World Cup
Our World Cup coverage provides UK hospitality and foodservice professionals with practical insights on maximising trade during the tournament, including match-day promotions, themed menus, drinks stock planning, live screening setups, licensing considerations, and customer engagement strategies tailored to pubs, bars, restaurants, and catering operations aiming to boost footfall and profitability.
-
Feb- 2019 -8 FebruaryBusiness
Hospitality wages spike after months of deflation
The average hourly pay of workers over 25 in the UK significantly fell from £8.55 in June to £8.18 in November, before plateauing at £8.16 in December and rising to £8.38 in January. According to statistics from software provider for the leisure and hospitality industry Fourth, this is the first…
Read More » -
7 FebruaryFeatures
Tea time: The growing popularity of plant-based energy drinks
Plant-based diets are all the rage. However, they’re much more than just another eating fad. They appeal to a growing number of people that aren’t just interested in health and wellbeing, but who are also concerned about sustainability and living more ethically. This is reshaping menu choices and is now…
Read More » -
Jan- 2019 -24 JanuaryBusiness
The Restaurant Group sales drop 2%
The Restaurant Group (TRG) saw a 2% drop in its like-for-like sales for the 52 weeks ending 30 December 2018 compared with the same period last year. This is excluding the recently acquired Asian restaurant chain Wagamama. Including one week of trading from Wagamama, the group’s total sales increased by…
Read More » -
Dec- 2018 -20 DecemberBusiness
Confidence ‘under pressure’ across eating and drinking-out market
Business confidence among leaders of Britain’s eating and drinking-out market remains strained, the latest edition of the CGA Business Confidence Survey, produced in partnership with Fourth has revealed. While 63% – slightly down from the last poll in July – are optimistic about their own businesses’ prospects for next 12…
Read More » -
6 DecemberBusiness
UK restaurant closures accelerate to over 10 a week
The number of restaurants in Britain slipped by 2% over the year to September 2018, the new edition of the Market Growth Monitor from CGA and AlixPartners has revealed. Research showed that Britain had a total of 26,892 restaurants at September. The net fall of 539 restaurants marked an “acceleration…
Read More » -
Oct- 2018 -30 OctoberBusiness
The Restaurant Group buys Wagamama
Frankie and Benny’s owner The Restaurant Group (TRG) has announced it has conditionally agreed to purchase Mabel Topco, operating as Wagamama for a cash payment of £357m. TRG said its offer valued Wagamama at £559m and it would convert some of its existing sites into Wagamama restaurants. It plans to…
Read More » -
26 OctoberBeverages
C&C Group settles Matthew Clark and Bibendum £160m debt
C&C Group, the drinks company which bought Matthew Clark and Bibendum out of administration, has paid off £160m of the drinks distributor’s debt. C&C Group acquired the company in April after its former parent company Conviviality issued a profit warning following the discovery of a £30m unpaid tax bill. In…
Read More » -
10 OctoberBusiness
Marston’s adds 15 new pubs as it reports profit rise
Pub chain, Marston’s has announced the acquisition of 15 new former Mitchells & Butlers pubs from Aprirose, a property investment company, along with an annual pre-tax profit of £104m, slightly ahead of last year’s figure of £100.1m. Despite the slight increase on last year, the figure fell below analysts Liberium’s…
Read More » -
Sep- 2018 -21 SeptemberBusiness
City Pub Group reports 24% sales increase
City Pub Group’s sales are up 24% to £16.1m for the 26 weeks to 1 July 2018, as the group focused on wet-led sales and increased its portfolio. The pub company has saw its adjusted EBITDA increase by 25% increase to £3m compared with £2.4m in 2017. Its adjusted profit…
Read More » -
17 SeptemberBusiness
Restaurant sales recover as holiday season boosts eating-out market
Britain’s managed pub and restaurant groups saw collective like-for-like sales edge up 0.6% in August, latest figures from the Coffer Peach Business Tracker show. Managed pubs saw collective like-for-likes grow 0.2% against August last year, while restaurant groups were up 1.4% for the month. This showed a recovery from June…
Read More »