Cheers! City Beerfest returns to Guildhall for 11th year June 10, 2025 City Beerfest will return to Guildhall for its 11th year this July, bringing together food, drink and live music on the site of London’s second-century Roman Amphitheatre. The festival, which has become one of the City of London Corporation’s most popular events, will have over 40 different beers on offer in the Guildhall’s courtyard. It [...]
Gino D’Acampo: Restaurant empire’s huge debts revealed before rescue June 9, 2025 The company behind TV chef Gino D’Acampo’s restaurant empire owed more than £11m as it collapsed into administration, it has been revealed. Upmarket Leisure Ltd, which controlled the former This Morning star’s venues, was served with a wind-up petition by HMRC in March and moved to appoint an administrator before being saved in a £5m [...]
‘A tax burden without precedent in the 21st Century’: Pub chain McMullen’s blasts government tax hikes June 6, 2025 One of Britain’s biggest pub chains has taken aim at the government’s “damaging” tax hikes, warning they will lead to lower demand and investment and have forced the hospitality sector to “bear the brunt” of rises in government spending. Hertford-based McMullen’s, which operates around 120 pubs in London and the home counties, including the Old [...]
Young’s: Pub giant raises dividend as earnings jump June 5, 2025 Pub and bar operator Young & Co’s has reported a significant jump its earnings despite surging costs. The hospitality firm, which has 277 pubs across the UK, told markets that revenue rose 24.9 per cent from £388.8m to £485.8m in the 52 weeks ended March 31. The nearly 200-year-old pub business said adjusted operating profit [...]
Hospitality ranks bottom for UK wages as sector struggles with costs June 3, 2025 Hospitality workers are now the worst-paid employees in the UK as the sector continues to struggle with high costs. A combination of high energy prices, high wholesale prices and high taxes have squeezed margins in the last two years, making it hard for a sector pummelled by the pandemic to recover. Accommodation and food service [...]
Exclusive: Hotels struggle with double whammy of staff costs and pressure on room rates June 2, 2025 Hotels struggled with falling profit in April after margins were squeezed by higher staff hosts and price pressure on rooms. UK hotel payroll costs increased from 31.6 per cent of revenue to 33.3 per cent in April year-on-year, and from 29.5 per cent to 31.4 per cent in London, according to RSM. A slight reduction [...]
Ghost Ship producer Adnams slashes losses May 29, 2025 Ghost Ship producer Adnams has halved its operating loss amid a commercial turnaround plan, although retail sales continue to suffer. The Suffolk-based company, which makes cask ale, bottled beers and spirits, said that sales increased three per cent to £68.1m in the 12 months ended December 31. Its operating loss shrank by more than half, [...]
Hollywood Bowl: Ten-pin bowling operator raises dividend May 29, 2025 Bowling and leisure operator Hollywood Bowl has reported stable trading as it targets a significant expansion in the UK. The company reported like-for-like revenue growth of 2.1 per cent in the six months ended March 31, with UK like-for-like total revenue up 1.3 per cent. It said revenue was dented by a late Easter and [...]
Spending in pubs surges as Brits flock to beer gardens May 28, 2025 Pubs enjoyed a boost in April during the sunny spring weather as Brits opted for outdoor beer gardens over indoor restaurants. Like-for-like sales growth at pubs reached 9.1 per cent year on year, according to the latest CGA RSM Hospitality Business Tracker. Sales across all hospitality outlets were 4.2 per cent ahead of April 2024 [...]
KFC to create over 7,000 UK jobs and open 500 restaurants in £1.5bn move May 27, 2025 KFC has revealed a £1.5bn plan to create more than 7,000 jobs in the UK and Ireland over the next five years and open a further 500 restaurants by 2035. The fast-food giant said £466m will go towards opening new locations focusing on building flagship sites and drive-thrus in “key locations” such as Ireland and [...]