Hospitality warns of nightmare before and after Christmas as new rail strikes announced November 22, 2022 London’s hospitality venues are headed for a catastrophic Christmas after a fresh slew of railway strike dates were announced today. The RMT declared that its 40,000 members will walk out throughout December and January, falling slap bang in the middle of the sector’s busiest trading period. Strike action will take place at Network Rail and [...]
Rugby World Cup: England don’t need tries, but they’d be handy September 18, 2023 In England’s 34-12 victory over Japan on Sunday Steve Borthwick’s side achieved what they needed most: a win. England are now top of Pool D and are in pole position to qualify for the last eight, where they will likely face one of Fiji, Wales or Australia. But it was an 80 minutes which could [...]
It’s beginning to look a lot like chaos: Rail strikes hit London as businesses shed Christmas bookings December 14, 2022 Parts of London resembled a ghost town yesterday as rail workers kicked off the first of several days of strikes. Bars in the capital warned they are haemorrhaging tens of thousands of pounds in lost bookings due to mass walkouts deterring commuters, raising the threat of businesses missing out on their third ever-critical golden quarter [...]
Ex-Dragon’s Den star plans £10m placing to fund expansion of London bar chain May 12, 2021 Nightcap, the hospitality investment vehicle founded by ex-Dragon’s Den star Sarah Willingham, has launched a £10m placing to fund the expansion of London’s Adventure Bar Group. Nightcap, which is Aim-listed and was founded to help drinks-led businesses recover from the coronavirus pandemic, said the £10m is “significantly higher than originally planned” due to “strong demand” [...]
‘Thousands of jobs at risk’: Bar bosses despair over fresh Christmas rail strikes December 6, 2022 Pub and bar bosses were last night left despairing over a slew of fresh strike dates, which fall over Christmas. Rail union RMT announced three more days of walk-outs on Monday night, with workers set to strike from 6pm on Christmas Eve to 6am on 27 December. Industrial action had already been planned on 13, [...]
Pubs and restaurants battle to keep prices competitive amid ‘intense pressure’ on margins May 17, 2022 The hospitality sector has warned of “intense pressure” on margins while shoppers have been told food prices could surge as much as 10 per cent. Marks & Spencer chairman Archie Norman cautioned that shoppers could see an even pricey weekly shop amid historic levels of inflation. Speaking to the BBC Radio 4’s Today programme on [...]
Pubs lament ‘dreadfully disappointing December’ but toast rebounding January sales January 13, 2022 Pubs and restaurants were knocked back by low trade over the Christmas period, although rebounding sales in recent days have offered a ray of hope for the beleaguered sector. Sales in pubs, restaurants and bars were down 60 per cent on Christmas Day on pre-Covid levels, according to data from UKHospitality and CGA. Transactions were [...]
Here’s a tip: Hospitality bosses call for movement on service charge protections amid labour crunch May 16, 2022 As the hospitality industry faces a labour crunch threatening to bring it to its knees, bosses have said legislation to protect workers’ tips could help freshen its image. Ministers have promised legal protections for employees’ tips since 2016. In a further blow, the Employment Bill, set to contain this framework, was scrapped from the Queen’s [...]
A love-letter to Mykonos: Why this Greek island has it all March 14, 2022 From the sunken fire pit, guests can watch the sun setting over the neighbouring island of Delos. Gold, amber and peach streaks are scrawled across the sky, like an angry toddler has raided the crayon box. The smoke rises up, making smudges, like dirty fingerprints across the sky. A few decades ago, this outdoors spot [...]
History, views of Nelson and a speakeasy: Inside the new Great Scotland Yard Hotel January 10, 2020 To kick off the new year, a visit to the new Great Scotland Yard Hotel in Whitehall is a great way to see some of the emerging trends in the London design and going out scenes. It is the latest in a series of renovations of civic buildings (police stations, town halls, courthouses) into hotels, [...]