Coronavirus

What's in the news 1 December

Review of the Week

Better Government leadership needed

By Ed Bedington

The MA's Ed Bedington caught up with Fuller's CEO Simon Emeny to get his take on the week's events, from the Covid Inquiry to the death of a footballing icon.

How can pubs target their MPs on rates campaign?

Call for pubs to step up on rates campaigning

By Ed Bedington

With many pubs struggling to break even, operators are being urged to increase pressure through their local MPs around business rates relief as the Government Autumn Statement approaches.

What's in the news 7th July

Review of the Week

Three year anniversary since Independence Day!

By Ed Bedington

The Morning Advertiser's Ed Bedington caught up with Anglian Country Inns boss James Nye to get his take on the week's news, from milestone anniversaries to machine learning!

Drinks Recovery Tracker: latest data shows drinks sales in pubs were 1% behind pre-pandemic levels in seven days to Saturday 14 January (Credit: Getty/Henrik Sorensen)

Drinks sales 1% down vs pre-pandemic levels

By Rebecca Weller

Average drinks sales in Britain’s managed venues in the week to Saturday 14 January were 1% down vs 2020, the latest Drinks Recovery Tracker from CGA by NielsenIQ has revealed.

Three years of turmoil: CGA data shows drinks sales in pubs show year-on-year growth but remain well behind pre-pandemic levels (Credit:Getty/Peter Cade)

Xmas drinks sales show 'negative comparisons'

By Rebecca Weller

December’s drinks sales showed positive year-on-year growth within the on-trade but remained well below pre-pandemic levels, the latest Drinks Recovery Tracker from CGA by NielsenIQ has revealed.

Far from conclusive: Stonegate intends to appeal outcome of court ruling in case against insurers MS Amlin (Credit: Getty/Bill Oxford)

Stonegate ruling sets 'dangerous precedent'

By Rebecca Weller

The outcome of pub company Stonegate’s legal battle against insurers MS Amlin, announced yesterday (Monday 17 October), sets a “dangerous precedent” and is “far from conclusive”.

Ongoing shift in buying habits: delivery and takeaway sales double pre-covid levels but down year-on-year (Credit: Getty/Dimensions)

Delivery and takeaway sales double pre-covid levels

By Rebecca Weller

Restaurant and pub groups’ delivery and takeaway sales have doubled compared with pre-covid levels but drop year-on-year, the latest CGA Hospitality at Home Tracker has revealed.

Recovery Loan Scheme extended: Kwasi Kwarteng confirms RLS extension (Credit: Getty/sturti)

Recovery Loan Scheme to be extended

By Rebecca Weller

Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Kwasi Kwarteng yesterday (Wednesday 20 July) announced the Recovery Loan Scheme (RLS) was to be extended for a further two years in an effort to support businesses grappling with rising costs...

Record low: number of pubs in England and Wales falls to below 40,000 for first time (Credit: Getty/AndyRoland)

Number of pubs in England & Wales reaches record low

By Rebecca Weller

The number of English and Welsh pubs fell below 40,000 for the first time during the first half of 2022, having fallen by 7,107 in the past 10 years, new research from real estate adviser Altus Group has revealed.

Post-lockdown depletion: delivery and takeaway sales in managed pub and restaurant groups 29% below May 2021 levels (Credit: Getty/Luis Alvarez)

Delivery and takeaway sales more than a quarter below 2021

By Rebecca Weller

Combined delivery and takeaway sales at Britain’s leading managed restaurant and pub groups have fallen to 29% below the level of May 2021, the CGA by NielsenIQ and Slerp Hospitality at Home Tracker has revealed.

Ahead of expectations: Whitbread announces FY22 sales approaching pre-pandemic levels (Credit: Getty/monkeybusinessimages)

Whitbread sales 'approaching pre-pandemic' levels

By Shwetali Sapte

Whitbread has announced its food and beverage sales recovered throughout FY22 and are approaching pre-pandemic levels, with like-for-like (lfl) sales 566.5% ahead vs FY22 but 7.6% behind vs FY20.

Rail strikes: network disputes could have

Rail strikes will have 'devastating' impact on sector

By Rebecca Weller

Rail strikes confirmed to take place later this month will have a “devastating” impact on the hospitality industry as it continues to rebuild following the pandemic, according to trade bodies and representatives across the sector.

Are pubs able to weather the economic storm?

Are we all doomed?

By Ed Bedington

According to Luke Johnson, we might as well pack up our bags and go home, but are we as doomed as he suggests?

Can the sector survive the economic challenges?

Industry facing 'two years of hell'

By Ed Bedington

The industry is facing “two years of hell” and needs to “batten down the hatches and probably pray” according to one leading sector investor.

Inconsistent behaviour: NTIA states Government must take decisive action in introducing relief for the sector following its actions during lockdown (Credit: Andrew Parsons Via No 10 Downing Street Flickr)

Gov must take decisive action to provide relief for sector

By Rebecca Weller

Government must take decisive action in introducing relief, such as a reduction of VAT, for the hospitality sector following the exposure of its actions during lockdown, the Night-Time Industries Association (NTIA) has stated.

A week of ups and downs: average drinks sales hovered just below pre-pandemic sales in the week to 2 April (Credit: Getty/Henrik Sorensen)

Drinks sales down 2% in the week to 2 April

By Rebecca Weller

Average drinks sales by value in Britain’s managed pubs, bars and restaurants were 2% down in the seven days to Saturday 2 April when compared with the same week in 2019, the latest CGA Drinks Recovery Tracker has shown.

Building momentum: like-for-like sales in Britain's managed restaurants, bars and pubs were 3% higher in February 2022 than February 2019 (Credit: Mykola Pokhodzhay)

Managed groups see 3% sales increase in February

By Rebecca Weller

Sales in Britain’s managed restaurant, pub and bar groups were 3% higher in February 2022 than in February 2019, according to the latest Coffer CGA Business Tracker.

Long look: the timeline runs from February 2020 until February 2022 (image: Getty/MoMo Productions)

A look back at how the coronavirus pandemic impacted pubs

By Nikkie Thatcher

Following the Government's Living with Covid plan being published last week, The Morning Advertiser has taken a deep dive into the rules and regulations the sector has faced amid the pandemic over the past two years.

Are pubs fighting for support?

No time to sit on our hands

By Ed Bedington

And so, with screaming tyres and a whiff of burning (or is that hypocrisy), the Government has yanked on the handbrake and skidded us 180 degrees out of the pandemic.

All restrictions in Scotland to be lifted from 21 March: sector welcomes end of restrictions but warn further support is needed (Credit: Shutterstock/Terry Murden)

Sector welcomes end to restrictions in Scotland

By Rebecca Weller

Trade bodies across the hospitality sector have welcomed the lifting of Covid restrictions in Scotland but urge the end to restrictions must come sooner and further support must be given.

One in three pubs have no cash reserves left: BII member survey reveals 55% of respondents have debts of more than £40,000 (Credit: Getty/katleho Seisa)

Pubs in 'fragile state' as 1 in 3 left with no cash reserves

By Rebecca Weller

Pubs have been left in a ‘fragile state’ with no cash reserves, forcing some to consider ceasing trade as one in 10 licensees believe their business is currently unviable, according to the latest British Institute of Innkeeping (BII) member survey.

End of restrictions: Sector welcomes the end of uncertainty but must be allowed to continue trading indefinitely according to the NTIA  (Credit: Getty/joec)

Sector welcomes the 'end of uncertainty' after Covid restrictions lift

By Rebecca Weller

Hospitality will ‘celebrate’ the end of ‘Plan B’ and ‘uncertainty’ as restrictions across the country are lifted, but night-time businesses need to be able to continue trading indefinitely, according to the Night-Time Industries Association (NTIA).

Hospitality saw 10,650 more businesses in 2021 vs March 2019: Research reflects 'resilience and excellence' of the sector (Credit: Getty/glegorly)

Hospitality site numbers up 10,650 against pre-Covid

By Rebecca Weller

There were 10,650 more food and drink businesses across the hospitality sector in 2021 than in March 2019 and 3,650 more when compared with March 2020, according to data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) official UK Business Count.

Still short of pre-coronavirus trading: Drinks sales in the week to Saturday 15 January were down 12% (Credit: Getty/AleksandarNakic)

Drinks sales down 12% in the week to 15 January

By Rebecca Weller

Average drinks sales by value in Britain’s managed pubs, bars and restaurants in the week to Saturday 15 January were 12% down when compared to the same week in 2020, according to the latest CGA Drinks Recovery Tracker.

Halted trade: December put a stopper in hospitality's recovery (Getty/Leo Patrizi)

13 sites a day lost since pandemic’s onset

By Amelie Maurice-Jones

While Britain’s hospitality sector grew modestly in the last quarter of 2021, tough trading conditions now threaten to halt the sector’s upturn, the Market Recovery Monitor from CGA and AlixPartners has revealed.

Flashpoints and financial strain: Covid Passes were 'this year's version of the Scotch egg'

‘Covid Passes were this year’s version of the Scotch egg’

By Amelie Maurice-Jones

Covid Passes led to confusion, conflict and cost in what was "this year's version of the Scotch egg", according to Revolution Bars chief executive Rob Pitcher, who said the Government must do more than roll back Plan B restrictions.