All MCA Insight articles in November 2020 – Page 2
-
News
Scottish tiering shift “bitter sweet” for hospitality
Nicola Sturgeon’s latest tiering review has been described as “bitter sweet”, and “not […] enough to help an industry in crisis,” with thousands of Scottish businesses still unable to open for the Christmas period.
-
News
Hunter swaps Kerb for Tipjar
Kerb head of development Ollie Hunter has joined Tipjar as head of operations.
-
News
Incipio strengthens board
Incipio Group has appointed corporate lawyer David Roberts as a non-executive director.
-
News
KFC to roll out electric vehicle charging points at 450 sites
KFC UK & Ireland is to roll out rapid electric vehicle charging points at up to 450 of its restaurants across the country.
-
News
Birmingham operator to launch judicial review against government tier 3 closure
Birmingham restaurant owner Sam Morgan is set to launch a judicial review against the government, claiming it has failed to provide adequate evidence to support the closure of hospitality in tier 3 areas. Morgan, who owns restaurant concept Craft and Eight, is representing 256 businesses, mostly from the Birmingham region, under the new lobbying group ‘Birmingham Hospitality Group.’
-
News
Hospitality sees immediate footfall surge in tier 2
Hospitality footfall in tier 2 areas picked up immediately on the first day post-lockdown, Wireless Social has found. Data from the Wi-Fi solutions provider has revealed that as soon as pubs and restaurants were allowed to reopen on 2 December, footfall increased to October pre-lockdown levels across venues. London footfall rose considerably, from 65% below pre-pandemic levels just before the second lockdown, to 54% below pre-pandemic levels on 2 December.
-
News
Sector confidence plummets as tiers take toll
The coronavirus pandemic has severely impacted sector confidence, with less than a fifth of hospitality business leaders optimistic about the market’s prospects over the next 12 months, according to CGA and Fourth. Its latest Business Confidence Survey has revealed that just 18% of leaders are optimistic about the year ahead, 42% down on pre-pandemic levels (60%). Extended restrictions over the autumn have led to more than a quarter (27%) of multi-site business leaders predicting they will be unviable within the first six months of 2021, if current levels of support continue.
-
News
Tim Martin sells £5m of shares
JD Wetherspoon chairman Tim Martin has sold £5m worth of shares in the company.
-
News
Caffè Nero founder pledges £5m ‘survival fund’ to see it through CVA
Caffè Nero founder Gerry Ford is pledging a £5m ‘survival fund’ to see the struggling coffee chain through its financial restructuring, Sky News reports.
-
News
UKH calls for new sector support fund following Tesco grant repayment
UK Hospitality has called on the government to establish a Hospitality and Tourism Recovery Fund to support businesses without grant support and at risk of closure.
-
News
Brains to close more than 100 pubs due to Wales alcohol ban
Welsh pubco and retailer SA Brains will close more than 100 managed pubs from Friday, chief executive Alistair Darby has said.
-
Interviews
Loungers CEO Nick Collins: ‘We have a real role in improving high streets’
When discussing the enduring success of the Loungers business, “well-hedged” is not a phrase CEO Nick Collins says he would necessarily use, but he recognises it’s a good one.
-
News
Prezzo acquired by Cain International
Private equity firm Cain International has acquired Prezzo from previous owners TPG as a going concern.
-
News
Wales sees post-lockdown footfall surge
A surge in footfall since the end of Wales’ firebreak lockdown last month could be positive news for pubs and restaurants set to exit lockdown today in England, according to Wireless Social.
-
News
Industry to stage second HospoDemo next week
Workers from across the hospitality industry are expected to converge once again on Parliament Square next week in a second peaceful demonstration against government restrictions and lack of support.
-
Interviews
UK Hospitality CEO Kate Nicholls: ‘We need compensation over support’
UK Hospitality CEO Kate Nicholls has urged operators to issue a “carpet bombing” of letters expressing industry concerns to MPs ahead of the vote on Johnson’s new tiering restrictions later today.
-
News
Scotch egg counts as ‘substantial meal’
Pub operators entering tier 2 face further confusion about the definition of a “substantial meal” after cabinet minister George Eustice suggested a Scotch egg could count.
-
News
Pubs and restaurants in Wales face 6pm curfew and ban on selling alcohol
Pubs and restaurants in Wales will face a 6pm curfew and complete ban on selling alcohol from 4 December, first minister Mark Drakeford has announced.
-
News
SAGE ‘ignored findings on transmission’
Government scientists ignored their own findings on ‘low’ coronavirus infection rates – and ordered pubs and restaurants to close anyway, critics have claimed.
-
News
BrewDog CEO’s ‘expensive lesson’ of hiring all-star management team
BrewDog CEO James Watt has admitted it was a mistake to hire an “all-star cast” senior management team with “hearty paychecks”, after all departed within 12 months.