Consumer Confidence
We report on consumer confidence trends and how they influence spending habits across the UK foodservice and hospitality sector. This features our coverage of economic sentiment, household budgets, discretionary spend patterns, and the wider behavioural shifts affecting restaurant, pub, café, and catering trade. Whether you’re planning pricing strategies, forecasting sales, or adjusting marketing efforts, our reporting links consumer psychology to trading outcomes, helping foodservice operators make informed commercial decisions in a changing economic environment.
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Dec- 2019 -16 DecemberBusiness Bites
The latest business data is bad news, but the reasons given spell a good omen
This morning there was some bad news for business, but which definitely comes with a silver lining. So, the bad news first: the ‘Flash UK Composite Output Index’ from data firm, Markit, which tracks private sector business activity, found that it shrunk during the month of December. It has dropped…
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Nov- 2019 -12 NovemberPubs and Bars
Pub and bar company insolvencies see sharp increase in 2019
The number of insolvencies of pub and bar companies has jumped by 13% to 530 in the year to 30 September, up from 470 the previous year, according to UHY Hacker Young. It is the third successive year in which pub company insolvencies have increased, which the firm said is…
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11 NovemberPubs and Bars
Rugby World Cup fails to score more business for pubs and restaurants
Like-for-like sales across managed pubs and restaurants fell -0.6% throughout October, according to new figures from the Coffer Peach Business Tracker. Restaurants faced collective like-for-like falls of -0.7%, whilst pub sales saw a fall of -0.6% against the same month of last year. Wet-led pubs performed marginally better than their…
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7 NovemberRestaurants
Pizza Express owner to inject £80m into business
The Chinese owner of embattled restaurant chain Pizza Express is to inject £80m into the business, as it aims to pay off its vast amount of debt. Hony Capital, which acquired Pizza Express in 2014, said the money will be used to pay down some of its debt to bondholders.…
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Oct- 2019 -15 OctoberRestaurants
Consumer expectations of food quality increases, study finds
Consumer expectations around food quality in pubs and bars have soared between February and September 2019, according to a study by online review company Feed It Back. Through an in-depth analysis of reviews across the pub and bar sector, Feed It Back found negative reviews left around food quality have…
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Aug- 2019 -21 AugustAdvice
Five ways restaurateurs can use digital marketing to survive the high street turbulence
Looking at the high street restaurant scene at the moment, it is easy to feel pessimistic. Jamie’s Italian became the latest popular British restaurant chain forced to shut its doors for good when it announced the closure of 23 of its 25 restaurants. Since 2018, Carluccio’s has closed nearly a…
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May- 2019 -13 MayBusiness
Easter heatwave boosts drink sales while eating-out market suffers
The hot Easter weekend delivered different outcomes for Britain’s managed pub and restaurant groups, latest figures from the Coffer Peach Business Tracker show. While pub sales surged, restaurants took a hit during the month of April. Pub and bar chains reported collective like-for-like sales up 5.3% for the four-day break…
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8 MayBusiness
Warm weather draws Brits to pubs and restaurants as spending rises
Consumer spending grew by 2.5% year-on-year in April, as milder temperatures encouraged Brits to go out and spend, despite ongoing struggles in the retail sector. According to data from Barclaycard, spending in pubs and restaurants reached double-digit growth of 13.1% and 10% respectively – as Brits made the most of…
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Apr- 2019 -23 AprilBusiness
British communities lost 914 pubs in 2018
During the 2018 calendar year, a total of 914 pubs closed down according to real estate advisor Altus Group’s annual business rates review, which is set to be released this week. On 1 January 2019 the total number of pubs in England and Wales, liable for business rates, fell to…
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Feb- 2019 -26 FebruaryPubs and Bars
Pub and restaurant closures lead to 31% rise in insolvency costs
Insolvent companies, across all sectors of the British economy, that couldn’t pay their debts have cost taxpayers £3.07bn in payments to former members of staff during the last decade new research has revealed. Last year, during 2018, The Insolvency Service an agency of The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial…
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