News Bites
Government scraps relaxed licensing rules for hospitality businesses
The UK Government has decided to scrap the relaxed licensing rules for on-trade venues that were introduced during the Covid-19 pandemic. Trade bodies such as UKHospitality and the British Beer and Pub Association have expressed their disappointment with the government’s decision, warning that this move could be damaging for hospitality businesses and hinder their progress.
Hospitality sector ‘anxious’ over summer staffing
Trade body UKHospitality has warned that hospitality vacancies are 48% higher than pre-Covid levels, leading to reduced trading hours during the busy summer holiday season. Staff shortages are said to be exacerbated by disruptions caused by post-Brexit working regulations and the impact of Covid-19. Former government minister George Eustice has called for a reciprocal visa scheme for under-35s to work across the EU and Britain to address the acute shortage of workers in the hospitality industry.
Flaming June offers some respite for hospitality
A scorching June helped Britain’s managed restaurant, pub and bar groups achieve a ninth successive month of year-on-year sales growth, according to the latest Coffer CGA Business Tracker.
The Tracker revealed that total like-for-like sales rose 6.7% in June with pubs seeing a 10.8% hike, particularly those offering outside space, while restaurant sales were only 3.2% ahead and bars saw an 8.4% decline.