A Roundup of The Week’s Industry News – 14th-19th July
Monday
Propelinfonews.com: Pub Love pledges support for Tax Equality Day: Pub Love, the five-strong London pub and hostel provider formerly known as Best Place Inns led by Ben Stackhouse, serving gourmet burger under the Burger Craft branding, has pledged its support to Tax Equality Day, the event promoted by the VAT Club Jacques Borel that will see operators reduce prices by 7.5% to promote the benefits of lower VAT in the sector to consumers.
Propelinfonews.com: Betty’s staff get bonus after sales record: Staff at Betty’s & Taylors Group have been given the equivalent of an additional five and a half weeks’ pay through the group’s quarterly bonus scheme after the Yorkshire tea-and-cafes business reported a record financial performance. The company, which owns the Betty’s Cafe Tea Rooms chain and the Yorkshire Tea brand, increased sales by more than 10% in its latest full-year results. In the year to 31 October 2013, turnover grew by 12% to £149.1m while pre-tax profit rose to £10.1m.
Propelinfonews.com: Norfolk multi-siter open craft beer and gin palace hybrid: Norwich multi-siter Patrick Fisher has opened The Mash Tun pub and gin palace, formerly The Hog in Armour, in Norwich after a £300,000 revamp. Upstairs, customers can take their pick from more than 150 gins and downstairs the pub will serve 21 craft beers on draught including tank fresh beer from the pub’s own tank, which will soon arrive from Holland and will sit in the middle of the bar
Propelinfonews.com: Noma chef to prepare co-op pub’s new menu: A co-operative pub in Yorkshire is to open a Michelin-inspired kitchen. The George and Dragon in Hudswell, North Yorkshire, will boast a menu prepared by Sam Miller, a veteran of the two Michelin star Noma restaurant in Copenhagen, Denmark
Propelinfonews.com: Pop-up restaurateur takes over Charles Wells pub: Pop-up restaurateur Dionne McCreery and her brother Sam Redhead have taken over The Railway pub, in Station Road, Saffron Walden, a Charles Wells pub, after a refurbishment aimed at bringing “an alternative pub scene to Saffron Walden”.
Raymond Blanc backs Cut Tourism VAT campaign
By Melodie Michel, 14-Jul-2014
Celebrity chef and hotelier Raymond Blanc is supporting the campaign to cut VAT on accommodation and attractions in the UK.
http://www.bighospitality.co.uk/People/Raymond-Blanc-backs-Cut-Tourism-VAT-campaign
Tuesday
Propelinfonews.com: JD Wetherspoon in stand-alone application to open Cambridgeshire hotel: JD Wetherspoon has won permission to convert the former Middle Level Commissioners office in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, to a hotel in a stand-alone application.
Propelinfonews.com: Restaurant Group gets go-ahead for Northampton double opening: The Restaurant Group has been given the go-ahead to build a Chiquito and a Coast to Coast restaurant on the Sixfields site in Northampton, which has remained derelict since fire destroyed the Red Hot World Buffet building on 18 December last year.
Propelinfonews.com: Sui Generis applies to turn restaurant into nightclub: Nightclub and bar operator Sui Generis has applied to convert The Taj Mahal Indian restaurant in Stevenage High Street, which closed in June, into a nightclub.
Nottingham approves late-night levy
By Ellie Bothwell, 14-Jul-2014
Nottingham City Council is the fifth local authority to approve a late-night levy.
http://www.morningadvertiser.co.uk/General-News/Nottingham-approves-late-night-levy
Wednesday
Change in law would mean two year sentence for assaulting a pub worker
By James Wallin, 15-Jul-2014
Moves to introduce a specific offence of assaulting a worker selling alcohol have been backed by industry figures and publicans who have been attacked.
Propelinfonews.com: Punch promises pub support for VAT Tax Equality Day: Punch Taverns has promised its support for the nationwide VAT Tax Equality Day on 24 September, including free marketing kits for Punch pubs
Propelinfonews.com: McDonald’s win best pension auto-enrolment award: McDonald’s has won the large employer award for Best Pensions Auto-enrolment Strategy at the Employee Benefits Awards 2014. The award recognises employers with 5,000 employees or more that maximised the opportunities offered by the need to comply with auto-enrolment legislation.
Propelinfonews.com: Northcote wins Square Meal award for best restaurant outside of London: Northcote, the Lancashire hotel and Michelin-starred restaurant headed by chef-patron Nigel Haworth, has won the 2014 BMW Square Meal Award for Best UK Restaurant.
BBC News – French blogger fined over review’s Google search placing
Thursday
Propelinfonews.com: Pint Shop named as Cambridge’s best pub: The inaugural Cambridge Magazine and Cambridge News Food and Drink Awards has given Pint Shop, the craft beer and British food venue that launched in November last year, win the title of best pub/bar.
Kris Hopkins named new Community Pubs Minister
By Ruth Williams, 17-Jul-2014
Kris Hopkins has been named the new community pubs minister, replacing Brandon Lewis following the Cabinet reshuffle.
http://www.morningadvertiser.co.uk/General-News/Kris-Hopkins-named-new-Community-Pubs-Minister
MPs attack ‘grave flaws’ in pubs code proposals as Small Business Bill is debated
By James Wallin, 16-Jul-2014
Pubs dominated heated discussions within the House of Commons this evening as the bill containing a proposed statutory code for the sector got its second reading.
Friday
Propelinfonews.com: Weymouth postpones late-night levy after fall in number of incidents: Weymouth in Dorset has decided to postpone the introduction of a late-night levy or early morning restriction order after a fall in the number of anti-social incidents.
Propelinfonews.com: Islington councillor – late-night levy will benefit businesses in the long run: Paul Convery, Islington Council’s executive member for community safety, has argued that the North London borough’s late-night levy will benefit businesses in the long run.
Chelmsford City Council approves late-night levy
By Ellie Bothwell, 17-Jul-2014
Chelmsford City Council is the latest authority to rubber-stamp proposals for a late-night levy.
http://www.morningadvertiser.co.uk/General-News/Chelmsford-City-Council-approves-late-night-levy
Flat June sales for restaurants despite #WorldCup2014
By Carina Perkins+, 17-Jul-2014
Managed pub and restaurant groups’ collective like-for-like sales grew just 0.4 per cent in June, according to the Coffer Peach Business Tracker.
http://www.bighospitality.co.uk/Business/Flat-June-sales-for-restaurants-despite-WorldCup2014