All MCA Insight articles in July 2020 – Page 9
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NewsSector sees first week of dine-in reopenings
KFC, Pizza Hut, Nando’s and Costa are among the latest operators to reopen some sites for eat-in this week. Whilst in pubs and bars, Brewhouse & Kitchen, Inception Group and The New World Trading Company all announced reopening plans.
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OpinionDominic Walsh: On not-so-Super Saturday and the pain that’s yet to come
If anyone thought that July 4 would bring down the curtain on the 15-week coronavirus purdah, they were soon disabused of the notion. Super Saturday was – like the weather – something of a damp squib. While some of the big pub companies opened as many as 80% to 85% of their estates on day one, research by CGA suggests that only 45% of hostelries opened their doors on Independence Day.
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NewsHospitality Leaders Poll: Mixed bag around reopening trade
The vast majority of operators experienced no issues with either local authorities or the police before the 4 July reopening weekend, according to the latest weekly Hospitality Leaders Poll by MCA/HIM. Asked whether they had difficulties with either, 93% of operators said they had not. However, around two in three said they had been contacted by both the local authorities and the police before reopening, with 65% saying they had been contacted by the local authority and 69% saying they had been contacted by the police.
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Analysis & InsightOne in four to spend less on eating out in next six months
One in four consumers will make spending less money on eating out a priority in the next six months, HIM/MCA Insight’s Recovery Report has found.
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NewsLegal analysis: ‘Signs on the floor are no match for a drunk man wanting a hug’
Operators are reopening into a complex new regulatory landscape, where licensing, public health and law enforcement combine and overlap.
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Analysis & InsightTrade down 45% on opening weekend for pub and restaurant groups
Managed pub, bar and restaurant groups that opened last Saturday saw like for like trading 44.5% down compared to the same weekend last year, according to CGA’s Coffer Peach Business Tracker.
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NewsBrewdog plans international eco-friendly drive-thrus
Brewdog has revealed plans to open four drive-thru sites as part of its commitment to sustainability.
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NewsScottish hospitality to reopen with reduced distancing
Pubs and Restaurants in Scotland have been given the green light to reopen indoors on Wednesday (15 July) as the country moves into phase three of its four-step plan.
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NewsTRG secures £50m through CLBILS
The Restaurant Group has secured a loan of £50m through the Coronavirus Large Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CLBISL) as it looks to increase flexibility in its banking facilities.
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NewsWestminster council ups crowd control measures
Westminster Council has released a new wave of measures to reduce the risk of crowding ahead of hospitality’s second weekend of reopening.
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NewsDeliveroo and Majestic experience record growth during lockdown
Deliveroo and Majestic have boosted their tie-up to 137 stores, making the high street wine merchant Deliveroo’s largest wine business.
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NewsEscape Hunt reopens English estate
Escape Hunt will reopen its eight sites in England on 11 July 2020, and will open its Edinburgh site when the Scottish government allows it. It’s also continuing work on its sites in Norwich and Basingstoke which were put on hold when the lockdown was ordered. Both will open in a few months bringing to total estate to 11. It said it had put “comprehensive measures” in place to ensure the safety of staff and customers.
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NewsBurger King set to close up to 10% of its estate
Burger King UK CEO Alasdair Murdoch has said the chain could shut 10% of its restaurants with the loss of up to 1,600 jobs as a result of the coronavirus. The chain has reopened 370 of its 530 strong estate, but Murdoch told the BBC the scale of the crisis was insurmountable, saying “I don’t think you can ever get over the top of this problem.” He said the discount scheme unveiled by Rishi Sunak was an “innovative approach” and that Burger King would take part, but that Burger King could close 5% to 10% of its stores because they were paying rent but “taking absolutely no money”.
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NewsNew River reports “encouraging” trading since reopening
New River has said over 90% of its pubs have reopened, and plans to reopen its pubs in Scotland and Wales over the next two weeks. It said of the total quarterly rent due on 24 June 2020, 71% had either been collected or alternative payment terms had been agreed with occupiers. It added that further progress had been made in terms of collecting rents for the period from 25 March to 1 June, which had increased to 57%, from the 52% previously reported in its full year results, and rent outstanding had improved to 18%, down from 21%.
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NewsDermot King new CEO at Oakman Inns
Dermot King is the new CEO of Oakman Inns following a promotion from COO. Current CEO Peter Borg-Neal will move into the role of executive chairman from 1 August. Chairman Mike Smith will remain on the board in a non-executive role. “I am honoured and delighted to become CEO of such an outstanding business,” said King. “Having spent the last 18 months working alongside Peter and the team I genuinely believe there is no limit to what we might achieve.
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OpinionPeter Martin: A global problem requires a global perspective
Anyone who expected England’s pub and restaurant market to spring miraculously back to life all flags flying on the Fourth of July hadn’t read the programme notes. All the data pointed to a sedate reopening. Only just over half of operators said they would be opening even some of their sites. In the end just 45% of pubs and bars welcomed customers back.
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NewsTossed to appoint administrators
Tossed and Vital Ingredient operator Zest Food has filed a notice of intention to appoint administrators, having already told its workforce they would all be made redundant.
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Analysis & InsightSunak’s sector support – help out or wash out?
The Chancellor, it seems, has done it again. For all the pre-emptive whispers of potential VAT cuts and unprecedented (in the UK, at least) voucher schemes, Rishi Sunak’s Summer Economic Update didn’t disappoint. But if the coronavirus crisis has taught us anything, it’s that glorious headlines don’t always equate to glorious results – something hospitality’s ‘squeezed middle’ know all too well. So how will Sunak’s Plan for Jobs work in reality?
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NewsSunak unveils VAT cut and discount scheme
Consumers will be able to get a 50% reduction for sit-down meals in cafes, restaurants and pubs across the UK from Monday to Wednesday every week throughout August 2020, part of government plans to support the industry.