Some rationality called for amidst the drumbeat to restrictions December 14, 2021 Who would have thought that just five years after the Brexit referendum, Wetherspoon boss Tim Martin and the CBI would be back on the same side. Truly, Covid-19 has made for the strangest of bedfellows. Both have railed, reasonably, against the new Plan B restrictions which are well on their way to being passed into [...]
JD Wetherspoon boss: Country headed for ‘lockdown by stealth’ with Omicron measures December 13, 2021 JD Wetherspoon chairman Tim Martin has said the country seems to be heading towards a “lockdown by stealth” and warned of a potential hit to profits. The pub company warned its first half results may be impacted by an uncertain market, with consumers put off from pub trips after headlines about the Omicron Covid variants [...]
Mark Kleinman: Light finally shines on Schroders’ M&G ambitions December 2, 2021 Sky News’ Mark Kleinman is the man the City reads – and in his fortnightly column for City A.M., he shares his insight and analysis. Schroders is solved The mystery is finally solved. For months, fund management executives have puzzled over two aspects of Schroders’ aborted ambitions to take over M&G Investments and create a [...]
JD Wetherspoon and Budweiser ink 20-year partnership as brewer chain’s largest beer supplier November 29, 2021 Pub operator JD Wetherspoon has announced a 20-year deal with brewer Budweiser, which will become the chain’s largest beer supplier. JD Wetherspoon (JDW) will be ditching its 41-year association with brewer Heineken in favour of products from Budweiser Brewing Group. Beers including Budweiser, Stella Artois, Corona and Bud Light will be on offer at JDW [...]
JD Wetherspoon to extend reduced drink prices into next year November 19, 2021 Pub operator JD Wetherspoon has declared it will extend its current price slashing initiative until February next year. All pubs are to offer drinks at reduced prices until Monday 28 February 2022, following an initial discount throughout November. The slashing of prices comes as many pub bosses have echoed concerns about rising overheads and warned [...]
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 [...]