Labour Costs
Coverage examines how wage increases, scheduling practices, and staffing challenges are impacting labour costs across UK restaurants, pubs, bars, and catering businesses. Reporting includes analysis of National Minimum and Living Wage uplifts, employer pension contributions, rota optimisation tools, recruitment trends, and cost-control strategies used by multi-site and independent operators. Insight is designed for finance leads, GMs, and HR teams balancing team performance, compliance, and profitability in a competitive labour market.
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Sep- 2025 -9 SeptemberRestaurants
Burger and Lobster operating profit hits £2m in 2024
Burger and Lobster has revealed that its UK operating profit rose £0.2m up to £2m for the year ended 29 December 2024. Alongside this, its UK restaurants’ sales amounted to £32.3m, delivering an EBITDA of 10%. However, the company’s UK turnover fell to £34.1m, down from £36.1m the previous year,…
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Aug- 2025 -20 AugustPubs and Bars
Industry urges tax reform as over 200 pubs close in six months
More than 200 pubs in England and Wales were demolished or converted for other uses in the first half of 2025, according to new government figures. An average of eight pubs closed each week between January and June, with the South East experiencing the sharpest decline – losing 31 venues…
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19 AugustRestaurants
Wahaca returns to FY profit as DF Tacos ceases trading
Wahaca has announced plans to cease operations within its DF Tacos brand, and instead focus on the Wahaca brand as the group welcomed rising turnover and profits in its full-year results. For the year ended 30 June 2024, pre-tax profit hit £0.7m, up from a loss of £0.7m the prior…
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11 AugustPubs and Bars
Warm weather helps drinks sales hold level in late July
Average sales in managed venues in the week to Saturday 26 July were exactly in line with the same week in 2024, with growth on four of the seven days, according to data from CGA. Year-on-year increases peaked at 3% and 4% on Thursday 24 and Friday 25 July respectively,…
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7 AugustRestaurants
Falling orders keep delivery and takeaway revenue flat in June
Restaurant groups’ delivery and takeaway sales by value were virtually flat year-on-year in June 2025, according to data from CGA by NIQ’s Hospitality at Home Tracker. Revenue was marginally down by 0.3% on a like-for-like basis across the month, a downward movement after 1.8% growth in May. It completes a…
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1 AugustFood and Drink
Tough first half as mixed weather flattens June hospitality sales
Britain’s leading pub, bar and restaurant groups finished a soft first half of trading with sales exactly level year-on-year in June. It follows a drop of 1.0% in May, and means sales were static or negative in four of the first six months of 2025, with a warm April the…
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Jul- 2025 -23 JulyPubs and Bars
JD Wetherspoon to open 30 new pubs as sales jump 5.1%
JD Wetherspoon has reported a 5.1% rise in like-for-like sales in the 12-week period to 20 July, as it prepares to open roughly 30 new pubs in the next financial year. The pub operator, which said like-for-like sales for the year-to-date also rose 5.1%, plans to release its full-year results…
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10 JulyPubs and Bars
Footfall and spend nudge up as cost pressure eases, CGA finds
Visits and spending at pubs, bars and restaurants in the UK increased in May, with 92% of people surveyed visiting a venue, an increase of 3% month-on-month, according to data from CGA. The figure is the highest number since November 2024. Alongside this, nearly three in five (58%) of these…
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Jun- 2025 -17 JuneFood and Drink
Foodservice inflation climbs in April amid supply issues
Food and beverage prices continued to rise in April, according to the latest CGA Prestige Foodservice Price Index, adding pressure to hospitality operators already grappling with rising costs. The index recorded a 2.3% year-on-year increase in its basket of goods, with a 0.6% rise from March. Analysts attributed the sustained…
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9 JunePubs and Bars
McMullens FY pre-tax profits rise 34.4% to £16.4m
Brewery and pub operator, McMullen’s, has reported that its profits before corporation tax jumped by 34.4% to £16.4m in the year to 28 September 2024, due to a strong performance in its retail division. While the group has stated that, in nominal terms, its profit performance now exceeds pre-pandemic levels,…
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