By Sacha Lord, night-time economy adviser for Greater Manchester
Tomorrow (4 July) is the day we have all been waiting for and while there is a quiet confidence in the air, I’m well aware of the nervousness across the sector.
The Morning Advertiser's editor Ed Bedington reviews the biggest news stories from the pub sector after another week in lockdown without an update from the Government on reopening guidelines.
The pub sector has called on the Government to clarify when it will reveal more details about reopening, following media speculation about what they will be permitted to do.
Licensee Alex Cook has gone from a one-man-band operation at the start of lockdown to successfully building up a new arm to his business to the extent where he’s now bringing staff back from furlough.
The operator of 11 eclectic concept bars and restaurants, Inception Group, has revealed that it plans to use playful PPE (personal protective equipment) – such as beekeeping outfits – to take the sting out of Covid-19 social distancing measures.
The British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA) has called on the Government to provide ‘urgent clarity’ on when some 27,000 pubs with beer gardens will be able to trade in outdoor areas post-lockdown.
Heineken’s pub arm Star Pubs & Bars has extended rent relief for leased and tenanted pub operators throughout July and August amid the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, taking its total rent concession spending to around £21m.
The British Institute of Innkeeping (BII) has found that while three quarters of pubs could reopen in some way, shape or form, under two-metre social distancing rules, 82% of them would do so at less than half of pre-pandemic turnover levels.
