Burger chain Five Guys thanks ‘curbside collection’ for mitigating Covid impact October 4, 2021 Burger chain Five Guys has said it is keen to continue a roll out of venues in the UK. New store openings were offset by the impact of the Covid pandemic in 2020, accounts filed to Companies House laid bare. The chain opened 10 new stores in the year, boasting 110 restaurants by the year [...]
Where to eat, drink and sleep in Manchester this Tory conference October 2, 2021 Conservative Party Conference, which starts tomorrow, is a useful opportunity for the London bubble dwellers amongst us to be reminded of the promise beyond the M25. It sometimes feels as if Manchester is more familiar to football-crazy kids in the Far East than to denizens of this country’s capital city. So for out of the [...]
Wetherspoons blames ‘draconian’ Covid rules for poor financial performance October 1, 2021 J.D. Wetherspoon defended a poor financial performance saying pubs had faced an “impossible burden” during the pandemic Revenue from sales tumbled by -38.4 per cent to £772.6m, the lowest level since 2003, and the company made a record loss of £154.6m after tax. Investors were hit hard, with losses per share jumping by 256 per [...]
VAT rise likely to hurt hospitality recovery and may cause more permanent closures September 30, 2021 The upcoming 7.5 per cent VAT rise will slow down Covid recovery for the hospitality sector and may lead to a number of additional closures, a SME tax expert told City A.M. today. The Government’s scaling back of its Covid support measure is coming too soon for businesses with little or no cash reserves, according [...]
Sunak should slash taxes at budget to protect recovery, urges taxpayers’ lobby group September 30, 2021 Chancellor Rishi Sunak should slash taxes at the budget to prevent the UK’s economic recovery from the Covid-19 crisis running out of steam. That’s according to the chief of the top lobby group for taxpayers, who warned looming tax hikes will hit hardworking families and businesses and cause the recovery to “fall flat”. John O’Connell, [...]
UK’s Tortilla Mexican food chain valued at £70m as it prices shares ahead of IPO September 30, 2021 Mexican fast food chain Tortilla has been valued at £70m after pricing its shares in the region of expectations ahead of its debut on London’s Aim market. Tortilla priced its shares at 181 pence per share, less than a week after it announced its intention to float on the London stock exchange. The restaurant brand [...]
Who’s next? Retail boss Simon Wolfson urges Government to learn lessons of truck driver shortage September 29, 2021 Next boss Lord Wolfson has urged ministers to relax immigration rules to alleviate a crisis in “warehouses, restaurants, hotels, care homes and many seasonal industries.” The retail titan said that the current shortage of truck drivers was “foreseen, and widely predicted” and said Government needed to learn from its failure to act. The firm upgraded [...]
High Court dismisses challenge by Caffè Nero landlord September 29, 2021 The High Court has dismissed a challenge from one of Caffè Nero’s landlord’s over the company’s restructuring. After Covid hammered the coffee chain’s trade, it sought approval to enter a company voluntary arrangement (CVA) with the support of more than 90 per cent of its creditors. A small number of landlords were not happy with [...]
Franco Manca operator Fulham Shore beats expectations in H1 2021 September 29, 2021 The operator of Franco Manca and The Real Greek beat expectations for the first half of 2021 despite the challenge of ongoing Covid restrictions. The restaurant operator faced tough conditions during the first half of the financial year, which began on 29 March 2021 during the UK’s third COVID-19 lockdown, and was forced to trade [...]
Next hikes full-year outlook again after sales surge and profits swell to £347m September 29, 2021 Fashion giant Next has hiked its full-year outlook once more after surging sales, but warned over rising prices and staff shortages in the run-up to Christmas. It said supply chain woes had seen higher freight costs push up prices by about 2 per cent in the first half and cautioned this would continue into next [...]