Reading
Coverage highlights foodservice and hospitality activity in this key South East town, with reporting focused on the Oracle Riverside, Broad Street, Caversham, and Station Hill areas. Topics include restaurant and bar openings, commuter-led weekday trade, independent operator growth, and regional investment linked to Reading’s tech and business hub status. Insight is geared toward operators monitoring footfall dynamics, high street recovery, and scalable dining formats in affluent commuter markets.
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Jan- 2020 -23 JanuaryBusiness Bites
Asos bounces back from tricky period
Back in July last year Retail Sector reported that Asos was having problems. It had issued a profit warning, suggesting profits were likely to be about one-third of what was originally anticipated. It was an interesting moment in the retail world, because the narrative for the whole of the last…
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22 JanuaryRestaurants
Chick-fil-a shutters last UK site
American fast food chain Chick-fil-a has shuttered its last UK restaurant at the Macdonald Aviemore Resort in Scotland. The chain opened its second restaurant in the UK in October of last year, following its debut site in Reading, but both launches were met with heavy criticism from the LGBT+ groups…
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13 JanuaryComment
The future is digital: Why more restaurants are going cash-free
Only one in 10 transactions in the UK will use cash within the next decade. Or at least that’s what ITV’s Cash Free Britain? predicted on an ITV news report just last week. And this prediction is not as bold as it may seem upon first glance. Businesses and customers…
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13 JanuaryPubs and Bars
City Pub Group warns on profits as ‘one-off factors’ hit earnings
The City Pub Group has warned that its earnings will come in slightly below expectations after a series of “one-off factors” dented its profitability. The owner and operator of 47 premium pubs across Southern England and Wales, revealed that for the 52-week period ending 29 December 2019 turnover was up…
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10 JanuaryBusiness Bites
Spooked markets seem soothed by Iran-US climb-down
When Iran decided to hit back on US military facilities after president Trump ordered the assassination of Iranian general Qasem Soleimani, there was talk of the outbreak of war. NATO countries apparently implored Trump not to go for another attack, fearing that if he did things would escalate beyond control…
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6 JanuaryBusiness Bites
As long as WW3 does not kick off, 2020 looks set to be a better year
All eyes on are on the rising tensions between the United States and Iran after president Trump ordered the assassination of Iran’s most powerful general, Qassem Suleimani. The oil price has risen, stocks have fallen this morning, and the threat of war almost always depresses global trade flows. But let’s bask in…
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2 JanuaryBusiness Bites
The internet need not be the scourge of every sector – just ask the CEO of Mountain Warehouse
The last decade in business was arguably characterised by one word: disruption. While the internet behemoths had already begun building serious fortunes in the 2000s, most would agree it was after 2010 that things really started motoring. Heralded as the great democratiser of information and services, the effects of a…
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Oct- 2019 -30 OctoberRestaurants
Chick-fil-a facing fresh LGBT backlash over second UK restaurant
Chick-fil-a is facing fresh criticism from the LGBT community after its “quiet” opening of a second UK restaurant at the Macdonald Aviemore Resort in Scotland. The Highland LGBT Forum said in a Facebook post that it is “disappointed” to see that the hotel has allowed a business with an “atrocious…
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28 OctoberRestaurants
Chick-fil-a opens second UK restaurant in Scotland
Chick-fil-a has opened a second site in Scotland, despite announcing that it would be closing its first UK restaurant following backlash from the LGBT+ community. A Chick-fil-a spokespeson said the chain is always “evaluating potential new locations”. They added: “The Aviemore Macdonald Hotel location gives us an opportunity to build…
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21 OctoberRestaurants
First UK Chick-fil-a restaurant set to close following LGBT backlash
Chick-fil-a’s first UK restaurant is set to close following backlash from the LGBT+ community. It comes after LGBT+ groups boycotted the opening of the restaurant, over comments made by the American fast food chain’s CEO about the LGBT+ community. A spokesperson for the chain told the BBC that “the right…
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