Closure
In this section, we report on restaurant, pub, bar, cafรฉ, and catering business closures across the UK, and the commercial, operational, and market factors behind them. From high-street exits and group-wide restructures to insolvencies, lease surrenders, and strategic site rationalisations, we cover the real-world impacts of rising costs, labour shortages, shifting demand, and margin pressures. We go beyond headlines to explain why closures are happening and what they mean for the wider sector. Whether you’re benchmarking performance or navigating tough decisions, we provide the context hospitality professionals need to stay informed.
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Mar- 2022 -23 MarchRestaurants
ESS wins catering contract for Scouts Scotland
ESS, the defence, energy and government services sector of Compass Group UK and Ireland, has been awarded a new catering services contract with Scouts Scotland at its Scout Adventures facility in Lochgoilhead, Argyll. The three-year contract will see ESS deliver catering services at the site, serving around 70,000 meals a…
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18 MarchCatering Companies
J D Wetherspoon returns to normal trading amid improving sales
In the most recent three-week period, to 13 March 2022, J D Wetherspoon has revealed it has seen sales improve to just 2.6% lower than the equivalent period in 2019. In its preliminary results for the 26 weeks ended 23 January 2022, the group reported revenues of ยฃ807.4m, down by…
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Feb- 2022 -17 FebruaryRestaurants
Julian Denis to launch Facing Heaven following Mao Chow closure
Julian Denis is set to launch a new site with the opening of Facing Heaven, which will open its doors in London mid-March 2022, following the closure of his renowned Hackney site Mao Chow. Named after the Sichuanese chilli, Facing Heaven is situated just around the corner from the original…
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16 FebruaryRestaurants
Some 58% of UK hospitality business at risk of closure, survey finds
The majority (58%) of UK hospitality businesses say the pandemic has put them at risk of closure, according to new research from Peckwater Brands. Furthermore, it found 43% do not believe their business will exist in five yearsโ time, and 67% have seen a substantial decline in income since the…
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9 FebruaryPubs and Bars
Wells & Co to take on The White Horse
The Managed house division at Wells and Co has announced it is set to take on the leased and tenanted pub, The White Horse in Balsall Common, Bedfordshire. The destination dining site will reopen on the 15 February, trading until mid-April when the site will then close for a two-month…
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Jan- 2022 -20 JanuaryPubs and Bars
Modest growth seen in new site openings during Q4
Britainโs hospitality sector witnessed โmodestโ growth in the last quarter of 2021, with a 1.6% increase in site numbers between September and December 2021, marking the first quarter-on-quarter growth for more than five years. According to the new Market Recovery Monitor from CGA and AlixPartners, there was a particularly encouraging…
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19 JanuaryPubs and Bars
Managed groups sales dip 11% in December
Britainโs managed restaurant, pub and bar sector suffered a double-digit drop in sales from pre-pandemic levels in December, following the widespread cancellations of Christmas celebrations, according to the latest Coffer CGA Business Tracker. The research found that total sales in the month were down by 11% on December 2019, following…
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18 JanuaryNews
UKH Scotland calls for end of restrictions by 24 January
Ahead of todayโs (18 January) update regarding Covid-19 restrictions by the first minister, trade and membership body UKHospitality Scotland is calling for the current restrictions on businesses to be lifted by Monday 24 January at the latest. With Christmas and Hogmanay cancelled for hospitality businesses, the group said that โhospitality…
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Dec- 2021 -20 DecemberCoronavirus
UKH calls for gov support amid threat of further restrictions
UKHospitality has called on the government to provide the necessary support to the hospitality sector amid reports that further restrictions to help battle the surge in Omicron cases could soon be announced. UKH chief executive Kate Nicholls said that need for support comes as trading has already been โhugely damaged…
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Nov- 2021 -11 NovemberPubs and Bars
Rainhill pub reopens after ยฃ800,000 refurb
The Cookhouse Pub and Carvery, based in Rainhill, has reopened following a five-month closure and a ยฃ800,000 refurbishment by Heineken-owned Star Pubs and Bars and Merseyside-based Public Urban Bars. The refurbishment of The Cookhouse Pub and Carvery, formerly named The Victoria, is part of a ยฃ38m investment that Star Pubs…
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