All MCA Insight articles in July 2021
View all stories from this issue.
-
Analysis & Insight
Sports give pub sector boost back to growth
Pubs, bars and clubs saw 30.5% growth in July compared to the same month in 2019, as consumers socialised in beer gardens and returned to nights out.
-
Opinion
Move over drive thrus; the drive-in is here
Drive thru’ restaurants are not new. McDonald’s pioneered the trend in the UK in 1986, and was soon joined by Burger King, Pizza Hut and KFC, all of whom have had a long-term presence. More recently, the likes of Starbucks and Costa have entered the fray, providing the public with ever more choice and convenience.
-
News
Don’t miss MCA’s August edition
MCA’s August digital edition is available to read online now, featuring expert commentary, analysis and exclusive interviews.
-
News
‘No plans’ to introduce vaccine passports for pubs, says Shapps
Covid passports will not be needed to enter pubs, according to the government’s transport secretary Grant Shapps.
-
News
Hospitality and catering to come under Lifetime Skills Guarantee
Hospitality and catering have been added to the Department for Education’s Lifetime Skills Guarantee which offers fully funded further education courses for adults without A-Levels or equivalent qualifications.
-
News
Registrations open for MCA’s Pub Conference 2021
MCA’s annual Pub Conference is back with an action-packed agenda full of speakers from the biggest operators in the sector.
-
Interviews
Ralph Findlay ‘optimistic’ about the pub sector recovery
MCA caught up with Ralph Findlay, chief executive of Marston’s, following the group’s Q3 trading update. He discussed the group’s increasing focus on premium pubs and the benefits of a technology upgrade. While describing the pingdemic as a “severe headache” and voicing concerns around VAT and price rises, he was nonetheless optimistic about the pub sector’s potential for recovery.
-
News
KFC’s Paul Stokes joins Big Table Group
Big Table Group has appointed KFC’s Paul Stokes to the new role of head of acquisitions.
-
News
JKS takes over Arcade Food Theatre
JKS Restaurants is to relaunch Arcade Food Theatre as Arcade Food Hall this November, following the venue’s closure since lockdown in March last year.
-
News
McDonald’s global sales rise during reopening
McDonald’s has experienced strong Q2 growth in global sales, with like-for-like growth in the UK said to be “strong” and “positive”. The fast-food chain is looking to continue the digital sales growth it has experienced during the pandemic and recently launched the MyMcDonald’s Rewards scheme in the US.
-
Analysis & Insight
What next for Just Eat Takeaway?
Having enjoyed a boom during the Covid pandemic, Just Eat Takeaway and other delivery providers find themselves under pressure now that hospitality has reopened. So what is next for Just Eat Takeaway and how might it continue to grow?
-
News
Mark Davies steps down as NewRiver CFO
Mark Davies is to step down from his position as NewRiver’s chief financial officer (CFO), and the company’s board, with immediate effect following the announcement earlier this week that NewRiver has reached an agreement to sell its pub business Hawthorn to Admiral Taverns.
-
News
Domino’s set to announce strong financials, suggests analyst
Domino’s adjusted profit before tax is expected to be up 10% to £52.4m, analyst Peel Hunt has predicted.
-
News
Nicholls appointed disability ambassador for hospitality
Kate Nicholls, chief executive, UKHospitality, has been appointed as the hospitality sector’s first disability ambassador as the government launches its new National Disability Strategy.
-
News
UKHospitality: ‘We have role in rebuilding society – but we need support’
The hospitality sector has a fundamental role to play in rebuilding communities, the economy and the health and wellbeing of the nation – “but we need government help to allow us to do that”, according to Kate Nicholls, chief executive, UKHospitality.
-
News
The Alchemist: ‘We are seeing a happy consumer’
As a guest on this week’s The Conversation Simon Potts managing director of The Alchemist said trade had been “fantastic” since July 19. He said unrestricted trading was bringing a return to “recognisable familiarity,” as well as the chance to improve balance sheets.
-
News
Marston’s trading above expectations since indoor reopening
Marston’s has seen total food and drink sales at 92% of 2019 levels in the period from 17 May to 24 July 2021, with sales up 88% since 12 April, beating its expectations.
-
News
Xscape Yorkshire makes new signings
Five Guys, Taco Bell, and Pollo To Go have been signed up for Xscape Yorkshire in Castleford, Landsec’s leisure and entertainment destination.
-
News
Hospitality rent collection levels on the up
An increasing number of restaurants and cafes have been able to pay their rent over the three weeks following June quarter day, according to the latest data from property agency Colliers.
-
News
Boparan: ‘Perfect storm’ of labour shortages
Ranjit Singh Boparan has warned the “pingdemic” staffing crisis is just a small part of unprecedented pressures on supplies, with food shortages already being felt.