All MCA Insight articles in August 2021
View all stories from this issue.
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OpinionChancellor must overhaul rates regime
Writing exclusively for MCA ahead of the Spring Budget next week, UKHospitality CEO Kate Nicholls urges Jeremy Hunt to provide urgently needed support on business rates, VAT, and planning
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NewsMcDonald’s invests £250m in restaurant remodelling
The Convenience of the Future upgrade programme will see McDonald’s UK&I shake up the way its restaurants operate to reflect the multiple ways customers order
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NewsPortobello builds base in the south
Having acquired five pubs on the South Coast, Portobello Starboard chairman Mark Crowther told MCA it gave the company scale to pick up further sites in the region
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NewsBurger King UK opens 10 new sites
It comes as the Bridgepoint-backed business plans a reported £600m listing on the London Stock Exchange
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Weekend Press‘Greasy spoon’ cafes close as diners shun fry-ups
With tens of thousands of traditional cafes shutting down or being repurposed as coffee shops and brasseries, is it really the end for the all-day breakfast?
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Weekend PressSmaller wine glasses are back in fashion
Britons are seeking out small glasses, seemingly in a bid to reduce their intake for their health and wellbeing, with pubs returning to more modest measures.
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Weekend PressSajid Javid: we’re nowhere near imposing Covid social distancing rules
No plans to make people wear masks in pubs or ask them to work from home, health secretary says, despite Omicron fears
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NewsCain signs new sustainable concept
Fast-food concept Sproot has opened its first site in Islington Square with ambitions to expand into central London
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InterviewsPizzaLuxe looking to conquer the travel space
With his PizzaLuxe brand Paul Goodale wants to ‘shift the stigma’ around what restaurants in the travel space can offer, with expansion planned across the UK’s motorway, airport and train network
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NewsItsu ‘courageously’ expanding its reach
Property director Vishal Talreja has hailed Itsu’s partnership with Pizza Hut Restaurants for unlocking access to new areas such as retail parks and market towns
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NewsCustomers urged to be kind
UKHospitality’s Kate Nicholls has urged customers to treat hospitality staff with respect, after reports of rude and abusive treatment of workers during the summer staycation boom.
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NewsStaff optimism dips amid shortages
The twin challenges around staff shortages and lingering concerns about staff safety have added to the pressure felt by staff in the hospitality sector, leading to a decline in the number seeing the sector as a viable long-term career according to the latest CGA and CPL Learning survey of hospitality staff. Hospitality teams generally feel safe in the venues they work in, but the reduction of Covid-19 restrictions has increased safety concerns for some.
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NewsHeineken to invest £38m in Star Pubs estate
Heineken has announced it will be investing £38m in its Star Pubs & Bar estate in a new programme to benefit 700 venues in England and Wales by the end of this year.
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NewsConsumers drive rebound
Consumers in Europe are driving a rebound in the region’s economic recovery, despite a resurgence in coronavirus cases.
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News‘Pubs are all about walk-ins’
JW Lees has hailed a resurgence of walk-ins as good news for the pub industry.
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NewsEasing of restrictions increases consumer spending
Over half of the UK adult population had an eating or drinking out occasion as restrictions eased across the UK during July. According to data from Lumina Intelligence, the proportion of UK consumers who had an eating out occasion increased to a peak of 52.2% over the 12 weeks to the 11 July, with frequency of visit and average spend also increasing.
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NewsRevenues more than double at Soho House owner
Soho House’s parent company, Membership Collective Group, has seen revenues more than double in the last quarter as it recovers from closure periods during the pandemic.
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NewsONS data points to a possible recovery plateau
Hospitality could be experiencing a slowing in the recovery of consumer activity, weekly data compiled by the ONS has suggested.
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NewsShortage of stock at more than quarter of hospitality businesses
More than a quarter (27%) of businesses in the food service and accommodation sector have reported lower than normal stock levels, with 9% reporting they have been unable to get the goods they need in the past two weeks, according to the latest ONS data.
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NewsBoxpark in youth employment drive
Boxpark has signed up to a new bespoke traineeship programme in partnership with hospitality training providers Barfection, in order to provide a combination of training and employment for young people wanting to work in the sector.