All Opinion articles – Page 16
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OpinionPeter Martin: Cutting the distance with customers
Last week’s YouGov poll that showed a majority of the British public still in favour of retaining two-metre distancing should not have come as any surprise.
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OpinionA darker storm lies in wait
“It was, finally, for everyone, a matter of waiting. You waited and you waited, for the hospital, the doctor, the plumber, the madhouse, the jail, papa death himself… The citizens of the world ate food and watched TV and worried about their jobs or lack of the same, while they waited.” That’s from Charles Bukowski’s novel Women, but it feels topical today. Anyone else fed up with waiting? Anyone else frustrated, impatient, angry and worried about waiting?
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OpinionWhere does this embattled industry go from here?
I despise the coronavirus. To paraphrase R.E.M., I do not feel fine about the end of the world as we know it. Of course it’s not the end of the world altogether, however bad things seem right now everything could be worse. I’m fairly sure North Korea was about to blow everyone up with nuclear bombs a few months back. It could have been longer though, keeping track of time these days is tricky.
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OpinionDominic Walsh: On the Marston’s and Carlsberg JV, and Just Eat
Phew, the relief! For the first time since the lockdown here was a story that was not about coronavirus. And what a story: Marston’s to exit brewing. Well, almost. When its £780 million brewing joint venture with Carlsberg was announced, I described it as an acceleration of “the redrawing of Britain’s brewing landscape” and I see no reason to change my view.
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OpinionPeter Martin: Making hospitality part of the solution
The weekend’s press brought more tantalising headlines for the hospitality sector. Government fears of a ‘jobs bloodbath’ if the sector failed to reopen in time for the summer would accelerate an easing of the lockdown for pubs and restaurants, the Sunday Times front page splash optimistically predicted.
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OpinionThe PM has offered a glimpse of positivity
If you watched a collection of MPs question the PM on his handling of the coronavirus crisis yesterday, you may have heard a snippet relating to hospitality that will have cheered you up. “We are really trying to go as fast as we can,” said Boris Johnson. “It’s very difficult to bring [back] hospitality with social distancing but I’m much more optimistic than I was, and we may be able to do things faster than I thought.”
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OpinionDominic Walsh: Rent, Landlords, and Wild Times at Dominos
For years, Domino’s Pizza was a cash machine for all involved. Management notched up some serious bonuses and incentives by delivering the goods year after year, while long-standing shareholders such as Nigel Wray and Colin Halpern, who is also the group’s vice chairman, coined it as the share price rose inexorably. Also happy were the franchisees, many of whom went from pizza maker to millionaire entrepreneur in as long as long as it took to establish their new shop – not a lengthy process in those days.
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OpinionPeter Martin: Why being first isn’t always best
The good news about hospitality having to wait until at least 4 July to start reopening is that it gives operators another month to prepare and plan. It will be valuable time, not just to hone operational protocols and procedures, but to see how the wider economy starts to function, or not, after its 1 June restart date.
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OpinionPeter Martin: How to make friends, and influence the right people
The prime minister is safely back in Downing Street, and there are more signs of life in the out-of-home market as the likes of Burger King, Pret a Manger and KFC take tentative steps to reopen sites. But for much of the hospitality and leisure sector the outlook remains uncertain and confusing. Last week’s pronouncement by chief medical officer Chris Whitty that “disruptive” social distancing is likely to be a feature of day-to-day life even until the end of the year, did nothing to calm the nerves of an already under pressure industry.
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OpinionPeter Martin: Speculation and confusion, but still no government plan
So when will business - and pubs, bars and restaurant in particular - be able to open up again? It’s the question more people are beginning to ask, and the issue that has consumed much of this weekend’s media. The short answer seems to be ‘no time soon’. The press has been full of speculation, not to say confusion, about the Government’s supposed ‘three-point plan’ to start-up the economy, with talk of traffic-light systems, schools the first to open their doors as early as May 11, and even hope for the eating-out market.
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OpinionDominic Walsh on Wetherspoon and Cote
Tim Martin likes to plough his own unique furrow. From his penchant for attending City results presentations in chinos - or even shorts – to his mullet hairstyle and his love of rubbing the establishment up the wrong way, the JD Wetherspoon founder loves nothing better than to fan the flames of controversy. Among the issues that have particularly got his juices going over the years have been the euro, taxes, corporate governance and, of course, Brexit. On most of these subjects Martin has managed to navigate a course that has burnished his “man of the people” credentials, firmly established during 41 years of serving the cheapest food and drink in town.
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OpinionPeter Martin: ‘Flexibility and patience will be vital for reopening’
The Government may “fire the starting gun” on lifting restrictions, but it will be down to individual companies to carefully plan their own reboot, panellist Peter Martin told attendees at MCA’s virtual event, The Conversation.
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Opinion
Brewdog: An open “rant” on the impact of our Government’s new points-based immigration scheme
Brewdog COO David McDowell pens and open “rant” on the impact of the Government’s proposed points-based immigration system on the hospitality industry.
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OpinionFood standards - should I care?
David Read, Prestige Purchasing’s Chairman explains why food standards will become a major battleground for trade during 2020, and why this should matter to foodservice operators.
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OpinionA Novel Idea: No. 9 A better game
Every month, Marcel Khan, chief executive of Thunderbird Fried Chicken, reads a book (so you don’t have to) and applies insight into the sector based on what he’s learned between the covers and beyond. This month: The Infinite Game by Simon Sinek.
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OpinionAnalysts’ verdict: Liberum and Peel Hunt on Loungers
Both Liberum and Peel Hunt have upwardly revised their full year estimates for Loungers, following the AIM-listed business’ positive interim statement yesterday (4 December).
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OpinionAnalysts’ verdict: Berenberg on Mitchells & Butlers
Mitchells & Butlers shares are due a “pause for breath” believes analyst Berenberg.
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OpinionChestnut Group: Passion project
By tapping into the East Anglian opportunity, Chestnut Group founder Philip Turner has managed to double the size of his business in the past year. He talks to Georgi Gyton about his passion for the region and the next stage of Chestnut’s growth.
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OpinionThe transformational potential of rebranding and remodelling
Embarking on a rebranding or remodelling programme may seem like a sure-fire way to reinvigorate your business, but there are many aspects to consider if you want to get it right, explains brand strategy consultant Ian Dunstall.
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OpinionAnalysts verdict: Berenberg on Domino’s
Despite improvement in its share price since its Q3 update last month, major challenges still remain for Domino’s Pizza, according to analysts Berenberg.