All articles by Georgia Cronin – Page 16
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NewsOperators call for EIS incentives to help rebuild sector
London hospitality operators including The Piano Works, Kerb and bar business Lolipop have called on government to adapt the Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS) to help rebuild the sector. In a letter to chancellor Rishi Sunak seen by City AM, the businesses outlined proposals of an “equity alternative” to the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme, which would use tax relief to incentivise investors to support industry recovery.
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Analysis & InsightRedundancies at record high before second lockdown
Redundancies reached a record high last month and the number of job vacancies plummeted as companies across the country prepared for the end of the furlough scheme.
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NewsWadworth sells 21 pubs to Liberation Group
Wiltshire-based pubco and brewer Wadworth has announced the sale of 21 pubs to Liberation Group.The sites, sold for an undisclosed sum, are primarily in Gloucestershire, Hampshire and Wiltshire, and comprise more than a tenth of Wadworth’s estate across the south west and London.
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NewsMeatliquor to open in Bloomsbury
Burger concept Meatliquor is set to open a restaurant in the former Las Iguanas site in London’s Bloomsbury later this month. Just weeks after the now 10-strong restaurant group permanently closed its Kings Cross site, it has announced the new restaurant will open in the district’s Brunswick Centre in two weeks’ time. Initially opening for takeaway-only, when restrictions are lifted the site will have 110 ‘covid-safe’ covers inside, as well as additional outdoor seating on a heated terrace.
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NewsSbarro launches first UK site
US pizza chain Sbarro has opened its first UK site in Birmingham.
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Analysis & InsightBrandwatch: Nando’s
Does anyone remember a time before Nando’s? Arriving on the UK fast-casual scene in 1992, the chicken chain has expanded from a single site in Ealing to nothing short of a national institution. Today, with well over 400 restaurants across the country, you can’t walk five miles without spotting Barcelos cockerel, and the brand is so rooted in youth culture that a British celebrity without a Nando’s black card is barely a celebrity at all. Just over 30 years since the business was founded in Johannesburg in 1987, consumers can now source their peri-peri fix in 35 countries across five different continents. Home to a large proportion of its over 1,200 outlets, the UK branch comprises one of the brand’s largest markets, and it doesn’t look like that’s about to change anytime soon.
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NewsVegan pizza chain Purezza set to go global
Brighton-based vegan pizza concept Purezza has announced global expansion plans after securing £2.4m in funding.
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NewsDeltic sale piques private equity interest
Private equity firms Greybull Capital and Aurelius are among interested parties in the Deltic Group, following its emergency sale announcement last month.
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NewsRelaxed takeaway regulations could become permanent
Relaxed regulations that allow pubs and restaurants to sell takeaway food and alcohol could become permanent, communities secretary Robert Jenrick has said.
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NewsUber Eats extends support for restaurant partners
Uber Eats will be waiving all activation fees, commission fees and some delivery charges for restaurants on its platform for the duration of lockdown. The delivery aggregator has announced today that activation fees for new restaurants joining the app as well as commission fees on pick up orders for current restaurant partners will be waived until the end of November, and the current opt-in programme for restaurants to receive daily payments to ease cashflow pressures will be extended. It has also committed to covering free delivery on up to 500,000 orders over the four weeks of lockdown, applying on orders of £15 or more from Monday to Friday.
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NewsPizza Express appoints Campbell and Leighton in new senior team
Pizza express has announced the completion of its recapitalisation, appointing former Wagamama chief executive David Campbell as its new CEO.
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Analysis & InsightPubs see pre-lockdown sales surge
Consumers across the country were keen to make the most of their final pub experience before lockdown this week, with sales rising significantly from Monday to Wednesday. New data from pay-at-table app Order Pay revealed sales jumped 125% on Wednesday compared to the previous week (Wednesday 29 October), with average spend in the final opening hour up 32% to an average of £10.37 per transaction.
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Analysis & InsightSector loses 7.5% of workforce in October
The hospitality industry lost 7.5% of its workforce last month, with a further 21,337 employees losing their jobs, the latest data from Fourth has revealed.
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Analysis & InsightFurlough extension a “wasted investment” without additional support
Hospitality leaders and trade bodies have welcomed the chancellor’s furlough extension until March, but warned that without a clear roadmap and additional support it won’t be enough.
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Analysis & InsightThree in four hospitality workers concerned about job security
Three quarters of workers in hospitality are concerned about their job security as England enters its second lockdown, CGA and CPL Learning has found.
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NewsBig Mamma to launch third dark kitchen
Napoli Gang, the delivery-only concept from London-based Big Mamma Group, is launching its third dark kitchen next week.
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NewsWadworth announces senior shake-up
Wiltshire-based pubco and brewer Wadworth has announced a restructure in its senior team.
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NewsFurlough extended until March
The government’s furlough scheme will be extended until the end of March, chancellor Rishi Sunak has announced.
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NewsTakeaway alcohol U-turn a “lifeline” but “not anywhere near enough”
The government’s U-turn on its ban on takeaway beer from pubs during lockdown has been welcomed by the industry ahead of tomorrow’s restrictions, but concerns have been raised as to how it compares to off-trade restrictions.
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NewsGreggs to stay open in lockdown
Greggs has confirmed all of its stores will remain open through the second lockdown.