All MCA Insight articles in July 2020 – Page 3
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NewsYo! continues to reopen sites
Yo! will reopen 18 sites on 1 August and plans to open another 13 over the news few weeks. A reimagined version of the famous kaiten belt will see diners order through their smartphones before being delivered food and drink to their tables via the conveyor belt. This allows the restaurants to comply with social distancing measures and reduces interaction between customer and staff.
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NewsS.A. Brain CEO Alistair Darby: Industry must prove it’s not 'dirty, germ-ridden'
In classing hospitality behind non-essential retail in its reopening strategy, the Government has enabled the idea that pubs and restaurants are high-risk spaces to return to, S.A. Brain CEO Alistair Darby has said. Speaking as part of MCA’s The Conversation, Darby shared his frustration that delaying the sector’s reopening – hospitality spaces in Wales are still prohibited from opening inside until 3 August – has “created the idea in many people’s minds that pubs and restaurants are dangerous places to go.”
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NewsMobile ordering-only food court to launch in Cardiff
The UK’s first mobile ordering-only food court is set to open this week in Cardiff.
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NewsBlackrose strengthens senior team ahead of expansion
Blackrose, the Aprirose-owned pub management company, has announce five new senior appointments in preparation for its 2021 expansion plans. The group has said it intends to build a 250-strong estate by the end of next year, growing the business by 200 sites, and has strengthened its operations and marketing teams to drive the plans.
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NewsFullers 'in a stronger position than many' despite £10m hit to sales
Fullers has reported the stark impact of the coronavirus crisis on the final month of its financial year, but said it is “in a stronger position than many to build towards sustained profitability.”
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NewsAnand steps down from CDG
Rooney Anand has stepped down from his role as non-executive chairman of Casual Dining Group.
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NewsNational Food Strategy endorses Obesity Plan
“I am delighted to welcome the commitments the Government has made in the new Obesity Strategy,” Henry Dimbleby has declared in part one of his National Food Strategy for England. The Strategy – which is curated by Dimbleby alongside a panel of experts – highlighted that because of the pandemic, a course of action on obesity has never been more prevelant.
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NewsPizza Hut Restaurants to consider restructure
Pizza Hut Restaurants has hired advisers to explore a financial restructure, with a company voluntary arrangement (CVA) under consideration.
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NewsBill’s, Ivy and Caprice join EOHO scheme
Richard Caring restaurants Bill’s, The Ivy Collection and Caprice have joined the Chancellor’s Eat Out to Help Out scheme.
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NewsStarbucks sales slump
Starbucks has reported a 40% fall in global sales as a result of the coronavirus, though average orders increased in value by 23%. “Since the beginning of the covid-19 outbreak in January, we have taken a principled approach to navigate the crisis,” said president and CEO Kevin Johnson. “Every step of the way, we have thoughtfully addressed the needs of Starbucks stakeholders and are particularly proud of the industry-leading investments we have made to support our partners while creating a safe, familiar and convenient experience for our customers.
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NewsLumina Intelligence launched
MCA Insight, the insights division of MCA, is merging with HIM to become Lumina Intelligence as it launches a new solution that will bring all its data sources together. MCA will otherwise remain unchanged and continue to provide the latest news, opinion, analysis, high-profile interviews with leaders from across the hospitality industry, and more. MCA will also work closely with Lumina Intelligence to continue to deliver insight and reports into various hospitality sub categories such as delivery, food to go, pubs and restaurants.
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NewsBig fat stats put the obesity debate back on the menu
There are times everyone needs a juicy bacon cheeseburger, a big portion of chips, a three piece KFC, a pepperoni pizza, lots of chocolate, a few scoops of ice cream or some crisps. Not altogether obviously, that would be far too delicious. But individually, and as an occasional treat, where’s the harm? The trouble is the UK has long suffered from a lack of restraint. Couple that with our love of takeaways and a national diet rooted in stodgy classics and we have reached a point where the government estimates that 63% of adults in England are overweight or obese. It says one in three kids leaves primary school overweight or obese. Obesity related illness costs the NHS over £6bn every year. Those are big fat stats.
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NewsTortilla CEO Richard Morris: VAT cut will help us through tough times ahead
The government’s 15% VAT reduction will be a useful boost for hospitality businesses faced with what’s set to be an incredibly challenging winter season, MCA’s The Conversation has heard.
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Analysis & InsightUK footfall dips for first time since reopening
This week, Saturday footfall declined for the first time since the reopening of hospitality, according to the latest data from Wireless Social.
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NewsOver 53,000 restaurants sign up to Eat Out scheme
The HMRC has said over 53,000 outlets have signed up to the government’s Eat Out to Help Out scheme - and has set up an online finder so consumers can find participating restaurants. It’s also released stickers and posters for participating restaurants to display in their windows to advertise they are taking part. “Restaurants, cafes and bars play a vital role in our economy, employing more than a million people,” said chancellor Rishi Sunak. “They have been hit hard by coronavirus, so it’s vital we do everything we can to help them recover.
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NewsWhitbread scraps £10 cap on industry discount
Whitbread has scrapped the £10 Eat Out to Help Out discount limit and will give guests 50% off the food bill and soft drinks on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday during August. All its 750 restaurants, whose brands include Beefeater, Brewers Fayre, Table Table, Whitbread Inns, Cookhouse + Pub and Bar + Block will have reopened by 5 August and all will participate without any cap on the 50% discount.
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NewsDeals fall sharply in Q2 2020
Grant Thornton has said deals are still closing amidst the coronavirus pandemic, but the numbers are well down on Q1. Its ‘Food and beverage insights’ report said 27 deals were announced in Q2 2020 compared to 44 in Q1 and that 52 deals were done in Q2 last year, a 39% and 48% fall respectively. However, the total disclosed deal value for Q2 2020 was £2bn from 11 with publicly disclosed values, a significant increase on Q1 2020’s value of £298.8m million. A large part of this 578% increase was down to the £780m JV between Marston’s and Carlsberg to form Carlsberg Marston’s Brewing Company.
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NewsGreggs CEO Roger Whiteside: Digital channels “a necessity” in post-coronavirus world
Accelerating development plans for its digital channels will be a priority for Greggs as it looks to evolve for a post-coronavirus trading environment, CEO Roger Whiteside has said.
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OpinionPeter Martin: Going with the grains on healthy eating
The eating-out market did at least have a fraction more notice of Boris’s new obesity crusade than those planning a Spanish summer holiday received about quarantine. But it still came as an unwelcome surprise for most in the restaurant and pub world, not least because only last week the majority of us were still celebrating the cut in VAT and the launch of the Eat Out to Help Out campaign.
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NewsUK Hospitality CEO Kate Nicholls: ‘Government aware that rates system is broken’
The coronavirus crisis has shown Government that the business rates system is broken, and there is reason to be optimistic that significant reform may be on its way, The Conversation has heard.