As alcohol lags behind on-trade recovery, where does the trade go from here?

The restaurant sector is showing some strong recovery after running the gauntlet for the past couple of years. However, alcohol’s future looks more tenuous, with the role of drinks – and the share of more expensive, premium products – becoming increasingly squeezed by ever-ratcheting living costs.  

The sommelier work shift

Chefs used to steal all the limelight in restaurants, leaving front-of-house in the shadows, except for a few exalted characters who managed to gain notoriety across the trade. The rise of the superstar sommelier, however, shifted more focus to the service side, with films and documentaries adding to the allure of the wine gurus fronting the drinks offer that complements the food.

Diageo partners with Springboard and Prince’s Trust to tackle staffing crisis

Diageo, maker of Guinness, Smirnoff and Johnnie Walker, has announced a new three-year partnership with Springboard and The Prince’s Trust to help tackle the staffing crisis in the hospitality industry.

Third of hospitality businesses risk going bust in 2023

More than a third of the UK’s hospitality sector faces closure in 2023 due to the ‘cost of business crisis’.

CGA reveals opportunity for drinks in delivery & takeaway sales

As British consumers maintain some of the delivery and takeaway habits they picked up during Covid-19 lockdowns, the latest CGA by NielsenIQ Hospitality at Home Tracker highlights a growing trend – with drinks’ share of these sales increasing by 15% versus the start of 2022.

It’s time to break boundaries to solve the staffing crisis

Unemployment levels are at a record low, while the total number of job vacancies in May-June 2022 was 1.3 million, according to the latest figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

On-trade closures tally one an hour as economic crisis bites

Hospitality has lost 2,200 licenced venues in three months as crippling costs and staffing issues continue to hit business operators.

A cheap and cheerful Christmas

It seems no matter where the cost increase comes from – whether it be energy bills, business rates or fuel increases – the consumer will always pay the ultimate price.

UK pub closures have doubled in last three months

The number of pubs closing across the country, having called last orders for the final time, has rocketed by 50% in the last three months.   

The World’s 50 Best Bars 2022 revealed

London seated diner numbers fall short of pre-pandemic levels

According to data from OpenTable, the global restaurant booking system, dining numbers in London are falling short of pre-pandemic levels.

Red tape cut for thousands of growing businesses

On Sunday, October 2, prime minister Liz Truss announced that red tape would be cut for thousands of growing businesses.

Drinks hold out over food in cost-of-living crisis

On-trade drinking occasions are holding up despite the cost-of-living crisis, according to drinks insights agency, Proof Insight.

Big Issue and C&C join forces in recruitment initiative

Leading drinks manufacturer and distributor C&C Group is embarking on a new, three-year partnership with the Big Issue Group to support the communities it serves across the UK and Ireland, aiming to change lives through enterprise.   

Business energy bills capped by government relief scheme

The government has announced a new energy relief scheme that will reduce energy bills for businesses by 50% of expected levels. 

Hospitality insolvencies jump 59%

The latest insolvency figures show just how hard the hospitality industry has been affected by the cost-of-living crisis and soaring energy bills, with pubs, bars and restaurants some of the worst hit among UK businesses.

The Drinks Trust announces campaign to help hospitality workers facing fuel poverty

Next month, the Drinks Trust will launch the Emergency Energy Poverty Fund, a dedicated grant-giving campaign to help vulnerable hospitality workers heat and power their homes.

Businesses urged to get behind ‘Hospitality Apprenticeships Week’

Trade bodies, charities and training providers have come together to promote Hospitality Apprenticeships Week 2022, running between 3 and 9 October.

UK’s most popular wines unveiled

Much is written in Harpers about alternative styles and lesser-known grape varieties, and for good reason – discovering new and exciting wines is all part of the fun in this business.

Cautious optimism for energy freeze as trade braces for bitter winter

The six-month energy cap unveiled by the Prime Minister yesterday has been met with a smattering of optimism among businesses. Though predictably, the resounding consensus from many corners of the trade is that the measure does not nearly go far enough in limiting the impact of exorbitant energy costs.