Central London weighs down Wetherspoons’ sales November 10, 2021 Sales across JD Wetherspoons’ pubs in central London have plummeted by 17.4 per cent from last year. Trade has recovered in cities such as Liverpool and Newcastle, which have enjoyed sales increases of 9.1 per cent and 11.1 per cent respectively. However, the capital continues to suffer with City workers only returning to the area [...]
The party’s over: Pub bosses warn pint prices will rise despite Budget promises October 28, 2021 A major pub boss has swiftly ended the party for cheaper pints, warning prices could creep up by 25p to 30p in spite of the 3p price cut promised by ‘fizzy Rishi’ in Wednesday’s Budget. Speaking to BBC’s Today Programme, Shepherd Neame chief executive Jonathan Neame, whose brewery runs 300 pubs across the South East, [...]
JD Wetherspoon launches 99p pints despite sector warning of cost pressures October 27, 2021 Pub giant JD Wetherspoon has put 99p pints back on the menu as the pub sector battles rising costs. The operator said it would slash the prices on a range of drinks throughout November in a bid to lure post-lockdown drinkers back. Across its 671 pubs in England, JD Wetherspoon (JDW) will sell three alcoholic [...]
UK hospitality crisis: 75 per cent of pubs and restaurants are hiking pay to attract new staff October 4, 2021 As a worker shortage continues to hamper the sector’s recovery, three quarters of pub and restaurant bosses say they are increasing pay to attract staff. One in six jobs currently lies vacant, and 96 per cent of business leaders were seeing staffing shortages for some roles, according to a survey of 200 senior executives from [...]
London markets tumble after US stocks register worst month since March 2020 October 1, 2021 London’s FTSE 100 tumbled on the closing day of the week as investors sweated over the global economic recovery from the Covid-19 crisis stalling after Wall Street registered its worst month since March 2020. The capital’s premier index slid 0.94 per cent to 7,019.90 points. The spectre of rising costs eating into margins, rate hikes [...]
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 [...]
City centre pubs enjoy boost from returning office workers September 23, 2021 City Pub Group has reported robust half-year sales at above 90 per cent of pre-pandemic levels, with returning workers driving sales at city sites this month. The group – which operates some 50 pubs in London and market towns – managed to break even by June, despite the period not covering sporting tournaments including Wimbledon [...]
Shakespeare on advertising: Asos’ sustainability push much-needed September 22, 2021 ASOS, the online clothing retailer, recently announced a target of zero net carbon emissions by the year 2030. It’s a move that comes following ongoing criticisms of the environmental impact of “fast” fashion organisations – and one that YouGov Plan & Track data shows may be a deft commercial move as well. Nearly one in [...]
JD Wetherspoon to hike meal prices 50p ahead of VAT increase September 15, 2021 Pub giant JD Wetherspoon has said it will have to increase prices of meals by 50p later this month because of a VAT increase. Prices of meals at the pub group will go up on Wednesday September 29, ahead of VAT rising to 12.5 per cent on Friday October 1. The group will slash the [...]
Shakespeare on branding: Ronaldo re-signing looks a coup for United September 15, 2021 On Friday, 27 August, Manchester United announced that they had re-signed Cristiano Ronaldo – the five-time Ballon D’or winner who most recently plied his trade at Juventus. The club reportedly pipped cross-town rivals Manchester City to his signature. Data from YouGov BrandIndex UK shows that, in terms of Manchester United’s overall brand, it’s been a [...]