Greene King boss: Pub industry ‘reaching breaking point’ Hospitality The finance boss of Greene King has warned that soaring taxes and employment costs have pushed the UK’s hospitality industry to “breaking point”. Jonathan Fearn, finance chief of the privately-owned pub chain, said decisions taken by the Labour government have “created a cocktail of costs, which have made it ever harder for a pub to [...]
Retailers press Healey to cut high street taxes at crunch Downing St meeting Retail Retailers urged John Healey to “reverse the damage” of rising high street taxes as the Chancellor met industry bosses on Tuesday. Top retailers including Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Marks & Spencer pressed Healey on business rates and youth unemployment but the Chancellor stopped short of confirming any Budget measures. Healey hosted high street bosses at Number [...]
Wetherspoon boss attacks Labour for ‘high street dereliction’ as profit falls Hospitality Pub chain Wetherspoon has hit out at the government for causing “high street dereliction” by hiking taxes, as the company’s profit slipped by a quarter. The London-listed pub group saw revenue jump by five per cent to £2.2bn in the year to July – in line with analyst forecasts – though pre-tax profit fell further [...]
Premier Inn owner Whitbread faces board pressure from activist investor September 22, 2026 Premier Inn owner Whitbread is facing pressure to hand a board seat to an influential activist investor after it voiced “growing concern” with the firm’s turnaround plans. The FTSE 100 hospitality giant said in April it would slash thousands of jobs and sell off all of its restaurants in a bid to keep up with [...]
How Fevertree is taking on tap water to woo Gen-Z September 13, 2026 The world’s biggest ginger beer producer is waging war on tap water. Fevertree, best known for its premium tonics, is urging customers to see its products as standalone soft drinks, rather than as mixers for the harder stuff. “Tap water is not a very appealing, aspirational alternative” to alcohol, says the drinks maker’s chief executive, [...]
Wetherspoon boss: ‘Not up to Burnham’ to choose who is on the high street September 11, 2026 Britain’s pubs have few more committed defenders than Sir Tim Martin. The Norwich-born businessman founded JD Wetherspoon in 1979 when he bought his first pub in Muswell Hill, initially named Martin’s Free House. Since rebranding the pub to Wetherspoon – named after a former teacher of Martin’s who could not control his class – it [...]
Hospitality sector blasts Burnham’s uncapped tourist tax September 10, 2026 The hospitality sector has blasted proposals from Andy Burnham’s government to introduce a fresh tax on tourists. The industry has been left reeling after the government confirmed a new overnight levy on tourists that will have no upper cap. Regional authorities are set to be handed the power to introduce a levy to support regional [...]
Giving Neets jobs in hospitality would generate £2.3bn, Hilton claims September 9, 2026 Hilton has urged the government to encourage unemployed young people into hospitality, claiming that filling all the industry’s vacancies would add £2.3bn to the economy. The hotel group, in collaboration with trade body UK Hospitality (UKH), has urged Andy Burnham to lower taxes on hospitality firms to give them the breathing space to take a [...]
Itsu blames inflation and Labour tax hikes as rising costs bite September 9, 2026 Itsu has posted its third consecutive annual loss as the Asian food-to-to chain blamed surging inflation and Labour hikes to employment taxes for its rising costs. The edamame eatery, founded by the grab-and-go tycoon behind Pret a Manger, said the UK’s fast food industry is suffering from fragile consumer confidence and a rising tax burden. [...]
‘King of Mayfair’ Richard Caring hits out at ‘lacklustre’ economy September 7, 2026 Richard Caring, dubbed the ‘King of Mayfair’, has blamed the UK’s “lacklustre” economy for falling sales at his luxury restaurant group. The hospitality tycoon’s Caprice Holdings reported a four per cent dip in revenue to £90.5m in the year to January, which it blamed on rising employment costs and US tariffs. Caring’s hospitality group includes [...]