All MCA Insight articles in October 2020 – Page 6
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NewsLockdown announcement mired in chaos
Pubs, restaurants and other non-essential businesses will be forced to close from Thursday 5 November for a month after Prime Minister Boris Johnson ordered a second national lockdown.
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NewsMarston’s and Carlsberg UK complete joint venture
Marston’s has announced the completion of its £780m joint venture with Carlsberg UK.
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NewsTrade bodies call for changes in State Aid restrictions
Up to 20,000 hospitality businesses across the UK will be unable to access lockdown grants without changes to State Aid restrictions, sector trade bodies have warned.
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Analysis & InsightManchester footfall plummets under tier 3 restrictions
Footfall in Manchester dropped to its lowest ever post-lockdown level last weekend following the implementation of tier 3 restrictions, according to Wireless Social.
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OpinionPCA Fiona Dickie: ‘I have teeth and I am not afraid to bite’
Those following the coverage of my investigation into Star Pubs and Bars will know that I found Star had committed twelve separate breaches of the pubs code, which they must now put right.
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Analysis & InsightAbility to host business meetings of ‘marginal benefit’
The ability to host business meetings in tiers 2 and 3 areas is of “marginal benefit” to operators, a new poll reveals.
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NewsTasty: “An extremely difficult year”
Tasty, which owns the Wildwood brand, has said sales fell £8.7m from £21.1m in the prior year and it made a loss after tax of £11m. It has 48 of its 55-strong estate open. It said 2020 has been an “extremely difficult year which required swift action to mitigate the extraordinary challenges faced. Tasty was quick to react to the Covid-19 outbreak. Whilst the trading environment continues to be extremely challenging and ever-changing, with the additional bank facility and support from our creditors and landlords, we are hopeful that we will be able to navigate our way through these difficult times due to our agility and restructured operational base.”
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NewsSales slump by 48%
Sales in hospitality dropped by 48% in the third quarter of 2020, according to the latest Quarterly Tracker from UK Hospitality and CGA. It’s a fall of £17bn on the same quarter in 2019, and £53.2bn less than the £133.5bn generated in 2019. “This is clearly dreadful news and made ...
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OpinionEditor's Opinion: Confusion continues to rise
Divisions are everywhere. The sense of unity that helped the UK through the surreal first wave of the coronavirus is now a distant memory, like the azure blue skies in April. Now they have been replaced by grey skies and rain with nothing on the horizon but pain.
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InterviewsPuttshack MD Hugh Knowles: ‘If you stand still you go backwards’
Puttshack MD Hugh Knowles is keen to get back in the swing. Having completed a £30m equity raise with lead investor Promethean Investment last June, followed five months later by its third UK site opening in London’s Bank, 2020 had all the promise of a stand-out year for the concept. Its expansion was expected to push on at pace, with a £5m site set to open in Watford, followed by a US rollout in Atlanta, Chicago and Miami. Needless to say things didn’t quite go to plan, and by virtue of the coronavirus crisis the business is currently operating in just two sites – Westfield London and Lakeside Essex – and, alongside the rest of the industry, bracing itself for Boris’ next surprise.
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NewsKFC UK sales up 16% in Q3
KFC’s UK sales were up 16% in Q3, the best performing territory in the Yum! global estate. Yum! CEO David Gibbs, described the results as “encouraging” and that they demonstrated the “resilience of the Yum! portfolio as Yum! generated year-over-year core operating profit growth, continued to reopen temporarily closed restaurants and achieved global same-store sales growth of approximately flat, in aggregate, for our open store base. “For the second consecutive quarter, digital sales increased by more than $1bn over the prior year and set a single quarter record of $4bn.
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NewsPizza Express to cut further 1,300 jobs
Pizza Express will cut 1,300 roles across its estate as it looks to reduce its UK team. With job losses expected at all of its 370 sites, the business has said it has had to make the difficult decision as a result of declining footfall since September and poor city centre trade. The reduction will take place through a combination of voluntary and compulsory redundancies, and it is hoped the newly downsized team will place the business in a better position to prepare for 2021 and beyond.
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NewsFlat Iron set for Marylebone
Steak concept Flat Iron is to open its ninth restaurant next month in London’s Marylebone.
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NewsYo! rolls out Co-op partnership
Yo! is expanding its partnership with Co-op to supply its Yo! To Go products in 160 stores nationwide.
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NewsAB InBev volumes up
AB InBev, the world’s largest brewer, has reported a surprise increase in beer sales in the third quarter, although profits dipped and its interim dividend payment was scrapped due to the coronavirus pandemic.
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News1% of hospitality venues linked to virus
Just 1% of hospitality venues across the UK have been linked to NHS Test and Trace incidences of coronavirus, according to a survey conducted on behalf of the UK’s restaurant and pub trade bodies.
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NewsGrosvenor to ‘selectively invest in tenants’
Grosvenor, the Duke of Westminster’s property company, has unveiled plans to take select investments in its struggling retail and hospitality tenants.
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NewsStonegate committed to LGBT venues as it rebases business
Stonegate has said it remains committed to LGBT venues, after speculation over the future of the Admiral Duncan, Retro Bar and Kings Arms.
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NewsBusaba CVA approved
Busaba Eathai’s company voluntary arrangement (CVA) has been approved, with an 81% majority of creditors backing the proposals.
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NewsNottinghamshire moves into tier 3
Nottinghamshire moves into tier 3 restrictions tomorrow, potentially shutting more than 800 wet-led pubs and bars in the region unless they can operate as restaurants. Nottingham City, Broxtowe, Gedling and Rushcliffe council entered the very high alert level overnight, with the rest of the county to follow after midnight on ...