Ukhospitality

Challenging landscape: vacancies in the sector still 72% higher than pre-pandemic levels (Credit: Getty/	Kobus Louw)

Recruitment landscape remains 'challenging'

By Rebecca Weller

Hospitality businesses are continuing to face an “incredibly challenging” recruitment landscape with vacancies in the sector still 72% higher than pre-pandemic levels, according to trade body UKHospitality (UKH).

New focus: sector welcomes Gov reshuffle (Credit: Getty/Robert Ingelhart)

Sector welcomes Gov reshuffle

By Rebecca Weller

The hospitality sector has welcomed the creation of a new Government department to focus on energy security.

Research reveals: a recent survey showed 16% of trade body members have no cash reserves (image: Getty/georgeclerk)

Warnings of thousands more closures without help

By Nikkie Thatcher

A number of trade bodies have warned there will be further pub closures if the Government doesn’t step in to help businesses battle ‘devastating energy costs’.

Support and investment: UK economic predictions 'frustrating reflection' of challenges (Credit: Getty/	jpa1999)

Sector can provide 'rapid economic growth' with right support

By Rebecca Weller

Recent economic growth predictions are a “frustrating reflection” of the challenges that lie ahead while the hospitality sector remains “hamstrung” by pandemic loans, trade body UKHopsitality (UKH) has stated.

Next generation of talent: UKH releases new education guide to help improve recruitment and training (Credit: Getty/MarianVejcik)

UKH releases guide to improve recruitment

By Rebecca Weller

UKHospitality (UKH) has launched a new education landscape guide to help businesses understand how to further improve recruitment, training and skills development.

Injection of support: keeping hospitality prices low important to reduce inflation (Credit: Getty/Henrik Sorensen)

Gov support 'important' to reduce inflation

By Rebecca Weller

Current levels of food inflation “underline the importance” of Government investment in the hospitality sector, trade body UKHospitality (UKH) has stated.

Much-needed boost: UKH has shared support for proposals to extend licensing hours over the coronation weekend (Credit: Getty/stocknshares)

UKH 'fully behind' coronation plans

By Rebecca Weller

UKHospitality (UKH) has shared its full support for the Government’s proposals to extend opening hours for hospitality businesses over the upcoming coronation weekend.

Sustainability is key: UKH reacts to single-use plastic ban (Getty/ Imgorthand)

Plastic ban: sustainability sector’s ‘key priority’

By Amelie Maurice-Jones

The ban on single-use plastic plates, cutlery and bowls offers time for alternate markets of sustainable packaging to develop, but there are concerns about its practicality according to UKHospitality.

Held back: UKH Scotland calls for business rates support for Scottish hospitality (Getty/ Asvolas)

Lack of support hampers Scottish hospitality

By Amelie Maurice-Jones

A lack of business rates support for Scottish hospitality is unfairly hindering the sector in comparison to English businesses, according to UKHospitality (UKH) Scotland.

Positive growth: GDP figures show importance of hospitality in growing economy  (Credit: Getty/FG Trade)

Surge in pub trade boosts economy

By Rebecca Weller

An increase in spending at hospitality settings helped the economy grow in November, the latest Gross Domestic Product (GDP) figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) have revealed.

Let businesses thrive: UKH urges Gov to abolish late-night levy (Getty/ Predrag Vuckovic)

Late-night levy should be scrapped, says UKH

By Amelie Maurice-Jones

UKHospitality (UKH) has urged for abolishment of the “ineffective and costly” late-night levy, after a consultation was launched into its impact.

Industrial action: train strikes cost sector £2.5bn (Credit: Getty/Cultura/Monty Rakusen)

Train strikes cost sector £2.5bn

By Georgi Gyton

The impact of the train strikes has cost the hospitality sector a total of £2.5bn in lost sales since industrial action began in June last year, according to UKHospitality.

Perilous situation: sector would need to generate extra £17bn to keep up with inflation (Credit: Getty/Igor Vershinsky)

Extra £17bn needed to keep up with inflation

By Rebecca Weller

The hospitality sector would need to generate an additional £17bn in turnover to keep up with inflation, figures from UKHospitality (UKH) and CGA have revealed.

Disappointing news: energy support for businesses announcement delayed until 2023 (Credit: Getty/seanliew)

Energy support delay 'disappointing news'

By Rebecca Weller

The delay to an announcement on extended energy support for businesses is “disappointing” and leaves many facing “crippling” bills as well as an uncertain start to 2023, according to leaders from across the sector.

Industry reaction: many from the sector have welcomed the duty freeze extension (image: Getty/MarkWagonerProductions)

Alcohol duty freeze extended

By Nikkie Thatcher

Duty rates on alcohol have been frozen for six months to 1 August 2023, the Government has announced.

Industry-wide dismay: Trade bodies criticise Scottish budget (Getty/ georgeclerk)

Scottish Budget dismay: no rates relief for pubs

By Amelie Maurice-Jones

Scottish government has come under fire for not announcing business rates relief for hospitality in its Budget yesterday (15 December), with trade bodies warning this could wipe pubs out.

Shutting up shop: Staffing shortage will hit sector over festive period (Getty/ EvgeniiAnd)

1 in 3 businesses reduce Xmas opening hours

By Amelie Maurice-Jones

UKHospitality (UKH) has urged Government to tackle the recruitment crisis, after data revealed one third of businesses were reducing Christmas opening hours due to staff shortages.

Urgent clarity: sector needs Gov support to 'bounce back' in 2023 (Credit: Getty	Charday Penn)

Sector needs 'urgent clarity' to 'bounce back'

By Rebecca Weller

As mounting costs in the hospitality sector make the largest upward contribution to inflation, the sector needs “urgent clarity” from the Government on measures to help businesses “bounce back” in 2023.

Visitor Levy: UKH Cymru calls for Welsh gov to drop consultation (Getty/ Alasdair James)

Welsh Visitor Levy ‘wrong tax at wrong time’

By Amelie Maurice-Jones

UKHospitality (UKH) Cymru has responded to the Welsh government’s consultation on the implementation of a discretionary visitor levy, calling for the proposal to be dropped due to the damage it would cause to hospitality.

Hugely damaging: RMT confirms additional strikes to take place over Christmas weekend (Credit: Getty/gregobagel)

Xmas strikes 'death knell' for sector

By Rebecca Weller

Hospitality sector set to face heavily disrupted festive trading season for the third year in a row as the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) confirms additional strikes will take place across Christmas Weekend.

Strike action: RMT rejects initial offer to call off strikes (Getty/ kev303)

Sector hits out at Xmas rail strikes

By Amelie Maurice-Jones

Christmas train strikes will go ahead after the RMT union rejected an initial offer by the group representing train companies, a decision that has come under fire from trade bodies.

Up-to-date: Revised hygiene guide launched (Getty/ 10'000 Hours)

New catering hygiene guide launched

By Amelie Maurice-Jones

An updated version of the industry guide for catering hygiene standards has been launched by UKHospitality (UKH), the Food Standards Agency (FSA) and Food Standards Scotland (FSS).

Catastrophic impact: RMT announces further strike action to take place over festive period (Credit: Getty/coldsnowstorm)

Christmas rail strikes 'devastating'

By Rebecca Weller

Rail strikes over the festive period will be “catastrophic” for hospitality businesses more “reliant” than ever on Christmas trade to get through the first quarter of 2023, trade bodies from across the sector have said.

What's in the news 18 July?

‘We’re the good guys’

By Ed Bedington

The Morning Advertiser's Ed Bedington caught up with North Brewing’s John Gyngell to get his take on the week that saw the Autumn Statement announced.

Government announcement: Chancellor Hunt made his Autumn Statement in the House of Commons today (Thursday 17 November) (image: Getty/	Raylipscombe)

Autumn statement 2022

‘Energy prices crippling vital and viable businesses’

By Nikkie Thatcher

A number of trade bodies have reacted to the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement, which said there would be a “targeted approach” to help businesses with energy costs later in the year.

Additional pressure: inflation hits highest level for more than 40-years with food prices making one of the biggest upwards contributions (Credit: Getty/	Ibrahim Akcengiz)

Inflation sees biggest increase in over 40-years

By Rebecca Weller

Record setting inflation figures will “undoubtedly cause anxiety” for businesses as keeping costs under control becomes “ever-more challenging”, according to leaders from across the sector.

Sector impact: the rail strikes are set to take place later this month (image: Getty/mrdoomits)

Impact of latest rail strikes ‘enormous’

By Nikkie Thatcher

The effect of the latest train strikes on the hospitality sector is “enormous” as it impacts both consumers and workers, one trade body has said.

Working together: Government should listen to sector's concerns regarding licensing (Getty/ SolStock)

Licensing Act follow-up ‘extremely disappointing’

By Amelie Maurice-Jones

The Government has published the long-awaited follow-up to the House of Lords Liaison Committee publication ‘The Licensing Act 2003: post-legislative scrutiny’, but it has been dubbed “extremely disappointing”.

Industry research: some 35% of the more than 500 businesses surveyed are expecting to make a loss or be unviable in the next two months (image: Getty/imaginima)

1 in 3 firms at risk of going bust

By Nikkie Thatcher

More than one third of hospitality companies are at risk of business failure due to rocketing costs, a new survey has found.

General Election NOW: Hospitality reacts to Liz Truss' resignation (UK Parliament 2022)

Calls for general election as Truss resigns

By Amelie Maurice-Jones

A number of voices from the sector have rallied for a general election to save hospitality after Prime Minister Liz Truss stepped down yesterday (20 October) having served only 45 days in office.

Enormous cliff edge: food inflation made biggest upward contribution to rising inflation in September (Credit: Getty/	fcafotodigital)

Inflation leaving sector on 'cliff edge'

By Rebecca Weller

Soaring food inflation has left many hospitality businesses facing a “cliffs-edge” as food costs push inflation up 10.1% in the 12 months to September 2022.

Lost confidence: new chancellor must get up to speed with current policies to save time the sector does not have (Credit: Getty/PoppyPixels)

Gov 'all but lost confidence of the sector'

By Rebecca Weller

The Government must not delay the upcoming budget as it needs to take long-term look at what will “boost businesses and inspire confidence”, leaders from across the sector have stated.

Perfect storm: sector saw huge surge in demand and decrease in labour supply post pandemic (Credit: Getty/monkeybusinessimages)

Sector failing to cope with 'surge in demand'

By Rebecca Weller

Industries such as hospitality, in which consumers spent less money during the pandemic, have suffered most regarding job vacancies and employment post-pandemic, according to Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC) deputy CEO Kate Shoesmith.

Too little too late: despite initially positive feedback, the EBRS extension doesn't give enough financial headroom to aid sector's survival according to the NTIA (Credit: Getty/HJBC)

Energy bills discount 'too little too late'

By Rebecca Weller

Despite initially positive feedback from the sector, the Energy Bill Relief Scheme (EBRS) extension is “too little too late” for many businesses to survive, the Night-Time Industries Association (NTIA) has claimed.

Stifling growth: despite three consecutive quarterly falls the number of job vacancies in the UK has remained at historically high levels (Credit: Getty/millann)

Unemployment levels 'stifling growth'

By Rebecca Weller

Hospitality sector's efforts to attract new employees are "beginning to pay off" but unemployment levels have continued to stifle the industry's "ability to drive growth” trade body UKHospitality (UKH) has stated.

Positive move: cutting the red tape surrounding regulations for medium-sized businesses was welcomed by UKHospitality (image: Getty/alexsl)

Scrapping of red tape ‘significant boost’

By Nikkie Thatcher

Releasing more businesses from reporting requirements and other regulations has been hailed as a “significant boost” for thousands of hospitality companies.

What's in the news 23 September?

Review of the Week

Reasons for optimism?

By Ed Bedington

The MA's Ed Bedington spoke with trade association bosses Kate Nicholls of UKHospitality and the BII's Steve Alton to get their take on the mini-budget and whether there was any grounds for optimism.

Unprecedented: Energy Relief Scheme announced to help cut businesses energy bills (Credit: Getty/bernie_photo)

Pubs to receive 'unprecedented' energy discount

By Rebecca Weller

Pubs will receive an “unprecedented” energy discount under a new Government proposal outlined on Wednesday (21 September) by business secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg, as part of the Energy Bill Relief Scheme to help cut costs for businesses.

Championing sector: Hospitality Apprenticeships Week 2022 is set to take place from Monday 3 October to Sunday 9 October (image: Getty/Peter Muller)

Sector unites for Hospitality Apprenticeships Week

By Nikkie Thatcher

A number of industry leaders have joined forces to promote this year’s Hospitality Apprenticeships Week and are calling on the wider sector to get behind the initiative.