Furlough
Our coverage of the furlough scheme and its impact on the UK foodservice, hospitality, and catering sectors. We report on government policy updates, employer experiences, sector-specific challenges, and the operational and financial implications for restaurants, pubs, bars, and contract caterers. From workforce retention and reopening strategies to lessons learned post-scheme, this content supports industry professionals navigating staffing, recovery planning, and long-term resilience in a post-pandemic landscape.
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Jan- 2024 -15 JanuaryFeatures
Why are insolvencies more likely to affect the hospitality sector?
According to PwC’s outlook for 2024, there will be a significant rise in corporate insolvencies in 2024, just shy of 30,000 with smaller businesses accounting for the lion’s share. However, it further added that industries most impacted are likely to be hotels and catering, along with manufacturing, and transport and…
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Jul- 2023 -17 JulyComment
Loans repayment, inflation, staff shortages: what else we can expect from hospitality insolvencies?
What are the potential reasons for the continued increase in the number of hospitality insolvencies we’ve seen recently? Glyn: I think it goes back to the pandemic. Covid was a big thing for the sector and rightly, both the government and HMRC stepped in to help companies with furlough and…
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May- 2023 -22 MayComment
“It is still a very toxic environment at times”: Q&A with Tim Etherington-Judge
Do you think there is a problem within the mental health of hospitality workers in particular? Absolutely, I think there’s a number of aspects of most hospitality work that makes it particularly challenging to maintain good mental health. Things such as trying to sleep outside of your circadian rhythms, because…
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May- 2022 -16 MayNews
TRG faces investor backlash over CEO bonus
The Restaurant Group (TRG) is facing a potential backlash from the Institutional Voting Information Service (IVIS) as the company’s chief executive, Andy Hornby, has received the highest pay since 2017, while benefiting from government support. According to the Guardian, the Institutional Voting Information Service (IVIS), which is part of the…
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Jan- 2022 -24 JanuaryGovernment
VOA ‘aggressively pursuing’ fines for hospitality, warns Colliers
The government’s Valuation Office Agency (VOA) has reportedly accelerated its demands to hotel and pub businesses by issuing and “aggressively pursuing” an increasing number of fines for late Valuation Forms of Return, Colliers Business Rates Team has warned. It said the increased fines are being sought despite the fact that…
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21 JanuaryNews
Festive sales slide despite increase in productivity
Festive sales were considerably down in comparison to 2019, but staff headcounts and hours worked are heading in the right direction according to the latest figures from Fourth, the global software provider for the hospitality, retail, and leisure industries. Fourth’s figures show that combined sales across pubs, restaurants, hotels, and…
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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 “hugely damaged…
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13 DecemberRestaurants
Catering towards change
Humdingers Catering began with a vision to bring unpretentious but delicious food to as many people as possible. Based on Hoxton Street, the business consists of Humdingers Catering and Humdingers Bakery and Soup Kitchen. The latter venture was launched as a social enterprise during the pandemic. Despite the negative effects…
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Nov- 2021 -24 NovemberCoronavirus
Hospitality vacancies could reach 163,000 over Christmas, study finds
Hospitality vacancies could reach as high as 163,000 over Christmas as the UK continues to be hit by an employment crisis, according to new analysis of ONS vacancy data by Stint, a student work app. It analysed the last 10 years of vacancy data and used a forecasting model to…
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22 NovemberRestaurants
UK restaurant insolvencies soar 31%
UK restaurant insolvencies have soared by 31% to 296 in the last quarter, up from 226 in the previous quarter, according to new figures from UHY Hacker Young. It comes as many restaurants have faced a “cashflow crisis”, which has “tipped some over the edge” into insolvency. Restaurants have had…
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