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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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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6 JuneFeatures
Predictions vs reality: testing OakNorth’s outlook on hospitality
The hospitality trade is a hard one. It runs hot in summer, cold in winter, and never moves in straight lines. Despite costs rising and customers shifting, the doors must open and the lights must stay on. As a lender to hotels, pubs and restaurants, OakNorth sees much of this…
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May- 2025 -6 MayFood and Drink
Drinks sales boosted by Easter’s warmer weather, CGA finds
On Premise drinks sales were boosted by warm weather, school holidays and Easter during the first half of April, CGA by NIQ’s Daily Drinks Tracker revealed. Trading momentum has been building for a while, with a “decent” March followed by a “bright” start to April, and the upward trend is…
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Apr- 2025 -15 AprilFood and Drink
Drinks sales jump 5% thanks to good weather in April
Average drinks sales in managed venues in the week to 5 April were up by 5% from the same period in April thanks to bright weather. The CGA by NIQ’s Daily Drinks Tracker revealed that the April increase raises hopes for some sustained real-terms growth for the On Premise after…
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Mar- 2025 -21 MarchPubs and Bars
Tim Martin: NICs and labour rates to cost JD Wetherspoon £60m
JD Wetherspoon boss Tim Martin has warned that the imminent increases in National Insurance and labour rates will result in company cost increases of roughly £60m, which would mean about £1,500 per pub, per week. He said: “Since labour costs are around 35% of the pub industry’s sales, compared to…
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Feb- 2025 -25 FebruaryFood and Drink
Confidence of hospitality bosses falls for fifth quarter in a row
The confidence of hospitality leaders has fallen for the fifth quarter in a row as pressure mounts on operating costs, according to CGA by NIQ’s latest Business Confidence Survey. The poll revealed that only 33% of leaders feel confident about prospects for their business over the next 12 months –…
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10 FebruaryPubs and Bars
Number of late-night hospitality venues falls by 2.8% in 2024
Britain’s late-night hospitality sector had a total of 2,264 nightclubs, late-night bars and casinos at the end of 2024, spelling a reduction of 2.8% in a year and 25.2% less than pre-pandemic, according to CGA by NIQ’s first edition of the Night Time Economy Market Monitor. Nightclubs have borne the…
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