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 [...]
Holidaymakers face billion-pound tax on ‘great British holiday’ Hospitality The “great British holiday” is under threat from a proposed tax which would hit visitors with £1.6bn in new charges and threaten 33,000 jobs, hospitality bosses have warned. The country’s holiday economy could be “decimated” by a levy on tourist accommodation which would turn away domestic and international holidaymakers, according to new modelling. Industry body [...]
Iran war: Independent pubs face ‘devastating’ energy costs Hospitality Independent pubs could be left vulnerable to spikes in energy costs caused by the Iran war, while their larger competitors enjoy the security of fixed energy deals. Landlords across the UK could face “devastating” costs if energy prices continue to rise, trade body UKHospitality has warned. Blockages to the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial shipping [...]
Hospitality sector braces for ‘devastating’ tube strikes March 12, 2026 London’s hospitality sector could face “devastating” disruption from upcoming tube strikes, sector leaders have warned. Members of the RMT union, which represents London Underground staff, will strike over 12 days between March and May, and hospitality intelligence firm Access Hospitality has warned sector bosses to prepare now to protect their revenue. The last set of [...]
Pubs to open late during World Cup – a life raft for hospitality? February 24, 2026 Though the Labour government and the country’s thousands of pub landlords have very rarely seen eye-to-eye in recent months, the World Cup could bring a summer truce to this fiery dispute. Hospitality trade bodies and one of the country’s biggest pub chains have told City AM they welcome the government’s move to allow pubs to [...]
Surinder Arora: Hotels should not be excluded from tax relief February 19, 2026 Hotel tycoon Surinder Arora has said he “fails to see” why the government has offered emergency tax support only to pubs, as hotels battle with “unprecedented” business rate hikes. This comes after Wednesday’s Consumer Prices Index (CPI) figures revealed that hotels and restaurants are facing far quicker price rises than the headline inflation rate. The [...]
Hospitality inflation climbs as pressure on sector persists February 18, 2026 Food and restaurant prices are rising at a faster rate than overall inflation, in a sign that cost and tax pressures on the hospitality sector are unlikely to ease. While headline Consumer Prices Index (CPI) inflation dropped to three per cent in the year to January 2025, food and restaurant inflation climbed from 3.8 to [...]
Greene King weighs job cuts as pub sector braces for cost squeeze February 15, 2026 Greene King is preparing to cut around 100 roles as Britain’s second-largest pub operator reviews its cost base against a backdrop of rising taxes and mounting pressure across the hospitality sector. The brewer and pub group, which operates roughly 2,600 sites across the UK, is understood to be assessing changes to its head office and [...]
Ministers to offer business rates relief to pubs after backlash January 8, 2026 Panicked ministers are poised to water down the business rates bombshell faced by pubs, after an aggressive backlash from the industry saw over a thousand landlords ban Labour MPs from their premises. The government is expected to announce an overhaul to the way it calculates business rates for pubs within days, which it says will [...]
Hospitality bosses join Tories in opposition to Labour government September 3, 2025 Hospitality bosses have joined the Conservatives in condemning the Labour government for introducing higher taxes on businesses, rolling out red tape on employment and excluding the sector from growth strategies. Managers at pubs, restaurants and hotels across the UK have warned that the government’s taxes and regulations risk devastating the important sector. Now the Conservatives [...]