UK nightlife economy under pressure as venues struggle May 27, 2025 The UK’s nightlife industry, once a powerful driver of urban business, faces mounting pressures as shifting consumer habits, economic headwinds and regulatory challenges tighten the squeeze on late-night operators. Phil Urban, chief executive of one of the UK’s largest pub and bar chains, Mitchells & Butlers, has warned that the late-night segment is “the toughest [...]
Easyhotel significantly slashes losses as return to profit nears May 21, 2025 Easyhotel significantly slashed its losses as it took a huge step towards returning to profit for the first time since before the Covid-19 pandemic. The London-headquartered budget hotel chain has posted a pre-tax loss of €1.8m (£1.5m) for 2024, down from the €10.5m (£8.9m) it reported for 2023. The latest pre-tax loss figure is the [...]
Marston’s: Pub chain swings back into the black May 13, 2025 British pub chain Marstons has reported a significant uptick in profit amid higher demand and cost savings. The hospitality giant told markets this morning that underlying profit before tax increased to £19m in the first half of the year, up from a loss of £0.2m last year. Operating profit increased by 20.1 per cent to [...]
Mowgli Street Food returns to profit as it creates over 100 jobs May 1, 2025 Mowgli Street Food, the restaurant chain run by celebrity chef Nisha Katona, has returned to profit and created more than 100 jobs. The Liverpool-headquartered business has reported a pre-tax profit of £512,178 for the year to 31 July, 2024, new accounts filed with Companies House have revealed. The total comes after Mowgli Street Food posted [...]
Allianz Stadium: What could Twickenham rugby arena look like after facelift? April 17, 2025 We’ve all been there, kettled into Twickenham station after a day out at Allianz Stadium watching England Rugby take on top international opposition. The 82,000-seat national stadium is the biggest purpose-built rugby arena in the world and sits behind only Wembley Stadium’s 90,000 in terms of UK capacity. But Allianz Stadium and its surrounding area [...]
Deliveroo exec: London restaurants can’t take more tax hikes April 8, 2025 London's restaurants can't take more punishing tax hikes, writes Deliveroo's chief business officer Carlo Mocci in today's Notebook.
Diageo: Share price rises as investors breathe a sign of relief April 3, 2025 Diageo’s share price rose more than two per cent as investors digested US President Donald Trump’s announcement on tariffs. Trump imposed a sweeping 20 per cent tariff on all EU goods going into the US on 3 April, but only a 10 per cent tariff on UK goods. “The UK is a relative winner from [...]
April’s cost hikes are ‘a step too far’ for the UK’s independent businesses April 1, 2025 Independent retailers have warned of job losses and cuts to staff hours due to rising business costs set to come in this April. Shops pointed to the ‘double whammy’ of increases to national insurance contributions (NICs) and the minimum wage. “As responsible employers we want to ensure we are paying a fair wage to our [...]
Pubs and bars to go into extra time if Lionesses score at Women’s Euros February 24, 2025 Pubs are set to be allowed to stay open until 1am if the Lionesses reach the latter stages of the Women’s Euros this summer. The Home Office wants to push back closing time at pubs and bars by two hours if England make it to the semi-finals or final of Women’s Euro 2025. The Lionesses [...]
Galentine’s craze spotlights an unmined market: Singles wanting fun February 19, 2025 Hospitality's embrace of Galentine's shows welcome goodwill towards financially punished singles, writes Susannah Streeter.