All news articles for April 2020

Salary drop: Tim Martin has taken a 50% pay cut amid the coronavirus crisis

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JDW ‘hoping to reopen in June’

By Nikkie Thatcher

Pub behemoth JD Wetherspoon (JDW) has revealed it is planning for the future and estimates its pubs may be able to reopen in June.

Dead money: Philip Kolvin QC and Clare Eames suggest possible solutions to the late-night levy issue

Late-night levy in lockdown

By Philip Kolvin QC and Clare Eames

Cornerstone Barristers’ Philip Kolvin QC and Clare Eames, a partner at licensing solicitors Poppleston Allen, give their take on late-night levy charges, which are payments for nothing during the coronavirus lockdown.

Survey findings: the BII has found operators are worried about loans and desperate for more support

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‘Extend support for pubs beyond June’

By Emily Hawkins

The British Institute of Innkeeping (BII) has written to the Chancellor Rishi Sunak outlining its members’ concerns that many operators have been slow to receive Government support.

'Business closing' burden: 'the prospect of coming out of this with considerable debt, largely as a result of substantial rent arrears, doesn’t bear thinking about,' Martin Roper explains

Pub companies must share the pain

By Martin Roper

Multiple operator Martin Roper has found himself caught between four different landlords in the debate on pub rents.

Westminster focus: Matt Hancock was asked about helping pubs with rateable values above the current grant scheme threshold

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Matt Hancock signals support for increasing grant scheme

By Emily Hawkins

Secretary of State for Health & Social Care Matt Hancock has said he will ask Chancellor Rishi Sunak about the possibility of extending the hospitality grant scheme to businesses with high rateable values.

Takeover wanted: ‘we are hopeful we can find a buyer,’ says administrators of 16 Hospitality

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16 Hospitality enters administration

By Stuart Stone

Administrators are seeking a buyer for Cheshire-based multiple operator 16 Hospitality after it fell into administration amid Covid-19 trading restrictions.

Unknown quantity: Wireless Social CEO Julian Ross has voiced his thoughts on pubs reopening

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Support needed for pubs to survive a soft reopening

By Ed Bedington

Pubs and the wider hospitality industry will continue to need financial support if they are allowed to reopen with social distancing, according to one industry supplier.

Employment terms: furloughed workers will continue to accrue annual leave in accordance with their contract

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Can you take holiday while on furlough?

By Nikkie Thatcher

Full holiday pay must still be paid to workers on furlough, should they take annual leave while on the scheme, the Government has stated.

Government statement: PM Boris Johnson apologised for being “away from my desk for longer than I would have liked”

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PM tight lipped on when lockdown will be eased

By Nikkie Thatcher

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the Government couldn’t say when lockdown restrictions will begin to be lifted in his first statement back after he contracted coronavirus.

Coronavirus update for pubs - weekend of 25/26 April

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Weekend new bulletin for pubs - 25 and 26 April

By Ed Bedington

The Morning Advertiser's editor Ed Bedington reviews the biggest news stories from the pub sector after another week in lockdown ahead of the weekend of 25 and 26 April.

Voices aired: trade bodies call for further Government support to help hospitality businesses when they reopen

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1m jobs at risk without reopening plan

By Nikkie Thatcher

The hospitality industry could see one million jobs lost due to an extended period of social distancing, unless more measures to protect these businesses are put in place, UKHospitality (UKH) has warned.

State help: the Government has made the grants available for pubs with a rateable value of £51,000 and below

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Councils ‘letting pubs down’ with slow payment of grants

By Nikkie Thatcher

About 10% (31) of the country’s 325 councils have paid out less than a quarter of grants to eligible businesses with Birmingham, Manchester and Brighton among the “worst culprits”, new research has found.

Testing circumstances: Deltic boss Peter Marks says customer behaviour will change post-Covid-19

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Deltic: let’s focus on the bigger picture

By Finn Scott-Delany, MCA

Deltic CEO Peter Marks has likened the focus on furlough details, such as tronc, to “rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic” and urged operators to see the bigger picture.

Call to action: the Night Time Industries Association is consulting a legal expert about insurance claims

NTIA challenging Hiscox insurance claim denial

By Nikkie Thatcher

The Night Time Industries Association (NTIA) has instructed a barrister to co-ordinate claims against Hiscox insurance for its refusal to pay out under its business interruption policy.

Emotional night: operator Kevin Shepherdson has described last orders at his pub, the Old Horse

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Shutdown is ‘a strange new experience for us all’

By Emily Hawkins

Operator Kevin Shepherdson is usually the one asking customers how they are doing, however, in this uncertain time for pubs, roles have reversed and his regulars have been calling up to check in.

Top headlines: Government confirms hospitality will be one of the last sectors to reopen

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Top news from the week

By Nikkie Thatcher

The Morning Advertiser takes a look at biggest stories impacting the pub trade this week.