Tube strikes could cost London up to £760m this year April 22, 2026 Tube strikes planned until June could cost London’s economy up to £760m altogether, analysis provided to City AM has estimated. Lost working days due to uncertainty over the terms of 24-hour strikes is set to lead to hundreds of millions of pounds in lost income, economists have said. The Centre for Economics and Business Research [...]
Hows Trump’s war in Iran is hitting hospitality April 22, 2026 The hospitality sector has already been hammered by taxes, regulation and minimum wage hikes. Now Trump’s war in Iran is hitting everyone’s discretionary spending, says Sacha Lord I’ve written so much about how Hospitality, not just in London, but across the whole of the UK is suffering right now. I’ve been scathing towards the Chancellor, [...]
‘Devastating’ tube strikes: Pubs brace for 40 per cent sales hit April 20, 2026 London’s pubs and restaurants are bracing for a knock of as much as 40 per cent of daily sales from this week’s tube strikes as industry leaders warn of the “devastating” impact on hospitality. The capital’s hospitality industry is set to be the hardest-hit from the industrial action, which is due to begin at noon [...]
‘Relentless pressures’: More hospitality firms forced to shut even before Iran war April 17, 2026 The rate of corporate collapse in hospitality surged in February in signs the sector was struggling to stay afloat even before the Iran war brought further cost pressures. The number of accommodation and food service firms declaring insolvency jumped by 22 per cent to 270 in February, according to government data. This acceleration of the crisis [...]
Celebrities in the Cotswolds: How Kim Kardashian & Ellen are changing the region April 17, 2026 The Cotswolds has exploded with tourism options for the super-wealthy. But at what cost? Adam Bloodworth investigates Talk of “The Caaatswolds” has been commonplace in Los Angeles for some time. However, Kim Kardashian’s recent visit to Estelle Manor to conduct her tryst with Lewis Hamilton gave the patch of farmland an especially big shot in [...]
Franco Manca shuts 16 restaurants, blaming ‘disproportionate’ taxes April 15, 2026 Franco Manca has taken aim at “disproportionately high” taxes facing the hospitality sector after the pizza parlour shut 16 restaurants in a structural overhaul. The privately-owned restaurant chain said it is suffering from high VAT and “significant” hikes to national insurance and minimum wages, with the site closures to cost hundreds of jobs. The move [...]
Pizza king points to youth joblessness as restaurant group eyes takeovers April 15, 2026 The boss of restaurant group Bow Street raised concerns over youth joblessness as the firm behind Dim T slipped into an annual loss, but outlined his dealmaking plans. David Page, now the chief executive of the Aim-listed firm, is a former boss of Pizza Express and played a key role in the expansion of Franco [...]
Procook sales surge as young Brits get taste for dinner parties April 14, 2026 Procook has toasted surging sales as the kitchenware retailer cashed in on young Brits’ growing appetite for hosting dinner parties. The London-listed firm posted sales of £85.5m for the year to end March, a rise of just under a quarter on the previous year and ahead of market expectations of £83.5m, after demand outperformed the [...]
Aziz Ansari talks cooking and writing over dinner at Hoppers April 13, 2026 Stand-up, actor and director Aziz Ansari is interviewed by his friend Karan Gokani, the restaurateur behind Hoppers. They tuck into a South Indian banquet at the brand new Hoppers Shoreditch to talk careers, inspiration and Indian cooking The Meal: Karan Gokani: Do you remember how we met? Aziz Ansari: Yeah, of course – I started [...]
Annabel’s owner sells Mayfair empire in £1.4bn Abu Dhabi deal April 12, 2026 Richard Caring has sold a majority stake in the business behind Annabel’s, the Ivy and a string of London’s most exclusive restaurants to an Abu Dhabi-backed investor in a deal valuing the group at around £1.4bn. The buyer, Diafa, is a luxury hospitality platform linked to International Holding Company (IHC), chaired by Sheikh Tahnoon bin [...]