets June reopening
JD Wetherspoon has stated its intention to reopen the group’s pubs and hotels “in or around” June despite the ongoing nationwide lockdown. It comes one day after McDonald’s said it will begin operational trials for a “potential and limited reopening”, though JD Wetherspoon has not yet outlined how it plans…
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30 April
KFC announces reopening of 80 UK sites amid Covid-19 crisis
KFC has announced it is to reopen 80 more of its stores this week amid the Covid-19 pandemic. The news comes as, earlier this month the fast food chain reopened 11 of its sites for takeaway orders, following the decision to temporarily close its doors last month “protect the wellbeing…
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29 April
Sodexo signs up to C-19 Business Pledge
Sodexo has signed the C-19 Business Pledge created by former Cabinet minister, Rt Hon Justine Greening and entrepreneur David Harrison. The national scheme encourages employers to join the coronavirus effort by pledging to help their employees, customers and communities during this crisis. Signatory organisations give their backing to the three…
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29 April
New insurance group established for hospitality sector
An action group has been established to hold insurance companies accountable for payouts arising from the nationwide lockdown and coronavirus-related losses. The new Hospitality Insurance Group Action (HIGA) will now represent hospitality businesses across the pub, restaurant, hotel and bar sector that have been forced to shut. The group will…
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29 April
Despite ‘Bounce Back Loans’ there are still huge gaps in support for pubs, says BBPA
The British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) has said that chancellor Rishi Sunak’s ‘Bounce Back Loans’ programme announced earlier this week should help pubs currently struggling to access loans through the CIBIL scheme, many still have no direct grant support from the government. The ‘Bounce Back Loans’ will be for…
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29 April
McDonald’s trials reopening of sites
McDonald’s has announced it is “working through a potential and limited reopening” following a nationwide closure during the pandemic. The group had initially closed all sites on 23 March as the coronavirus crisis continued to escalate, but is now trialling how sites may reopen with social distancing measures in place. …
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28 April
Fifth of SMEs in the hospitality space denied a rent holiday, survey finds
The financial hardship created by the lockdown is “being compounded” by a lack of help from landlords, with almost a fifth (19%) of British SMEs in the hospitality space having a rent holiday declined, according to Law firm Buckworths. The figure comes from the firm’s survey of over 500 UK…
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28 April
Greggs to reopen 20 stores for delivery amid lockdown
Bakery chain Greggs has revealed plans to open 20 of its stores for delivery in the Newcastle area as part of a controlled trial, as the UK Covid-19 lockdown continues. According to the BBC, stores would operate at reduced hours and offer a limited product range. The trial is set…
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