Energy bills threat recedes but retail and hospitality remain on brink Retail Retail and hospitality leaders are optimistic that the Iran-US ceasefire could spare them from the worst energy bill shocks, but are urging the government to address an array of other cost pressures. British businesses had warned that the soaring energy prices caused by the war in the Middle East could be devastating if the conflict [...]
Rocco Forte: Inheritance tax grab has endangered my family firm Hospitality With luxury outposts across Europe, and plans to expand to the Gulf, Rocco Forte Hotels has become one of Britain’s most successful hospitality exports. But after being hit by a wave of damaging policies – including a potentially existential inheritance tax crackdown – he tells Ali Lyon, he is more disillusioned with Britain now, than [...]
Greene King to put 150 pubs on chopping block Hospitality Pubs giant Greene King is considering selling 150 of its pubs and offloading dozens more to franchisees, as its managing director quits. The pub operator, which has 2,500 premises in the UK, has said it will put around 300 of its managed pubs into a separate unit – with 150 of these intended for sale [...]
Ministry of Sound says clubbing is back as it reopens The Box February 27, 2026 Famous London super club Ministry of Sound turns 35 this year, celebrating the occasion with the completion of a five year, multi-million pound renovation. The final piece of the puzzle: the main arena, known to generations of clubbers simply as “The Box”. Self-described as “one of the most revered club spaces in the world” there’s [...]
It’s a sad story from brewery to pub February 26, 2026 It was a balmy 17 degrees in the Square Mile yesterday, drawing crowds out for a lunchtime pint in the sun. But in other parts of the country the hospitality sector is still in the grip of winter. Bad news came thick and fast from my native Cornwall yesterday, starting with confirmation that Sharp’s Brewery [...]
London is the best food city in the world – here are 3 reasons why February 25, 2026 A month of Michelin madness in the UK draws to a close. Among the many accolades gifted, my personal highlights were seeing Row on 5’s executive chef Spencer Metzger receive a second star and Gordon Ramsay High joining Craig Johnson’s Angler to be the second restaurant with a star in the Square Mile. The Evolv [...]
The 18 best pubs in the City of London – picked by experts February 24, 2026 The City of London has some of the best old boozers in the country, from sprawling Victorian gin palaces to squat little drinking dens squirrelled away down forgotten alleyways. We asked the reporters at City AM – who know the Square Mile better than anyone – to name their best pubs in the City of [...]
Franco Manca owner appoints advisers for possible sale February 20, 2026 The group which owns pizza chain Franco Manca and The Real Greek restaurants has hired advisers to review its strategic options in a possible first move of a sale or restructuring. Fulham Shore said on Friday it had appointed advisors Alvarez & Marsal, and reports say a sale could be on the table. The UK’s [...]
Victor Garvey’s mad new MATER1A concept is a Willy Wonka-esque theatre of gastronomy February 18, 2026 MATER1A, 115 Westbourne Grove, W2 4UP | ★★★★★ | Cuisine: Japanese, fine dining, tasting menu A benefit of having written restaurant reviews for 15 years is that you begin to see the overarching warp and weft of the business, the trends that slowly emerge and dissipate, the way hospitality gradually evolves, holding up a mirror [...]
Angela Rayner and Andy Burnham criticise pub tax raid February 12, 2026 Two prominent potential leadership challengers to Sir Keir Starmer have attacked the government’s tax regime for putting hospitality businesses, and particularly pubs, under serious pressure. Angela Rayner acknowledged that the hike to the minimum wage has put pressure on hospitality businesses, and said that the government needs to “start relieving” the sector. Starmer’s former deputy [...]