More than 100 pubs and restaurants warn PM of ‘bleakest of winters’ without urgent support September 29, 2020 More than 100 hospitality firms, including JD Wetherspoon, Young’s and Cafe Nero, have written to the Prime Minister warning that many businesses will not survive “this bleakest of winters”, resulting in mass job losses, unless more is done to help the sector. In a letter to Boris Johnson, businesses such as Fuller’s, Greene King and [...]
JD Wetherspoon to cut 450 jobs at airport pubs September 22, 2020 JD Wetherspoon today said it will cut roughly 450 jobs from six of its airport pubs due to the ongoing impact of the coronavirus pandemic. The job cuts will impact staff at the chain’s pubs at Gatwick, Heathrow, Stansted, Birmingham, Edinburgh and Glasgow airports. In a letter to staff, seen by PA, the budget boozer [...]
FTSE 100 and US stocks plunge amid coronavirus lockdown fears September 21, 2020 A horrible start to the week saw the FTSE 100 suffer its worst day since June as worries over rising coronavirus cases combined with a financial scandal to cause chaos in the City. London’s blue-chip index plunged 3.5 per cent to 5,800 points just before the close, having started the day above 6,000. The FTSE [...]
JD Wetherspoon reveals 66 staff test positive for coronavirus after pubs reopen September 14, 2020 JD Wetherspoon has revealed that 66 employees have tested positive for coronavirus since it reopened its pubs in July but insisted that its venues are safe. The pub chain said many of the cases were mild or asymptomatic, and that 28 members of staff have returned to work after self-isolating. The company, which employs 41,564 [...]
We are on the precipice of a price war, and the losers will be workers September 11, 2020 James Reed argues that nobody stands to gain from a price war in the long run – least of all Britain’s workers. Over 100m meals were claimed on the government’s Eat Out to Help Out scheme last month, but the end of the measure on 31 August has left businesses in the hospitality sector split [...]
Eat Out to Help Out: What happens when the restaurant discount scheme ends? August 26, 2020 Queues formed outside restaurants and reservations were booked up weeks in advance as Brits ventured out of lockdown to make the most of discounted meals this month. More than 64m meals have been claimed using the government’s offer to cover half the bill during August, with restaurants toasting a much needed pick-up in sales after [...]
More than 64m meals claimed under Eat Out to Help Out scheme August 25, 2020 More than 64m discounted meals have been claimed under the government’s Eat Out to Help Out scheme to encourage diners to visit cafes, pubs and restaurants following the coronavirus lockdown. The jump continues the upward trend, which saw 10.5m meals claimed in the first week that the Eat Out to Help Out Scheme was launched, [...]
KFC drops Finger Lickin’ Good slogan amid coronavirus pandemic August 25, 2020 Fast food giant KFC has scrapped its “Finger Lickin’ Good” slogan during the coronavirus pandemic. The fried chicken chain will temporarily remove the 64-year-old slogan from its advertising, saying it “doesn’t feel quite right” during the Covid-19 era of hand washing and social distancing. The move comes after KFC pulled a series of adverts featuring customers [...]
JD Wetherspoon expects sales to fall once Eat Out to Help Out scheme ends August 24, 2020 Pub chain JD Wetherspoon today said it expects its sales to fall once the government subsidised Eat Out to Help Out scheme finishes. The scheme gives diners 50 per cent off up to £10 a head on meals bought at participating outlets on every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday throughout August. The business owners must then [...]
A third of UK firms plan job cuts by October as furlough scheme ends August 10, 2020 As many as one in three UK firms plan to slash jobs by October as the government winds up its coronavirus furlough scheme, a new survey has revealed. Roughly 33 per cent of companies, charities and public sector bodies said they expected to make redundancies in the third quarter, according to a poll from the [...]