Would a £10bn VAT cut really save hospitality? June 20, 2026 Calls for the government to slash VAT on hospitality firms have been backed by pub and restaurant bosses, and Prime Minister hopeful Andy Burnham. What would this tax break really mean for the economy? The UK’s pubs, hotels and restaurants say they are at breaking point. Higher business rates, hikes to national insurance and minimum [...]
Arsenal launch £7k-a-head VIP package with seats behind dugout and player meeting June 19, 2026 Premier League champions Arsenal have launched a new ultra-premium hospitality offering, the Hero Experience, that costs almost £7,000 a head for top games. The VIP package, believed to be the most expensive single ticket in the Premier League, includes seats behind the Arsenal dugout, a private pitch-side tour with a club legend, a shirt or [...]
Whitbread food sales slump after revealing exit from restaurant arm June 18, 2026 Whitbread has seen food and drink sales slump after it revealed its divisive decision to sell its restaurants and pivot to a hotels-only business. The Premier Inn owner said food and drink sales fell by five per cent to £148m in the three months to the end of May, compared to a three per cent [...]
Casamigos brings pint-shaped margaritas to London pubs for World Cup June 17, 2026 England vs Croatia is mere hours away, now’s the time to get into London and order yourself a nice glass of something cold and boozy. To that end, Casamigos Tequila will be selling World Cup-themed margaritas served in tiny pint-shaped glasses. You can pick one up at bars including The Audley, The Blue Posts, Copeland [...]
Struggling Pizza Hut snapped up by private equity in $2.7bn deal June 16, 2026 Struggling restaurant chain Pizza Hut is set to be offloaded to private equity by its owner Yum Brands in a $2.7bn deal. Most of the pizza giant’s global operations will be sold to Long Range Capital just months after 250 restaurants were put on the chopping block. Pizza Hut’s locations in mainland China are excluded [...]
Brits urged to back UK pubs during World Cup amid booking surge June 16, 2026 Brits have been urged to support their World Cup team by getting down to the local pub amid a four-fold increase in bookings for England games. The UK hospitality sector is set for a 42 per cent sales boost across the group stages of the World Cup – with kick-off times in the US, Canada [...]
Everyman set to quit London stock exchange over investor pressure June 16, 2026 Luxury cinema chain Everyman is set to drop its London listing over pressure from its shareholders, including an investment firm poised to trigger a takeover bid. Everyman said on Tuesday that it is likely to recommend to its shareholders that it drops its listing on the challenger AIM market, sending its share price plummeting. The [...]
Elevate founder Julia Baldet: Hospitality is brutal, but I don’t regret leaving finance June 11, 2026 Each week, we dig into the memory bank of the City’s great and good. Today, Julia Baldet, founder of City smoothie hotspot Elevate, takes us through her career.
Hospitality leaders ramp up pressure on Labour to slash VAT June 11, 2026 Leaders of top hospitality firms have ramped up pressure on Labour to slash VAT, which they warn is leading to hundreds of thousands of job losses. Pub chains JD Wetherspoon, Fuller’s and Greene King, as well as hotel giant Hilton and Mexican restaurant chain Wahaca, have thrown their weight behind a campaign to cut Value [...]
Podcast: Palantir to sue Sadiq Khan, GSK’s $10bn mega-deal, and could the World Cup rescue pubs? June 10, 2026 In today’s episode of City AM’s Business As Usual podcast, we get stuck in the top stories of the day – from a major pharma M&A deal to a US software giant poised to take legal action against the Mayor of London. City Editor Simon Hunt gives his round up of major markets stories, as Pharma giant [...]