JD Wetherspoon boss Tim Martin calls on Starmer to reduce pub taxes January 22, 2025 Wetherspoons chairman Tim Martin has once again called on the government and Keir Starmer to reduce the tax gap between supermarkets and pubs in his company’s latest trading update. Martin said following the government’s decision to hike the national minimum wage, business rates and employers’ national insurance, costs at Wetherspoon will increase by around £60m [...]
Business rates to more than double in ‘final blow’ to UK retailers January 21, 2025 Business rates are set to rise more than 140 per cent for thousands of high street businesses across the UK in yet another cost pressure for brick-and-mortar businesses. Business rates, which are levied on all commercial properties, were cut by 75 per cent in 2022 as high street stores found themselves unable to cope during [...]
Why you should still go to the pub in Dry January January 2, 2025 Dry January has crept up on us once again — a month in which avid pub-goers look to kickstart a healthier year ahead. For some, it’s a month to start fresh with new beginnings. For others, such as the hundreds of independent pubs across the nation looking for growth, it is yet another challenge. Especially [...]
Last orders: Pubs call for action as locals close across the country December 30, 2024 A top pub group has called for “swift and meaningful” reform to business rates today after new figures showed the number of boozers in England and Wales fell below 39,000 for the first time this year. According to official Government statistics, analysed by commercial real estate specialists at Altus Group, 412 pubs were either demolished [...]
Labour’s tax bombshell for high streets December 11, 2024 The government is rushing through business rates reforms for private schools without considering the wider implications for sectors we all rely on, says John Webber Twelve months ago, the Labour Party was still talking about scrapping business rates if it got into power. Whether that was a genuine plan or whether the £22m blackhole discovered [...]
Change in business rates could cost firms millions, research finds December 10, 2024 A number of sectors could be hit with hundreds of millions of pounds in extra business rates due to “poorly thought-out legislation”, according to new research. The analysis, conducted by property consultancy Colliers, highlighted the impact that the new business rates legislation proposed by the Labour government could have on larger retailers and hospitality businesses. [...]
Gatwick and Birmingham airport chiefs urge Rachel Reeves to tackle business rates threat December 5, 2024 Chief executives from Gatwick and Birmingham Airport have criticised Chancellor Rachel Reeves' planned changes to business rates.
‘Catastrophic’: Airports demand meeting with Rachel Reeves over business rates November 27, 2024 A draft letter from Airports UK, which represents over 50 airports in the UK, claims the industry will be forced to pay out more than £1bn.
Morrisons chief calls for urgent overhaul of business rates system November 24, 2024 The chief of Morrisons has called for the business rates system to be radically overhauled so it “genuinely levels the playing field” between high street retailers and online operators. Rami Baitiéh, the boss of the supermarket, told The Mail on Sunday: “The current proposal threatens to drag hundreds of supermarkets, which are crucial to thriving [...]
Pizza Pilgrims’ co-founder on creating the perfect base for strong growth November 8, 2024 Pizza Pilgrim's co-founder Thom Elliot has hospitality in his veins. In just over a decade, he and his brother James have gone from growing up above a pub in Cornwall to opening their 25th pizzeria this November.