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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Feb- 2026 -2 FebruaryFeatures
Pubs, politics and power: why hospitality support isn’t equal
Pubs have once again found themselves at the centre of government hospitality policy. From targeted business rates discounts to a real-terms freeze on bills, the government has stepped in to soften the impact of the 2026 revaluation for one of the UK’s most culturally visible industries. Across the wider hospitality…
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Jan- 2026 -16 JanuaryRestaurants
Over 50 restaurants and hotels join Help Out Hospitality campaign
More than 50 hotels, restaurants, bars and hospitality suppliers across the UK have launched a new campaign aimed at boosting customer numbers during the traditionally quieter winter months. The ‘Help Out Hospitality’ initiative will run from January until the end of March 2026, bringing together venues across England, Scotland and…
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15 JanuaryPubs and Bars
Mitchells and Butlers Q1 sales rise 4.5% amid strong Xmas trading
Mitchells and Butlers has reported that like-for-like sales rose 4.5% for the 15 weeks to 10 January 2026, as total sales rose by 3.5% over the period due to a strong festive trading period across its pub and restaurant brands. According to the group, its performance for the first quarter…
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7 JanuaryPubs and Bars
NWTC posts £13.9m FY loss following CVA
The New World Trading Company has fallen to a £13.9m full-year loss after restructuring costs and interest expenses linked to its capital structure, a year after a CVA was approved by creditors. Despite the loss, the hospitality operator reported higher underlying earnings in the 52 weeks to 30 March 2025,…
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Dec- 2025 -18 DecemberBusiness
Flat November sales add to hospitality pressures ahead of Christmas
Britain’s leading managed hospitality groups entered the key Christmas trading period with sales broadly flat in November, adding to pressures from rising costs and recent Budget measures. Like-for-like sales across the sector were up just 0.3% compared with November 2024, according to the latest NIQ RSM Hospitality Business Tracker. The…
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3 DecemberFeatures
Pizza Hut UK’s future and the state of the pizza market
Pizza Hut is heading into one of the most turbulent periods in its UK history after its restaurant operator collapsed into administration, a moment that brought a familiar high-street brand abruptly back into the news. DC London Pie Limited, which ran Pizza Hut’s dine-in estate, appointed FTI Consulting as administrators…
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Nov- 2025 -28 NovemberPubs and Bars
Mitchells and Butlers FY profits rise 5.8% to £330m
Mitchells and Butlers has reported that total sales rose to £2.71bn, up from £2.61bn, for the 52 weeks to 27 September, while adjusted operating profits increased 5.8% to £330m for the same period. It comes as the pub chain saw like-for-like sales grow 4.3% across the year, while its net…
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24 NovemberBusiness
Hospitality leaders’ confidence hits five-year low ahead of Budget
Hospitality leaders’ confidence in their business outlook has fallen to its lowest level in five years as rising costs and weaker consumer spending place fresh strain on pubs, bars and restaurants, according to CGA by NIQ and Sona. The latest Business Confidence Survey found that just 26% of leaders feel…
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19 NovemberRestaurants
Middletons Steakhouse saved after administration sale
Middletons Steakhouse has been acquired out of administration by a new group controlled by its existing shareholders. Following their appointment, joint administrators Tim Bateson and James Clark from Interpath concluded a sale of the business and assets to secure the future of the company The transaction sees all of the…
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17 NovemberPubs and Bars
Stonegate considers £1bn sale of 1,000 pubs
Stonegate Group is reportedly accelerating plans to sell more than 1,000 pubs in a process that could raise up to £1bn, as Britain’s biggest pub operator works to reduce debts of more than £3bn, according to the Times. Senior executives at the Slug and Lettuce and Be At One owner…
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