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 [...]
Food sector boss warns of permanent shortages in restaurants and shops September 10, 2021 Shoppers in the UK should expect permanent shortages of products now, according to a food and drink industry leader. The food and drink sector was short of around half a million workers, CEO of the Food & Drink Federation, Ian Wright, told the Institute for Government’s panel on supply chain disruption. The nation would not [...]
Shakespeare on advertising: Wetherspoons beer shortages hit public perceptions September 8, 2021 Cut-price pub chain JD Wetherspoon was in the news recently following reports that supplies of Heineken, Carling, and Coors have run out in some of its locations across the UK. While some have argued that Brexit has impacted supply chains, company founder Tim Martin has attributed the issues to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Whatever the [...]
Stop blaming Brexit for beer supply issues, says Wetherspoon’s Tim Martin September 2, 2021 Brexit is not the cause of driver shortages as pub chain Wetherspoon’s was hit by beer supply issues earlier this week, the company’s founder Tim Martin said this afternoon. The group apologised to customers on Wednesday after it said supplies of Heineken, Carling and Coors beers ran dry in some pubs. Martin, an ardent supporter [...]