Insolvency specialists are seeking a buyer for Rileys Sports Bars after the pool and snooker hall chain fell into administration amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
Despite celebrating his tenth year at the Castle Inn in Skipton, North Yorkshire, during lockdown, operator Calvin Dow feels like a new-starter running his reopened pub under the Government’s ‘Covid-secure’ guidance.
Restored consumer confidence is the key to boosting levels of investment in the hospitality sector after a 6% – roughly £800m – year-on-year hit according to OakNorth Bank’s senior debt finance director.
The owner of an award-winning clifftop Cornish pub in Crantock near Newquay claims Government guidelines for hospitality operators have created a ‘much more civilised atmosphere’ at her pub post-lockdown.
With pub across the UK now starting to reopen, The Morning Advertiser spoke to a few operators across Surrey and Sussex about their experience of opening up on 4 July.
Pubs received their biggest show of support prior to reopening on Saturday 4 July when HRH the Duke of Cambridge popped into the Rose & Crown in Snettisham, Norfolk, for a swift pint.
Brewer and operator Hall & Woodhouse has revealed details of its phased reopening plans including two-metre distanced tables, bookings of no more than six people and guests booking 90-minute periods.
With pubs gearing up for independence day from next Saturday (4 July), The Morning Advertiser spoke to a group of operators to find out what it was they were most looking forward to when it comes to the industry getting back up and running.
The latest figures on pub closures have revealed that the number of pubs in England and Wales calling final orders in the first half of 2020 remained flat year-on-year, despite the enforced closure in March.
East-Anglian pub operator Chestnut has used a survey of pubgoers to formulate a reopening strategy revolving around limited numbers and a focus on outdoor seating.
The family behind nationwide shoe repair chain, Timpson, has tied up a deal for beleaguered pub operator 16 Hospitality for an undisclosed sum – saving almost 100 jobs in the process.
Though excitement is building for the reopening of pubs, a number of operators have told The Morning Advertiser (MA) they are either reluctant or unable to open on the earmarked 4 July date even if allowed.
While a survey by UKHospitality (UKH) found that pubs were the hospitality industry’s most optimistic sub-sector ahead of the resumption of trade in July, the overall picture suggests a long and painful recovery from Covid-19.
Family brewer and pub operator Everards of Leicestershire has disputed claims it has outright refused to change the name of one of its pubs amid concerns over racial connotations.
