Travel rules mean London is ‘very uncompetitive’ tourism prospect October 19, 2021 The government must tweak its international travel rules in order for high-end London hotels to recuperate after the pandemic, according to one trade leader. London is currently “very uncompetitive” in the international tourism market, Joss Croft, boss of trade body UKinbound, told CityA.M. While changes to allow travellers arriving in the UK to test with [...]
Just Eat acquires Slovakian food delivery as global expansion continues July 16, 2021 Just Eat Takeaway has announced it will acquire Bistro.sk, a food delivery company in Slovakia, as it expands its global footprint. The deal, approximately valued at €50m, is expected to close later in the year. The Slovakian business operates in a similar format to Just Eat. Its 400,000 customers choose food, from the 2,000 or [...]
‘I told staff to delete the app’: Hospitality reacts to pingdemic crisis July 20, 2021 While the government was hailing the arrival of so-called “freedom day” yesterday, the threat of rising Covid cases and the “pingdemic” forcing staff to self isolate has left the beleaguered hospitality industry with little to celebrate. One restaurateur told City A.M: “Our ability to operate hangs in the balance by some fairly crude geolocation tech”, [...]
Picnic in style with our top restaurant-in-a-box delivery kits March 29, 2021 As the weather turns and outdoor meet-ups for two groups of up to six people are finally allowed, there’s a bit of optimism in the air. What better way to celebrate than with a Covid-friendly, appropriately-distanced, outdoor feast? Our Life&Style editor Steve Dinneen continues to eat his way through as many home delivery boxes as [...]
West End bemoans business rates delays as reform heads for the long grass October 15, 2021 Central London bosses last night said another delay to business rates reform would be a “further blow” for beleaguered bars and restaurants. Chancellor Rishi Sunak has reportedly delayed a fundamental review of the levy, further rubbing salt in the wounds of West End businesses teetering on the brink after several lockdowns and fledgling return of [...]
DoorDash swings to loss in second quarter since IPO August 13, 2021 Aggressive expansion into a crowded global grocery delivery market plunged SoftBank-backed DoorDash into a wider than expected loss in the second quarter since its December 2020 IPO. The NYSE-listed food delivery firm reported a net loss of $102m in the second quarter, wider than the $74.6m loss Wall Street had been expecting. This translated to [...]
High Court rules against hospitality bosses on indoor closures May 5, 2021 Hospitality bosses have lost their legal battle for a quicker reopening of indoor hospitality in England. Punch Taverns founder Hugh Osmond and Sacha Lord, the night-time economy adviser for Greater Manchester, brought a case against the government challenging the current rules. Lord and Osmond said there was no justification or scientific bias for pubs and [...]
I stayed at the real White Lotus hotel in Sicily – it’s as OTT as it looks on the show November 14, 2022 Season two of The White Lotus has traded Hawaii for Sicily. There weren’t any hints in season one of the hugely popular show that The White Lotus hotel is a chain, but it turns out it might be a fictional Four Seasons – one where its inhabitants have an unlucky habit of winding up dead [...]
City Pub Group expands portfolio in vote of confidence in London’s hospitality sector April 29, 2021 The City Pub Group has increased its stake in two hospitality chains in a vote of confidence in London’s pub sector. It has bought a 49 per cent stake in Barts Pub, the owner of Ladbroke Grove’s Kensington Park Hotel, for £750,000, and will operate the pub under a management contract. The City Pub Group [...]
Top UK restaurants fall to £82m loss as casual dining sector feels the heat May 27, 2019 The UK’s top restaurant chains fell to a loss of £82m in the last year as they struggle to stay afloat in the increasingly competitive casual dining sector. The top 100 restaurant groups fell to the hefty loss in the year to the end of March, compared to a pre-tax profit of £102m the previous [...]