Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

LWC Drinks launches order and pay on-trade solution

Published: 28 September, 2020

LWC Drinks has launched a full-service order and pay solution to help the hospitality industry "stay safely connected” with its customers.

Round Table: Rebooting the on-trade

Published: 17 September, 2020

Prominent restaurateurs joined Andrew Catchpole around a virtual table to discuss rebuilding trade in the new norm.

Quarter of licensed premises remain closed as ‘rule of six’ rolls out nationwide

Published: 14 September, 2020

Nearly a quarter of Britain’s licensed premises were still to reopen at the end of August, with the London market particularly slow to recover, new data has shown.

Hospitality gets behind Kickstart initiative

Published: 10 September, 2020

The HospitalityUnite website, set up to help hospitality workers find alternative employment during lockdown, has switched its focus to support the government’s Kickstart initiative for young people.

In the spirit of change

Published: 01 September, 2020

Ghost kitchens and virtual restaurants are the next step in the accelerating on-trade evolution, which completely strips out the dine-in part of the restaurant experience. So where does alcohol fit into this increasingly food-focused, delivery-only mix? Jo Gilbert reports.

Restaurants look to extend success of Eat Out to Help Out

Published: 27 August, 2020

The government’s Eat Out to Help Out scheme, which ends on 31 August, is to be extended by some pubs and restaurants – but without support from the government.

Slow return for consumer confidence

Published: 20 August, 2020

Consumer confidence with regard to eating and drinking out dipped in the UK in July as the reality of an altered hospitality landscape sank in.

Hospitality biggest casualty as record UK recession confirmed

Published: 12 August, 2020

Britain’s economy shrank by 20.4% in the three months to June 2020, marking the deepest contraction currently of any major economy, with the Accommodation & Food sectors among the hardest hit, slumping by 86.7%.

Eat out to help out totals 10.5m claims in its first week

Published: 12 August, 2020

UK diners have been quick to adopt the Treasury’s plan to boost the hospitality industry by taking advantage of the Eat Out to Help Out scheme.

Pubs lead uneven on-trade reopening

Published: 10 August, 2020

The on-trade still has a long way to go before it is fully re-opened as Covid-19 lockdown restrictions ease, according to new research.

Eat Out to Help Out boosts appetite for restaurant dining

Published: 06 August, 2020

Early indications from the first week of the UK government’s Eat Out to Help Out scheme are that restaurants have boosted bookings across the Monday-Wednesday window in line with the support initiative’s stated aim.

Second wave lockdown spreads from Manchester to Aberdeen

Published: 05 August, 2020

Aberdeen has become the latest city to suffer from a second spike in coronavirus cases, leading pubs and bars to close.

Over three-quarters of hospitality businesses at risk of insolvency

Published: 04 August, 2020

More than three-quarters of hospitality businesses in the UK are at risk of insolvency within 12 months, according to a new survey by UK Hospitality.

Casual Dining Group remerges from administration as The Big Table

Published: 03 August, 2020

Casual Dining Group (CDG), the failed restaurant group that owned the Las Iguanas, Bella Italia and Café Rouge chains, has been rescued by private equity firm, saving 4,000 jobs across the UK and over 150 outlets.

On-trade groups continue to nudge up sales as more sites reopen

Published: 31 July, 2020

Managed pub, bar and restaurant groups open across England and Scotland are seeing a steady improvement in sales as more sites reopen, according to the latest Coffer Peach Business Tracker.

Brits almost halve alcohol intake during lockdown

Published: 29 July, 2020

Brits consumed 1.3 billion litres of alcohol during the UK’s lockdown period, almost half the 2 billion litres recorded during the same period last year, according to new data from Nielsen Scantrack and CGA.

UK hospitality takes a £30bn tumble

Published: 28 July, 2020

The closure of the hospitality industry between April to June left a £30bn hole in the British economy, it has emerged.

Hospitality needs customers if it's to stop going hungry

Published: 28 July, 2020

The hospitality sector is beginning to reopen, but it needs many more customers if its future is to be secured. By Andrew Catchpole

Eat Out to Help Out postcode checker launches alongside guidance for businesses

Published: 28 July, 2020

The government has released new guidance for businesses on the Eat Out to Help Out Scheme, which will enable bars and restaurants to claim back customer-facing discounts from 7 August.

Staff shifts still down 69% across the UK

Published: 24 July, 2020

The challenge facing the hospitality sector has been reiterated by new figures which show that shifts worked by employees are still down 68.9% across the UK.