Covid-19

Our COVID-19 coverage captures the full impact of the pandemic on the UK’s foodservice and hospitality sector, from lockdown trading restrictions and government support schemes to recovery planning, operational adaptations, and long-term business implications. This includes essential reporting for restaurant operators, pub landlords, caterers, chefs, and F&B directors navigating one of the most disruptive periods in industry history.

Jan- 2021 -

27 January

Pubs and Bars

CAMRA: Forced hospitality closure until may will be ‘devastating’

Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) has responded to the comments by Sage scientists that hospitality businesses should remain closed until May by suggesting that this would be a “devastating double whammy” for pubs and breweries. The organisation said it was “absolutely critical” for the government to intervene with further support…
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27 January

Pubs and Bars

Tim Martin sells £50.3m of JD Wetherspoon shares

Chairman of JD Wheterspoon Tim Martin, has sold shares worth £50.3m to capitalise on the “significant buying interest” following the company placing last week. On 26 January, Martin announced that he sold 4,370,000 of the company’s ordinary shares at a price of £11.50 per share. Taking his holding in the…
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26 January

Pubs and Bars

City Pub Group positioned to ‘emerge strongly’

The City Pub Group has announced it is “well positioned to emerge strongly” once restrictions are lifted, having reduced cash burn to a minimum in the full-year ended 27 December 2020. In light of closures and ongoing restrictions, however, revenue plummeted 57% in the period, falling from £60m in 2019…
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22 January

Trade Associations

‘Stark reminder’ for action amid 6,000 sector closures, UKH warns

UKHospitality (UKH) has called for action after figures published today (22 January) by CGA revealed a net decline of nearly 6,000 licensed premises in the UK. The trade association has issued a warning that businesses in the hospitality sector must receive further financial support in order to survive the third…
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21 January

Coronavirus

Chancellor considers further furlough extension in March budget

Chancellor Rishi Sunak is reportedly considering another extension to the government’s Job retention Scheme (JRS) as it continues to try and mitigate the impact of covid-19 on the UK economy. According to Bloomberg, Sunak is considering a fifth extension to the furlough scheme that will cover roughly 5 million workers…
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21 January

Coronavirus

Dining Street Limited calls in administrators

Dining Street Limited has fallen into administration resulting in 147 staff redundancies. The restaurant group, which operated under brands such as Richoux, Zintino, Friendly Phil’s, and The Broadwick, has cited “ongoing uncertainty” surrounding Covid-19 as the reason for its collapse. All of the company’s restaurants have been operating under limited…
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20 January

Business

M&A in the Food and Beverage sector down to 2009 levels

The UK F&B M&A market showed “encouraging signs of recovery” in the last four months of the year, however deals were still “significantly down” on 2019 levels according to the latest report from Oghma Partners. The report found that total deal volume for the period amounted to 28 transactions which…
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20 January

Pubs and Bars

JD Wetherspoon undergoes £90m share placing

UK pub company, JD Wetherspoon, is raising capital through its investors for the second time during the pandemic via an accelerated share placing of over £90m. A total of 8,370,000 new ordinary shares have been placed on the exchange by Investec Bank at a price of 1,120p per share, bringing…
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19 January

Coronavirus

Food trends accelerated by Covid-19 could cause ‘fundamental shift’

The effects of Covid-19 have caused an “acceleration in foodservice trends which are set to continue long after the pandemic”, according to a new report. ‘Foodservice Trends 2021 and Beyond’ points to some of the “new and innovative” ways in which operators have reached their customer base, and examines how…
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19 January

Pubs and Bars

Greene King to launch Covid-19 emergency funds for staff

Greene King has announced it will be launching its second Covid-19 emergency support fund to help its team members during the third lockdown. The new Team Member Support Fund follows the first fund which ran from March to June last year, in which the pub group donated £650,000 in grants…
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