All MCA Insight articles in April 2020

View all stories from this issue.

  • Le Pain Quotidien
    News

    Le Pain Quotidien enters administration

    2023-07-04T07:18:00Z

    The Belgian coffee chain, suffering from reduced footfall in London, is understood to have closed seven sites across the capital

  • Frankie & Benny's exterior
    News

    TRG announces £340m debt package

    2022-12-22T14:13:00Z

    The Restaurant Group has agreed a £220m Term Loan Facility and a £120m Revolving Credit Facility with its existing lenders

  • Mathew Price Uber
    Interviews

    Uber Eats ‘as strong as ever’

    2022-12-20T12:25:00Z

    UK general manager Matthew Price says moves by Honest Burgers, Joe & The Juice and PizzaExpress’ to join Uber Eats is a “vote of confidence” in the platform.

  • alasdairmurdoch
    Interviews

    Alasdair Murdoch: High street ‘over’ without rent compromise

    2020-04-30T15:28:00Z

    High street operators cannot be expected to pay pre-covid-19 rents when only open for delivery, Burger King UK CEO Alasdair Murdoch has told MCA.

  • Manahatta
    News

    Wolstencroft: ‘Without certainty on rent and social distancing we can’t move forward’

    2020-04-30T13:22:00Z

    The industry urgently needs some clarity from Government on rent and social distancing measures before it can consider moving forward, Martin Wolstencroft has told MCA.

  • Pret, St Christopher's Place
    News

    Pret to open another 20 shops in London on Friday

    2020-04-30T08:18:00Z

    Pret will reopen 20 more shops in London on Friday, following a successful trial where it reopened ten shops in the capital. As before, all the outlets will be open for collection and delivery only. Pret said since reopening ten shops on 16 April it had “found a way to operate shops safely and in line with government guidance”.

  • High street
    News

    Rent payments biggest industry challenge with ‘no one route forward’

    2020-04-30T07:29:00Z

    Rent payments are the biggest immediate challenge facing the industry, but operators are split in their view of the most viable solution, CGA’s latest Business Confidence Survey has suggested. 

  • burger king
    Interviews

    What it’s like to operate in lockdown part 3: Burger King

    2020-04-30T07:29:00Z

    Burger King UK opened a further eight sites for delivery yesterday, with more to follow in the coming weeks. Discussing the move, CEO Alasdair Murdoch tells MCA how the company has developed a new safety-first operating system,  and why being early puts the brand on the front foot against its competitive rivals. 

  • SDM Cornershop image
    News

    Seven Dials launches online initiative and delivery service

    2020-04-30T07:28:00Z

    Seven Dials landlord, Shaftesbury, has launched an online initiative to keep consumers connected to the site through the lockdown period.

  • High street
    News

    Industry sees 21.3% sales drop in first quarter

    2020-04-30T07:26:00Z

    The hospitality industry saw sales decline by 21.3% in the first quarter of 2020, new figures from the UK Hospitality Quarterly Tracker reveal.

  • Deliveroo rider
    News

    Deliveroo to make 367 redundancies, furloughs 50

    2020-04-30T07:24:00Z

    Deliveroo is set to make 367 employees redundant as it struggles with demand during the coronavirus crisis.

  • Wetherspoon interior
    News

    Wetherspoon raises £141m

    2020-04-30T07:22:00Z

    JD Wetherspoon has raised funds of £141m through the placing of 15,668,430 new ordinary shares, which it will use to secure the business through the coronavirus crisis.

  • Kate Nicholls 055
    News

    UKH: Rent resolution cannot be left to the market

    2020-04-29T11:15:00Z

    Government will have to intervene “to bring both sides together” if a long-term equitable agreement is to be reached between landlords and businesses on rent, Kate Nicholls, UK Hospitality CEO has said.

  • TGI Friday
    News

    TGI’s to trial ‘kerbside’ click-and-collect with delivery relaunch

    2020-04-29T10:26:00Z

    TGI Friday’s will trial an all-new click-and-collect service next week as it explores “new revenue streams to help make the business viable” through the coronavirus crisis, chief executive Robert B Cook has told MCA.

  • KFC new design
    News

    KFC to have 100 delivery sites open next week

    2020-04-29T09:29:00Z

    KFC has announced plans to open a further 80 sites for delivery, which will bring its UK total to 100 by Monday next week.

  • Richard Morris and Brandon Stephens, Tortilla
    News

    Stephens: ‘Adapt delivery to family demographic’

    2020-04-29T07:50:00Z

    With the delivery demographic changing amid the coronavirus crisis, operators looking to adapt should develop a family offering, Brandon Stephens, Tortilla founder, told attendees at MCA’s online event, The Conversation.

  • pret a manger
    News

    Pret: What it's like to operate in a lockdown

    2020-04-29T07:48:00Z

    There are three main reasons for reopening. Firstly, we wanted to find a way to support the NHS and essential workers during this difficult period. Since we temporarily closed, we’ve received several requests from hospitals and healthcare workers wanting access to freshly prepared food. That’s why we’ve initially chosen Pret shops located near hospitals to reopen for takeaway and delivery only.

  • Paul
    News

    Paul: What it’s like to operate in a lockdown

    2020-04-29T07:45:00Z

    We re-opened because, fundamentally, we’ve been operating as a bakery for 130 years offering bread to the local community, and we felt we needed to try and maintain that heritage. We’ve added to that by offering essentials like milk, and we’ve recently started adding flour and yeast, because there are shortages of that. We’re really trying to make the essentials available for people struggling to access supermarket delivery slots.

  • GettyImages-1209099335
    News

    Government looks to extend JRS for hospitality

    2020-04-29T07:40:00Z

    Government is “actively looking” at extending the Coronavirus Jobs Retention Scheme for hospitality but would like to take other areas of the economy off the scheme where possible, Kate Nicholls, UK Hospitality CEO has said.

  • Zizzi
    News

    ​Bridgepoint sets up £3m covid-19 hardship fund

    2020-04-29T07:39:00Z

    Bridgepoint, the backer of Burger King, Azzurri Group, Market Halls and Deliveroo, has set up a £3m hardship fund to support charities and communities affected by Covid-19.