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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Jan- 2026 -8 JanuaryBreweries and Distilleries
Belhaven invests nearly £5m in Scottish pubs as business rates warning looms
Belhaven invested almost £5m in its Scottish pub estate in 2025, with spending spread across 22 managed, leased, tenanted and franchised venues. The investment marked a fourfold increase in refurbishment activity compared with previous years and included the first Scottish rollout of the brewer and pub operator’s Hive and Nest…
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Dec- 2025 -24 DecemberPubs and Bars
Half of night-time venues expect business rates to rise over 50%
Nearly half of Britain’s nightclubs, live music venues and late-night entertainment spaces expect their business rates to rise by 50% or more, raising concerns about the long-term viability of the sector from 2026, according to a survey of operators. A flash poll of 345 nightlife businesses found that rising business…
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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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Sep- 2025 -24 SeptemberCafes and Coffee Shops
Butterwick to shutter 12 of its 14 branches as costs rise
Butterwick, a chain of 14 bakeries, has announced that it will close all but two of its stores, amid rising costs and a slowdown in customer spending. In a post on Facebook, the bakery’s owners, Fiona and Ryan Scarborough, confirmed with “deep regret” that only its Rushden Lakes and Northampton…
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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 AugustPubs and Bars
Brakspear FY turnover rises 7% to £41.3m
Brakspear has reported a 7% rise in turnover to £41.3m in 2024, despite seeing its profits get squeezed by higher operating costs. The Henley-based pub operator, owned by JT Davies and Sons Holdings Limited, saw revenues increase from £38.6m in 2023, with growth across all divisions. However, adjusted EBITDA fell…
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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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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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