Operating Costs
Focused reporting on the rising pressures and cost variables affecting foodservice businesses across the UK. This section explores key factors such as energy bills, rent, labour, insurance, business rates, and supplier pricing, alongside F&B margin management and cost-control strategies. Built for operators, chefs, and hospitality executives, it delivers insight into navigating inflation, protecting profitability, and adapting business models to withstand ongoing economic volatility.
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Jun- 2025 -11 JunePeople
The Revel Collective appoints new CFO
The Revel Collective, an operator of premium bars and gastro pubs, trading mainly under the Revolution, Revolución de Cuba and Peach Pubs brands, has appointed Matthew Fowler as chief financial officer, effective 16 June. Fowler is an experienced public markets chief financial officer, having most recently held the same position…
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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 -8 MayRestaurants
Spending squeeze keeps delivery and takeaway sales flat in March
UK restaurant groups achieved fractional year-on-year growth of 0.7% in their delivery and takeaway sales in March according to data from CGA. It ends a slow first quarter of 2025 for the sector, after a like-for-like increase of only 1.7% in February and a 0.6% drop in January. However, the…
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Mar- 2025 -5 MarchFeatures
The AA Rosette Awards: a benchmark of culinary excellence
For almost 70 years, the AA Rosette Awards have been a trusted mark of quality within the UK’s dining scene. First introduced in 1956, the AA Rosette scheme was the first nationwide system for assessing food quality in restaurants and hotels. “Our long-established Rosette scheme celebrates successful cooking at different…
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4 MarchPubs and Bars
The Revel Collective H1 sales fall 22% amid bar brands challenges
The Revel Collective has reported that sales for the 26-week period to 28 December 2024 were 22% lower at £64.2m than in the same period last year, due to “challenging” conditions in bar brands which made recovery “slower than expected”. The fall in sales reflects a “significant” reduction of venues…
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Feb- 2025 -25 FebruaryNews-In-Brief
Today’s news in brief – 25/02/25
Prosus has agreed to acquire Just Eat for €4.1bn (£3.4bn) to create the fourth largest food delivery group globally. Prosus acquires Just Eat’s entire issued share capital for €20.30 (£16.8) per share via a recommended all-cash public offer on the Amsterdam exchange. The acquisition provides an opportunity for Prosus to…
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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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19 FebruaryBusiness
Hospitality insolvencies down 7% in 2024
Accommodation and food services insolvencies were down 7% year-on-year from 3,737 in 2023 to 3,464 in 2024, according to data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Insolvencies in the sector saw an even bigger drop month-on-month, down 31% from 327 in November 2024 to 224 in December 2024 and…
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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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Sep- 2024 -20 SeptemberFeatures
The implications of Edinburgh’s Visitor Levy Act
The Visitor Levy Act, which was passed by the Scottish Parliament in May 2024 and received Royal Assent shortly after in July, grants local councils the authority to implement a tax on overnight accommodation, commonly referred to as a “visitor levy” or “tourist tax”. This new legislation represents a significant…
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