Closure

In this section, we report on restaurant, pub, bar, café, 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.

Jan- 2021 -

26 January

Awards & Events

Two London restaurants awarded three Michelin stars

Two London restaurants have achieved the highest accolade at the 2021 Michelin guide for Great Britain and Ireland that was launched via an online event yesterday (25 January). Headed by two female chefs, Clare Smyth and Hélène Darroze, the restaurants both received the maximum three stars, taking the total number…
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15 January

Features

Q&A with Larkin Cen

Where did your passion for food come from? I grew up like many British-born Chinese kids, in a Chinese takeaway which is where I developed my love for Chinese food. We came from very modest beginnings yet we used to eat like kings, because there was a great passion with…
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14 January

Coronavirus

Closing Click & Collect could wipe £300m a month from UK takeaways

With a possible closure of Click & Collect takeaways being discussed at present as part of intensified Coronavirus protection measures, the NPD Group has warned this could wipe off over £300m a month to UK businesses offering the service. The market research company’s latest figures indicate that in the month…
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14 January

Government

UKH Cymru urges businesses to apply for latest government grants

UKHospitality Cymru has urged Welsh hospitality businesses and their suppliers to apply early for the latest £180m package of Welsh Government business support. Under the new financial support, the government has estimated that a typical Welsh business with an equivalent of six full-time staff could be eligible to receive between…
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11 January

Coronavirus

Pandemic costs D&D London £2.5m a month, owner warns

Des Gunewardena, the owner of restaurant group D&D London, has written to the government calling for greater support ahead of today’s (11 January) parliamentary debate on the hospitality industry. In a letter addressed to chancellor Rishi Sunak, Gunewardena revealed that Covid-19 is costing D&D London £2.5m per month of closure.…
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8 January

Pubs and Bars

Lockdown forces further borrowing for Arc Inspirations

Arc Inspirations, a bar group in the north of England, has been forced to borrow an additional £1m as the UK enters another lockdown, according to the BBC. Martin Wolstencroft, CEO at the chain that operates over 17 venues across the country, had already taken out £4m in loans to…
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6 January

News

UKH Cymru calls for Welsh government support

UKHospitality Cymru has called on the Welsh government to use the new treasury support funds of £227m to provide economic backing to the hospitality sector. David Chapman, executive director for UKHospitality Cymru, reiterated that the treasury announcement reflects the “serious position” that businesses are in now that once again they…
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4 January

Coronavirus

Pandemic fuels 30,000 restaurant job losses

Almost 30,000 job losses were recorded by the UK’s restaurant and casual dining firms in 2020, according to data compiled by the Centre for Retail Research (CRR). The research also found that redundancies in the industry spiked 163% as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic and related restrictions. The job…
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Dec- 2020 -

22 December

Business

Maxwell’s Restaurant Limited calls in liquidators, 400 jobs lost

Maxwell’s Restaurant Limited has gone into liquidation resulting in 400 members of staff being left redundant. The restaurant group, which owned popular London venues such as Maxwell’s Bar and Grill, Cafe de Paris and Palm Court Brasserie said “reduced customer numbers” due to Covid-19 was one of the reasons for…
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17 December

Catering Companies

SSP revenue halves as sales dented by Covid-19

SSP, one of the UK’s leading travel food and beverage groups, has reported that revenue plunged by 47.9% to £1.4bn in the full-year ended 30 September 2020. The group’s like-for-like sales also fell 50.8%, after they were “heavily impacted” by the various lockdown measures resulting from the pandemic and the…
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