Recession
Essential coverage on how economic downturns and financial pressures are affecting foodservice and hospitality businesses across the UK. This section explores rising costs, shifting consumer behaviour, staff retention challenges, and the operational strategies that restaurants, pubs, bars, and caterers are adopting to protect margins, manage demand, and maintain resilience. From pricing decisions and menu engineering to supplier negotiations and business model adaptation, the insights here support leaders navigating uncertainty in a volatile market.
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Jun- 2020 -17 JuneComment
From the garage to the boardroom
Over the course of the last three months, while stuck in my garage working away in some of the coldest conditions known to man (or a least this man), I have looked for positives where there only seem to be negatives. In doing so, I remembered that, in my career…
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May- 2020 -27 MayComment
The ‘new normal’ for hospitality
On Monday 11 May the government launched its road map to recovery, backed up by the Chancellor’s announcement on Tuesday 12 May regarding the extension of furlough until October, with a number of limitations / conditions attached. Both for many are hugely welcome, especially as more than two million hospitality…
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Mar- 2020 -30 MarchGovernment
UK GDP expected to contract by 15% in Q2 2020
The UK economy is about to enter the deepest recession since the financial crisis, including the steepest quarter-on-quarter decline in economic activity since comparable records began, according to the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR). CEBR expects the economy to have contracted marginally in the first quarter of the…
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26 MarchComment
Marketing Matters: Covid-19 all in this together
It seems like madness to carry on writing an ‘agony aunt’ column with the unprecedented changes in the industry at the moment. The idea that my answer to a marketing question will have any relevance at all is quite bizarre. Instead, I’d like to take some time to consider the…
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10 MarchBusiness Bites
Banks to help us all out with coronavirus fallout
Once again the business pages on all major news outlets are pretty much dominated by the developing story of coronavirus – every sector has some kind of tale to tell. So here is the roundup from today. RBS said it will allow mortgage holidays for people who are forced to stay…
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3 MarchBusiness Bites
Coronavirus is stepping up a gear – this could be serious
When I started this column back in December I did not anticipate a single subject would dominate it so much, but as I wrote last week it would be silly not to address the latest coronavirus circumstances given that each new development so far has had a profound impact on…
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Feb- 2020 -10 FebruaryBusiness Bites
Ocado ditches Waitrose; Bill gates orders £500m beast-yacht; Boris to lower immigration wage threshold
A busy start to the week in the business pages. As the coronavirus story unfolds I am reluctant to spend every day providing updates on it, but it is worth noting quickly that there is likely to be some worldwide economic turbulence due to the latest developments. A slew of…
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Jan- 2020 -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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Sep- 2019 -16 SeptemberRestaurants
Restaurant closures up 25% over the past 12 months
The number of restaurant insolvencies has jumped 25% in the last year up to 1,410 in 2018/19, compared with 1,130 for the previous year. The study compiled by accounting firm UHY Hacker Young found that the rapid growth of the causal-dining sector since the last recession had resulted in an…
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9 SeptemberCatering Companies
Pub and restaurant groups maintain summer momentum
Britain’s managed pub and restaurant groups saw collective like-for-like sales grow 1.6% in August compared with the same time last year. Drink-led pubs and bars, recorded the greatest growth, as sales increased 4.1% on the back of late month heatwave, according to the latest figures from the Coffer Peach Business…
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