Office for National Statistics
Coverage explores how economic data and labour market statistics from the UK’s national statistics agency inform business planning across the hospitality sector. Reporting includes updates on inflation, consumer spending, GDP, wage growth, vacancies, and employment levels, with analysis of how these indicators affect restaurant, pub, and catering performance. Insight is tailored for operators, finance leads, and strategy teams using ONS data to benchmark trading conditions, forecast demand, and shape workforce planning.
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Jun- 2020 -12 JuneCoronavirus
UK GDP slumps over 20% in April as full impact of Covid-19 is felt
GDP slumped by 20.4% in April 2020, following a fall of 5.8% in March, according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). It is the biggest monthly fall since the ONS’ series began in 1997, with the measure also falling by 10.4% in the three months…
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May- 2020 -13 MayCatering Companies
UK economy shrinks by 2% as pandemic takes its toll
The UK’s economy shrank by 2% in the three months to 31 March 2020, as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. This is according to new data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), which also found that gross domestic product (GDP) fell by 5.8% during March, the largest fall…
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Apr- 2020 -24 AprilCoronavirus
Over 80% of accommodation and food service businesses have closed temporarily
A new survey by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has revealed that 81.2% of accommodation and food service businesses have closed temporarily due to the Covid-19 outbreak. The independent producer of official statistics reached out to 17,786 businesses for its Business Impact of Coronavirus (COVID-19) Survey (BICS), and a…
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22 AprilBusiness Bites
Will there be coronavirus help for small company directors who are paid by dividend?
The financial plight of limited company directors has been raised by the Tory chairman of the Treasury select committee. Mel Stride, a former Treasury minister, said chancellor Rishi Sunak needs to view company directors as a tranche of people who have ‘slipped through the net’ of all the other largesse…
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Mar- 2020 -6 MarchBusiness Bites
Flybe’s pensions in doubt; Poorest 20% no better off than before, 1m Virgin customers on unsecured database
Flybe’s pension pot for 1,350 current and former workers is at risk, as the fallout from one of the first casualties of the coronavirus business threat manifests in full. Flybe of course was already embattled before the new Covid-19 virus came along, and was the subject of a controversial bailout…
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Feb- 2020 -20 FebruaryBusiness Bites
Boeing’s tanks fuel new concerns, house prices on the up, Lloyds in the doldrums, hazardous chemicals a pest in poorer countries
Boeing’s faulty plane woes have worsened after ‘foreign object debris’ (FOD) was found in the fuel tanks of two ground 737 Max aircraft – that’s the model that has had two fatal crashes and become the subject of Congressional investigation in the United States. The manufacturer had to ground the…
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19 FebruaryBusiness Bites
Inflation jumps, physical money nearing the end, immigration to prioritise skills, £150m film studio to launch
Inflation has reached its highest rate in six months, at 1.8%, after the price of fuel and energy rose over the course of the last year. The consumer prices index (CPI) which measures the rate by monitoring the price of consumer goods, was expected to come in at 1.6%, so…
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Jan- 2020 -20 JanuaryPubs and Bars
UK pub sector expands for first time since 2009
In 2019 there was an annual net gain of 320 pubs across the UK, according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Since 2009 pubs across the UK have been closing at a rate of around 700 per year. Paul Collins, a licensed trade specialist at…
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Jun- 2019 -19 JunePubs and Bars
More than a Pub relaunches with £2.2m funding
Community support trust, the Plunkett foundation has relaunched the More than a Pub programme, a new round of support and finance that will help community groups across England looking to take ownership of their local pub. Run by lottery-funded trust Power to Change, and delivered by Plunkett, the programme builds…
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Nov- 2018 -27 NovemberBusiness
Pub employment rises despite closures
A new report has found that pub employment has risen in the last 10 years despite a quarter of pubs closing during that time. According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS) report, the increase in employment could be down to the increase in pubs serving food, which is more…
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