CLH Digital - Issue #122

Issue 122

Escalating Energy Bills are Killing Nations’ Pubs www.CLHNews.co.uk

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The British Institute of Innkeeping (BII) has warned that spiralling energy costs are 'killing our nations' pub' and called on the Government to provide urgent, essential support to the besieged sector.

The trade body, which represents over 10,000 members throughout the UK has this week written to the Secretary of State for BEIS and the Chancellor, highlighting the devastating impact of the energy crisis on its members running independ-

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ent pub businesses and calls for immediate energy grants and capped prices.

Highlighting the difficulties the sector currently faces the letter states that “Licensees across the UK are dealing with a lethal cocktail of inflationary costs, staff shortages and squeezing of consumer confidence, all whilst trying to recover from the devasting impact of the pandemic.”

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Issue 122

Editor's Viewpoint

Welcome to the latest issue of CLH Digital Warnings surrounding the cost-of-living crisis are ramping up. Whoever becomes Prime Minister, whether it is Rishi Sunak or Liz Truss, they will have their work cut out.

Every sector is in crisis and our front page story highlights the dire predicament the nation’s pubs are facing.

Add to that publishers!

has pledged a reduction in business rates, but that appears to be generic and not industry specific.

In our lead story Sasha Lord has called We too here at CLH News have seen spiralling costs, for the immediate particularly in print and postage. return of Parliament This simply cannot go on. Aside from the spiralling and temporary costs the hospitality and licensed on trade sector faces, reduction in VAT on reduced footfall is having an equally devastating effect. business energy bills EDITOR I have just returned from my hometown of Liverpool. I from 20% to 5%. haven’t been up there for the past 5 years, and this time Welcome though I visited a village area with friends that I used to frethat would be, any quent in my younger days. reduction should, in Granted it was Tuesday evening, but aside from one other table at 8.30pm we were the my opinion, be on sales and not costs. A temporary reduction from 20% to 5% (or if that is not possible 12.5%) for food & drink and accommodation in the hospitality and on only people in the pub. There were almost as many bar staff as there were customers. trade sector through to December 2023, would be a far better way to get the hospitality I did get chatting to the manager, who said that midweek trade had “fallen off a cliff”, industry moving. and this had been an ongoing issue since the end of the pandemic. The problem is getting The sector needs customers, and there will come a point when the woes get on top of the public back out and enjoying hospitality, the wider public like all businesses are facing a crisis of their own with energy bills and increased mortgage payments, which means less people and they will turn to the one industry which provides respite - the hospitality sector - and what better way of respite than affordable food and drink. disposable income to visit the pub or restaurant.

It is refreshing to see that Nottingham council are abandoning their night-time levy.

The whole country, from the general public to various industry sectors are calling for Introduced in 2014 this was yet another unnecessary burden on the sector which I susgovernment help, but I have said before, the hospitality sector should be priority in any pect would have caused great financial distress, particularly in this current economic clisupport. mate, I sincerely hope that other local authorities follow suit.

Why? It is one of the major contributors to the government coffers. It is the third In very simple terms the entire sector has been overtaxed for far too long, and I hope largest employer in the country, and it is the nations “go to” sector for almost any occathis is the first step in a long and serious examination on how burden of taxation in the sion. hospitality and on trade can be reduced.

It provides an injection of much-needed cheer into the country.

Once again I would ask the favour - we are trying to maximise our advertisers reach as I said last week that a Google search reveals that neither candidate has made any com- much as possible, without them would not be possible to run CLH NEWS, so please do ment of their intentions to support the sector if they are elected. follow us on Twitter, Facebook and our newly created Instagram, and encourage as many people you know in the trade to subscribe to our digital issue.

One week on and that remains the same! I can find nothing, no mention of support, grants, policy or tax changes just the odd platitude here and there. To be fair Mr Sunak Further details can be seen at www.catererlicensee.com

Peter Adams

The Caterer, Licensee & Hotelier News Group is published by RBC Publishing Ltd, Suite 4, Roddis House, Old Christchurch Rd, Bournemouth, Dorset. Contributions are welcome for consideration, however, no responsibility will be accepted for loss or damage. Views expressed within this publication are not necessarily those of the publisher or the editorial team. Whilst every care is taken when compiling this publication to ensure accuracy, the publisher will assume no responsibility for any effects, errors or omissions therefrom. All rights reserved, reproduction is forbidden unless written permission is obtained. All material is assumed copyright free unless otherwise advised.

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Escalating Energy Bills are Killing Nations’ Pubs Issue 122

(CONTINUED FROM FRONT COVER) In a recent survey of members, the BII revealed that the rising energy costs topped the list of factors impacting the profitability of their pub businesses, but in the few short weeks since then, the crisis has escalated even further.

REPORTS OF A 300% ENERGY INCREASE Unlike the increases in energy bills for the public, there is currently no cap in place for businesses, and many BII members are regularly reporting increases of 300% or more on their existing payments. Even without the crippling inflation across all other areas, the energy crisis alone is threatening the survival of great pub businesses that have been at the heart of their community for years.

Independent pub operators will need to trade at least 20% higher than pre-pandemic levels to just stand still, but 3-in-4 are still trading below 2019 levels, with 86% reporting lower profits from that already reduced revenue. In addition, many are still repaying Government Bounce Back loans and other pandemic specific debts at an average of around £40,000 per pub.

Steve Alton, CEO of the BII said: “Our members have been working tirelessly to maintain pubs as accessible and affordable safe spaces for all, at the heart of their communities across the UK, absorbing as much of the inflationary costs placed on their businesses as possible. We have seen a sharp rise in calls to our helplines, with members uncertain of how to navigate the challenges facing them, the majority of whom are seeing unsustainable cost increases across every area of their businesses, but rising energy bills are the top concern at the moment.

“Even at the height of summer, the busiest time of year for pubs, licensees are now seriously considering the sustainability of their businesses, as the astronomical rising cost of business is undermining any recovery they may have already made. To be clear, the huge impact of ris-

ing energy bills alone will be enough to destroy many of these much loved and needed small businesses, providing vital social connection for so many.

COSTS “CRIPPLING VIABLE BUSINESSES” “The crisis now facing our members is just as damaging as the impact of the pandemic. Without support, the rise in energy bills and further cost increases will cripple these viable businesses, risking lost jobs and careers, Government loans being written off, and the loss of essential, accessible places that connect us all in our communities.

“We have called on Government for urgent short-term support to allow these vital businesses, supporting local jobs and livelihoods in every community, to weather these exceptional costs of doing business.

They now urgently need immediate support with energy bills via grants and a cap on future increases, alongside a waiver of business rates for 23/24 as well as a more meaningful cut to the differential rate of duty on beer applied to smaller container sizes. Alongside these measures, there need to be measures in place to stimulate consumer spending, all of which will allow them time to start their recovery.

“Pubs are an essential component of growth, regeneration and levelling up across the UK and without support, their contribution to skilled jobs, local investment and supporting local suppliers will be lost, in many cases, forever. Government must act now to ensure the survival of these vital community businesses.”

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tearing through the heart of the sector’ and has called for the Government’s urgent return to Parliament.

Speaking on Sky News on August 9 Mr Lord said, “This is a crisis and we need immediate intervention. We need somebody to get a grip and we need strong leadership to get us through this.”

The warning comes as the Bank of England warns inflation, now at 9.4%, could peak at more than 13% over the next year, with little relief in sight until before 2024.

“The hospitality sector is one of the most integral parts of the UK economy, and one which is now in an extremely perilous position, more so than during the Covid pandemic. Historical debt burdens racked up over the past two years, combined with the unrelenting economic pressures have created a perfect storm which is tearing through the heart of the sector. Trading is now unviable for many and I believe we will see closures at an unprecedented level over the 12 months leading to unemployment on an unimaginable scale.”

“The speed at which the economic turmoil has devastated businesses in the sector is frightening and I am being contacted every day from landlords who are unable to continue to trade due to financial pressures.” He said.

TEMPORARY REDUCTION IN VAT Mr Lord is calling for the Government to implement a temporary

DEEPER TROUBLE THAN BEFORE THE PANDEMIC reduction in VAT on business energy bills from 20% to 5%.

The warning and letter government from the PII follows a stark warning by one of the U.K.’s night time economy advisors Sasha Lord who said earlier this week that pubs, restaurants and bars are seeing outgoings triple, and are in deeper trouble now than during the pandemic.

Mr Lord, the Night-time Economy Advisor for Greater Manchester, said that the combined damage of spiralling inflation, energy bills, supply chain complications and wage increases, have led to a ‘perfect storm

He continued, “I have contacted the Chancellor, Nadhim Zahawi MP, to urge him and the Government to return to Parliament. Urgent meetings with energy providers and leaders from across the industry are needed to discuss pragmatic solutions and reduce the financial burdens that landlords are facing. We must keep this sector afloat before it is too late, and to save the livelihoods of the hundreds of thousands of staff that the sector employs.”

Open Innovation: The Future of the Hotel Industry 4

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Issue 122

By Susana Garrido, Digitality & General Education Program Manager, and Senior Lecturer in Marketing, at Les Roches (https://lesroches.edu) Innovation technology has been one of the most popular topics discussed in business circles in recent years. While most corporations want to innovate in one way or another, the results of such innovations and their overall impact on the bottom line could become overshadowed if in-depth research is not conducted.

This has had the effect of some hotels not being quite sure what really constitutes an impactful innovation, with innovation even, in some cases, being regarded as an enemy of success because its implementation means that customers also start to compare all establishments, including competitors, on the basis of the new experiences they offer.

Large hotel chains tend to have an advantage in achieving their innovation goals as they traditionally have better access to knowledge-based tools. However, SMEs tend to be more adaptable when it comes to facing the challenges associated with change.

Nonetheless, it is not always easy for either side of the spectrum. No matter what their size, companies do not have the resources (time, knowledge and budget) to work on multiple types of innovation at the same time. Choosing a strategy on how to innovate is therefore essential.

1. INNOVATION IN HOTELS The first mistake is to think that innovation is only about new products. Any improvement to the user experience is also innovation and may simply involve a basic update of existing tools and features. The goal will always be to positively influence the client. Hotel companies are finally understanding the importance of creativity and the relationship between having an entrepreneurial mindset, creative thinking and its positive impact on innovation. There is no exclusive territory for innovation, nor is it the sole preserve of big budgets. There are as many forms and models of innovation as there are types of companies.

2. THE INNOVATION SECTOR Innovation in the hotel sector must focus on the customer, who is the cornerstone of the hotel’s business model, and the immediate future will require that he or she be made part of the conversation. This concept refers to the open innovation model devised by Professor Henry Chesbrough of the Garwood Center for Corporate Innovation at the Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley. The open innovation model invites companies to develop an innovation strategy through cooperation with external organisations and professionals, including the hotels’ own customers.

3. HOW TO INNOVATE IN HOTELS OF ANY SIZE Implementing the practices of open innovation has multiple benefits, including shortening the time needed to research and bring a solution to market. In addition, including customers in the development of new solutions will make the filtering of ideas more efficient, since they are the main beneficiaries and the ones who have the strongest link with the experience. In addition to customers, hotels have the option of involving their employees in open innovation processes. In this way, both audiences contribute to creating new solutions and improvements and all become active creators in innovation.

4. HOW TO LEVERAGE OPEN INNOVATION IN HOTELS AS A STRATEGIC PARTNER Open innovation is therefore a very good option to innovate in any hotel and to promote the advancement of the hotel industry. Harnessing the full force of open innovation also requires attracting innovative employees. Management must decide what type of innovation it wants to introduce, when and at what pace, as well as what types of synergies will be created within the organisation. All these factors mean the company must identify which employees are best suited to work in teams to these ends. Innovative companies attract innovative employees and vice versa. This is something we see frequently at Les Roches, where there is an employeeemployer match within the innovation ecosystem that works on its own. Innovation demands transformative people who collaborate, share, and have the ability to integrate knowledge and experience.

5. BECOME AN INNOVATOR Innovative employees are not just those with great ideas, but those who dare to experiment, apply their experience, and transfer it to others. The future of the hotel industry needs professionals who are reliable, independent, capable of handling uncertainty, as well as open to pivoting and readjusting if the project requires it. Innovation is knocking at our door.

Championing Hospitality for Positive Action and Change In the latest episode of the new season of Accor’s podcast, Heart of Hospitality, Duncan O’Rourke, host and CEO Accor Northern Europe, speaks to Kate Nicholls, CEO UKHospitality. They discuss UKHospitality’s role championing the hospitality sector in the UK and lobbying the Government for positive action and change, including the impact a VAT cut and greater training flexibility would have on the sector.

They explore Kate’s passion for education, opportunity and development and why it’s important to offer hands-on lived experience to Generation Z to nurture the seed of passion in the younger generation at an early age.

Through her role as CEO UKHospitality, Kate Nicholls has become the leading voice representing the UK hospitality sector, advocating and lobbying for over 740 companies operating around 100,000 venues across the UK, including accommodation, F&B, events, and attraction & leisure sectors. In 2021 her efforts were recognised in the New Year Honours list and she was awarded an OBE for services to the hospitality sector, especially during the pandemic.

“Like so many people in the sector, I’d never thought about a career in hospitality, and I fell into it. It’s such a fantastic place to work,” said Kate. “There’s so much camaraderie and it’s such a collaborative industry. In other sectors businesses don’t collaborate. We are hugely supportive, collaborative and cooperative as a sector, and I think that’s what got us through COVID – we came together to be able to support each other through it and have nobody left behind.”

She added: “COVID gave us a very literal demonstration of what happens when you don’t support Hospitality and Tourism, when you don’t look at it sensibly. Because literally the light and life turned off from our town and city centres. The economy went backwards. And you

could see that throughout the two years of COVID every time hospitality switched back on and started up again, the economy grew.”

business have the headroom, it would boost demand, and it would help our sector as a whole.”

The hospitality leaders discuss the incredible impact of hospitality sector, which in the UK accounts for approximately 4.5m people, or 1 in 10 working people. “We bring people together like no other industry. All of our hospitality businesses within the UK are at the heart of their communities. Fundamentally, we’re a people business, so people are at the heart of what we do. We’re about experience and giving customers great experience, and giving the communities in which we exist, great experience.”

Kate champions the power skills of hospitality, citing her core hospitality skills as the core strength of lobbying and political acumen: “Essentially, lobbying is about human relationships, it’s about people.

These are natural hospitality skills. It’s why I always think hospitality is a great place to start in your career because they are transferable skills.”

The leaders exchanged on the global staffing crisis, the recently launched UKH Workforce Strategy, the creativity and resilience of hospitality and the opportunities it affords the emerging workforce of Gen Z. “There’s no other sector of the economy which will allow you to have delegated authority at such a young age and allow you to expand your horizons and grow to be a manager within less than two years.

The sky’s the limit, but also, no other sector of the economy gives you that camaraderie and fun while you’re at work.”

Duncan and Kate celebrate the rising salaries and greater opportunities to work for your passion but call for greater support for hospitality as a job of choice in schools and amongst parents, citing the tale of a 16 year-old passionate about baking and a fan of Bake-Off and Master Chef who was discouraged from entering hospitality where she could have earned £60,000 a year as a pastry chef in London and work for her passion.

As the conversation turns to government, Duncan references the global under-representation of the hospitality and tourism sector in government and asks Kate what the UK Government could do to have the most significant impact on the sector: “On the workforce point, I think at the moment, it is about giving us greater flexibility on the Apprenticeship Levy, that’s a tax on jobs at the moment, and it’s a tax on training, and we can’t use it in the way that we know we need to really boost or upskill our people.”

She adds “My biggest ask of government would be to tackle the perfect storm of the cost of doing business increase and cost of living squeeze and the need for business to invest in recruitment and training. So the biggest thing they could do is to cut VAT. That would help

The importance of collaboration, support and representation drives Kate. Commenting on her position as not only the CEO of UKH but a female CEO, Kate said: “I always like to think of myself as just a CEO, however, I am conscious of using my position as a female CEO to be a role model. I do believe fundamentally, you can’t be what you can’t see, so I strive to be visible for the sector as a whole and women in the sector specifically. My motto, given to me years ago by a former colleague, is lift as you climb. So as we go further up, we don’t pull up the ladder behind us, we increase the number of areas for people to climb up behind us.”

Commenting on the episode, Duncan O’Rourke, Heart of Hospitality host and CEO Accor Northern Europe said: “The representation of hospitality and tourism within government is crucial. Hospitality accounts for 10% of global GDP and 1 in 10 jobs and it is the beating heart of local and global communities. Unlikely many sectors, hospitality is a meritocracy and social elevator, a place for the emotionally intelligent and the business-minded. Hospitality positively impacts every person in the world and offers those that work in it the chance to explore the world and its people – what other sector can say all this?

Governmental support is disproportionate to the economic and social impact of the sector.”

The Heart of Hospitality podcast is part of a pan-European industry platform of the same name, built to tell stories of the sector and its people. Accor is inviting stories from across the industry to be shared via #HeartOfHospitality To listen to the full episode, visit https://heart-of-hospitality.com/podcast/ or find the podcast on Spotify and other leading Podcast platforms.

For more information and more stories from hospitality, visit https://heart-of-hospitality.com/

Issue 122

Flaws in the Licensing System Remain Unresolved, says New Lords Report Significant issues remain between the licensing and planning systems and little progress has been made in addressing the lack of coordination between the two systems. The Government must work with all interested parties to establish clear mechanisms for the licensing and planning systems to work together and communicate effectively.

A mandatory minimum standard of councillor training needs to be established for councillors who participate in licensing committee or sub-committee proceedings to ensure consistent decisions across licensing committees.

The lack of progress in improving access to licensed premises for disabled people is unacceptable. The law must be amended to require that an application for a premises licence should be accompanied by a disabled access and facilities statement.

The future of the GOV.UK online licensing application platform must be determined and an alternative established before it is removed.

These are some of the key findings and recommendations of a new report from the House of Lords Liaison Committee that follows up the 2017 report by the Select Committee on the Licensing Act 2003.

Baroness McIntosh of Pickering, former Chair of the Select Committee on the Licensing Act 2003, said: “Our original inquiry concluded that the Licensing Act 2003 was fundamentally flawed and needed a radical overhaul. It is now five years since we published our findings and we have not seen the progress we had hoped.

“We urge the Government to review our conclusions and recommendations and act now to tackle the issues that remain unresolved.”

The committee’s other findings and recommendations include: The ‘Agent of Change’ principle, which captures the idea that those introducing a change in the use of land should manage the impact of that change, should first be adopted in the section 182 Guidance to reflect the current policy in the National Planning Policy Framework, and then be subject to review and reform. The Government should consider incorporating it into current planning reforms in the Levelling-up and Regeneration Bill to prevent further uncertainty.

The Government should undertake a formal review of the impact of minimum unit pricing (MUP) across Scotland and Wales and consider the Ministerial report on the effect of MUP in Scotland to assess the benefit of implementing MUP in England. It should also review the effect of the proposed alcohol duty reforms on excessive alcohol consumption within three years of its implementation.

The recent decision not to extend the Licensing Act airside should be reviewed within three years to ensure that disruptive incidents caused by alcohol consumption are being effectively managed by existing industry initiatives and regulation.

The Government should proceed with its proposed review of adding records of refused, suspended and revoked personal licences to the National Register of Taxi and Private Hire Vehicles Revocations and Refusals. If this approach doesn’t work, it should reconsider the original inquiry’s recommendation to establish a national database of personal licences.

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5 Considerate Ways to Support Employees Dealing with Stress and Anxiety 6

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Issue 122

‘As a leader in the hospitality industry you are inherently responsible for the wellbeing of your staff. Importantly, this includes employees’ mental health; it’s vital that you look out for signs of anxiety and stress amongst your team, for these struggles go unreported at an alarming rate. More specifically, it’s been found that whilst 1 in 6 working adults are suffering from stress, depression, anxiety, or similar, 20% feel they cannot approach their managers with their respective health issues.

Evidently, for you to succeed as a manager, hone a happy, productive team, and strengthen your business’ results in turn, mental health must be a priority. Of course, this is an indisputably difficult task; every leader needs a helping hand as they navigate this sensitive subject.

Fortunately, we have an ideal expert on hand to help leaders within the hospitality space, ensuring every employee is equipped with the support and resources that they need to address feelings of stress and anxiety. Dr. Ant, The Brain Whisperer (www.brain-whisperer.co.uk), is a mindset specialist who helps staff and CEOs alike enrich their mental health. Now, he’s sharing his expertise.

1. LISTEN AND ENGAGE. ‘One of the simplest and yet most effective things that you can do to support your staff is listen to them and genuinely engage. They need to know that you truly care, have processed their feedback, and are willing to help. If you can, sit down with your team members individually to catch-up and establish any struggles they’re facing. This way, you can help to create a plan for the workplace that’ll lessen their anxieties.’

2. INVEST IN SUPPORTIVE PLATFORMS.

‘Ensuring your employees have the resources to address feelings of stress and anxiety is crucial. I would recommend investing in a platform which offers your staff access to expert-led guidance, information, and support. For example, BrainSparx is a digital platform that’s home to invaluable videos and advice which can help staff members re-discover lost confidence and address these hurdles without feeling alone or overwhelmed.’

3. CONSIDER A MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKER. ‘Sometimes employees are apprehensive to raise their mental health concerns individually. This may be a daunting prospect and the conversation may feel more comfortable in a group setting. For this reason, I would suggest considering a motivational speaker; by having an expert visit your employees in person, sharing informed guidance surrounding mental wellbeing, self-confidence, and success, you can ensure your employees feel supported without any pressure.’

4. NURTURE YOUR OWN MENTAL HEALTH. ‘As a leader, you can only enrich your employees’ wellbeing by focusing equally on your own. If you are confident, happy, and flourishing, you will more easily be able to instil these feelings in your staff. Equally, be honest with your team; by showing that you’re human and discussing any problems you’ve personally overcome, you will not only build a strong team rapport, but demonstrate the resilience that we are all capable of with a little help along the way.’

5. RECOGNISE THAT YOU’RE IN THE DRIVER’S SEAT. ‘In my opinion, one of the most important lessons you can teach your staff is that they are the pilots of their own lives and ‘what we think, we become’. This lesson can be seen on the BrainSparx platform, however I would also recommend remembering this for yourself. Even in our darkest moments, we must never forget that we are capable of creating positive change in our lives – no struggle is permanent.

The hospitality sector is undeniably fast-paced and high pressure, meaning anxiety and stress are not uncommon struggles. As a manger, it is incredibly important that you support your employees and demonstrate your willingness to invest in their wellbeing and mental health, be that through helpful platforms or by embracing valuable advice. The more guidance you receive, the more well-rounded support you can offer your team.’

Just Half of English Councils Making Payments from £1.5bn Pandemic Fund Just over half of councils in England have begun making payments to firms from a £1.5 billion Covid support package, almost 18 months after it was first launched.

package but have collectively paid out just £329m.

Jerry Schurder, business rates policy lead at Gerald Eve, said: “This fund was supposed to help businesses

Real estate specialists have said it is “too little too late” and could mean thousands of companies miss out on almost £700 million of available funding.

negatively impacted by the pandemic, but which were denied other business rates support.

In March last year the Government said that some businesses including the hospitality sector affected by Covid-19 would be ineligible for a pandemic business rates holiday, and announced a £1.5 billion business rates relief fund for these companies.

it the most, but the past 17 months has shown this to be complete hyperbole.

Rishi Sunak, the chancellor at the time, gave councils the task of handing out the fund to businesses which applied to the Covid-19 Additional Relief Fund (Carf).

that were retrospectively denied their rights to appeal their rates bills but have yet to receive a penny from

However the results of Freedom of Information requests by property consultancy specialists Gerald Eve have revealed that hundreds of millions of pounds remain unpaid despite less than two months being left before the scheme’s deadline.

The FOI requests to 309 councils in England resulted in 207 responses.

Just over half, 119 councils, said they started making any payments to businesses.

Responding councils which have started making payments account for £632m of the £1.5 billion funding

“The Government claimed Carf was the fastest and fairest way of getting support to businesses that need

“In fact, the opposite is true. Sadly, it’s a case of too little, too late for the hundreds of thousands of firms the local authorities.”

A Government spokesperson said: “The Government has provided an unprecedented package of support for businesses, including a total of £26 billion in grants to those affected by restrictions put in place to tackle Covid-19.

“Councils are responsible for allocating funding and targeting it to businesses, based on local circumstances.”

Inflation Wipes Out Rise in Hotel Prices Tourism intelligence company Mabrian has analysed the hotel prices of the main European destinations in August and compared them to local inflation rates, comparing data from 2022 with that of 2019.

The main conclusion of this study is that, taking into account inflation, hotel prices in 2022, despite having experienced increases, are cheaper than in 2019 in most European tourist destinations.

Other results of the study a re a s follows: • The recent increase in prices in Spain, the United Kingdom, France and Portugal in 3 and 4 star hotels, and Italy in 4 and 5 star hotels, are below inflation levels and therefore show a decrease in real hotel prices.

• In the case of Greece, the scenario is different as there has beena much more significant rise in hotel prices, up to 134% for 5-star hotels compared to 2019, whilst the inflation rate is just 6.87%. The high rise prices of 5-star hotels may be related to the recent opening of luxury hotels in the destination, which has increased the average value of accommodation in the country. However, Greek 3- and 4star hotels have maintained a rise of 31% and 82% compared to 2019.

• In Germany, there are different rises in prices between categories, of 12% in 3-star hotels, 18% in 4-star hotels and 25% in 5-star hotels, while its inflation is below all of those at 10.55%.

• In Italy and the United Kingdom, the most significant increase in prices is found in the 3-star category,

while in Greece, France, Spain and Germany the category that rises the most is the 5-star category.

• In Italy, 3-, 4- and 5-star hotels have increased their prices by 27%, 7% and 4%, with their inflation rate being 9.12%. The most significant increase in prices of Italian hotels is observed in the 3-star category.

• In the United Kingdom, the hotels that have increased in price are those in the 3-star category, with an increase of 7%. British 4- and 5-star hotels, on the other hand, have lowered their prices compared to 2019 with a decrease of 1% and 12% respectively, whilst the inflation rate is 12%.

• In France, compared to 2019, the prices of 3, 4 and 5-star hotels increased by 2%, 5% or 20%, with inflation of 7.83%.

• In Spain, a rise similar to that of France is detected, with 3-star hotels rising 4%, 4-star hotels 6% and 5-star hotels 13% compared to 2019, with inflation of 13.55%.

According to Carlos Cendra, Director of Marketing and Sales at Mabrian: “From this analysis it can be understood that year-on-year price comparisons can be misleading in a context of instability such as the current one. In Europe, we are not used to dealing with such rates of inflation. Right now, it’s important for the travel industry to focus on profitability metrics like RevPar and GrossPar, rather than price and occupancy. The ADR is highly biased by the evolution of inflation and other macroeconomic factors such as exchange rates.”

Pint of Beer Predicted to Hit £13.98 by 2025 Issue 122

As we see the fastest price in the last 40 years a survey has predicted that beer is likely to almost £14 per pint by 2025 .

The survey compares essential living costs, everyday items and additional things Brits love to spend their extra cash on we can reveal the top 18 things we spend money on and how much they have increased in cost over the past five years.

It’s revealed in only five years prices have soared at the fastest pace in 40 years, within the last half-decade.

The top three things that have increased the most since 2017 are: • •

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ACCOMMODATION The national average continues to grow, with weekly rental prices averaging out at £256.14 weekly, resulting in a spend of £13,319.28 per year.

Before considering mortgage rates, the average spending has escalated from £223,807 in 2017, to £281,000 this year. Following this trend, the average buyer could be paying £323,150 for a home by 2025.

HOLIDAYS The UK already had some of the most expensive hotel prices worldwide prior to the pandemic, with the average hotel costing £97.20 a night in 2017. Between 2019 and 2021, prices rose by 41%, the equivalent of £300 more per week.

Music Concert Ticket - 97.52%

•

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Rising by 27.91%, since 2017, the price of milk has risen from 43p to 55p per pint. Buying necessities suddenly feels like extravagant spending, with prices expected to continue growing yearly. By 2025, a 64p pint of milk is expected to be the norm.

The average cost of coffee has soared above 50% in the last 5 years. To put this in perspective, a daily cup of coffee would cost Brits £225 annually in 2017, if they chose to buy one cup of coffee each working day. In 2022, the exact same purchase would result in an annual spend of £840, hitting £1154.4 in 2025, one-tenth of the current minimum wage!

RECREATION On average concert ticket sales have seen a 98% increase in price in comparison to 5 years ago. By 2025, the average ticket is predicted to rise up 58%, costing a whopping £142.42.

Streaming services are seeing higher levels of demand, especially in a post-pandemic world. By 2025, the monthly price of streaming service subscriptions is expected to increase by nearly double since 2017.

EATING OUT The average meal out has seen a 91% increase in the past 5 years, costing nearly £55 in £22. This would have cost less than £30 back in 2017, whereas it is predicted to be nearly £85 in 2025.

Chris Eastwood, Co-founder at Penfold, a digital pensions provider, “Rising prices are impacting people across the UK, with almost every activity, commodity, and service

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The cost for a pint of lager has risen 16% since 2017. It’s expected by 2025 the average price of a pint will 46!&'()B! be £4.42,! almost a pound more than in 2017.

The reality is the heightened levels of inflation we are experiencing do not align with how quickly wages !!

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For Londoners however, the average cost for a pint of beer is predicted to reach £13.98 from £8 by 2025!

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A pack of 20 cigarettes has increased by nearly £3 in the last 5 years, with the yearly rise in costs expected to reveal an average price of a 20 pack of cigarettes nearing £15 by 2025. As the average UK smoker smokes 20 cigarettes a day, this amounts to over £5000 a year. !

TRANSPORT The cost of an average Uber trip has risen 80% since 2017, from £10 to £18. When it comes to train travel, Brits have the highest prices compared to the rest of Europe at over 55p per mile. By 2025, the average single journey could cost up to £26.64.

have risen. An increase of 15.35% has occurred in the last five years, yet overall costs of living have nearly tripled by 41.27%.

With the cost of living expected to continue increasing it has become more important to budget for the future and set achievable pension goals. Thankfully, there are plenty of resources to kickstart saving for your future such as using a Pension Calculator, which allows you to plan ahead, secure future financial stability, and find comfort in retirement.”

Find out more on the research here: https://getpenfold.com/news/cost-of-living-crisis-the-most-expensive-items

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Hotel Occupancy Rebound Drives Rates to Record Levels in Q2 Issue 122

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BNP Paribas Real Estate initial Q2 2022 data has revealed that improved hotel demand has driven average daily rates (ADR) and revenue per available room (RevPAR) to record highs as hoteliers increase their pricing to reflect rising occupancy levels and inflationary costs.

and increased sentiment towards international travel, events and return to work has a lot to do with this. They know consumers within the key 18-65 demographic are willing to spend for experiential or convenience stays, and have reflected this in the rate alongside their various overheads.

As UK total average hotel occupancy rose to 80% in Q2 from 70% in Q1, the highest seen since pre-pandemic (Q4 2019: 81%), ADR increased from £97.90 in Q1 to a new UK record of £122.86, with RevPAR increasing from £68.41 to £98.60. The news comes as inflation rose to 9.4% in June.

“However, with the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) forecasting a 2.2% per-person reduction in real household disposable incomes (RHDI) in 2022-23, the biggest fall in living standards in any single financial year since ONS records began, we do anticipate some downward rate pressure during Q4.”

Transactions have slowed down amid increased economic uncertainty and the rising cost of capital in Q2, with investment volumes totalling £1.2bn, albeit, it was still the strongest Q2 since £1.9bn was recorded in 2018. This was significantly influenced by the £420m purchase of the majority shareholding in the owner of Point A hotels by Tristan Capital Partners at the beginning of Q2 2022.

Richard Talbot-Williams, Senior Director, Hotels at BNP Paribas Real Estate commented:

Rebecca Shafran, Senior Associate Director, Alternative Markets Research at BNP Paribas Real Estate commented:

“Increased interest rates have led to a reduction of transactional market pace with hotel deals agreed whilst rates were lower currently taking longer in due diligence whilst pricing is reanalysed by buyers. The UK still has a substantial hotel development pipeline, and whilst in some markets, new openings can be expected to dampen market RevPAR initially, the newest product with the strongest ESG credentials is anticipated to remain relatively more attractive to the majority of investors.”

“The latest ADR growth figures are a reflection of the current confidence of hotel operators to raise their rates in light of high demand levels and in spite of the challenging economic backdrop. Generational change

The regional hotel sales market in Q2 2022 continued to be dynamic during Q2 but the bigger ticket major regional city markets were less active although there was evidence of Central London activity.

Rishi Sunak Pledges Business Rates Reduction if Elected PM Former Chancellor Rishi Sunak has pledged to cut business rates this autumn as his latest tax promise in the Tory leadership race.

Speaking at a husting in the North East town of Darlington, he said that supporting high streets would be “top of my mind” when asked by an audience member whether he would cut taxes on struggling shops.

Mr Sunak pledged to extending the current 50 per cent business rates reduction in his first Budget as Prime Minister, saying that small retailers are the “beating hearts of all our communities”.

“Particularly those businesses in the hospitality and the retail sector, those on our high streets and our town centres, that is the number one tax they talked to me about when

I was chancellor,” Mr Sunak said.

“That’s why in the pandemic I did an enormous amount to help support that industry, because I know how important it is to our communities, the jobs that it provides.

“It’s why this year I cut business rates for those businesses by 50 per cent as chancellor, that’s the biggest tax cut on business rates outside of coronavirus that we’ve ever seen in this country.

“Because I know that it’s the number one thing that makes a difference this autumn in the budget we’ll do the same.”

Foreign Secretary and current favourite to win the title of PM Liz Truss has pledged a reform of business rates along with a swathe of tax cuts, which Sunak has resisted doing.

The Staycation Boom and the Opportunities For Hospitality 10

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Issue 122

By Simon Numphud, Managing Director of AA Media (www.ratedtrips.com) Over the past two years, the hospitality sector has seen a significant and prolonged boom in staycations, fuelled by external pressures of the pent up demand and travel restrictions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, but also by positive initiatives such as the Eat Out to Help Out scheme.

more eager than ever to explore local areas and communities, engaging with small businesses by visiting places of interest, shopping, eating out and taking in entertainment. Ensuring that your business’ messaging ties into local places of interest will make elevate your offering and provide a narrative that is easy for potential guests to see themselves in.

While the restrictions around Covid have now been significantly reduced, ongoing airport disruptions, cost of living crisis, increased passport controls overseas and uncertainty around potential Covid infections mean that many Britons are still opting for holidays in the UK over far-flung destinations.

The hospitality sector can also capitalise on the emerging popularity of issues around wellness, space, safety and sustainability. Whilst we are living in a post-pandemic world where restrictions are currently lifted, guests still want to be assured that proactive measures are in place which put guests and their safety first, including those who are most vulnerable. The pandemic has served as a break in regular service, which provides an opportunity to return with new ideas – revisiting sustainability and accessibility policies can ensure establishments stay aligned with the priorities of potential new customers.

For the hospitality sector, this offers a phenomenal opportunity: not only to maintain the increased popularity of staycations during the peak summer season, but to also extend this new found interest in exploring the UK well beyond summer, and into the shoulder months.

In order to maximise profit, operators should focus on direct bookings, explaining the clear benefits that these have – from best price guarantee to special discounts and offers, absence of penalty or cancellation charges to the ability to speak to their team directly, as well as early check-in and extended guest use (for example of spa or dining facilities).

The crucial first step to achieve this is for hospitality businesses to develop a strong narrative, a USP that goes hand in hand with the actual holiday-maker experience. Operators need to build a clear offering, incorporating the services offered through their business combined by the range of things to do locally. With the public’s renewed interest in the sights of the UK, consumers are

Examples of establishments who are already doing this successfully include the South West family-run hotel chain Brend Hotels and the luxury hotel group Exclusive Collection, who have a dedicated page on their website detailing the benefits of booking directly through them. When it comes to staycations, it is important to offer guests great experiences and opportunities to upgrade, as we have seen a greater propensity for guests to spend more as they value higher quality and their precious time away.

Chefs Dinner at Hilton Liverpool to Raise Money for Industry Charity Chefs Ellis Barrie, Aiden Byrne, Paul Leonard and Tom Parker will unite on Monday 7 November 2022 to cook a four course meal to raise funds for Hospitality Action.

This ‘much anticipated’ fundraising dinner, hosted

by Paul Askew of The Art School Restaurant, will take place at Liverpool’s Hilton hotel, the ‘perfect’ location to bring these talented chefs together as

they create dishes to support countless hospitality families in crisis.

All guests will be treated to a canapé and drinks reception and a four-course meal with wine throughout, whilst having the opportunity to pose our chefs their questions during the live Q&A. The chefs cooking on the night include:

• Ellis Barrie- chef owner at Lerpwl • Aiden Byrne- chef proprietor at The Church Green • Paul Leonard- head chef at The Forest Side • Tom Parker- head chef at The White Swan For more information, visit https://tinyurl.com/y35842tk

Issue 122

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Pubs & Bars ‘at Risk of Being Forgotten’, Say Hospitality Trade Bodies “In normal times, the sector is a powerhouse of the Scottish economy, contributing £1.4bn annually and supporting 54,000 jobs. In addition, every local pub creates on average £100k every year for their local economies. To get the sector and city centres thriving again post-covid, we need support, and this sort of change can be a huge boost to thousands of SMEs across the country.

As part of the Scottish Government’s Permitted Development Rights consultation (which closed 4 Aug), it is proposed that outdoor restaurant seating could be permitted without a planning application. Under the current proposal however, it would only apply to restaurants and other businesses currently operating as a class 3 businesses (food & drink for consumption on the premises) not pubs or bars. This is due to pubs and bars being classified differently, despite the fact many are now indistinguishable from restaurants and other hybrid venues.

“We saw a relaxation of planning for outdoor areas during the pandemic which gave many premises the ability to trade through an exceptionally difficult period. We’re glad that the Government are now seeking to make some of those relaxations permanent, but it needs to be for the whole of hospitality. Pubs and bars are at risk of being forgotten about.”

In their submissions to the Scottish Government’s consultation, all three trade associations joined together in their call and have today said that Scotland’s pubs and bars can’t be forgotten about.

Commenting, Paul Togneri of the Scottish Beer & Pub Association said: “This should be a no brainer for the Scottish Government. Since the planning use classes came into effect, the hospitality industry has changed massively. Many pubs and bars provide almost identical services to restaurants and should be able to benefit from the same relaxation being offered to them.

Scottish Licensed Trade Association Managing Director Colin Wilkinson said: “The Scottish Licensed Trade Association fully supports measures that will aid the road to recovery for the licensed hospitality sector and also help to regenerate our town and city centres, but these proposals must cover all licensed hospitality businesses.

“The current exclusion of pubs and bars from the Permitted Development Rights proposal, in our view, is nothing short of discriminatory. Over the last few years pubs and bars have become restaurants and restaurants have become pubs and bars and in operational terms and service offering there is, in our opinion, little to distinguish from the two.

If pubs and bars remain excluded from the PDR for moveable furniture we can only see a raft of applications for change of use to a restaurant

to avoid this discriminatory measure.

“Our sector is extremely envious of the recent development in England where hospitality venues can now benefit from the ability to erect a non-permanent outdoor structure, subject to a number of restrictions and conditions, without planning permission or associated costs. It is incumbent on the Scottish Government to support “all” sectors of the Scottish licensed hospitality industry in this same manner.”

UKHospitality Scotland Executive Director Leon Thompson said: “UKHospitality Scotland has consistently called for businesses to be able to make greater use of outdoor space and is supportive of the Scottish Government’s proposal to do this. This move will help the hospitality industry as it works towards recovery, with greater ability to welcome more guests at peak times and appeal to a greater number of customers, as many people prefer and enjoy being seated outside.

“However, it is important that pubs and bars are also included in this proposal, not only restaurants and cafes. As well as the support this would give to these licensed premises, it will avoid confusion in deciding what is a pub and what isn’t, with many businesses classified as pubs now involved in selling food.

“Last month England made pavement licenses permanent, providing potentially business-saving opportunities to hundreds of pubs, bars, restaurants and cafes. Scotland’s hospitality businesses should have access to at least the same generous terms.”

The Night Time Industries Association (NTIA) has called on the government to intervene over the issue of spiralling insurance premium costs within the leisure sector, with some operators seeing increases of more than 100%.

The NTIA has partnered with NDML insurance brokers to look at immediate interventions through guidance.

According to the NTIA and NDML, a ‘hard-market’, when insurers reduce capacity for turnover and in turn drive up premiums, has meant it could be more difficult to get certain types of cover, having a significant impact on premiums that aren’t properly handled and putting more strain on businesses struggling with soaring costs.

However, the trade body and insurance broker claimed these challenges could be mitigated against with proper preparation and support to enable

businesses to plan for and keep on top of rising premiums.

The partnership will also lobby for a change of narrative, looking to address the current insurance premium cost crisis through a renewed government scheme, which would aim to build confidence back with leisure insurers and reduce premiums.

Michael Kill, chief executive of the NTIA, said: “Our industry has paid billions of pounds in insurance premiums to protect their businesses for many years, but during the pandemic many felt they had been let down by insurers in their moment of crisis. We are now facing a cost inflation crisis, from the effects of overseas conflict and domestic policy decisions, which have seen insurance costs in some cases double. This is not sustainable, insurance will require creative intervention from the government to grow confidence in the leisure market and reduce premium costs to an affordable level.”

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Scotland’s three major hospitality trade associations, the Scottish Beer & Pub Association (SBPA), Scottish Licensed Trade Association (SLTA), and UKHospitality Scotland (UKHS) have called on the Scottish Government not to exclude pubs from their current proposals which would see other hospitality premises, like restaurants have greater flexibility with on-street seating.

An Inside Job: Why Fully Understanding Your Own Carbon Output Is A First Step To Going Green 12

CLH DIGITAL

Issue 122

Sustainability consultant, Sarah Duncan, comments on why it's important for businesses to fully understand their own carbon output as a crucial first step toward going green. Sarah is the author of The Ethical Business Book and The Sustainable Business Book (out Spring 2023). She is also HOSPA’s Sustainability Advisor and champion of their recently launched Sustainability (ESG) Toolkit.

Sustainability is a hot topic, and it is becoming increasingly important that businesses acknowledge their impact on the planet and make plans for improvement.

But you cannot manage what you don’t measure. You can have the best of intentions, but unless you establish a proper baseline of what your company does today with clear improvement targets and related actions, you are unlikely to make progress towards your sustainability goals.

NET ZERO Countries and companies worldwide are now talking about Net Zero and, on paper at least, an ever-growing percentage of our global economy is committed to achieving this by 2050.

Proper Net Zero transition plans need to be consistent with a global temperature rise of no more than 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. It’s a complex area but, massively simplified, what this means is that you need to: Step One: Establish your baseline carbon emissions NOW. Step Two:

Reduce them by at least 50% by 2030.

Step Three: Reach net zero emissions (or at least reduce them by 90%) before 2050.

So what does that really mean? The GHG Protocol Corporate Standard classifies a company’s GHG emissions into three ‘scopes’: Scope 1: Direct emissions from owned or controlled sources, i.e. gas for heating/cooking, and fuel used in company owned vehicles.

Scope 2: Indirect emissions from the generation of purchased ener-

gy, i.e. purchased electricity.

Scope 3: All other indirect emissions that occur in the value or supply chain.

behaviour. Many companies make the mistake of viewing sustainability as a tick-box exercise or ‘a project’, sitting outside of the traditional core business structure.

Establishing Scope 1 and 2 emissions is relatively straightforward, understanding your gas, electricity and fuel-related carbon impact. If you have not yet done this, it should be a major priority. Then you can start figuring out your plan of action and seeking advice on how best to reduce these.

Scope 3 is infinitely harder as it incorporates, amongst other things, your whole supply chain. But for those genuinely wishing to commit to Net Zero (in line with Science Based Targets initiative’s -SBTi) understanding this, and implementing a collaborative improvement plan, is essential.

Or they place sustainability within an existing discipline, often HR or Marketing.

CARBON NEUTRALITY There are other decarbonising terms and frameworks. For example, Carbon Neutrality, which is aligned with British Standards Institution and PAS2060. This differs from Net Zero in several ways. It does not require any specific ambition (such as the 1.5°C pathway). Although encouraged, it does not require Scope 3 emissions to be included. And, although carbon reduction plans are encouraged, an organisation can jump straight to neutralizing emissions through purchasing high quality carbon offsets (and still claim carbon neutrality).

CARBON OFFSETTING

But in reality, it’s a complete change in attitude that must permeate the entire operation from top to bottom.

Which brings us neatly onto the tricky area of carbon offsetting. For every tonne of CO2e produced by your business operations, you can fund offset projects to reduce the amount of CO2e in the atmosphere.

Common carbon reduction projects include protecting forests, developing clean energy sources or more efficient energy products.

But beware. From a commercial perspective, if a company relies heavily on proceeding straight to purchasing offsets, without a robust reduction strategy, the amount it pays on an annual basis will inevitably keep going up and up. And from an environmental standpoint, offsetting can be viewed as mopping up the floor without turning the tap off. Neither is good.

For a snapshot of where your business stands today in terms of sustainability, visit: www.sleepingliononline.com for a free audit tool.

CULTURAL SHIFT This is not just about science and spreadsheets – it’s about people and

Sustainable thinking needs to cover all aspects of a business and be thoroughly understood by all employees. Whether you have 5 or 5,000 people, if you change their behaviour (including your own), then you have changed the company.

Instilling long-term cultural change will ensure that everyone in your organisation stops, thinks and challenges everything they do – constantly asking “Is there a greener, more thoughtful and responsible way of doing this?”.

Hospitality Sector Sees Increase in “Distressed Businesses” Bars and restaurants are major drivers behind a rise in the number of businesses “in critical financial distress” according to the latest Begbies Traynor “Red Flag Alert” report, which has provided a snapshot of British corporate health for the past 15 years, reveals the financial strain continuing to be faced by thousands of British businesses.

number of businesses in critical distress.

The research revealed the number of companies rated as being in “critical financial distress” continued to rise, jumping by more than a third in Q2 2022 compared with the same period last year to 1,957, and edging up 3% compared to Q1 2022.

Ms Palmer said: “There are firms that are struggling to work out what they will do. Do they try to battle on or just throw in the towel as they realise that in this new world, they just won’t be able to repay the taxpayer-funded help they got?

Businesses continue to be impacted by rising inflation in the ‘real economy’ which is far exceeding the official rate of more than 9%.

Taken together with higher labour, material and energy prices, and combined with faltering consumer and business confidence, companies are facing an exceptionally difficult economic backdrop.

“Many are fighting on, but the environment is only going to get worse, not better, at least until later next year or 2024. I fear that it may be a troublesome autumn as businesses which have struggled for so long are finally overwhelmed.”

Adding further pressure to many companies is the repayment of the Government-backed Covid support loans granted to help them survive the pandemic.

Evidence of this financial distress comes in the form of County Court Judgement (CCJ) data, arguably an early warning sign of future insolvency, which revealed 46,235 rulings in the first six months of 2022, up 5% on 2022the first quarter, as creditors tried to recover debts. This compares with 59,042 CCJs during the entirety of 2021, with this year’s figure to date driven higher as the backlog in the courts clears and debts are pursued.

Sectors with the highest number of critically distressed businesses; • Construction • Support Services • Real Estate • General Retailers • Automotive • Manufacturing • Bars & Restaurants • Financial Services • Food & Drug Retailers • Industrial Transportation Julie Palmer, partner at Begbies Traynor, said

She pointed to reports that the number of small businesses that had failed to meet repayment terms for the Bounce Back Loan Scheme (BBLS) was close to 200,000, almost double the most recent official data.

the data on companies in a “critical” financial distress painted a worrying picture: “Having emerged from the pandemic, many companies were hoping for an economic boom but that has simply fizzled out, as supply chain issues and the invasion of Ukraine have taken their toll by driving up raw material and energy costs and reducing both business and consumer confidence.

“We are now in a very high inflationary environment that’s piling pressure on businesses that were already weakened by the shock of the pandemic.

“Sectors most exposed to discretionary consumer spending – bars and restaurants and general retailers – are feeling the pain most. Hit by staff shortages due to the latest spike in Covid rates, their customers are now reining in spending on anything that’s not necessary, ahead of the expected hike in the energy price cap, and we are seeing clear signs of this in this Red Flag data.”

“I am also particularly concerned for those SMEs who operate in energy-intensive sectors, such as manufacturing, as some could simply become unviable. Without the benefit of an energy price cap, business energy tariffs have at least trebled, and for for many it will be much worse.”

Ms Palmer added that support from Government to prop up businesses through the pandemic could also be artificially lowering the

However, there was some good news. The number of businesses rated as being in “significant distress” was flat on the previous quarter at 582,452, and down 11 per cent on the same three months in 2021.

Ric Traynor, executive chairman of Begbies Traynor, commented: “The combination of macro-economic risks is now taking its toll on UK businesses, as evidenced by this latest Red Flag Alert data.

“With inflation nearing 10%, and showing little sign of abating, there can be no doubt that things are going to get worse for UK businesses before they get better. This, combined with a deteriorating geo-political landscape, is likely to have serious consequences for the UK economy.

“Rising insolvency rates, combined with our own evidence from speaking to the directors of distressed companies, highlight the impact of rising costs on businesses. The very same directors, who benefited from Government-backed Covid support loans to get them through the pandemic, are now telling us that they are simply unable to repay these debts, plus they are having to deal with rising wage demands and higher input costs.

“Additionally, the anticipated double-digit rise in business rates next April will heap more pressure on to vulnerable businesses, despite some benefiting from the recent revaluation.

“With this latest research showing almost 600,000 companies in significant financial distress, we would expect the weakest to enter insolvency over the next two years.”

Hot Weather Boosts Spending In July, Yet Hospitality and Overseas Travel See Short-Term Slowdown Issue 122

Consumer card spending grew 7.7 per cent in July compared to the same period in 2021, and 1.6 per cent compared to June 2022, as Brits spent more on clothing, beauty and staycations as the summer holiday period began. However, consumers are starting to cut back on overseas travel and eating and drinking out, as disposable income falls and wage growth is outpaced by inflation.

Data from Barclaycard, which sees nearly half of the nation’s credit and debit card transactions, reveals that spending on essential items rose 7.0 per cent year-on-year, greater than the 4.0 per cent rise recorded in June.

The increase was driven largely by fuel and supermarket shopping, both of which saw year-on-year growth (29.9 per cent and 2.1 per cent respectively), as the prices of petrol, diesel and everyday items continued to climb. Meanwhile, average spending on utility bills rose 43.9 per cent year-on-year, even higher than last month’s growth of 39.6 per cent.

The July heatwave boosted sports and outdoor retailers, up 1.7 per cent compared to June, and electronics stores where spending jumped 8.6 per cent. This comes as 55 per cent of Brits say they bought items to keep cool in the hot weather, with electric tower fans (17 per cent) the most in-demand.

General retailers were another bright spot, recording rises of 5.5 per cent month-on-month and 0.5 per cent year-on-year, with a portion of that growth directly attributed to Amazon’s recent Prime Day. Meanwhile, discount stores grew 3.1 per cent and 3.3 per cent over the same period, as more Brits looked for ways to balance their budgets.

The eating and drinking category was up 9.0 per cent year-on-year, yet it saw a slight decline (-1.5 per cent) compared to the previous month. The month-on-month drop is partly a reflection of how well the sector performed in June, owing to the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee weekend. However, demand has also been falling due to the cost-of-living squeeze; almost three in 10 (29 per cent) Brits say they plan to spend less on social plans and days out this summer, with 67 per cent of this group cutting back on eating out at restaurants, and 55 per cent spending less at pubs, bars and nightclubs.

Travel agents and airlines also continued to see year-on-year growth (204.0 per cent and 112.7 per cent

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respectively), however both categories were down month-on-month (-3.8 per cent and -3.0 per cent). This is likely due to the ongoing disruption across the aviation sector, as well as the 20 per cent of Brits who are choosing not to summer holiday abroad this year, and the 16 per cent instead opting to take a break in the UK. The popularity of staycations is driving spend in the hotels, resorts & accommodation category, which grew 1.9 per cent compared to June.

Looking at consumer confidence levels, encouragingly, more Brits are feeling confident about their household finances (66 per cent versus 59 per cent reported last month), their ability to spend on non-essential items (54 per cent versus 48 per cent), and their ability to live within their means (71 per cent versus 66 per cent).

However, confidence in these areas remains below where it stood in July 2021 (72 per cent, 62 per cent and 75 per cent respectively).

Meanwhile, the data also shows nine in 10 (91 per cent) are concerned about rising inflation, surging household bills and higher food prices, while confidence in the future of the UK economy remains low at 26 per cent.

José Carvalho, Head of Consumer Products at Barclaycard, said: “July saw Brits get into the swing of summer by prioritising non-essential spending on staycations, new clothes and beauty products, while the heatwave gave an extra boost to the electronics sector, as consumers bought gadgets to keep cool.

“However, inflation continues to have a noticeable impact, with price rises forcing shoppers to spend more on essential everyday items such as fuel, butter and milk, and to cut back on some discretionary experiences such as meals and drinks out, and holidays abroad.”

“We know that this is a really challenging time for many consumers, so it is reassuring to see that more Brits are feeling confident about their household finances and ability to live within their means each month. This shows that, faced with difficult circumstances, many are finding ways to budget and manage their finances successfully, to cope with ongoing inflationary pressures.”

A Visit to The Showman’s Show 2022 is a Must For Anyone Within Hospitality The Showman’s Show will return to Newbury Showground on the 19th 20th October 2022 with hundreds of exhibitors showcasing thousands of products and services. The show delivers practical solutions, handy hints and inspiration in abundance.

For anyone working within the catering and hospitality sector it presents an excellent opportunity to meet new suppliers and discover the latest innovations and technologies.

Exhibitors include state-of-the-art temporary structures perfect for adding additional areas to existing venues or corporate hospitality facilities; caterers, bespoke concessions and catering equipment; the latest sound and lighting solutions; furniture hire companies; theming, visual spectaculars and finishing touches to name but a few.

Visitors can expect to meet companies launching new products, alongside showcases and demonstrations of existing solutions. It’s also a great melting pot for ideas, with the chance to talk to the experts in their field face to face and interact with products and services in a live environment which is really useful for making purchasing decisions.

A visit to The Showman’s Show is an absolute must for anyone involved in events and hospitality.

You can find more details about the show and exhibitors by visiting www.showmansshow.co.uk To register to attend The Showman’s Show 2022 please click https://eventdata.uk/Forms/Form.aspx?FormRef=ShoA2Visitor

Extreme Weather and The Hospitality Sector 14

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How to manage operations in heat waves and cold snaps

4. Consider your distribution strategy.

As the UK battles record temperatures, many climatologists believe extreme weather will become the future norm. The foodservice and hospitality sector is one industry which is directly impacted by conditions outside. So how will businesses need to evolve to meet changing demand as the mercury rises and falls?

The proliferation of direct-to-consumer apps can enable even the smallest business to trade online and reach a wider audience. The pandemic has also encouraged many smaller traders to consider their own online ordering and pick-up/ delivery operations. Investment in a secure online ordering portal (on your own site or via a third-party) can provide a valuable revenue stream when adverse weather impacts footfall.

Here are five top tips to help hospitality and foodservice businesses mitigate the business risks of a changing climate:

1. Use data to identity trends and forecast future demand spikes and troughs

5. Look after your staff Staff can often make the difference between a positive and a negative hospitality experience. So, be aware of worker wellbeing and look after your staff rota with plenty of scheduled breaks, water provision and regular health checks on all, especially those who may be most at risk from extreme heat - the elderly, pregnant or those with underlying health conditions.

Businesses need demand analytics, not just weather forecasts, to understand and address drivers of sales volatility. It is likely that, in extreme heat, customers’ menu choices will differ from those in more benign conditions. Lighter meals, more cold foods and non-alcoholic drinks will be more popular in peak summer, for example. Equally, when the temperature drops, or rain is falling, consumer behaviours and menu choices will change in-line with the conditions. your suppliers.

2. Consider seasonal menus As the weather changes, so do consumer tastes. But supply chains may also become more robust (and cost-effective) if your menu adapts to seasonal availability. Ingredient costs, especially if locally sourced, will fluctuate with the natural growing or rearing cycle. Carefully monitoring your input costs through cashflow management software such as Agicap (https://agicap.com/en/sector/restaurants/) can enable you to adjust your procurement or pricing strategy to mitigate seasonal cost increases from

3. Invest in equipment With the right equipment, you can make outside areas more suitable to covers all year round. Heating and coverage can keep your gardens and covered patio spaces commercially viable throughout rain and cold.

The same is true of internal dining, where air conditioning or open facades can be a welcome relief from scorching temperatures outside.

Adapting your operations and embracing change will result in a more effective and efficient business; one that is better equipped for today and the future. This will equate to a better customer experience and have a positive impact on your bottom line.

If you would like to secure funding to invest in the future operations of your restaurant, hotel or catering business, you may consider a business loan. To get a free no-obligation quote, and find out more about our innovative business loan, contact Capify on 08001510980 or visit www.Capify.co.uk

Jestic Team Activities Generate over £2500 for The Alzheimer’s Society A series of employee events organised as part of Jestic Foodservice Solution’s summer charity drive has helped raise in excess of £2,500 for two charities; The Alzheimer’s Society and Kent based charity Crossroads Care.

The annual company BBQ, which was held recently at the Paddock Wood headquarters, aided over 60% of the final total. This was not only thanks to the fantastic feast once again laid on by the Jestic culinary team, but also due to the capture of many of the directors, who found themselves locked up for short periods of time in the hastily arranged stocks, that just happened to be close to buckets of water and sponges! The remaining money was generated from a series of summer hamper raffles which occurred at engineer training sessions and meetings.

Ben Dale, Managing Director at Jestic Foodservice Solutions was thrilled to be able to make such a substantial donation: “Jestic’s charities are largely chosen to help give back and show support to a colleague or a family member who have turned to the organisation at their time of need. I am thrilled to be able to donate such a fantastic amount to The Alzheimer’s Society, a vital source of support and a powerful force for change for everyone affected by dementia, and Crossroads Care Kent , who deliver care and support for those living with the challenges of caring unpaid for a family member or friend. This could not have been achieved without the generosity of Jestic’s amazing team of people who have once again dug deep when it matters most.”

Celebrate the Return of the Premier League with Epic Shirt Giveaway To celebrate the return of the premier league, three match-day pubs – The Broadway, Bournemouth, The Wolds, Nottingham, and The Durell Arms, Fulham – are launching a shirt giveaway for fans worth over £10,000.

The three sites, popular with fans of AFC Bournemouth, Nottingham Forest and Fulham FC respectively, have also been granted Premier Pub status by pub company and brewer Greene King, to celebrate each teams’ promotion to the league.

To mark the start of the season, each pub will be decked out in the local team’s signature colours and what’s more, fans will be in with the chance to bag a new season home shirt for free.

The first 50 fans to order a drink at any of the three Premier Pubs on Saturday 6th August and donate an amount of their choice to Macmillan Cancer Support, will receive a free new season home shirt.

All the money raised will help the charity continue to do whatever it takes to provide vital care and support for people living with cancer.

Each pub will also be unveiling a plaque, signifying Premier Pub status, with decorations both inside and out

creating a real party atmosphere to celebrate the return of the Premier League.

The Premier League will be shown in all Greene King sports sites across the UK, and what’s more, fans can also download the Greene King Season Ticket app to get access to deals and discounts in over 700 pubs. The full list of Season Ticket sites can be viewed here.

Once customers register their Season Ticket account, they’ll get an automatic 10% off selected drinks via the app, which is available to download here from the Apple store, and here from the Google store.

Chris Conchie, head of marketing for Greene King Sport said: “Football is something that sparks excitement and passion across the UK and being able to celebrate the start of the new season in three newly promoted Premier Pubs is fantastic.

“As well as showing all games across our Season Ticket pubs, we’ll also be launching a series of deals, discounts and promotions through the app, so make sure to download and register before the first game.”

Monika Welcomes New Senior Team Member

Monika, the experts in connecting teams and equipment, is delighted to welcome James Hall as the new Director of Development and Support, as they look to future growth of the business.

James will be working alongside Monika’s senior leadership team, including Executive Chairman, Tim Gamble, Managing Director UK & Europe, Lorraine Gamble FIH, and Director of Operations UK & Europe, Keith Hopewell, to build on Monika’s success over the last 30 years, helping to develop new solutions to address the evolving needs for the company’s customers.

James brings a wealth of knowledge to the company. Having worked initially as an engineer, and then as a director & CTO working across a range of communication and safety critical technologies, in a range of companies from start-ups to global corporations – he is well placed to direct the future development of Monika’s portfolio of products and services. James’ new role at Monika will entail working with the development and support team to bring in new skills and experience that will enable Monika to develop further innovative solutions to broader markets, whilst supporting long

standing customers in getting the most out of their current systems.

James said:

“I’m very excited about my new position here at Monika. I believe my experience will really lend itself to my new role, and I look forward to working with the Monika team to build on their successes to develop the innovative, practical and cost-effective solutions that our customers will need.”

Tim Gamble, Executive Chairman of Monika is happy to have James on the Monika team; “With Monika celebrating our 30th anniversary, we’ve had a lot of opportunity for internal reflection, where we’ve been able to recognise several long-serving team members and promote staff to new positions. I think James will be a real asset to the team, and provide some great fresh perspective to the company. We look forward to supporting him in his new role.”

For further information visit www.Monika.com

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Why Boutique Is Best When It Comes To Ethical Travel

By Giles Fuchs, owner of Burgh Island Hotel (www.burghisland.com)

Here, boutique hotels have the advantage of autonomy as their profits are not directed to a potentially distant corporate owner who has little direct involvement in the day-to-day running of the hotel. This means boutique is often best when it comes to investing time and money into ethical practices, building connections and supporting local industries.

For example, at Burgh Island, one of the leading self-sufficient independent hotels in South Devon, almost 80% of the produce used in our kitchens is from locally sourced outlets, both reducing the hotel’s carbon footprint and helping local businesses to thrive.

TAKING A CANDID APPROACH According to a report from Booking.com, over 70% of respondents plan to travel greener this year, up by 10% from 2021. However, almost 60% of travellers noted difficulties finding the information they need to make an informed choice about where to go and where to stay.

Travelling ethically is being mindful of the consequences of being a tourist, from taking conscious actions to reduce your carbon footprint to considering the morality of any activities or attraction visits.

The demand for ethical travel is on the rise. However, a ground-breaking report by Ethical Consumer assessing the practices of leading travel businesses has revealed that just 10% of those surveyed are reasonably tackling their carbon impacts and can be regarded as highly ethical.

But this doesn’t reflect the entire travel industry. When it comes to booking a trip, independent boutique hotels often represent the ethical and self-sufficient choice when compared to a corporate chain hotel, where a candid approach to sustainability can be hard to come by.

THINK BOUTIQUE FOR THE SELF-SUFFICIENT LEADER Sustainable and ethical travel options are must-haves to succeed in today’s competitive hospitality industry.

Similarly, over half are wary of hotels making claims that simply aren’t true - and guests are rightly concerned. Despite the straplines of major hotel chains, such as Hilton’s “Travel with Purpose”, and grandiose sustainability claims such as Marriott’s target to reduce its carbon footprint by 15% by 2025, many are struggling to meet green targets.

However, for independent boutique hoteliers, running an establishment is often a labour of love, rather than solely for profit. Their efforts to cater to the ethical traveller are typically more candid and often built into the very ethos and foundation of the hotel, acting as the clincher that strengthens reputation and secures bookings.

This is certainly the case at Burgh Island, a recipient of the Green Apple Organisation for Conservation since 2007, where sustainability is truly part of the hotel’s identity. Here, we generate clean energy from our own solar array, source cleaning water from our own borehole, and even train our staff in energy efficiency and awareness.

TRAVELLING WITH A PURPOSE While ethical travellers are conscious of the impact of their adventures, these guests are still travelling with a purpose: to get away from

everyday life, try something new and create long-lasting memories. The independence boutique hotels possess put them in the perfect position to tailor their offerings to meet the dual desires of conscious guests.

Often you will find that boutique hotels that build an ethical ethos into their character also offer once-in-a-lifetime experiences and opportunities to engage and learn about the local environment, people and industries.

For example, at Burgh, we offer guests the chance to embark on shark tagging trips to aid in scientific research to protect local shark populations. Not only does this provide guests with a unique experience but allows them to do some good in the process.

CONNECTING WITH NATURE For travellers looking to connect with nature and enjoy a stay off the beaten track, boutique hotels are a sure choice over urban chain hotels, typically found in polluted cities and nearby busy roads.

Often located in remote and unique areas of outstanding natural beauty, boutique hotels provide guests opportunities to connect with nature and immerse themselves in the local flora and fauna. From experience, this is a sure way to help travellers consider their impact on the environment more closely.

At Burgh Island, we are located just off the 630-mile Southwest Coastal Path, providing hours of stunning walking tracks to explore and enjoy, abundant with archaeological sites in the surrounding areas of Burleigh Dolts, Bigbury-On-Sea, Westcombe & Wonewell and the iconic Avon Estuary.

Of course, being an independent boutique establishment makes our job far easier. We cherish the landscapes and community we occupy and, free from corporate pressure, can put ethics and sustainability first to ensure it continues to flourish. Rather than an afterthought, this attitude has been built into the very core of establishments like Burgh Island, providing destinations that truly share the ethical traveller’s desire for impactfree adventure.

Innholder Scholarship 2023 Launches to Support Hotel Careers Up to £182,000 of funding is being made available to the UK’s hotel industry to develop the careers of senior managers.

Up to 14 Innholder Scholarships, each worth up to £13,000, are open to all general managers and heads of department in the UK hospitality industry, from boutique B&Bs to large 5star city hotels.

Over 300 scholarships have been awarded to hoteliers across the UK so far, creating strong, resilient leadership within a severely challenged sector beleaguered by closures.

Continuing to develop a strong network of leaders will be vital to protect the hospitality industry and help it navigate current challenges, including cost hikes and staffing.

Despite 77% of hospitality employers increasing wages, one in seven hospitality jobs remain unfilled, according to the Future Shock – Leaving Covid Behind report by UKHospitality and insight specialists CGA. With employees citing increased learning opportunities as one of the key areas where employers could improve and challenges remaining for the industry, there has never been a more important time to support its future through such an initiative. uccessful applicants will have the chance to learn from industry leaders about market evolution, impending challenges, managerial skills, and global demands.

Candidates also receive full tuition and accommodation while attending one of two world-renowned universities, the General Managers Programme at Cornell University, USA, or the Talent Development Programme at Cranfield University, UK. The Scholarships are funded by the Worshipful Company of Innholders, the Savoy Educational Trust, the Lord Forte Foundation and the Master Innholders Charitable Trust.

David Morgan-Hewitt, Chair of The Master Innholders, said: “The hospitality industry continues to deal with daily challenges caused by issues by such as high vacancy levels and spiralling supplier costs. If we are to protect the hotel sector now and, in the future, we will require strong leadership to steer it through. The Innholder Scholarships will provide the support and guidance senior managers require to do just that, so funding such schemes is vital to safeguard the industry’s future.”

Applications for the Innholder Scholarship will close Sunday 21 August.

For more information on the Master Innholders and its educational programmes, please visit www.masterinnholders.co.uk

Delivering A Sustainable Future For Catering Businesses The UK’s ambitious net zero carbon target has brought into focus the need to make carbon savings. As energy-intensive operations, for hospitality businesses the drive towards sustainability and reducing carbon emissions also needs to factor in the careful balance of customer experience and efficiency.

Catering businesses keen to demonstrate their reduction in carbon emissions, the Green Gas Certification Scheme ensures traceability of all Futuria Liquid Gas delivered to, and used up by, our hospitality customers, while also highlighting the amount of CO2 saved.

Despite being one of the most carbon intensive fuel sources, oil-fuelled boilers are still commonly found in off-grid catering outlets. Switching to from oil to LPG can immediately cut CO₂ emissions by up to 17.8%1 compared to oil and is ideal for rural businesses where electricity is simply not viable due to the processes needed or simply because of limited supply to the location.

THE FUTURIA IS HERE

CALOR FUTURIA LIQUID GAS From providing an instant and controllable flame needed to create mouthwatering meals, to offering the versatility for heating and hot water requirements, Calor Futuria Liquid Gas is the fuel source catering businesses can trust.

Futuria Liquid Gas (previously BioLPG) is a sustainable fuel made from a blend of waste, residues and sustainably sourced materials. Currently available to catering businesses with a Calor bulk tank installed, Futuria Liquid Gas comes in a 100% blend, and can reduce CO₂ emissions by up to 86%2 (kgCO2e/kWh) when compared to using heating oil and up to 80%3 compared to conventional LPG.

Futuria was introduced this year as the new naming convention for Calor’s sustainable fuels portfolio, a key step in Calor’s journey to becoming a more sustainable business. Calor is on a mission to become a 100% renewable energy provider by 2040 and we are taking our customers on that journey with us.

To further support this, we’ve recently launched Futuria DME fuel, also known as rDME or Renewable DME (Dimethyl-Ether), a sustainable and low carbon fuel produced from renewable and recycled carbon. It can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 85% compared to diesel and heating oil4.

We are currently working to demonstrate the use of Futuria DME across our off-grid customer base with a view to scale-up Futuria DME production in the coming years, to meet our sustainability goals and help our customers meet theirs.

To join the Futuria of off-grid energy visit www.calor.co.uk

The Property Market Within The Hospitality Sector - Do Hotels Profit from Short-Stay Holidays and Is This On the Rise in the UK? 18

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By Korosh Farazad - Entrepreneur, Investor, Author and Speaker - Founder of the Farazad Group (www.koroshfarazad.com) Hotels are doing well in the current hospitality market. In terms of average daily rate and average occupancy rate the figures have far exceeded pre-covid 2019 figures. We are anticipating for this trend to continue onwards for at least to the next 12-18 months. For example, on one hotel that we are carefully assessing and monitoring, the currentoccupancy is over 100% with the entry category room starting at £140 per night and therefore due to the demand and shortage of supply we had to transfer those guests to nearby hotels. The average daily rate has increased over 100% as well, showing that there is peak demand.

Hotels do make a profit from short-stays, subject to the quality or the category of the hotel (whether it is a five star or four star, etc). A four star hotel doesn’t mean that it is of low quality, it just means that it is of a standard quality. If these types of categories have other revenue streams more focused on food and beverage then they can improve on the revenue on top of the room revenue that they make. Speaking in

London, an average person would stay for two nights, so that is roughly anywhere from 27-47% net profit on one room from food & beverage alone.For the rest of the UK, it is subject to the destination you are looking at. If it was one of the major gateway cities across the countries, then a similar theme would follow London with revenue and current demand.

If the quality and standard of the rooms in the hotel meet the guest expectations, the price for that particular room matches the expectations of the consumer as well and therefore has more profitability. Hotels can also change the price of the room depending on the day, similar to the stock market in a way, which is a trend that is happening in the UK but across western European countries as well. For example, the price for a room on a Thursday is likely cheaper than that of a Friday, usually for around 20% and affects those short-term extended weekends.

We as hotel investors are seeing an improvement in terms of inward investment in the hotel sector. We are also seeing less of a trend in spending a significant capital expenditure on big improvements, but rather on softer capital expenditure. Doing heavy refurbishments are now not as much of an interest for owners/investors as they’re trying to minimise on their expenditures and improvements and maximise the profitabilities. Once they have reached a certain benchmark of returns, then they will close the hotel down to make big improvements and make a higher ADR. Demand for hotels in big cities, like London, will always be there. London for example is a cosmopolitan city and every part of the world wants to come here. It is seen as a high demand destination in terms of food and beverage, diversified concepts and for hotels.

Cash is King as Consumers Take More Staycation Breaks Post Office research last month found that 71% of Brits planning on going on holiday in the UK this year plan to take out cash before leaving to go on holiday. Of those who have been on holiday in the UK in the last five years, almost a third (31%) admitted to being caught out cashless whilst on holiday in the UK.

• Post Offices handled a record £801 million in personal cash withdrawals in July, up almost 8% month-on-month (£744 million, June 2022) • Post Office attributes increase to more Brits taking staycations in the UK and people increasingly relying on cash to manage their budget

In July, Post Office also processed over 600,000 cash payouts for people eligible to receive energy bill support from the UK Government. This totalled around £90 million and provide people with an opportunity to pay energy bills, top up gas and electricity meters or use the cash to budget.

• Only second time that personal cash withdrawals have exceeded £800 million (previous time was December 2021 when there’s always an increase in withdrawals) • In total, a record £3.32 billion in cash deposits and withdrawals were handled at Post Office’s 11,500 branches. First time amount has exceeded £3.3 billion in a single month

Personal cash deposits totalled £1.35 billion in July, up 2% month-on-month (£1.33 billion, June 2022). Business cash deposits totalled £1.13 billion in July, up 1.9% month-on-month (£1.11 billion, June 2022).

• Personal cash deposits totalled £1.35 billion, up 2% month-onmonth and business cash deposits totalled £1.13 billion, up 1.9% month-on-month

In total, a record £3.31 billion in cash deposits and withdrawals were handled at Post Office in July, £100 million higher than in

New figures reveal “cash is King” as the Post Offices handled a record £801 million in personal cash withdrawals. In total, over £3.3 billion in cash was deposited and withdrawn over Post Office counters, the first time figures have crossed the £3.3 billion threshold in Post Office’s 360-year history.

Personal cash withdrawals were up almost 8% month-on-month (£744 million, June 2022) and up over 20% year-on-year (£665 million, July 2022).

Post Office has attributed the record amount for personal cash withdrawals at its 11,500 branches to more Brits choosing to have staycations in the UK as well as people increasingly turning to cash to manage their budget on a week-by-week basis and often on a day-by-day basis.

June, £3.21 billion.

Martin Kearsley, Banking Director at Post Office, said: “Our latest figures clearly show that Britain is anything but a cashless society. We’re seeing more and more people increasingly reliant on cash as the tried and tested way to manage a budget. Whether that’s for a staycation in the UK or if it’s to help prepare for financial pressures expected in the autumn, cash access in every community is critical. Postmasters handling over £3.3 billion in a single month demonstrates just how vital being able to deposit and withdraw cash, securely and conveniently, is for millions of people.”

Worlds no.3 Vodka Brand Appoints UK Distributor MASPEX, the Leading Polish food group have announced the appointment of Paragon Brands as the distribution partner for their ubrówka premium vodka Brand. Maspex acquired ubrówka as part of the purchase of the CEDC Business from Roust Corporation (who acquired the brand in 2013) in February 2022 - returning the brand to full Polish ownership and severing all ties to Russia. ubrówka is the no.3 vodka brand in the world by Volume (in 2021) and the worlds no.1 Polish Vodka Brand, sold in over 130 countries, with a history dating back over 500 years. Zubrowka Bison Grass is typically served in the iconic ‘Apple-Zu’ cocktail made with cloudy apple juice.

Chris Jones, MD of Paragon Brands, commented ‘we are honored to have been chosen by Maspex to represent this iconic global brand within the UK, where the vodka category is currently in strong

growth as consumers switch out of the declining Gin category and seek out premium vodka brands with heritage and a point of difference’.

Marcin wiatło & Aleksandra Zygmunt, country managers at Maspex and Members of the Board of Directors at Maspex UK Ltd commented: We are very happy to be working with Paragon brands representing the ubrówka porfolio in the UK, they bring a wealth of industry experience and reach for ubrówka and we look forward to growing the brand together in the UK. For more information about the Zubrowka range or Paragon Brands, visit www.paragonbrands.co.uk. +44 (0)161 390 0019

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Issue 122

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The NACC Care Chef of the Year 2022 Finalists Revealed The line-up of talented care chefs set to compete in the national final of the National Association of Care Catering (NACC) Care Chef of the Year 2022 culinary competition has been announced.

Throughout June and July, regional heats took place across the NACC regions – Scotland, North, Midlands, Wales, South West and South East – with care chefs showcasing their skills and specialist knowledge in a bid to secure their spot in the final of the prestigious event, which takes place on 5th October 2022 at West Nottingham College.

The highest-scoring competitors from each heat were selected by the expert judges for their clear nutritional understanding of the foods they are using and how they benefit the needs of their clientele, plus their culinary flair through flavours, menu balance, execution, presentation, and hygiene best practice.

The finalists preparing to impress the judges one more time to claim the coveted title of NACC Care Chef of the Year 2022 are: · · · · · · · · · · ·

Justina Bajorinaite – Vegetarian for Life Nigel Cooke – Eastcote Park, Cinnamon Care Collection Brian Gollan – Ivybank House Care Home William Marsh – Brandon Care Ltd Vasilios Mavriano – Castle Hill House Alex Millichamp – Chandler Court Michael Oatridge – Signature Senior Lifestyle Brian Preston – Lister House, Ripon Chris Pickard – Four Seasons Health Care Jade Smith – Camberley Manor, TLC Group Graham Watson – Lauder Lodge Care Home

Sue Cawthray, National Chair of the NACC, said: “Congratulations to the finalists of the NACC Care Chef of the Year competition 2022! The calibre of entries was incredibly high, and we have seen exceptional dishes created and served by chefs across the regional heats. The finalists should be very proud of their achievements so far.

“The national final in October is going to be a fantastic event. It will showcase and celebrate the care catering sector and the exceptional talent of our chefs. Delicious, nutritious food and positive dining experiences are vital to quality care. I truly believe that the kitchen is at the heart of a care home and mealtime experiences really are life quality enhancing, both physically and emotionally. This is why, through events like the Care Chef of the Year competition, the NACC works tirelessly to raise awareness of the amazing, rewarding work and valuable contribution of chefs and caterers in the care sector. I wish all the finalists the very best of luck.”

The NACC Care Chef of the Year competition is supported by the main sponsor Unilever Food Solutions and long-standing event sponsor The Worshipful Company of Cooks.

Focusing on the importance of food, nutrition and positive mealtime experiences as part of quality care, entrants are challenged to create an appealing and delicious two-course menu (main and dessert) appropriate for people in a care setting. The combined food cost for both courses should be no more than £3.00 per head based on three portions and it must be nutritionally balanced.

The menu must also feature a product from Unilever Food Solutions’ sectorrelevant catering range.

For more information on the NACC Care Chef of the Year 2022 competition visit www.thenacc.co.uk

Like-for-Like Sales Increase Almost 5% in July Sector like-for-likes were up 4.7% year-on-year in July as drink sales drove growth, according to data from S4labour, the people, productivity and payroll system. The record-breaking temperatures helped bring a 12.3% uplift to drink sales, while food sales slipped 3.5% over the same period.

London’s recovery has typically been slower than rural areas over the last year. However, the warmer weather pushed sales in the capital up 21.3%, albeit up from a weak 2021 sales baseline. Outside London, hos-

pitality like-for-likes were up by a more modest 1.7%.

Richard Hartley, chief innovation officer at S4labour, said: “The like-for-like boost is welcome for the industry, even if it is from a low basepoint.

Operators are still being hampered by chronic staff shortages, limiting capacity and opportunities. With the sun forecast to shine for much of the summer holiday period, we hope the industry is able to continue to capitalise on summer sales opportunities.”

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Hot Weather Boosts Spending On Clothing, Beauty and Electronics In July, Yet Hospitality and Overseas Travel See Short-Term Slowdown 20

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Issue 122

Data from Barclaycard, which sees nearly half of the nation’s credit and debit card transactions, reveals that spending on essential items rose 7.0 per cent year-on-year, greater than the 4.0 per cent rise recorded in June.

The increase was driven largely by fuel and supermarket shopping, both of which saw year-on-year growth (29.9 per cent and 2.1 per cent respectively), as the prices of petrol, diesel and everyday items continued to climb. Meanwhile, average spending on utility bills rose 43.9 per cent year-on-year, even higher than last month’s growth of 39.6 per cent.

The eating and drinking category was up 9.0 per cent year-on-year, yet it saw a slight decline (-1.5 per cent) compared to the previous month. The month-on-month drop is partly a reflection of how well the sector performed in June, owing to the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee weekend. However, demand has also been falling due to the cost-of-living squeeze; almost three in 10 (29 per cent) Brits say they plan to spend less on social plans and days out this summer, with 67 per cent of this group cutting back on eating out at restaurants, and 55 per cent spending less at pubs, bars and nightclubs.

At the supermarket, almost nine in 10 (89 per cent) Brits report seeing increases in the prices of everyday items, with the majority noticing that butter (53 per cent), milk (51 per cent) and meat (47 per cent) are more expensive than they were in June.

Travel agents and airlines also continued to see year-on-year growth (204.0 per cent and 112.7 per cent respectively), however both categories were down month-on-month (-3.8 per cent and -3.0 per cent). This is likely due to the ongoing disruption across the aviation sector, as well as the 20 per cent of Brits who are choosing not to summer holiday abroad this year, and the 16 per cent instead opting to take a break in the UK. The popularity of staycations is driving spend in the hotels, resorts & accommodation category, which grew 1.9 per cent compared to June.

This comes as 45 per cent of shoppers say they are looking for ways to get more value from, or to reduce the cost of their weekly shop. Over half (52 per cent) of this group are paying closer attention to the prices of items they buy regularly, and the same proportion (52 per cent) are cutting down on luxuries or one-off treats for themselves.

In addition, nearly two fifths (37 per cent) are purchasing certain items on a need-to-buy basis to save money and avoid waste, resulting in an emerging trend for smaller basket sizes, and more frequent trips to the supermarket to restock when items run out. The average value of a supermarket transaction has dropped from £23.67 in January 2021 to £19.33 in July 2022, while the average number of monthly supermarket purchases per person increased from 8.70 to 11.91 over the same period.

Meanwhile, spending on non-essential items rose 8.0 per cent year-on-year, as well as 1.3 per cent monthon-month, with a likely combination of inflation, the hot weather and summer and school holidays giving rise to increased discretionary spending across a range of categories.

Looking at consumer confidence levels, encouragingly, more Brits are feeling confident about their household finances (66 per cent versus 59 per cent reported last month), their ability to spend on non-essential items (54 per cent versus 48 per cent), and their ability to live within their means (71 per cent versus 66 per cent).

However, confidence in these areas remains below where it stood in July 2021 (72 per cent, 62 per cent and 75 per cent respectively).

Meanwhile, the data also shows nine in 10 (91 per cent) are concerned about rising inflation, surging household bills and higher food prices, while confidence in the future of the UK economy remains low at 26 per cent.

Clothing retailers saw particularly positive uplifts of 8.7 per cent year-on-year and 4.0 per cent month-onmonth, while pharmacy, health & beauty stores also saw strong growth of 8.6 per cent and 3.1 per cent over the same timeframe.

José Carvalho, Head of Consumer Products at Barclaycard, said: “July saw Brits get into the swing of summer by prioritising non-essential spending on staycations, new clothes and beauty products, while the heatwave gave an extra boost to the electronics sector, as consumers bought gadgets to keep cool.

The July heatwave also boosted sports and outdoor retailers, up 1.7 per cent compared to June, and electronics stores where spending jumped 8.6 per cent. This comes as 55 per cent of Brits say they bought items to keep cool in the hot weather, with electric tower fans (17 per cent) the most in-demand.

“However, inflation continues to have a noticeable impact, with price rises forcing shoppers to spend more on essential everyday items such as fuel, butter and milk, and to cut back on some discretionary experiences such as meals and drinks out, and holidays abroad.”

General retailers were another bright spot, recording rises of 5.5 per cent month-on-month and 0.5 per cent year-on-year, with a portion of that growth directly attributed to Amazon’s recent Prime Day. Meanwhile, discount stores grew 3.1 per cent and 3.3 per cent over the same period, as more Brits looked for ways to balance their budgets.

“We know that this is a really challenging time for many consumers, so it is reassuring to see that more Brits are feeling confident about their household finances and ability to live within their means each month. This shows that, faced with difficult circumstances, many are finding ways to budget and manage their finances successfully, to cope with ongoing inflationary pressures.”

The International Drink Expo is Returning in October The International Drink Expo makes its much-anticipated return to London’s ExCeL on 19th & 20th October, forming THE ultimate event to help you boost your profits, build your brand and grow your business.

The event will give 3,000 industry-defining leaders access to 200 exhibitors and their plethora of innovative products, ideas and strategies and inspirational seminars. Panel debates are an integral part of the show as you can hear from industry professionals discussing important topics and issues that will help you stay above the curve and your competitors! The Innovation Awards are also a chance to see the most creative ideas, products and services that could inspire you and your business!

The UK’s only event dedicated to maximising your drink sales is also running alongside 5 other industry-leading events collectively forming #FES22, THE biggest business growth event dedicated to the world of food & drink. A FREE ticket will grant you access to all 6 events - see

this is an opportunity to broaden your understanding of the industry and this will allow you to expand profits across all sectors!

The International Drink Expo is the place you want to be to find innovative ways to stand out from your competitors, boost sales and find the hottest ideas to attract new customers. The International Drink Expo aligns your ideas and products with the strategies and connections to execute them into profitable action. You will definitely be going home with newfound inspiration and top tips from industry experts so that YOU can transform your business.

Whether you’re an independent establishment or a large chain, we can’t wait to see you all there under one roof for THE drink's event of the year, are you ready to maximise your drinks sales?

So what are you waiting for?

Save the 19th & 20th October in your calendar and secure your free ticket now at https://bit.ly/3QUsn15

Panasonic Helps Riverford Butchery Lower its Carbon Footprint Riverford Organic Farm was looking to increase sustainability in refrigeration at its new butchery in Devon. Installer, Neil McCourt of Keep it Cool, sought the advice of refrigeration specialist, Mervin Chumun at Hawco Ltd, and together specified four 10HP Panasonic Coldchain Refrigeration units to provide the best solution for the Riverford Butchery’s requirements.

Neil McCourt of Keep it Cool, “The main challenge was to keep the rest of the butchery running whilst the expansion was happening. Panasonic cold chain technology was specified because of Panasonic’s sustainable and environmental credentials. I know the company invests in research is leading the way in this area.”

Riverford Organic Farm deliver to over 80,000 homes across the UK. Nigel Bower, Facilities and Property Manager at Riverford commented, “We are looking to make significant in-roads by 2030 to drive down our carbon footprint, especially within our refrigeration requirements.”

Having reviewed several options, the Panasonic (R744) Cold chain units proved the best option for Riverford. Nigel explains: “We chose the Panasonic units as the best natural refrigeration solution, it offers the

best stability and the environmental credentials, along with delivering a low energy usage and fitted with what we wanted to achieve. Energy usage is going down and the system is so far performing as we expected to achieve what we wanted to keep a stable environment and reduce our costs - so all good.”

Mervin Chumun, Senior Technical Engineer at Hawco, further added, “The Panasonic cold chain units dramatically lowered the running costs, alternatives on the market are more expensive – CO2 is currently one tenth of the price per kilo. The Panasonic range does high and low temperatures – competitors aren’t currently able to offer this. In addition, Panasonic offer a five-year warranty on the compressor and two years on parts – all other competitors only offer 12 months.”

To find out more about the range https://www.aircon.panasonic.eu/GB_en/ For more information on all involved: www.Hawco.co.uk. www.keepitcoolsouthwest.co.uk/

www.Riverford.co.uk

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Issue 122

Gintel: UK On-Trade & Hospitality Favours Marketplace Dominators Over Local Small Batch Gins Market research by Shepper, an innovative data-collection service, has revealed that the UK’s on-trade and hospitality outlets are preferring to serve leading brands of gin and tonic as their house products instead of supporting local and small-batch counterparts.

tonic other than one of these two brands. Franklin & Sons was overindexed in the East Midlands, which is close to the home of the brand.

This demonstrates that the divide between independent tonic brands compared with the industry leaders is considerably larger, making it even more difficult for independent brands to break through and become major market players.

The research was conducted by Shepper’s trusted community of datacollectors and is based on a sample of 1,000 independent free-trade sites, alongside some regionally and nationally managed pub and bar groups. The findings showcase the gin and tonic buying experience and provides actionable insights for on-trade brands.

PRICE OF A G&T VARIES FROM £3 TO AN EYEWATERING £20 The average cost of a single gin and tonic is £7.73 in London and £5.67 in the East Midlands. The cheapest gin and tonic was served in Nottingham at £3.20 and the most expensive in Central London at £20.25.

BEEFEATER AND TANQUERAY LEAD THE WAY The research found that 148 different types of gin were served, with only one in ten being a regional variety. This is despite the emergence of successful small batch distilleries across the UK in recent years.

However, this was different in Scotland and Brighton, which were more likely to serve local and small batch gins – 15 per cent of researchers received an alternative to a bigger household name.

The most common gins served were Beefeater (22 per cent) and Tanqueray (18 per cent), with Bombay Sapphire and Gordons at 10 per cent. Only one in four Shepherds were offered a flavoured gin.

The data also reveals that while Tanqueray was the most preferred gin in London, Beefeater was served the most in the North West and Greater London. The East of England and the West Midlands were more likely to serve niche gins.

Lindsay Forster, CEO of Shepper, commented: “Gin and tonic is one of the most popular drinks in the UK and it has seen a huge revival over the past decade as the number of gin distilleries has grown.

The above findings indicate that the hospitality industry needs to do more to support regional gin makers. This is true for tonic producers too.

“Thanks to the comprehensive work of our local community, we now have valuable customer experience data and insight into how on-trade and hospitality are serving a house gin and tonic across the UK.

FEVERTREE AND SCHWEPPES HAVE THE MONOPOLY

“What the data shows is that the more well-known household names are preferred, but the local small batch providers are making a marginal breakthrough. However, the hospitality industry can do more to support the smaller, lesser known brands, as gin lovers are typically open to trying different types of gins, tonics and garnishes.”

Fevertree was by far the most customary tonic on offer with over half (53 per cent) serving the mixer. It was followed by another well-known brand, Schweppes at 16 per cent. Only one in four outlets served a

Open for Entries - The British Student Culinary Competition 2022 The Craft Guild of Chefs are inviting applications for the 2022 British Student Culinary Competition.

chef and one waiter will produce a themed hot canape and one themed cocktail that can be alcoholic or non-alcoholic to celebrate the Queen's Jubilee. There is no entry fee, and the six best entries will compete on the day.

The British Student Culinary Competition (BSCC) is one of the UK’s largest live culinary competitions, and will take place at The Salon, Central Bedfordshire College, Dunstable, Bedfordshire, on Tuesday 25th October – Wednesday 26th October 2022.

Andrew Green, chief executive of the Craft Guild of Chefs, said: “The Guild has always been at the forefront of developing and nurturing chef talent and this championship is an important step in that process for our young chefs.”

The BSCC has categories including live hot, live cold, restaurant, display, bakery, and food photography. The closing date for entries is 15th October.

All classes are open to both juniors and seniors, and this year for the first time there are two special classes for schoolchildren – Bakery Skills and Afternoon Tea Pastries - with the aim to get them interested in food. The classes for school children are free to enter, with other classes £10 unless stated.

The British Student Culinary Competition is a fantastic platform for all chefs, but especially for student chefs to get a first taste of competition experience. We are looking forward to the competition being held at The Salon, which is fast becoming one of the top salons in the country.”

A special category will be the Eric Bruce Memorial Trophy Canape Challenge sponsored by Worshipful Company of Cooks. Here one

For more information about the Craft Guild of Chefs please visit www.craftguildofchefs.org.uk

Deliveroo Launches ‘Chipwatch’ To Protect Britain’s Beachgoers From Seagulls This Summer at the same time.

As a new survey reveals that 53% of Brits have experienced the act of robbery by seagulls while trying to enjoy an al fresco meal*, Deliveroo swooped in to protect one of the summer’s essential rituals with the launch of ‘Chipwatch’ - a mobile seagull deterrent crew armed with reflective umbrellas, decoy hawks and a new seagull distracting track called ‘Bye Gull Bye’ by Deliveroo.

Aisha Jefferson at Deliveroo, said: “One of the biggest summer rituals is al fresco dining, especially on the beach, but seagulls can wreak havoc on your peaceful picnic. If you’re worried about food-snatching seagulls, our Chipwatch crew will be on hand to protect you from having to share your food with our flying friends. If the beach isn’t your thing but you still find yourself covering your snacks, we’ve curated a music track that will safely distract and deter seagulls from pinching your food. It’s also a bit of a banger, which you can play via the Deliveroo Youtube or Spotify channel. Hopefully it’ll be music to your ears, but not so much the seagulls’...”

Deliveroo’s ‘Chipwatch’ experience helped save the holidays and invited beachgoers to enjoy their downtime without the interruption of greedy seagulls, especially since 95% of Brits are expected to flock to beaches this summer to enjoy a spot of al fresco dining.

With the new research from Deliveroo revealing that nearly half (44%) of Brits have been concerned in the past about eating outside due to a fear of seagulls swooping in to steal their precious food, the ‘Chipwatch’ zones have been created to give the nation the summer that it deserves, without the fear of daylight fish and chips robbery.

Although The Hoff wasn't available to join the Chipwatch crew (sigh), the team still embodied the essence of the smash-hit TV show from the 90s, donning teal shorts and reflective jackets to boot. Beachgoers found the team patrolling the designated zones armed with propellers, reflective umbrellas and decoy hawks, all known to safely keep seagulls at bay.

Deliveroo has also worked with a gull expert and sound engineers to create a brand new audio track called ‘Bye Gull Bye’, which provided the

background music to the ‘Chipwatch’ zones to further ensure a seagullfree experience. The track is also available to stream nationwide now on Youtube followed by a release Spotify [Link to YouTube]. It has been curated in collaboration with Dr Madeleine Goumas, a researcher of urban herring gulls from the University of Exeter, who advised on the curation of the track in a safe way for seagulls, whilst protecting diners

Madeline Goumas, from the University of Exeter said: “This is a great initiative to help the public enjoy their Summer holidays without the threat of unwanted birds, all whilst not being harmful to them. I partnered with Deliveroo to ensure the track was no harm to the seagulls and to use gull calls to ensure it is effective. Research supports the use of gull alarm calls for deterring gulls. This is the sound gulls make when they spot a predator, and it tells other gulls to keep away. We hope this track will allow people to eat their food in peace.

No matter if Brits are eating on a beach, in a park, or in their garden this summer, Deliveroo’s new seagull deterrent music track will help to keep the gulls away. Search on YouTube and Spotify for ‘Bye Gull Bye’ to listen to the new track and eat food without having to hide it…

Hospitality Sector Called Upon To Protect National Water Supplies 24

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Issue 122

UK hospitality businesses are being urged to play their part in the battle against needless water wastage following the imposition of drought measures by two of the UK’s largest water companies.

Measures being advised include switching from flushing urinals to waterless urinals, saving hundreds of thousands of litres of water per year in hospitality businesses with more than one urinal.

Research undertaken by Smarti Environmental, the UK's leading waterless urinal provider, shows that there are currently around 3.5 million water-supplied urinals in the UK, which collectively waste 217 billion litres of water each year; a volume of water exceeding that contained within the UK’s largest reservoir.

Southern Water became the first water supplier to issue drought restrictions, which came into place on 5th August in Hampshire, with South East Water following suit, announcing a ban on hosepipe and sprinkler use beginning on 12th August in Kent and Sussex.

South East Water has said it had “no choice” but to impose water restrictions to protect customer supplies and the environment, while Southern Water has said the restrictions are necessary to “urgently reduce” demand on the River Test and River Itchen.

These restrictions arrive following England’s driest July on record since 1935, and come amid increased demand for water, which has “broken all previous records” according to South East Water. With the forecast for August and September predicted to be similar to July for South East regions, the imposing threat of water shortages could be here to stay, making water saving measures more critical than ever.

Smarti Environmental, which enables existing flushing urinals to go waterless in just a day, is calling on the hospitality sector to urgently review its use of flushing urinals to combat the effects of increasingly common droughts and water shortages.

Kimberley Hill, Business Development Manager at Smarti Environmental, commented: “Hospitality businesses have a key part to play in reducing the demand on our water supplies, and one of the simplest and most cost-effective steps is to switch to waterless urinals. This not only saves 100,000 litres of water per urinal, per year, it also cuts related costs by more than half, and CO2 by 105kg per urinal. To put that into perspective, if all urinals in the UK went waterless, that would be the equivalent of removing 100,000 diesel cars from the road, saving billions of litres of water which is being unnecessarily wasted.”

Smarti Environmental’s waterless urinals are used both by private and public sector organisations including the NHS. Its retro-fit, waterless one-way valves trap and prevent all odours from drains, and also stop the spread of viruses through the absence of airborne aerosol germs created by flushing urinals. Made from fully recyclable materials, they fit 98% of standard urinals with no need to change urinal bowls, reduce the annual running cost of a typical three bay urinal by between £630 and £1,230 a year, and use enzyme technology that makes urine PH-neutral, cutting energy required during sewerage treatment.

Visit https://smartilimited.com/ for more information or call 01392 311 202 for a no obligation washroom survey and quote.

Riso Gallo’s Fantastic Young Risotto Chef Competition is Now Open for Entries for 2023!

Now in it’s 6th year, the competition has gone from strength to strength and is a fixture on the culinary calendar for many. Open to young chefs aged 17-23 from UK and Ireland, either already in our wonderful profession or still in education, the competition offers the opportunity to win a 3 day culinary stage at the esteemed Michelin starred Il Luogo aimo in Milan and see at first hand the Gallo rice mill.

Established in 1856, Riso Gallo is the oldest Risotto rice producer in Italy and has been delivering its premium rice to consumers around the world for over six generations. Riso Gallo is the first international rice brand to have produced its rice from sustainable agriculture, making their premium best-selling risotto completely sustainable from field to fork - something which align well with our

choice, for the 2nd year, to hold our final at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, itself reknowned for its green credentials.

In addition to the competitive element the competition is known for its fun, excitement and sheer enjoyment in the cooking, and chefs at the top of their game from around the country willingly give up their time to judge the young chefs’ work and offer, in many cases, ongoing support and encouragement long after the last spoon has been served at the Final. With heats around the UK and Ireland, scheduled for January & February culminating in the stellar final in early April the whole thing is a celebration of all things rice and risotto and is just a joy to take part in.

For more information please see https://www.youngrisottochef.com

Double Accolade For Southern Contracts

SOUTHERN Contracts is thrilled to receive not one, but two awards for their performance over the past year.

Electrolux Professional have announced Southern Contracts as their Laundry Partner of the Year 2021 which is awarded to the top selling Partner of commercial laundry appliances across last year.

Southern Contracts have also been awarded Electrolux Professional’s Special Achievement Award for 2021. This is bestowed upon the company with the highest national sales of their food and laundry professional products.

To have been given these two awards is quite amazing when the whole of the country was in lockdown during this period, with hospitality, care homes, schools, cruise ships and holiday venues all closed to the outside world.

Adam Elphinstone, MD of Southern Contracts, said: “We have a very long and special relationship with Electrolux Professional and are proud to work with their products for both provision, installation and servicing. As we continue to emerge from the last couple of years we look forward to an optimistic future and all our clients being able to fully open up their businesses in this bright new world ahead.”

Mark Rogers, Regional Business Manager for Electrolux Professional, added: “Electrolux Professional have dealt with Southern Contracts for over 30 years and during that time they have established themselves as always being one of our leading distributors. We have always found them to be a first class and professional partner.

“I have worked with them personally for over 4 years and can always rely on them to provide the right solution and fantastic after-care for any customer, from a wide variety of sectors, across the Marine environment through to Care Homes, Hotels and Schools.

“Due to their many years of experience, they have a wide breadth of knowledge covering both the laundry and catering environments and although they are a company that can deal in a global marketplace, they still give the first-class friendly care of a family run business for both their remote and local customers.”

For more information about products and services on offer, contact Southern Contract’s expert team of technical staff to provide guidance and advice through every aspect of your purchase and ongoing commitment to service, please telephone 01202 422100 or visit www.southerncontracts.co.uk

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Food Prices Surge Again in June as Drought Fears Cause Concern Download the snapshot report here https://cgastrategy.com/foodservice-price-index-june-2022/

Inflation in the foodservice sector reached 11.5% in June, the latest edition of the CGA Prestige Foodservice Index reveals.

All ten food and drink categories in the Index moved upwards year-on-year, with three—Fruit, Dairy and Oils & Fats—recording inflation of more than 20%. Several categories surged month-on-month as the impacts on key commodities from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continued to mount.

Concerns are also growing about drought conditions in many parts of the UK in the wake of the recent heatwave. Strategies from the National Drought Group to deal with very dry weather could include a ban on farmers watering their crops in the crucial period of August and September, which would put root vegetables including potatoes under particular threat. Shortages of seasonal labour are adding to growers’ problems by threatening their ability to get their product to market, while poor grass growth is impacting dairy and livestock yields.

Beyond the UK, drought is already a major problem in Italy, with crops including tomatoes and durum wheat already affected, and conditions across the rest of the EU are also causing concern.

Prestige Purchasing CEO Shaun Allen said: “Instability continues to be the dominant feature of food and drink markets, and we predict that this will continue into 2023. It’s essential for operators to mitigate the impact on gross margins by investing in skills and resource levels to effectively manage this volatile environment. Doing so in a timely manner can eliminate even these high levels of inflation.”

James Ashurst, client director at CGA by NielsenIQ, said: “Drought is the latest in a very long line of threats to global foodservice supply, and alongside the ongoing war in Ukraine it means inflation is likely to remain high for some time. With consumers as well as businesses feeling a tightening squeeze on their spending, the outlook for all food and drink businesses remains challenging.”

Nottingham Council Reconsiders Late-Night Levy Charge Nottingham’s Late-Night Levy looks set to be to be scrapped following a Full Council meeting next month.

The levy, which requires businesses that sell alcohol after 12pm to make an annual payment to the local authority, was introduced in 2014 to cover the costs of policing the city centre in the early hours.

The amount each business is required to pay is defined by the size of its premises, with rates ranging from between £299 a year to £4440.

There are currently 144 Premises in the city boundary that are liable to pay the levy, which are businesses that operate after midnight and are not BID members – 48 of these operate in the city centre with an NG1 postcode while 96 are located outside of the city centre.

Melanie Bird, licensing compliance manager at Nottingham City Council, told a licensing committee meeting earlier this month that “The fact is that this levy is disproportionately affecting businesses outside the city centre which are more likely to be family owned, single premises rather than a franchise. The covid pandemic highlighted the financial pressures on businesses and this approach would aim to reduce that burden.”

The council currently receives 30 percent of the income generated from the scheme, with the other 70 percent being given to the Nottinghamshire Police and Crime Commissioner, who expressed concerns regarding safety if the scheme was scrapped.

The measure could be scrapped as soon as October.

Bristol City Women Visit Shirt Sponsor Thatchers The Bristol City Women squad visit shirt sponsor Thatchers Cider.

They are pictured with fourth generation cider maker, Martin Thatcher, centre.

In an historic week for women’s football in England with the Lionesses’ Euro success, the Bristol City team visited shirt sponsor Thatchers Cider to mark the start of the fourth season of their partnership.

To celebrate the new campaign and Thatchers Cider’s support as back of shirt sponsor for the Robins’ home and away kit, team members were guided through the cider-making journey before honing their team building skills and creating their own blend.

Thatchers Managing Director and fourth generation cider maker Martin Thatcher, who hosted the team, said: “Through our long-standing relationship with Bristol Sport, we’re so proud to be entering our fourth year of backing Bristol City Women and Bristol Bears Women. There’s been a definite buzz in the air thanks to the brilliant success of the Lionesses, we’re absolutely delighted for them and the impact their Euro 2022 win will have on the future of the game.”

The women have settled into their home at the Robins High Performance Centre and will play a selection of Barclays Women’s Championship matches at Ashton Gate.

Martin Thatcher added: “Crowds have been growing steadily for Bristol City Women at the Robins High Performance Centre, just a few miles down the road from Myrtle Farm, and I’m sure the recent historic result will bring even more fans in through the gates.

"As Bristol’s local family cider maker we’re always delighted to be a part of activity at Bristol Sport, which recognises the importance of family and community. We wish Bristol City Women a successful season ahead and congratulate them in the amazing work they do in inspiring the next generation of footballers.”

Justine Kebby, Bristol Sport’s Group Head of Commercial, said: “Thatchers Cider continues to be a fantastic partner to Bristol Sport and our clubs. They have been brilliant in supporting the women’s game and now as we enter an exciting new era with the success of our national team we’re looking forward to working closely with them again this season. The visit to Thatchers’ Myrtle Farm goes a long way to further promote our partnership.”

During their visit to Myrtle Farm, its orchards and cider mill, Bristol City Women team members met cider makers Richard Johnson and Sophie Jennings and heard from Head of Marketing Philip McTeer about Thatchers’ four generations of cider making.

Hubbard Advice On Keeping Your Ice Machine Clean As summer gets into high gear the ice experts at Hubbard Systems highlight the importance of keeping your ice machine safe and hygienic with a schedule of regular preventative maintenance.

Ice machines continually process water, which means they are at risk of becoming contaminated if not cleaned and maintained. High quality ice machines like the range from Scotsman include design features that help to keep them operating at peak efficiency. However, it is vital to institute a schedule of maintenance and cleaning on a daily, weekly and monthly basis as well as regular visits from trained service engineers.

Ensuring staff are trained in how to use and maintain your ice machine is the foundation of maintaining ice hygiene. Regular training and refresher sessions should be scheduled to make sure staff knowledge remains fresh.

ICE MACHINE MAINTENANCE TIPS · The ice storage bin should be fully emptied and cleaned every couple of months. This will ensure that ice is kept in perfect condition until needed.. · The water filter cartridge should be replaced at least once a year, although depending on local water quality and usage levels this might need to be more frequent. · After cleaning either the storage bin or changing the filter, the fresh water system should be flushed through before use to remove any residual contaminants. · While a good quality water filter will dramatically reduce the build up of scale on the evaporator, if you have very hard water it may still occur. Removing scale from the evaporator will keep the ice being made as pure as possible. This is usually a job for the service engineer. · Check the evaporator for build up at the same time as you clean the storage bin. Ice with scale can look milky or cloudy. · The air filters can often be overlooked in maintenance schedules, but should be cleaned regularly to guarantee the machine’s cooling capacity is working at optimum efficiency.

ICE HANDLING TIPS · Correct handling technique is vital so ice reaches customers in peak hygienic condition. Make sure ice never gets touched with bare hands and is only removed with a scoop.

· The scoop itself should be only stored in a tub of sanitiser between uses, not left on top of the machine or in the ice storage bin. · As well as this they should ensure that it is never contaminated by foreign bodies like bottle tops or labels. If glass enters the storage bin it’s vital that it is emptied and cleaned thoroughly.

LOOKING AFTER ULTRAVIOLET SANITISING SYSTEMS Ultraviolet sanitation systems have become increasingly common in ice machines since the pandemic. They provide an extra level of security by using the natural power of UV light to destroy viruses and bacteria, preventing the growth of mould, mildew, slime, and stopping odours The XSafe system is one of the key safety features fitted as standard on the Scotsman range of ice machines. Unlike many other UV systems it is capable of working throughout the machine, even in a storage bin filled with ice.

Over time the effectiveness of the UV lightbulb reduces, and as the XSafe system runs constantly Hubbard Systems recommends getting it changed every 12 months. This will ensure the bulb and the XSafe system is always working at its full potential.

Arranging for a qualified engineer to regularly service your ice machine can take a lot of the guesswork out of these regular maintenance tasks. The dealer or retailer who supplied the machine should be able to help, either by providing service themselves or by recommending a third party. If in doubt, Hubbard System’s sister company HTG Service can provide service for the full Scotsman range and most popular makes of ice machine.

For specialist advice on looking after your ice machine, contact the ice experts at Hubbard Systems on 01473 350000. There are also a variety of specialist cleaning and maintenance guides which can be found in the downloads section at Scotsman-ice.co.uk.

Hubbard Systems is the UK distributor for the market-leading Scotsman range of icemakers and the Friulinox range of refrigeration products, which are available via dealers nationwide. Hubbard Systems is part of HTG Trading Ltd. For more information and details of local stockists, call Hubbard Systems on 01473 350045, email sales@hubbardsystems.co.uk or visit www.scotsman-ice.co.uk

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Heating Solutions

Gas Water Heating & Sustainability If you are wrestling with meeting calls to be more environmentally aware as a business, then it is worth understanding that a limitation on new gas grid connections for heating systems becomes effective this year.

However, this mandate does not apply to already connected buildings. For the time being, if a hospitality business uses gas and is intending to refurbish premises then it can upgrade to new condensing gas-fired appliances until 2035 without fear of breaching new buildings regulations. This provides a safety net while assessing new low carbon technology options prior to the 2035 deadline.

Opting for a heat pump based all-electric hot water system is going to considerably reduce emissions, but comes with additional capital costs, despite the government’s boiler replacement scheme which is open to small businesses. For those ‘on gas’ it is well worth considering the implementation of solar thermal preheat for gas-fired systems if you wanted to make sus-

tainability commitments with proven and genuinely renewable technology.

But with so many companies already using gas, and aware of the cost implications that come with system replacements, Adveco has developed two new ranges of direct-fired condensing water heaters – the AD and the ADplus for instantaneous demands. Both ranges provide a compact, floorstanding design that is easy to introduce into an existing plant room. High efficiency translates into 30% savings in fuel consumption, making it more cost-effective, while reducing emissions. Both AD and ADplus exhibit ultra-low NOX and CO emissions.

So long as there is an existing gas connection, the AD & ADplus can help bridge towards the next generation of more cost-effective sustainable technologies, such as hydrogen in the gas grid. www.adveco.co

AHTIDAIKIN Heat Recovery Solutions • ENERGY PRICING IS AT HISTORICALLY HIGH LEVELS • CHOOSE AHT/DAIKIN AS YOUR STRATEGIC PARTNER • PREPARE FOR THE CHANGING COST OF ENERGY AHT/DAIKIN have leading edge energy saving solutions including fully heat recovered technology.

AHT/DAIKIN provide low GWP, high efficiency products.

The lowest GWP in the market (R290).

Our refrigeration systems can be used to power instore heating.

AHT Cooling Systems (UK) Ltd

Drastically reducing energy usage and providing up to 95% of all heating.

Email - info@aht.at

Phone - +44 1280 826 600

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Fylde Fresh and Fabulous Based in the heart of the Fylde countryside Fylde Fresh and Fabulous Ltd are a wellestablished family run business with over 30 years of history growing and processing potatoes. We are passionate about what we do. We grow, harvest, store, process and deliver fresh chips and potato products under the Triple F brand to customers the length and breadth of the country. We operate 24 hours a day 365 days a year.

We are BRC AA accredited and Red Tractor approved, making us a reliable supplier to the foodservice industry.

POWERED BY POTATOES Fylde Fresh are committed to supporting the environment. We have our very own anaerobic digester which is uses all of the peelings generated from the potato process. This produces biogas which powers the site and the local community and produces a fertilizer for growing next years spuds.

Whitby Seafoods Founded back in 1985 by Graham Whittle, Whitby Seafoods are a buccaneering, privately owned, family business based in Whitby - a real place with a rich history as a fishing port.

Graham founded the business with a quest to create ‘proper’ Scampi, using Langoustine tails responsibly sourced from the waters around the British Isles. This ‘quest for the best’ ethos remains, and we continue to be obsessed with top-notch seafood and remain market leaders in quality.

We are the beacon brand for scampi and are the UK’s largest buyer and manufacturer of scampi. Simply put, we sell more scampi than anyone else anywhere else, with a whopping 1 million portions of Whitby Scampi being eaten by discerning seafood lovers each week!

Being experts in what we do has enabled us to remain as the number 1 brand in foodservice since the company began. Whitby Scampi has become a famous

WHAT WE OFFER We provide national coverage, delivering our fresh potato products direct to your door via a network of distributors across the UK. We offer a number of fresh potato products from fresh chips to whole peel and quarter cuts. Our chilled products take all the hassle out of food preparation. Products can be delivered fresh daily. There’s no waste, prep time, labour cost or mess.

All you need is chilled space. We aim to take the stress out of potato preparation. Why not contact us today for a free sample. Just email sales@fyldefreshandfabulous.com and one of our sales team will be in touch directly to deal with your enquiry.

FFF chips are now available to buy online from our website www.fyldefreshandfabulous.com. We are offering all Caterer Licensee readers a 10% discount off their first order. Simply quote discount code CLM22 on the website to take advantage of this offer. dish in pubs and restaurants throughout the land, gracing the very best menus as a signifier of discernment.

To bring a touch of the seaside to your establishment, we offer free point of sale items including greaseproof, napkins and swingboards available with the purchase of our flagship Whitby Scampi. Not only is our point of sale wonderfully eye catching, but it’s also a signifier of quality to those looking for something delicious to eat.

Our point of sale has been a firm favourite with many of our customers over the last 10 years. Here is what some have had to say: “Whitby branded POS where I am does work- I’m based opposite 1500 caravans so when it’s nice and they are sitting outside with the branded serving items it really does make a difference” “Having Whitby POS has helped promote our scampi sales dramatically. Presentation is key to encourage return business and for positive reviews with images too.

The Whitby Scampi POS products help us achieve this.”

If you want to hook into our point of sale, call 01947 606101 or email info@whitby-seafoods.com with proof of purchase to claim.

Please mention the Caterer, Licensee & Hotelier News when replying to advertising

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Macduff - Wild About Shellfish Macduff’s wild-caught Hebridean Langoustines come from the pristine, rich waters of the Outer Hebrides, off the west coast of Scotland, where the warm flowing Gulf Stream meets the cool currents of the Arctic and Greenland Sea. Here, fishing boats depart for short one- to two day trips, ensuring only the freshest langoustines are landed.

At the factory, langoustines are washed, size graded and carefully hand-packed. This state-of-the-art facility is equipped with an Advantec freezer, a high velocity air freezing

technology that allows the rapid and efficient freezing of langoustines within 25 minutes or less, locking in freshness. They are then hand-packed by our dedicated team, resulting in rich, vibrant-orange langoustines with a firm texture and uniquely sweet delicate flavour.

Popular amongst chefs in fine dining restaurants, Macduff’s West Coast Hebridean Langoustines are a true shellfish delicacy.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT THE MACDUFF OFFICE NEAREST YOU: Mintlaw Sales Office: +44 (0) 1771 624000, sales@macduffshellfish.co.uk Windsor Sales Office: +44 (0) 1753 858 188, windsorsales@clearwater.ca

10 Years of Foodie Flavours

The Club – Food Procurement Made Simple create supply chains that work for you, reducing offgrid purchases, optimising your quality and commercial control.

for Vegans & Vegetarians, Glutenfree, Dairy-free, Egg-free, no added sugar and made in the UK.

They set out to bring professional, manufacturing grade natural flavourings to the home and small business market. Ten years on and Foodie Flavours have established their brand bringing high strength flavourings to serious foodies and small businesses across the UK and beyond.

Taste and aroma are the senses that define and help us recognize the things we love to eat and drink. Foodie Flavours’ professional quality natural flavourings are crafted by experienced flavourists using quality materials sourced from around the world.

Consistent taste profiles are a must for food & drink producers and Foodie Flavours products are all manufactured to strict GFSI compliant quality standards.

As well as ever popular Raspberry, Vanilla, Caramel and Orange - their extensive range includes a wonderful Rhubarb, Sweet Hazelnut & Chocolate, Passion Fruit, Ginger, Cinnamon, Chilli and many more. All are natural flavourings or extracts, suitable

Loved by Chef’s as great ‘kickers’ for their mouth-watering recipes. Valued by hospitality for their low cost in use and consistent flavour profiles. With sizes available to buy online in 15ml, 200ml, and 1 litre or more Foodie Flavours give a very flexible advantage to customers.

Quick delivery from stock as well as samples and made-to-order flavours round out the service from this innovative company.

Insight – Our insights and the wealth of data at our disposal help you make the right decisions for your business.

What is The Club?

We created The Club as an easy-to use procurement tool to deliver sustainable supply chain savings to a wide variety of businesses who buy food and drink. The Club champions cost reduction, optimises quality and service levels, and simplifies processes to effectively manage your organisation’s developing needs. Think of us as part of your team, without the cost, working in harmony with your business and helping it grow.

Foodie Flavours has built a reputation for quality, strength and friendly advice. Their flavourings are used in cooking, baking, confectionary, desserts, chocolate, fudge, ice cream, cocktails, beers, ciders, spirits, soft drinks, snack bars and much more.

What are the benefits?

Check out their website at www.foodieflavours.com not only for great natural flavourings, but also some great recipes and guides on how to use flavours.

Saves Time – We are always working in the background - so you don’t have to - ensuring you don’t overpay for your items.

Lower Costs – Rapidly accessed savings that drive benefit straight to your bottom line.

Professionally negotiated and carefully managed, our team puts you ahead of the market.

Supply Chain Control – We work with you, to

Resources - Access to a team of procurement experts and a dedicated commercial manager to keep you up to date with the marketplace, review dashboards and supplier performance.

Flexibility – You are unique, constantly growing and evolving. Regular reviews ensure the solutions in place are appropriate, for now and for the future.

Tech – Powerful, efficient online ordering and reporting system, that can be accessed anywhere through your desktop, phone or tablet powered by Fourth.

No Cash Outlay – We collect our fixed fee directly from suppliers, so you always know exactly what we earn.

Peace of Mind – First class supply chains take time and expertise. Our team of procurement specialists have been creating sustainable supply chains that deliver savings and add value since 1998.

Visit www.prestigetheclub.com or see the advert below.

Please mention the Caterer, Licensee & Hotelier News when replying to advertising

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Products and Services

Are You Looking To Make Your Menus More Sustainable?

Are you looking to make your menus more sustainable?

We’re proud to present Grass 95 – a paper that is ecologically responsible without compromising on the print quality!

Grass 95 is a new and exclusive grass-based paper from Online Paper. Give your customers a truly authentic experience by printing your menus, flyers and more on this unique paper. Made from 70% FSC wood pulp & 30% grass pulp, Grass 95 is recyclable, compostable and eco-friendly. It has a wonderful look and feel that will add credibility to environmentally conscious restaurants and businesses.

With one side of the paper coated for inkjet printers and the reverse optimised for laser printers, Grass 95 is a fully versatile paper that can suit any restaurant or

office setup. Achieve fantastic prints with rich, crisp text and detailed images on any printer.

You’re guaranteed to produce high quality results without the large costs and time-restraints of outsourcing your printing, keeping both sustainability and economics at the forefront.

Don’t have a printer yet but thinking about bringing one into your business? As suppliers of Canon printers and ink, Online Paper can help get you set up.

The team have a wealth of knowledge and can answer any questions on the world of paper and printing whilst finding you the best prices.

Call Online Paper on 01892 771245 to discuss your requirements or request a free sample of Grass 95. You can also visit www.onlinepaper.co.uk to explore the whole range of products.

How to Cut Water Use, Bills and CO2 in One Simple Step Hospitality businesses could slash CO2 footprints, cut water use by hundreds of thousands of litres each year, and annually save over £1,200 on every three urinals operated, simply by switching to waterless technology.

These findings have been released by Smarti Environmental, the UK’s leading waterless urinal business, following one of the driest and hottest summers in living memory, leading to water shortages, and drought measures across the UK. The savings are possible with the installation of Smarti Environmental’s eco-friendly waterless Vortex triple seal valve (TSV), which has been designed to cut urinal running bills by over half, at the same time as eliminating bad urinal smells, and blockages commonly experienced in flushing urinals.

Ending the need for water, the eco-friendly, retro-fit Vortex valve typically saves 100,000 litres of clean water and 105kg CO2 per urinal, per year. It also prevents airborne infections caused by flushing urinals, which have been shown to spread 500,000 germs per inch, per flush, landing on skin, surfaces and clothing, spreading viruses including Covid-19, influenza and norovirus.

The Vortex TSV fits 98% of all urinals, which means that businesses can retain their existing urinal bowls, and it also provides the fastest draining waterless urinal solution on the market.

Utilising an eco-friendly bio-block enzyme ring and integrated bio-tablet that breaks down uric acid and bio

Bottleproof Cocktails have been supplying their premium range of pre-made bottled cocktails exclusively to the hospitality trade since 2016. Customers include hotels, theatres, restaurants, pubs and events venues across the UK. Why choose Bottleproof? Well, they have a range of over 25 cocktails including 0% cocktails and they only supply the on-trade. Plus they have received a list of awards as long as your arm from IWSC, Spirits Business and LSC. Their cocktails are, as Charlie Anderson, co-owner of Bottleproof says “created to replicate the perfect bar serve. They are all full abv and we only use premium ingredients and branded spirits just as a top bar would. We don’t add any preservatives, flavourings or colourings so they really are the real deal with no synthetic tastes” Bottleproof cocktails are now served in some of the UK’s best hotels, pubs and restaurants and the reason, other than the taste, says Mark Thompson, co-owner, who heads up sales, is ”they can be served in less than 30 seconds, require no training (other than how to use a cocktail shaker) and allow venues far greater stock control. Both Charlie and I have either worked in or supplied the ontrade for over 20 years and we understand the hospi-

tality business. I think the fact that our cocktails are an ontrade exclusive is really appealing to our customers.

Also, the post lockdown staffing difficulties have seen many venues really struggle with staffing and serving cocktails with un-trained staff has been a real issue.

Bottleproof’s cocktails have provided a solution” In addition to their range of cocktails, Bottleproof also make many bespoke cocktails for customers, including a cocktail designed specifically for hotel rooms that requires no ice and no shaking! With a range of 0% cocktails as well, Bottleproof really can allow trade venues a full and balanced cocktail list.

And Eco-friendly Paper bottles options…..

As to the future, Charlie says, “we are really working on improving and encouraging sustainability and from August 2022, we will be the first cocktail company to make some of our cocktails available in environmentally friendly paper bottles. These ground-breaking paper bottles are 94% more recyclable than glass and reduce the carbon footprint by up to 6 times. Plus they significantly reduce the commercial waste collection costs of venues compared to bottles” Bottleproof Cocktails are available either direct or through selected trade wholesalers.

For more details, visit www.bottleproof.co.uk or email info@bottleproof.co.uk

Have Fun in the Sun with Smashed 0% AF Drynks ing delicious alternative to booze. film proteins, the valve not only makes urine PH neutral a world first - but it also prevents costly and damaging back-fill flooding caused by the chemical reaction between urine and water, which leads to uric salt and biofilm build-up that often blocks flushing urinal waste pipes.

With the ability to be fitted in under a day, Smarti’s waterless urinal solutions offer a great way to cut costs, carbon and water use simply, easily and with the minimum of fuss, enabling hospitality businesses to function even during periods of water shortages.

Visit https://smartilimited.com/ or call 01392 311 202 for a no obligation washroom survey and quote.

Introducing 8Track: A New UK Made Premium Spiced Rum Upbeat Spirits, a new independent drinks company based in Cornwall, introduced an exciting new spiced rum – with the launch of 8Track.

The refreshing new spiced rum boasts a full flavour, smooth, zestful spirit – balanced with fresh citrus and warm spice – offering a premium, allnatural and high-quality product.

Owing its name to the iconic 20th century eight-track recording kit used by artists ranging from the Beatles to David Bowie, 8Track was born from a shared love of music, togetherness, celebrating good times.

8Track is designed to be enjoyed served straight, on the rocks, with a quality mixer or as the base of a cocktail.

Made from a base of fine Guyanese rum, the bespoke blend is infused with Seville oranges, vanilla, cloves, ginger and cinnamon to create a unique spirit that is already winning many fans. In its first 12 months of trading, 8Track is now served in over 700 bars and pubs and has won several awards, including a Gold at the recent London Spirits Competition.

8Track is showing its commitment to celebrating and supporting independent music by partnering grass-roots music festivals and venues and also by show-casing unsigned music artists in 8Track’s social media and through “8Track Presents” nights at music pubs from Cornwall to London and Manchester.

Striving to do better for the planet, 8Track uses only lightweight recycled glass bottles (which are 100% recy-

Bottleproof Cocktails – Allowing All Venues To Serve Quality Cocktails

clable) and is partnering with paper packaging pioneers, FlexiHex - to offer a sustainable packaging solution that’s plastic free.

Standing out from the crowd, the fun-loving and exciting new rum is presented with a bold and bright label design – encapsulating its ‘good times’ philosophy.

8Track signature serves include:

Back to Black: In a tall glass, squeeze in the juice of half of a fresh lime. Drop two lime wedges into the glass and top with ice cubes. Pour in a double measure of 8Track and pour over cold cola.

Stir with a barspoon and start sipping – with nonchalance.

Twisted Fire Starter: Fill a tall glass with ice and add a measure or two of 8Track.

Pour over ginger beer, stir with a barspoon and garnish with a twist of lime. Feel the heat.

Night Fever: Fill a tall glass with ice cubes, followed by a measure of 8Track. Top-up with Mediterranean tonic and garnish with a slice of fresh orange. Guaranteed to keep you cool, on the hottest of dancefloors.

8Track is available nationwide in the UK through regional and national wholesalers including St. Austell Brewery, www.Masterofmalt.com www.eebria.com Inn-Express and Baby Bottles. 8Track has also recently won a listing with Nectar.

Visit www.8Trackrum.co.uk for details.

The hospitality sector is still playing catch on offering ranges of alcohol free drinks which appeal to consumers who want to flex their drinking. Our insight shows that consumers want to be able to flex their drinking so offering a choice of drinks options makes good business sense.

Drynks Unlimited produces Smashed which is Britain’s only 0% beer, lager and cider range.

The summer BBQ season is the perfect time for hospitality venues to offer alcohol free drinks to customers. Our triple gold award-winning duo of 0% British ciders – Apple and Berry - offer refreshment and a quality experience that tastes just as good as an alcoholic cider. They have no added sugar so are much more drinkable than sweeter alcoholic alternatives.

Our Smashed range of 0% beers, lagers and ciders can be enjoyed anytime, anywhere and perfect for summer drynking.

We’ve had great customer feedback on our Smashed drinks at summer events as they offer a thirst quench-

Our ambition was always to create a range of 0% beer, lagers and ciders which catered for everyone, whatever their tipple of choice.

We use real beer, cider & lager as their base (5.2% ABV) to offer a genuine alternative allowing consumers to enjoy the “taste belief” that you are drinking the real thing.

Alcohol free drinks are a positive purchase showing that you can have fun without drinking alcohol. This step-change in messaging is vital if we are to grow the total market in the UK in the long term.

For further information visit www.smasheddrynks.com or see the advert on page 7.

The Sausage Man Wins Multiple Great Taste Awards The Sausage Man has been named among the top food and drink producers globally this year, picking up a total of 10 highly prized Great Taste Awards. Tasted by the experts, four varieties of The Sausage Man’s sausages and two drinks are awarded a Great Taste 1 Star and a further four drinks awarded a Great Taste 2 Star in this year’s quest for the finest food and drink products.

The Sausage Man has been importing authentic German sausages, charcuterie and a host of German food and drink into the UK for over 17 years. All products are carefully selected for the very best in quality, taste and cooking performance. They are the trusted supplier of premium quality German foods across retail and foodservice, with sausages being a speciality – all crafted by traditional German butchers, using time honoured family recipes.

The four winning sausages received a 1 Star Great Taste Award and excellent feedback from the judges: Krakauer Bacon Frankfurter XXL 25cm – “A nicely made sausage. These Frankfurters made us so happy.

The meat was very juicy and the smokiness and saltiness from the bacon were just perfect with a lovely lingering finish.”

Beef Hot Dog 18cm – “We would buy these!

They are delicious. They look good and by golly, they taste good. We enjoyed the little touch of black pepper and thought the seasoning spot on.”

Cheese Frankfurter XXL 25cm – “A savoury moreish sausage. The soft and tasty Emmental filling melts and makes a good contrast when eaten with the firm smoky sausage. The skin has just the right amount of snap, the chunks of Emmental are generous.”

Chilli Beef Giant Frankfurter 28cm – “Innovative concept being all-beef. Visible chilli flakes are running through the sausage. On taste the heat is gentle and builds without overpowering.”

For product information, inspirational recipes and to find your foodservice distributor go to www.wholesale.sausageman.co.uk, email info@sausageman.co.uk or call 01322 867060

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Authentic Spanish Sangria – Now In A Can! Sangria Solsueño, an authentic Spanish sangria, is now available in a 330ml slimline can, bringing a ray of liquid sunshine to the UK market and beyond.

Solsueño is vegan, gluten free and uses only natural ingredients, plus is packaged in an ecofriendly can format.

Crafted in the Denominacion de Origen protected region of Jumilla in Murcia, Spain, Solsueño is a 5% abv, bright red, easy-drinking liquid, and is instantly recognisable as a genuine sangria.

With high awareness levels of sangria amongst UK consumers, and the travel challenges faced in recent years, Solsueño is bringing a much-needed taste of Spain to the UK!

Tim Smith of Solsueño explains, “the advantages of a ready-made liquid are consistency, time saved in preparation and no wastage. Solsueño is ideal for all indoor and outdoor settings, available as a single-serve reflecting modern consumption patterns and in a format which is innovative and convenient. It can, of course, be added to a jug for the sharing experience with ice and fruit’’

To receive a free Solsueño sample pack and back bar display unit, limited to the first 100 requests, visit: https://www.sangria-solsueno.com/free-sample-pack/ Find out more at www.sangria-solsueno.com or get in touch via email info@sangria-solsueno.com

New Additions to the Weetabix Portion Pack Range

By David Bone, Foodservice Channel Manager, Weetabix Catering for the differing needs of consumers at breakfast can be a tricky business. We know that they want taste but are concerned about the healthiness of their breakfast so delivering tasty healthy cereals has always been a focus for us. Weetabix Original is and will always be a low sugar, high fibre cereal. It is low in salt, fat & sugar to aid a balanced diet, fortified with vitamins and iron. It is by definition, HFSS & CQUIN compliant. Our more indulgent products such as Weetabix Chocolate, Chocolate Crispy Minis and our new launch Weetabix Melts also share strong nutritional credentials with the parent brand.

Cereal has a lot of versatility – it’s quick and convenient but can also be personalised with additional toppings and different milks, which taps into the trend for personalised breakfasts. This is a great option for caterers to allow consumers to customise their breakfast cereal, offering variety in the morning. Cereal is also still the number one breakfast product - it offers great value for money, which will be important both to consumers and caterers in the months ahead.

Whether you’re expanding your continental breakfast offering or looking for convenient options to serve, our new portion pack range helps caterers satisfy convenient individual servings, regulate portion control and provide lower volume service.

London Roof Garden Boasts Toilet Block Thanks to Saniflo

The Queen Elizabeth Hall at the iconic Southbank Centre has a stunning roof garden and café overlooking the Thames. Filled with wildflowers and attracting bees and insects from all over London, it is a place to socialise, dine and even work when the weather is fine.

Early in 2022 the team running the venue came to a consensus that the distance of the nearest WC’s was hindering the experience for clients and staff alike; customers had to descend the winding staircase back to the Royal Festival Hall in the main building.

Richard Riley from building contractor, Eleven London, was contracted to construct a wooden toilet block with two separate WC’s and hand basins. With no gravity drainage available in proximity of the new block, a pumping solution was going to be the only way to discharge the waste away to the nearest soil

stack some 40m away.

With input from the Saniflo technical team, including a visit to site to assess the potential run of pipework, a Sanicubic Pro 2 lifting station with twin pumps and a wireless alarm was specified and installed by Richard and his plumber. This powerful unit uses alternate pumps when operating normally, but in the unlikely event of a pump failure can switch to single pump operation in order to provide continuity of operation at all times.

A wireless alarm offers early warning of any issues.

The unit is installed in a cupboard to the rear of the block and provides quiet, efficient operation.

The installation of the roof garden toilet block has proved to be an excellent investment with the whole space enjoying more visitors who stay for longer.

For more positive solutions and inspiration, visit www.saniflo.co.uk

Weetabix Original and Weetabix Chocolate are now available as two-biscuit portion packs in the classic Yellow Box format Weetabix Crispy Minis Chocolate Chip is available in a 40g portion pack. Convenient, easy to prepare, hygienically packaged and portable, Weetabix’s portion packs are ideal for breakfast serving occasions.

Weetabix On the Go breakfast drinks are a great way to offer a convenient way to start the day for customers. Available in deliciously smooth chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, or banana flavours, our Weetabix On the Go range all provide the protein, energy, and fibre of a typical Weetabix cereal with milk. Alpen cereal bars also offer a perfect snacking boost to offer any time of day, offering a high in fibre snack in a range to tasty flavours.

See tbe advert on page 15 for further information.

‘Mix Like An Italian’ With The New Range Of Premium Mixers From Sanpellegrino As cocktail consumption continues to surge and popularity of low and no alcohol serves continue to rise, Sanpellegrino brings its 90 years of drinks experience, natural quality ingredients, exceptional citrus heritage and unique sparkling bubbles to the super premium mixers market with its new range.

Superbly balanced bitter-sweet, crisp and vibrant flavours, presented in beautifully premium glass bottles, the Sanpellegrino mixers range includes Tonica Citrus, Tonica Oakwood, Limonata, Aranciata, and brand-new Ginger Beer and Tastefully Light Tonic.

Since 1932, Sanpellegrino has crafted Italian sparkling drinks with selected and refined ingredients, masterfully mixed by Italians to create authentic, refreshing premium drinks with a distinctive citrus flavour.

The new range aims to bring people together in the Italian way through the traditional aperitivo drinking occasion. The six premium sparkling drinks are made to uplift shared drinking occasions, whether mixing

into a cocktail, elevating a mocktail or serving over ice with a slice; inviting consumers to savour their drinking moments in style.

Michela Tasso, Sanpellegrino UK Brand Manager says: “We can see that early evening consumption from 5 to 8pm – known in Italy as the aperitivo moment - keeps growing and that a strong cocktail offering provides great benefits to outlets; with cocktails accounting for 7% of total venue food and drink sales in 2021, compared to just 4% in 20191. Italian to our core, this ‘aperitivo hour’ is something we have always embraced at SanPellegrino and are delighted that we can now enhance this moment with the launch of our new Italian mixers range. Indeed, for moments to savour, mix like an Italian.”

Available to purchase online and in the on-trade directly from Nestle Waters.

See the advert on page 11.

1 CGA Managed Volume Pool August 2021

A REAL Great Taste 2002 Award Winner!

Tayto Group are delighted to announce they have been awarded a 1-star Great Taste Award for yet another of the delicious flavours in their premium hospitality-exclusive REAL hand cooked crisps range - mouth-wateringly meaty REAL Handcooked Roast Ox. Great Taste - the world’s most coveted food and drink award - is recognised as a stamp of excellence among consumers and retailers alike and celebrates taste above all else.

Winning the much sought-after award for this new and improved recipe, is a real testament to the care and expertise of the REAL hand cooked crisps brand. Judges raved…

"Deep golden fry with super crispy texture. No doubt that these crisps meet the umami cravings with their rich, meaty and yeasty flavour notes. Levels of salt are spot on to lift the earthiness delivered from the potato."

"The potato itself is fabulous and full of integrity. The crisp crunch as you bite in is tremendous texturally spot on. We enjoyed the mix and level of spice - not too overpowering and humming along in the background allowing the potato to sing. Outstanding, moreish and satisfying crisps!”

A proudly British, family-owned company, using British and Irish potatoes, the team at REAL hand

cooked crisps have been applying their potato knowledge and expertise to supply premium crisps to the hospitality sector for over 20 years. The premium REAL Hand Cooked Crisps range is gluten free, with no added MSG, suitable for vegetarians and six flavours are suitable for vegans too. With 82% brand awareness in a recent survey of Craft Gin Club members, they’re proving incredibly popular with the 25-34-year age bracket.

Distinct strong flavours perfectly partner a drink or snack, while sympathetic cooking enables the moreish taste of potato to still come through – ensuring that EVERY flavour of REAL Handcooked crisps delivers great golden crunchy crispy spheres of great taste!

Roast Ox isn’t the first award-winning flavour in the range, which already boasts Great Taste Awards for their delicious Sea Salt, Sweet Chilli, Sea Salt & Malt Vinegar, and Jalapeno Pepper flavours.

As well as this premium hospitality brand, Great Taste Producer - Tayto - have Snacking Sorted.

Their extensive range of snacks including Mr Porky and Midlands Snacks (top two selling pork scratchings brands) and Tayto Craft crisps all Great Taste Award winners!

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Capitalising on the Growing Coffee Trend With demand for coffee in the UK continuing to grow, the ability to offer a quality coffee product can set a pub/bar or restaurant apart from the rest.

Coffee has long been part of the social scene in the UK. According to Project Café UK 2021, the branded coffee shop sector was worth £3.06bn in revenue last year, with 9,159 outlets in operation.

That means each outlet made more than £327,000, despite the impact of Coronavirus. In 2019, the figure was more than £390,000.

What used to be mainly an after-dinner drink is now something to be enjoyed any time of day and as a social event – “let’s meet for coffee”.

So, post pandemic it’s more important than ever to capitalise on this growing market. The good news is that both coffee and tea continue to see an increase in demand within the pub/bar and restaurant sector, with the Tetley Tea Report revealing that coffee is the third most popular drink in pubs, with tea coming in at sixth.

The report’s findings highlight how coffee and tea have both seen an increase in consumption, largely as a result of breakfast becoming a more critical part of a pub’s offering. Pubco Wetherspoon has long since embraced this market, offering a broad breakfast menu, and pre-pandemic were selling upwards of 50 million hot beverages a year.

As the landscape of British pubs and beer has seen a dramatic change, pubs have looked for and found innovative ways to ensure the market remains current and attractive to consumers, and by opening earlier in the morning pubs have reinvented themselves slightly, giving them more of a coffee shop atmosphere. Britain’s increasingly mobile workforce are often looking for a place outside the home/office to get some work done and setting up in a pub with WiFi can be an enticing idea for some.

Pubs should see this growing demand as an oppor-

tunity to take advantage of a product that will bring in customers at times of the day that traditionally see low demand for alcoholic beverages. The opportunity to offer coffee in the morning and at lunchtime, combined with the low cost of production means that pubs can make the most of a product that should fit perfectly in their environment.

STANDING OUT Selling coffee successfully in a pub environment is only going to be possible if you take the option seriously, and that means well-trained staff, a visually appealing machines, and high-quality coffee.

It means taking pride in your product and creating the right ambience. What coffee shops may have, which pubs often lack, is a bright, light-filled interior.

However, with more pubs introducing comfortable seating and with many having the benefit of attractive gardens and outside seating, there are clearly ways of promoting any pub as a daytime coffee bar.

DIVERSE TASTES Pubs and bars do, however, face continuing challenges when it comes to the diverse tastes of consumers. They now need to cater to the ever-changing alcohol market, as well as those seeking out venues where they have a greater choice of non-alcoholic beverages. It is key for owners to meet consumer demand head-on, as failing to do so will see younger generations turn their back on them.

It is important to constantly assess the market and understand the changing tastes of consumers. While it is difficult to know what the next five years will hold, the statistics indicate that the out-of-home hot beverage market remains growing one. With consumers’ growing desire to stay fit and healthy, the trend only looks set to gather pace.

Ultimately, operators in the hospitality sector that can gauge rising consumer interest and subsequently cater for it will have the best chance of success.

PLEASE MENTION CLH NEWS WHEN RESPONDING TO ADVERTISERS.

Cleaning and Hygiene

Mechline’s 5 Star FOGS Solution at The Landmark “Obviously the most important thing for us is that any FOGS system is compliant with regulations, meets industry standards and ensures we maintain the highest possible hygiene levels. We were also looking for something with a proven track record, that is efficient, cost-effective, long lasting and odour free! We were clear that any FOGS solution must also be easy to maintain and require minimal input from staff. After the design team reviewed available options, they agreed to proceed with Mechline’s proposed FOGS system which consisted of BioCeptor, GreasePak and Food Waste Strainers.”

The five-star Landmark Hotel opened its doors in 1899 and for the last 123 years has provided an oasis of luxury in central London - welcoming guests into their iconic Winter Garden, an eight-story courtyard covered by a glass roof. The Winter Garden Restaurant is just one of many dining areas in the Landmark which includes The Mirror Bar, Great Central Bar, Garden Terrace, plus private dining in the Empire Room, Grand Ballroom and Tower Suite – all of which are served by the main kitchen and its 62 strong brigade. Following a six-month refurbishment programme, the Landmark recently reopened its kitchen after a complete transformation of the layout, operations, facilities and equipment.

The refurbishment was led by Executive Chef, Gary Klaner who worked closely with project managers Berkeley Projects. Gary’s objective was simple – a new kitchen with quality equipment to optimise efficiency, so his brigade could continue to achieve the exemplary culinary standards The Landmark is renowned for. A key consideration for Gary was the installation of a complete system to manage the Fats, Oils, Grease and Starches (FOGS) - a natural by-product of the foodservice industry which is strictly regulated. Gary shared what his priorities were when reviewing various FOGS management options:

Mechline’s BioCeptor system combines the power of GreasePak’s BBA approved, biological treatment solution and its naturally occurring, nonpathogenic bacteria, with the FOG Intercept and Treatment unit (F.I.T). The result is that drains are kept clear and free-flowing as FOGS are permanently degraded into smaller compounds so they cannot reform or solidify – providing the level of FOGS management performance Gary required.

In addition, Mechline’s easy-to-use Food Waste Strainer, with its innovative basket design, helps to prevent food waste sediment getting into drains in the first place - and when used with the BioCeptor system can prolong intervals between servicing in comparison to a standalone grease trap.

Oliver Tuff, Project Director at Berkeley Projects, commented: “After the complexity of striping out the existing facilities and the installation of a completely new kitchen Mechline’s products were very

easy to fit and the products themselves are very flexible. For example, the BioCeptors have universal fittings, which makes plumbing incredibly simple. There are no electrics to consider, which makes connection and placement much easier. After the products were installed the Mechline’s service team were a great help with the commissioning and helping with staff training programmes. In terms of costs, the systems represented great value to the client.”

Six months on, Gary Klaner has been delighted with the decision to use Mechline’s products in their new kitchen as he explains: “The greatest compliment is that we don’t really have to be involved in any day-to-day process. The Mechline FOGS systems are in, working, and being well maintained. Our involvement is absolutely minimal. They’re discreet and just work efficiently in the background. I can’t praise Mechline’s service team enough; they were very attentive and had great engagement with the onsite team. It’s great to just have an odour free kitchen and clear drains!”

Oliver concluded, “We’ve had great feedback from the team around Mechline’s whole end-toend service. We already recommend Mechline FOGS solutions with every confidence and will continue to do so with future clients.”

Mechline’s experienced team are available to advise on the best solution to suit your requirements and can be contacted on 01908 261511 or via email on info@mechline.com See the advert on page 33 for details.

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Cleaning and Hygiene

Hospital-Grade Air Purification Made Portable

Rensair is a specialist in portable air purification, protecting and enhancing lives through clean air.

Our patented technology, which combines H13 HEPA filtration with germicidal UVC light, was originally developed to meet the strict standards of Scandinavian hospitals and is now trusted across all sectors. It is independently validated by scientific research laboratories, including Eurofins, Norconsult, and Oslo University Hospital.

Rensair air purification units destroy a minimum of 99.97% of airborne viruses, including coronavirus, and meet all the standards recommended by the UK SAGE committee. A powerful fan ensures effective air circulation, cleaning up to 560m3 of air per hour.

In a test to determine Rensair’s performance in reducing the concentration of MS2 bioaerosols as a proxy for SARS-CoV-2, a particle reduction rate of 99.99% was recorded in 30 minutes (Danish Technological Institute, March 2021).

We collaborate with clients to develop the optimum

indoor air quality for meeting building requirements, as well as government recommendations for mitigating the risks of Covid transmission.

We take into account floor plans, existing HVAC systems, occupancy rates and noise tolerance, before recommending a tailor-made solution based on our portable, modular units.

Rensair has been included in Newsweek’s list of Best Infection Prevention Products 2021. To make the list, a selection committee evaluated the product against several criteria: effectiveness; safety; successful real-world implementation; the quality of research studies demonstrating the product's effectiveness; and the stability of the company (to support future implementations).

Rensair’s mission is to provide clean air for every space and to help the hospitality industry get back on its feet after the pandemic. contact@rensair.com +44 (0)20 3973 8927 www.rensair.com

Eliminate Odours and Sanitise Rooms

Please mention the Caterer, Licensee & Hotelier News when replying to advertising

15 minutes is all it takes to remove bacteria, viruses and unpleasant odours from indoor rooms and spaces. Don’t just mask bad smells, permanently eliminate them with the MAG Room Sanitiser. It’s safe, it’s sustainable, it requires no chemicals, plus it’s quicker and 3,000 times more effective than other cleaning methods.

Hygienic indoor air quality is seen as an essential part of every business and we all have a responsibility to look after our staff, visitors, guests and clients. Monkeypox, Covid-19 and other airborne viruses will continue to come and go so regular air purification is important as nobody knows what the future holds.

As well as sanitising the air and surfaces in a room, MAG’s sanitising machine guarantees to remove odours however strong including smoke, cooking, alcohol, body odour and incontinence. It’s used by care homes, hotels, pubs, restaurants and thousands of businesses in the UK and across the world.

How does it work? Ozone is safely created and

destructed within your preferred time frame. Simply wheel the ozone generator into the room that needs sanitising, plug in the machine, start the cycle, leave the room and when you re-enter you will be pleasantly surprised by the extra fresh fragrance. It’s very simple, completely safe and free product demonstrations are available across the UK. Ask about our 5 star feedback and testimonials. Andrew Morgan, Managing Director of Morgan Care shares “Great sales experience with a pre-order demo and very efficient order & delivery service. Would have no hesitation in recommending MAG Ozone”.

For more information contact MAG Ozone Ltd on 01353 883025 or sales@magozone.com Did you know the MAG Group also provides commercial washing machines and tumble dryers? Find out more at www.maglaundryequipment.co.uk Visit www.maglaundryequipment.co.uk/ product/ozone-sanitation/mag-ozone-generator

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Hospitality Technology

Discover Gen Z Recruitment with Placed The Placed app offers a refreshing solution to the frustrating and recurring problem of recruitment in hospitality. The service sector's fast-paced and high churn nature requires employers to look for quality candidates perpetually. Yet, the outdated, time-consuming job boards and ‘staff needed’ signs make this search disjointed and an almost impossible one. Instead, Placed lets technology do the hard work, match-making the employer to the candidate.

This innovative talent attraction platform revolutionises the way employers target, attract and retain staff. AI technology automates recruitment by using an algorithm to match the most compatible candidates to the most compatible employers. This is based upon shared values, expectations, and job title (taking a leaf out of the dating app’s books!)

At just 24, Jennifer Johansson came up with this ingenious solution whilst working in the industry herself. She saw first-hand the difficulties employers had attracting the right talent and set out to simplify the recruitment process. She gained vital backing from some excellent investors such as the Chairman of Burger King and former Chairman of Wagamama, and since then has raised over 3 million in funding.

Placed alters the focus from abstract facts on a CV and lets the candidate’s personality do the talking. After all, skills can always be taught but the people-orientated environment of the service sector makes the search for friendly, engaging, and pas-

sionate people essential. Candidates can build their profiles by completing quizzes to help employers find like-minded people that will suit the role. Likewise, to attract candidates they can browse employer brand pages and discover their attractive core values such as sustainability, diversity, and inclusion. A key consideration for GenZers when applying for a job.

This novel and fresh approach to job-seeking appeals to the mobile-first lifestyle of Gen Z, it makes finding a job an enjoyable and interactive experience. Having CVs be optional makes the application short and sweet; candidates can apply to job posts in minutes, resulting in the average time from post to hire only 9 days!

Not only does it make job-seeking easily accessible but Placed is also striving to rewrite the narrative that hospitality is an unattractive sector to enter. They are exposing all it has to offer and the prosperous doors it can open as a long-term career.

With over 300,000 enthusiastic candidates eager to jump headfirst into the service sector, Placed sees a 70% view-to-apply rate, compared to 10% with job boards. It is attracting thousands of young job seekers looking to kickstart their careers by unveiling its vibrant, sociable, and nurturing culture. It is the modern solution to recruitment that hospitality has been longing for.

Get more insightful tips on how to attract and retain talent by booking a demo with Placed today at https://placed-app.com/employer/

How Label Printers Keep Food Safety Standards High and Compliant expiry dates quickly and accurately, using thermal print technology without the need for inks or toners.

Aaron Hopkinson, product and solutions manager for labelling at Brother UK, explains how technology is helping Portable label printers like the ones offered in Brother’s TD line of printers offer hyper-fast connectivity caterers and hospitality businesses to keep food safety stan- through a wireless platform without any extra clutter around the machine - perfect for food prep environments. dards high, while allowing kitchens to comply with new legMore kitchens are adopting labelling technology like our TD range following the introduction of Natasha’s Law. islation.

But it’s true that they have a broader role to play in food safety.

In October of 2021, the UK government changed the law surrounding how food allergens need to be labelled in certain instances for customers, meaning many caterers have had to adapt the way they do business.

Natasha’s Law requires that pre-packaged for direct sale (PPDS) food be clearly labelled with information on all potential allergens present and made to stand out so a customer can tell at a glance what they’re about to eat. Businesses that fail to comply risk a £5,000 fine, alongside the reputational damage that a serious allergen incident could create.

Brother has delivered tailored solutions for the food service and hospitality sectors for many years. Our label printers make it easy to create labels for compliant allergen content, ingredients, barcodes, branding, pricing and

In research we conducted in 2020, around 90% of businesses were still handwriting 'day-dot' labels as part of their stock rotation. This involves manually recording open dates and discard dates on colour-coded labels, with each colour denoting a day of the week to signal when it must be used by. It’s a process prone to human error, where an efficient labelling solution can reduce the likeliness of mistakes involved with monitoring food and keeping consumers safe.

We’ve partnered with Nutritics, providing third party software to enhance user interfaces, making use of Nutritics database of more than 750,000 ingredients to manage recipe and menu information – helping staff to easily manage stock rotation and day-dot labelling.

Learn more about how labelling technology can be used to boost food safety standards here: https://www.brother.co.uk/business-solutions/mobile-print-and-label/food-labelling

Hospitality’s ‘Soft Power’ Is Key To Weathering Endemic Labour Shortage

By Jennifer Johansson, founder and CEO of Placed App (www.placed-app.com)

Another week, another story about the grim outlook for the hospitality sector, beleaguered by labour shortages and restaurant closures. Last month, Westminster City Council announced a £1m scheme to drive recruitment within London’s hospitality and tourism sectors. But are interventions like this substantial enough to address the engrained issues that lie at the heart of hospitality’s recruitment woes?

Covid has seen hospitality businesses struggle more than twice as much as other industries to fill vacancies (ONS, 2021). This is, in part, exacerbated by Brexit but also as a result of negative perceptions regarding jobs in hospitality.

Hybrid working, now widely the norm, is giving people an alternative to the hard slog of shift work demanded by industries such as hospitality and care work. With mental health issues being a particular feature of the pandemic, people desire employment that fosters better work-life balance, more flexibility and more well-being benefits from their employer. Consumers are being choosier in who they shop and work with – particularly in light of how badly some corporations have treated their customers or staff at times of great adversity. Candidates want to work for a socially responsible and caring employer. It is the strength of this ’soft power’ that will determine how well and effectively businesses can attract talent in these turbulent times.

I’ve worked in the hospitality sector since I was 14 and I’ve always been curious about the industry’s UK’s recruitment problem.

It’s a vibrant, sociable, exciting and creative industry in which to work if

you’re a people person. In my native Sweden, if a graduate has ambitions to build a career in hospitality, no one challenges, belittles or judges this desire. They’re not considered to be over-qualified and the sector is not perceived as an unattractive one in which to enter. When it comes to growing professionally in nearly all sectors, one always starts off at the bottom and progression occurs with hard work and experience.

Hospitality is no different in this respect.

Yet the UK hospitality industry’s image ‘problem’ is preventing prospects from considering a longterm career in the sector and has, in some respects, contributed to the industry’s perpetual high-churn rate. When it comes to recruitment, the applicant now has the upper hand. This is not such a bad thing. The wielding of such power may force organisations, including those in high churn sectors, to innovate their propositions to attract personnel that will drive their success. Innovation rarely happens when one operates within their comfort zones. Covid and Brexit have definitely not given the hospitality industry an easy ride.

There has never been a more opportune moment for an industry reset; where businesses in the sector may reappraise how they can draw in talent, not just through policies and operations that show themselves as responsible employers with wellbeing, work life balance and flexibility at the heart of their employee engagement schemes. There also needs to be a wider effort to position hospitality as a rewarding career route

where wait staff et al. can envisage a pathway towards sitting in the highest offices of an organisation one day, give or take the right attitude and training to support them on that journey. And of course businesses need to publicise all the compelling reasons why people should apply to work with them.

Prior to starting my business, back when I was working for a luxury concierge service and talking to managers and owners of hospitality businesses every day, I saw how they were always recruiting for positions. It was hardly modern and completely misattuned to the way Gen Zedders consume information and look for work.

Herein lies a problem to their recruitment strategy that is easily solvable if technology is employed and a more considered effort was made to show how they are appealing employers.

Then there’s the cost of working in hospitality and the unshruggable belief that hospitality jobs pay poorly. Money is king, so the saying goes, and never has this been more apparent in a world where cost of living is rising exponentially.

Yet the pandemic has revealed two things within us: firstly, a greater appreciation for the intangible things in life that money can’t buy and, secondly, an even greater intolerance for businesses and brands who fail to support the community in their greatest time of need. In a new values-driven world, it is the hospitality businesses that are able convey themselves as caring, responsible employers that will win the war for talent.

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Step 3: Release the pizza. 7,000 names were quickly gathered meaning it was time to rock. Airship drip fed 7,000 ‘Release the Pizza’ emails over 7 hours, including a link to a ResDiary booking form inside.

ResDiary, the booking platform, effortlessly facilitated booking across the opening 6 weeks.

Mission Mars, known for their Mancunian music venues Albert Hall, Albert’s Schloss, and their northern pizza brand Rudy’s, began their southern expansion by opening their first Rudy’s in London’s Soho last year. The first hurdle to their new venture; their fame hadn’t quite reached the south… yet. So, in order to get their name on the streets of London, they did what anyone would do: Give away 10,000 free pizzas. Here’s how they did it.

Step 1: Speak to the people. Wireless Social, a WiFi super-power, helped Rudy’s use Facebook’s ‘look-a-like’ advertisement service in order to find new, potential Sohonian customers, based on their Manchester database.

Step 2: Fill the bucket. Targeted ads reached potential Rudy’s lovers and offered the opportunity to grab a free pizza. These suitors were sent to an Airship form, so they could fill in their details to then be added to an Airship holding group, waiting to be contacted about their free pizza.

Within the first two hours of emails, 6,040 pizzas had been claimed with the first 3 days of trade being fully booked within 17 minutes. It went so well that Rudy’s decided to give away an additional 3,400 pizzas.

Airship, Wireless Social and ResDiary created a flawless ecosystem that brought this project to life. Now, Rudy’s in Soho is livelier than ever and has truly made a mark on the capital. How do we know? Following the ‘Pizza for All’ campaign, the attendees were contacted and asked to leave a review through Feed It Back. The response was so positive that Rudy’s is now no. 26 on TripAdvisor for London Pizzerias.

Book a demo at www.airship.co.uk or see the advert on the facing page.

Employees Working Longer To Keep Hospitality Afloat Hospitality employees are working around six hours a week longer than before the pandemic to keep pubs, restaurants and bars afloat in the current unprecedented staffing crisis, according to research from workforce management specialist Bizimply.

Average hours worked per week have increased from 19 to 25, with employees in food-led businesses putting in an average of 28 hours while fine dining restaurants are typically asking staff to work 40+ hours a week.

The figures are based on recent user data from hundreds of Bizimply customers in the UK and Ireland, equating to thousands of outlets and tens of thousands of employees, across pubs, bars, restaurants, hotels, cafés and fast food outlets.

Bizimply CEO Conor Shaw said: “Employers are relying on goodwill from staff to work longer hours and keep their doors open to customers. In this competitive labour market, they need to be prepared to reward that

Technology for People’s Sake We’ve taken our knowledge and experience from working with the biggest names in the UK hospitality sector including Pizza Hut Restaurants, TGI Fridays and Bella Italia, to create a suite of customer experience products for small and medium-sized organisations that improves the guest journey. Our solutions are tailored to a hospitality business’s specific requirements, budget and time demands, plus they are scalable and built with future needs in mind. We’ve helped a lot of clients on their digital journey. We understand your business’s needs, which is why we’re a partner, not a supplier.

Adactus is a people-first organisation. Our team is at the heart of our success. Everything we do is centred around people; whether that is how we operate as a business, or ensuring that the team is happy with a clear vision of the role they play in the future growth of the company or the development of our software and product offering. We ensure all products we develop meet people’s needs – from our clients’ needs to their customers’ needs.

commitment with improved pay and conditions, and a better work-life balance.

“Using technology like ours to manage staff rotas and payroll can be a huge help. It frees up managers to spend more time front of house, helping their team members.

“It also allows employers to give their staff earlier notice of their shifts, meaning they can plan their lives better. And, as payroll is automated, staff are paid accurately and promptly for any extra hours they work. The result is a happier, more motivated and loyal workforce.”

Bizimply’s software helps hospitality businesses reduce the amount of time spent creating staff rotas and sorting out payroll. They estimate a time saving of up to six hours a week using their technology to draw up rotas, compared to using Excel or similar.

For a free demonstration or more information: www.bizimply.com This includes our customer solutions product range – Intelligence, Reservations, Orders.

Customer Intelligence – enables companies to become a customer-centric data-driven business with a CRM system that provides a single view of the customer and intelligent data analytics. Data is collated and organised from all customer touchpoints for a tailored customer experience, improved business development and much more.

Customer Reservations – offers a business-adaptable service to ensure no sale is lost. Many customers want the certainty of a confirmed booking, and businesses are then able to better plan service and offer a more personalised welcome.

Customer Orders – provides a range of restaurant/food service ordering features, including Order at Table, Waiter Service, Kiosk, Click and Collect, Delivery and Drivethru. This product helps businesses improve the consistency and quality of the customer experience offered.

With thousands of hours work gone into creating these products, it is a powerful engine which will help increase sales and improve your customer experience.

To find out more contact us: 01844 269090 adactus.co.uk hello@adactus.co.uk

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Outdoor Leisure Marmax and South Causey Inn Marmax have been supplying a wide range of high-quality recycled plastic products to the South Causey Inn for over 10 years.

Over the years Marmax have supplied South Causey Inn with numerous outdoor products including: Bistro Planters, Circular tables, Traditional seating, Sloper chairs, Heavy duty picnic benches and Harrogate table and chairs.

In fact, there are very few establishments that are as great an endorsement of Marmax!

The products come with a 25-year manufacturer’s guarantee and despite knowing they can pick up the phone and call Marmax with any issues, they have never done so.

Sustainability is at the core of the South Causey Inn’s ethos and is particularly important to their customers.

With Marmax products all being made from 100% recycled HDPE plastic, they were the perfect partner to provide sustainable and durable furniture for the inn and its accommodation.

Marmax Products are easy to clean to help stop the spread of germs as well as coming in assorted colours, the now black benches match the black windows and doors. South Causey Inn display the Marmax tags on their products and this has resulted in direct approaches to Marmax from their customers.

Marmax plan to work with the South Causey Inn to develop new products for the hotel and restaurant market.

Interested in working with us too? Contact Marmax using the contact form here: https://marmaxproducts.co.uk/contact/

A Special Offer from Fenton Timber Fenton Timber was established in the late 1990’s by Jim Miller who sadly passed in 2007, since then the business has continued under the management of Alex Spencer, with Ade Tate overseeing manufacture… who were both staff members from the early days of the business.

Fenton’s USP is delivering fully assembled, weather treated “ready to use” Picnic Benches/Tables and associated Garden Furniture to the License Trade, Schools and the Leisure Industry… all year round.

Along with the License Trade, as COVID lockdown closed all of our customers, Fenton had a rollercoaster ride over 2020/2021, with no customers, then material shortages, then the roadmap out… but were still able to provide furniture to every customer we promised, by the advised times we promised.

Please mention the Caterer, Licensee & Hotelier News when replying to advertising

The benefits of purchasing from Fenton Timber is not just the fact we deliver all of our own goods, with our own transport and staff… but that we also guar-

antee our goods and operate all year round. It might sound strange selling garden furniture during the winter! Aside from customers whom might have outdoor functions, Guy Fawkes/bonfire night…

Christmas etc.. there are also unfortunate times whereby customers have been flooded and suffered losses, and we are there to assist getting them back up on their feet.

As readers of the Caterer & Licensee – you can also take advantage of our current offer – 20% off RRP on Supreme and Octagonal Tables (while stocks last)… so call us free on 0800 085 6447.

Outdoor Leisure

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Moda, Where Outdoor Furniture Really Means Business

Unlocking the potential of your outdoor space can be a seriously good business move.

Whether you need a place to close deals with clients, a second meeting room or a nineteenth hole par excellence, taking your work outside offers huge attractions. And as the UK’s leading luxury outdoor furniture brand, Moda is ideally placed to help turn your vision into reality.

Having started out as a family-run company in 2014, Moda has quickly established a reputation for innovative furniture solutions with exceptional customer service.

This has led to a growing demand for their services from an increasingly diverse client base, as a greater variety of commercial sectors have looked to transform their outdoor spaces.

A TAILORED APPROACH With a dedicated Commercial team, Moda’s clients can choose from a vast collection of furniture sets to meet all business requirements.

UNIQUELY MODULAR, UNIQUELY MODA Your outdoor space can change from one day to the next, which is where Moda’s flexible modular systems really come into their own. All of their furniture ranges

have a number of modular configurations that can be customised - move them around your business areas, expand your collection, split them up or put them together to complement your changing commercial requirements.

SMART FURNITURE TO DRIVE BUSINESSES FORWARD With their all-weather materials and uncompromising build quality, Moda furniture collections are meticulously engineered to withstand the demands of the modern workplace - and the great British weather. Every item of luxury outdoor furniture is designed exclusively in-house.

This allows Moda to offer a perfect balance of both style and substance that can be enjoyed all year round. What’s more, Moda’s market leading three-year commercial guarantee offers commercial clients peace of mind and their aftercare policy and maintenance packages reinforces their commitment to client satisfaction.

Take the first step to maximising the use of your outdoor space. Talk to one of Moda’s Commercial Business Development Managers. Tel: 033 3363 7015, email: commercial@modafurnishings.co.uk or visit www.modafurnishings.co.uk/commercial

Add A Taste of Sunshine to Your Barbecues "Sun on a Beach” sauce from Spirit of Aloha 65 is just the thing to add that tropical, spicy, summer flavour to any meal. Inspired by and using many of the same all-natural ingredients as Spirit of Aloha 65’s tropical spirit, our sauce is made from roasted pineapples, ginger, and a handful of other tropical spices including scotch bonnet chilli to give it a comfortable level of heat, suitable for most palates, so the complex flavours don’t get lost or hidden by the chilli.

Tasty, handcrafted and made in small batches in the

UK using fresh ingredients only our highly versatile sauce is great for using as an ingredient for marinading etc. but also straight out the bottle as a dipping or pouring sauce. It’s a perfect accompaniment for any barbecued or grilled food.

Vegan, gluten-free and all-natural, Aloha 65 “Sun on a Beach” must be tried.

For more information or a sample bottle please contact aloha@aloha65.com

Please mention the Caterer, Licensee & Hotelier News when replying to advertising

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Outdoor Leisure

Bolsius Professional Helps Operators to These Are The Last Gazebos You Ever Need Unlock Revenue in their Outdoor Spaces To Buy. At Least Not For 15 Years Or So As consumers flock to pub gardens and restaurant terraces to bask in the sizzling sunshine, Bolsius Professional has released a new guide for operators keen to capitalise on their outdoor spaces.

Combining stunning exteriors, design tips and cost-effective ideas, ‘Investing in outdoor: attract and retain customers to grow revenue’ provides ideas and guidance on creating a compelling multi-sensory outdoor experience for customers.

The premium candle specialist has launched the report in response to changing market dynamics over the past few years. This includes, the government relaxing of pavement dining laws during the pandemic, which allowed restaurants, pubs and bars to serve food alfresco and new legislation plans to make this permanent, representing a valuable opportunity for operators with outdoor spaces.

Consumers are keen to get out and socialise with friends and family, with the frequency of visits for pub-goers expected to return to pre-pandemic levels this year . What’s more, one in four (27%) of these pub goers say that they expect outdoor areas and almost half of UK consumers that go to pubs or restaurants say they would prefer to sit in an outdoor area – even if the weather was ‘just okay’ .

Paul Christodoulou, National Account Manager UK & Ireland Out of Home and Hospitality at Bolsius

Professional and Member of the Institute of Hospitality said,

Delivered in July 2010 and still giving our customers a lovely relaxing area providing sun and rain protection.

“Outdoors is most definitely in – and now more than ever. Before, outdoor spaces were a ‘nice to have’ – used almost exclusively when the British summer finally arrived. However, as a result of the pandemic, savvy pubs, bars and restaurant made the most of their outdoor space in recent years, and they are now seen as an opportunity.

By investing in your outdoor space and creating a welcoming atmosphere customers want to stay in and revisit again and again, operators are not only able to serve more covers over the summer months, but growth their full offering through additional yearround space.

To support, we’ve pulled together a selection of tips and ideas for operators, from furnishings to foliage and comfort to candles we’re helping them to unlock revenue through expanding into this typically under-utilised area.”

Bolsius Professional is a leading candle manufacturer, with an extensive range of indoor and outdoor candles designed specifically for restaurants, bars and hotels. To discover more about their candle range, and to download a copy of the Bolsius Professional guide ‘Investing in outdoor: attract and retain customers to grow revenue’, go to www.bolsius.com/en/professional/inspiration

• UK’s only 100 Mph Stormproof Guaranteed Gazebo • 100% Waterproof Self Cleaning Canopy • 4 Sizes from 2.40m [ 7’ 10” ] x 2.40m [ 7’ 10” ] • Options - 40 colour choices & side screens • 5 Year Guarantee

• Designed & Carefully Made in Yorkshire by Us Investing in high quality all weather protection gives you a fabulous rate of return [ paid for in less than 4 weeks ] - prices start at £1,915 ex vat WHITE PAVILION Hospitality Gazebos 01653 695 285 The New Inn, Tresco , Isles of Scilly • Sturdy & Strong - Good for 15+years years of service

Pop-Up for Profit!

‘Pop-up’ barbecue means paring back to folding gazebos and collapsible tables, two or three cool boxes with thermometers thrown in and a hand wash within easy walking distance. At all levels of operation, initial costs can be much lower, outdoor areas can still be multi-purpose and storage space is kept to a minimum. Spot the ‘deliberate’ mistake in the cartoon. BIG TIP: HSE don’t like cool boxes sitting on the ground, even with lids!

Whilst Cinders gas barbecues fold flat for easy storage, the popular Classic TG160 model is capable of over 1000 burgers a day at a large event, - which must be the fastest pay-back on equipment ever! Made in Britain and with a two-year warranty for commercial use, the work-horse TG160 will also hum away in the corner of a beer garden with our flat griddle on one side and a couple of gastronorms on the other, to de-

www.whitepaviliongazebos.co.uk/pub-restaurant-hotelhospitality-gazebo See the advert on the facing page for details. skill and make life a little less fraught.

Smaller half sized models also available – www.cindersbarbecues.co.uk Have a great summer and remember, POP-UP for EASIER PROFITS.

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Sample Specialist Sausages at Casual Dining Visiting Casual Dining? Be sure to drop by stand number CD310 to sample the delicious range of gourmet German sausages from The Sausage Man. Specialists in premium quality German sausages, The Sausage Man, will be presenting a variety of bestselling products from its extensive range. Made to authentic, regional German recipes, using the finest cuts of meat sourced from award-winning butchers across Germany, these superior sausages provide caterers with a winning product that ensures consumer satisfaction.

A selection of all-time favourites will be available to sample at the show - choose from traditional Bratwurst, a range of Frankfurters - Krakauer Bacon,

Monster Mesh Monster Mesh is a leading events and construction branding company, specialising in supplying large format printed products.

We specialise in large format full colour and dye sublimation printing for weather resistance, strength and durability. Our top-quality products match the service you should expect, and we supply direct to brand owners, event management, construction, and signage companies.

We can provide a range of custom designed and printed products for HERAS fence covers, PVC and ACM Hoarding panels, PVC and mesh banners, and large scale scaffold wraps. We have been in operation for 4 years now, continually growing year on year thanks to both new and return clients.

At Monster Mesh we agree that your brand needs to generate the right impact. Getting an eye-catching

Vienna Beef, Cheese or Chilli Beef and the ever-popular Pork Hot Dog. Special diets are also catered for; try the tasty Halal Turkey Hot Dog and Vegan Hot Dog whilst visiting the stand.

All sausages can be enjoyed hot or cold as they are fully cooked, as such, caterers benefit from a safe, stable product that is easy to prepare and quick to serve, even with limited catering equipment and the smallest of catering spaces!

For product information, inspirational recipes and to find your foodservice distributor go to www.wholesale.sausageman.co.uk, email info@sausageman.co.uk or call 01322 867060 design is the most important when displaying your banner amongst others, so at Monster Mesh we offer a complete inhouse design service. Most of the time this is a free service where our team of designers will take your logo and a brief sample of text to create your individual design. Throughout our years of experience in large format design, we have learnt several ways to produce the impression you desire.

The majority of our products include free delivery and typical lead times are just 7 working days, with some products available through our 5-day express service.

To find out more, please visit www.monster-mesh.co.uk.

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Top Engraver Supports Hospitality Sector with Swift Service for Etched & Printed Table Numbers & QR Discs One of the UK’s most professional & technically advanced engraving and etching supplier, Brunel Engraving, is providing a rapid response to the growing demand for etched table numbers and QR code discs in the pub and catering industry.

The company has made a substantial investment in additional state of the art equipment and related software in order to produce a wide range of individually engraved & printed table numbers and discs.

The numbers and discs enable customers to link to apps or menus, reducing staff contact and eliminating the requirement for hard copies of menus. Although no longer a legal requirement to order remotely, this is something which the government is still actively encouraging and can improve table service through the reduction of queues.

In addition to their engraved products, Brunel Engraving has teamed up with a number of UK based Mobile Ordering Platforms to develop full colour labels, these are supplied alongside each companies

developed app and are suitable for internal and external environments.

“Our investment in additional equipment and software has ensured that our customers in the hospitality sector can benefit from high quality products with excellent swift service at a fair price”.

In addition to rotary engraving, Brunel offers laser engraving, chemical etching, anodic print, dye sublimation print, flatbed UV print and wide format UV print.

For further information please contact: 01275 871720 Emal: info@brunelengraving.co.uk

On top of this, there are different finance options available to help you buy.

If you act quickly, you can grab yourself a bargain.

LeisureBench are now manufacturing their own recycled plastic furniture using 100% UK recycled plastic materials.

The range includes benches and a wide variety of picnic tables in both ‘A’ Frame and 8 seat square designs.

LeisureBench Limited is one of the UK’s leading suppliers and installers of commercial quality outdoor furniture, selected from manufacturers worldwide for strength. Longevity and excellent value for money.

They will all be hard wearing, easy to maintain, and a strong powder coated underframe will guarantee them for 15 years.

Now is the right time to buy, to take advantage of Summer Special offers on selected products across their extensive range, together with bulk buying incentives.

You can see all the latest offers by logging into www.leisurebench.co.uk or emailing their dedicated sales team at sales@leisurebench.co.uk.

Customised and bespoke furniture is also available.

Website: www.brunelengraving.co.uk

Not long ago we noticed that in our local park there was adequate seating for the non-disabled but none for the wheelchair-user, the more we looked the more we saw a complete lack of effort in complying with regulations and laws specifically brought in to counter this ignorance and discrimination.

We decide to act, our plan was:

Up to 15% discounts are currently available on Aframe and round picnic tables, polypropylene chairs, dining sets, made from a range of materials, Rattan furniture and much more.

“Working alongside App Developers and introducing the full colour range of products has really exceeded our expectations, the demand for our products has significantly increased despite the relaxing of Covid restrictions and are displayed all over the UK” said Tom Pycock, Sales Director of Brunel Engraving.

Inclusive Furniture • Make our products both 'accessible & 'inclusive'.

There’s A Great Deal Going On At LeisureBench

• • • • • • •

Design furniture with the wheelchair-user in mind Act within both the Disability Act and the Equality Act Provide quality products for non-disabled and disabled alike.

Consider the elderly Make the products affordable Make rental to events an option Use sustainable products where possible We then thought we need to provide picnic benches and outdoor furniture for people who use wheelchairs. There is definitely a need for disabled, easy access outdoor furniture. All made robustly to take the knocks from wheelchairs

and manufactured from sustainable wood from environmentally friendly sources. They also need to make the user feel inclusive.

For many businesses not only is it their legal duty under the discrimination acts people who happen to use wheelchairs also happen to enjoy sitting outside in fine weather, they are also appreciated in public places as well as private homes & gardens and places where care is a first priority Peter Cubbin Inclusivefurniture.com inclusivefurniture@gmail.com https://inclusivefurniture.com

Claire House - The Wirral

At Inclusive Designs we believe in addressing the needs of disabled people as a first choice, not an afterthought.

We manufacture outdoor furniture which is specifically adapted to accommodate wheelchair-users.

This creates a more inclusive environment - no longer stuck at the end of the table!

We make a wide range of models to match your needs as well as matching them with traditional tables.

Our heavy duty wooden picnic benches are suitable and fully treated for long-term outdoor use.

All our stock is manufactured in the UK using red wood from sustainable sources.

We are also the trusted suppliers to the National Trust and many local authorities.

We offer free delivery to all parts of the UK.

lnclusiveFurniture.com

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Kitchen Extract Hygiene – A Burning Issue One of the biggest challenges in keeping a commercial kitchen spotlessly clean is the regular cleaning of the canopy, fan and extract ductwork. This must be tackled, not only for the sake of hygiene, but also for fire prevention and compliance.

Airborne fat, oil and grease is a natural by-product of even the healthiest diet. Carried in the steam that rises from cooking, grease and oil particles are drawn into the kitchen extract system to be vented away to the outside. As the exhaust stream cools, grease is deposited on the metal surfaces of the hood, canopy, filters, canopy plenum, fan and ductwork.

Should a kitchen fire reach the extract ductwork, or a flash fire occur in the extract system, then the accumulated grease deposits can act as fuel, helping to spread the fire. The ductwork itself can also help to spread the fire,

acting as a chimney through which smoke and flames can travel, spreading the danger to the other parts of the building.

To counter this potential fire risk, operators of commercial kitchens are required to comply with a new standard for the fire safety management of grease accumulation in kitchen extract systems, TR19® Grease.

Compliance is also essential to ensure that you don’t compromise your buildings insurance. If a fire should break out and the ductwork can be shown not to have been cleaned in accordance with TR19® Grease, many insurers will now refuse to pay out on a claim.

Ensuring legal compliance, a reduced risk of fire and greater hygiene in your kitchen are items which should always be on every maintenance menu. www.swiftclean.co.uk

Monitoring Device Reduces Oil Usage by Up to 52% in Whitbread Pubs Overspending and misuse of food oil is a pressing issue in the curren economic environment.

Most restaurants change their oil either based on colour (when it goes dark/black, using single-use test strips and a simplistic colour chart) or schedule (twice a week – because it has always been done that way).

The first approach relies on guesswork and subjectivity, and leaves businesses at risk of acrylamide build-up – a customer-harming, cancer-causing chemical.

The second approach unnecessarily discards perfectly usable oil – a costly and unsustainable outcome, given that oil is one of the largest contributors to carbon footprints in commercial kitchens.

Fortunately, there’s a third approach from Klipspringer, used by the likes of Five Guys, Wasabi,

McDonalds, Chopstix, and Whitbread to refine their frying process, conduct eco-friendly practices, and cut their oil usage by half. Interested?

Enter Food Oil Monitors. By providing objective, easyto-read data, these oil testing devices remove all guesswork when it comes to changing your oil. This means…

• Significant reductions in oil usage and costs • Enhanced fried food quality and consistency • Greater sustainable practice • Assured customer safety • No more ongoing cost of test strips • Increased working life of oil amid rising prices Kitchen staff across almost all Whitbread venues now use the Food Oil Monitor for daily checks. Before, oil was changed prematurely, but since implementing Klipspringer’s digital solution nationwide, Whitbread have seen an average reduction in oil usage of around 30%, with some sites reporting savings of up to 52%.

Does your restaurant, pub, or hotel kitchen still use a subjective oil monitoring system?

Want to modernise your approach and reap the rewards?

Contact our hospitality team: 01473 461 800 or see the advert on the back cover for details.

www.convotherm.com

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Commercial Kitchen Fit-Out

Smeg Foodservice UK is Thrilled to Announce the Launch of its New ALFA43 Electronic Oven Range Smeg convection ovens represent the perfect solution for modern catering services, coffee shops, bakeries and supermarkets that require a compact oven with peak performance. Perfect for baking and reheating, from pastries and morning goods to sausage rolls and lunchtime pasties, it is the ideal compact solution for busy catering venues.

The ALFA43 electronic oven range offers rapid and uniformed heat distribution for maximum speed and even baking. Features include a dual speed fan with humidification, multi-step cooking and the ALFA43XE1HDS model has a USB port for the upload and downloading of recipes via an app. The fast heat up and temperature recovery systems lower energy consumption and maintain stable cooking temperatures and the ovens’

large, triple-glazed door, with a middle glass to help keep external temperature low in accordance with regulation and help minimise heat loss.

The Smeg electronic convection ovens are made with a full stainless-steel external construction and an enamelled internal cavity. The ovens capacity allows for 2/3 GN or 4 trays at 435 x 320mm. With outside dimensions of (W x D x H) 602 x 584 x 537mm, the ALFA43 ovens are compact and perfect for smaller kitchens whilst still maintaining top functionality and performance.

Email foodservice@smeguk.com for further information.

New DrainMinor C (Combi Oven Pump) Creates Considerable Interest R-TEC Services & Innovation Ltd. (previously known as Rational Technical Services UK Ltd.) demonstrated its Combi Oven equipment to commercial kitchen operators at the recent HRC ExCel London Exhibition. On the stand was a working demo of a Rational Combi Oven and the New DrainMajor C (Combi Oven Pump) manufactured by partner Pump Technology Ltd. This proved a focal point for Combi Oven manufactures, installers, maintenance engineers and users alike. Potential users were shown a number of significant advantages that this combi oven drainage pump offered.

Very noticeable when viewing the exhibition demonstration tank with its clear side window was the large, triangular, low-level float attached to the pump by a rigid arm, external to the pump casing. Because of the design of this float system the unit can cope with an exceptional quantity of grease, fat and food particles before the reliable start/stop operation of the pump is affected.

The triangular low-level float also means that inlet heights can be just 70mm from base to centreline, giving the appropriate inlet requirement for wall or central island Combi Ovens.

The build quality of the submersible wastewater pump was also a discussion point, with the mechanical shaft seal arrangement between pump impeller and motor winding generally agreed as an advantage over a common lip seal/diaphragm arrangement, especially considering the hot wastewater temperatures and potential grease which these units have to handle.

It can be connected to multiple ovens or oven and sink combinations.

Also, multiple inlet connections can be cut onsite directly into the rigid Polyethylene tank without the need to manifold inlets outside of the tank and then feed into it via a single inlet. This means that the installation footprint is just the size of the compact tank and potential leaks from knocked manifold piping and joints are eliminated.

It looks like the New DrainMinor C is a winner and will soon be featuring in combi oven installations everywhere.

Cemco (The Catering Equipment Maintenance Company)

Cemco (The Catering Equipment Maintenance Company) first opened for business in 1990, and have been serving Dorset, Wiltshire, Somerset, Bath, and the rest of the South and Southwest, ever since.

We offer a full range of services, including servicing and repairs for all commercial catering appliances, ranging from small local projects to major national work, and everything in between.

Specialising in commercial Glasswasher and Dishwasher repairs sales and service our reputation is second to none.

Bournemouth, Poole, Dorset and The Southwest. We undertake repairs and servicing to ALL, types, makes and models of commercial catering equipment.

A repair is often far cheaper then a replacement! 30 Years in this Industry gives us the edge over our competitors, with time served Commercial Catering Equipment Engineers our clients have found we save them the cost of purchasing new equipment time after time…why buy new when a guaranteed repair is often all your Catering Equipment requires…

We can offer you a no obligation quote now, so contact us for more information.

We are based in Bournemouth & Poole, covering the whole of Dorset, as well as Somerset, Hampshire and Wiltshire.

CEMCO also carry out repairs to commercial catering equipment Dishwashers, Glasswashers, Ovens Grills

Call 01202 377205 now, to arrange a site visit www.cemcoltd.co.uk

specialists in servicing, repairs and maintenance of all Commercial Catering equipment

Cemco undertake Service and Repairs to ALL Commercial Dishwasher and Glasswasher Manufacturers Including Hobart, Electrolux, Meiko, Winterhalter to name a few.

CEMCO carry out repairs, servicing and routine maintenance to all makes and models of commercial catering equipment, including dishwashers and glasswashers.

We can also supply you with a new or used dishwasher …simply Contact Us for details of available Used Stock

We are based in Bournemouth & Poole and cover the whole of Dorset, along with the neighbouring counties of Somerset, Devon, Hampshire and Wiltshire.

Trust CemCo for commercial catering dishwasher servicing!

Call us now, on 01202 377205 for a free quote to repair your dishwasher

www.cemcoltd.co.uk

Design and Refit Make Your Business Stand Out with Mr Wood’s Fossils Refurbishing?

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Pro Auction is a well established professional firm acting for both corporate & private clients conducting sales throughout the UK and internationally.

our clients work with us because they know we have their best interests in mind.

This trust is built from our shared values and understanding of what is most important to them.

as a result, we serve a diverse clientele across the following sectors: • • • •

Hotel, Leisure and Hospitality.

Manufacturing Industrial Plant and Machinery Retail and Wholesale Stocks Luxury Goods, Prestige & Branded Products

We conduct sales by auction, tender and private treaty, supported by web based marketing and conventional promotional campaigns that reach the buyer quickly efficiently and professionally ensuring each and every sale is a success.

We can assist with the valuation, removal and sale of assets surplus to your requirements.

Contact us for full details: Pro Auction Ltd on 01761 414000

info@proauction.ltd.uk

www.proauction.ltd.uk

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Fossils and minerals can be beautiful natural objects, a combination of aesthetic and curiosity factors making for appealing decorative pieces.

There’s the age, for one thing.

Fifty million year old fish, meteorites as old as the planet – a sense of perspective to accompany the natural beauty. The iconic spiral shells of ammonites, rich, earthy tones of slabs of fossil wood, or the framed tooth of a giant shark or dinosaur – something a little different and a memorable talking point.

These aren’t manufactured products, of course. Every

example is a unique individual, and it can be a very subjective appeal, which means it’s always worth taking a closer look and choosing carefully.

Edinburgh’s famous fossil shop was founded in 1987 by fossil hunter Stan Wood. It can take a while to make your way around the shop, in the city’s historic Grassmarket in the Old Town. If you can’t make it there in person, there’s a website with a good range of the smaller lines to explore, and you can always contact the shop to ask about other possibilities.

0131 220 1344 / www.mrwoodsfossils.co.uk

Benefits of CardsSafe for Your Business

The CardsSafe system is specifically designed to securely retain customer credit and debit cards while the cardholder runs a tab. As a result, staff can securely keep customers’ bank cards while customers enjoy the facilities, allowing the team to up-sell onsite.

The CardsSafe units are wireless, which means they can sit discreetly behind the bar or POS. In addition, the system does not capture data, so it never breaches GDPR.

MAJOR BRANDS TRUST CARDSSAFE Over 5000 brands in the UK use CardsSafe. Young’s pubs, Hilton Hotels, Lord’s cricket ground, and many independent restaurants and bars utilise the system.

Benefits to using CardsSafe in bars, restaurants and pubs:

• Managing customer tabs

• Helping to increase spending, therefore profits • It is a significant deterrent for dine & dash • Offers customers security against credit card fraud • Pays for itself by reducing call-back • No data is captured • Wireless • Customers have peace of mind that their bank cards are kept safely and keep the unique key!

“Average spend is up, and chargeback has virtually disappeared after we installed CardsSafe, which really puts our customers’ minds at rest.”

Timothy, Young’s Bar Manager

CARDSSAFE IS AFFORDABLE! Each CardsSafe unit contains ten card drawers that can be hired for just £9.99 per month. In addition, each hire comes with customer service troubleshooting, free replacement keys, and additional units can be added at any time.

The question is, can you afford not to have CardsSafe as a part of your business?

For more information, please visit www.cardssafe.com Or contact the sales team on 0845 500 1040

Scott Willis Designs Scott Willis Designs (SWD) is a new and innovative interior design business which specialises in design, build and fit out of licensed premises. With particular expertise in Audio, Lighting and AV design, its owner and principle, Scott Willis, has nearly 20 years of experience in this sector having worked extensively across the UK and Ireland on commercial and private designs and installations, many of which feature in award winning venues.

In the short time it has been established, SWD has already advised on numerous signature developments and redevelopments.

INTERIOR DESIGN This can range from a simple space plan layout with or without fabric or materials selection, through to the most detailed design package incorporating full workshop drawings. We use the newest and most innovative CAD software and produce complete concept boards, colour studies and detailed proposals for suppli-

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ers, tradesmen & tender returns.

DESIGN, BUILD & FITOUT Exactly as described and more commonly referred to as “Turn Key”. We provide the designs and involve the client at every stage of the process. Ensuring our clients are completely happy with the overall concept is absolutely fundamental to us. We then tender the project to a number of tried and tested contractors, provide you, the client, with an overall fit out package price including project management.

PRO AUDIO, LIGHTING & AV SYSTEMS Having supplied and installed all sizes and scales of PA systems - from the largest nightclub systems, to the smallest, best value domestic systems. We have the experience and expertise to advise you on all the options available and offer some of the best pricing within the industry.

From supplying a flat screen for your Bar, an audio system for your Hotel or a Lighting system for your Nightclub, you’ll be catered for on a 1 to 1 basis.

Visit www.scottwillisdesigns.com for further information.

Make First Impressions Count with Major Plants First Impressions Count! Major Plants Limited specializes in providing cost effective, visually striking, hanging baskets rental and maintenance services.

In business over 10 years our company grown through word of mouth via our satisfied and expanding customer base.

We know that busy businesses have enough work to do without trying to remember whether the flowers have been watered, fed, or tidied up. Calling in the experts like Major Plants Limited means that you can get on with your business while we ensure that outside, your plant arrangements and presentation never let you down.

Making sure your business looking good is our business!

Whether you are seeking an alternative quotation to compare with an existing supplier or are looking at external flower arrangements for the first time our flexible agreement and personal service will give you a piece of mind reliable support for your business.

Please get in touch!

0800 111 4014 – info@majorplants.co.uk

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Imaginative and Integrated Interior Design, Vicaima Makes It Real!

Vicaima, as one of the leading European exponents of contemporary joinery solutions, including interiors doors, doorsets, wall panels and associated furniture products, have just introduced a new brand for professionals called Infinity.

Combining their extensive experience within this sector with the latest technological advancements in image realisation, they present a major step forward for the world of interior design, enabling creative vision to be made real, with imaginative design composition that encompasses multiple elements.

No longer constrained by conventional limitations, Infinity provides scope for interior design professionals to think beyond what they thought was possible, towards what they would ideally like to achieve.

Whether creating a theme that brings rhythm and repetition, or a more dramatic and contrasting vision with pronounced statement pieces, Infinity can make it real.

Infinity permits almost endless possibilities when it comes to visual aspect, with choice of colour, tone, pattern and even the perception of texture. This enables interior designers and specifiers complete flexibility when aiming to deliver bespoke project solutions.

However, for those professionals looking for insight from the Vicaima experts in trends and fashions, Infinity’s top three collections offer a myriad of fresh inspiration. Select from either wood, stone or metal for an immersive experience which includes among many others, Spalted Maple, Terrazo Amber and Antique Patina.

Once the design and hues have been chosen, it is then a matter of selecting which joinery elements can be combined to reflect the desired theme. Here Infinity broadens horizons and uniquely permits creators to match and play with individual pieces in a way that has traditionally been limited. Blending integral building elements such as interior door assemblies and decorative wall panels, with more ephemeral components like wardrobes and furniture to achieve the perfect balance.

While flexible aesthetic design is the hallmark of Infinity, it should not be forgotten that as a Vicaima brand, superior quality and performance are integral to all elements. Exceeding industry recognised standards and in the case of doors and doorkits, third party fire accredited to both TRADA and the British Woodworking Federation, all products are environmentally produced and FSC certificated.

Infinity marks a new era in design for interiors, whether in public, commercial or residential applications. Expanding, evolving and elevating both the creative process and eventual project realisation by combining visionary image technology with industry leading joinery manufacture, to achieve outstanding results.

For more information or to request a brochure visit www.vicaimainfinity.com

Lifeforms Design Lifeforms Design provide a full range of interior and architectural design services across the hospitality, leisure, retail and commercial industries. Whether big or small, every project is given the same dedication and commitment so as to provide our clients with the desired results.

Our approach is creative and flexible - clients return to us because we take the time to understand them and can realise their vision.

Our creative interior designs for bars and restaurants provide spaces that stimulate, invigorate and engage users. With years of experience and projects covering bars, cafés and restaurants, through to bespoke interiors for retail outlets and office spaces, we are the right people for the job. We are able to create inspired design solutions to make your business stand out from the crowd.

Design and Refit From concept to completion, being unique isn’t easy in a world dominated by visual influence. Having worked for 20 years creating environments for people to engage with, now more than ever it is important to create something that appeals to all the senses. The rise in social media has created a setting where design makes up people’s everyday life, often to the point of not realising it. Our job is to deliver such design aspirations whilst ensuring the original brief is adhered to.

Experience gained allows us to direct ideas using an understanding of how a unit can feel day to day. Numbers of covers, quality of materials, furniture, lighting, acoustics are just some of the aspects which need to be considered to ensure the end product does more than look good on an Instagram post, although one should never underestimate how important that is as well!

See the advert on the facing page or visit www.lifeforms-design.com

Second Clearance Showroom

If you are someone that loves a bargain, take a trip down to our second outlet showroom in Clacton, to get inspired for your next interior project. Up to 80% off on popular styles and fabulous home décor pieces. With new lines, added every week and available to you whilst stock lasts; discover popular ranges like the Sylvia velvet kitchen stool (£70), and its eye-catching silhouette – helping to elevate your kitchen island to the next level. Or consider the Malmros dining chair in black (£57), with its padded faux leather seat and curved Scandi style - it’s easy to see why this is the first choice for customers looking to revamp their dining table.

However, if you are someone that is simply after soft furnishings and home accessories, our Clacton second outlet has that covered too. Add a funky element to your living room with our collection of rugs, coat hangers and more. Or create that high-end, ambient feel in your dining space with our lighting range - from

pendants and floor lamps to table and wall lights.

Whether you’re into Industrial, Mid Century, Scandinavian or Contemporary styles, the Clacton second clearance showroom is open 6 days a week and offers ontrend pieces - from chairs and stools to lighting, sofas, and tables - it’s simple to design a life you love with Cult!

*Please note: The products in our Clacton showroom are largely discounted as they may be a customer return, exdisplay model, refurbished or have visible marks (i.e small dent or scratch). However, all are complete and in good condition but cannot be sold as new.

Want to take a look?

Visit our outlet: Unit 1 Brunel Road Gorse Lane Industrial Estate Clacton on Sea Essex CO15 4QW Call us: 01255879896

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The Fine Bedding Company

As a fourth generation British business our family of innovators have spent more than 100 years pioneering bedding, better for people, business and the planet.

We have been using trailblazing technology throughout the era’s, from delivering durability for cruise-liner mattresses’ in 1912, to creating our carbon-neutral factory in 2000.

Our united purpose is and has always been, to create and deliver a better night’s sleep for your guests.

Sustainability is the heart of our business and a continuous thread throughout the whole process. From responsible sourcing of eco-friendly materials, our award-winning eco-factory where manufacturing is powered by 100% renewable energy, right down to our 100% recyclable packaging.

Our Vegan Down range is the perfect solution for hote-

liers who want high end luxury without compromising their environmental credentials. This range looks, feels and replicates natural down in a more environmentally friendly way.

The Vegan Down’s design creates a sumptuous down like layer of superfine fibres which are encased in sustainably sourced 100% BCI cotton, the sewn through cassette construction traps air for warmth, volume and breathability, it’s washable, hypoallergenic and the microfibres are manufactured from GRS Certified recycled PET plastic bottles.

Today, our production practices are modelled on the BCorp framework as we work towards certification, demonstrating our unwavering commitment to ethical and environmentally friendly production for a better tomorrow. www.finebeddinghotels.co.uk

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Design and Refit Make the Most of Summer with Outdoor Furniture High quality contract grade furniture is important in any venue, but none more so than in outdoor seating areas, where it needs to look good while lasting through many unpredictable British summers.

Trent Furniture supply a huge range of outdoor furniture for pubs, cafes and restaurants. A firm favourite is the Monaco Stacking Chair. Available in wood effect, aluminium or a strong woven synthetic wicker finish in natural, black, red or green, this durable and stylish chair looks great in any outdoor setting, can be stacked up to 10 high, and is currently on offer from only £39.90.

Alternatively, the Plaza Chair is a cool and contemporary choice for your outdoor seating.

Hardwearing black synthetic rattan is handwoven over a rust resistant aluminium frame to create a durable chair that pairs effortlessly with the hardened glass-topped Plaza Table.

For beer gardens, nothing beats the traditional picnic bench. Trent Furniture’s new Chunky Picnic Table is available in three sizes, starting at just £145.90. The 4cm thick rustic oak-finished spruce wood with smooth timber slats provides the ultimate in durable comfort.

For more information, please call 0116 298 9842 or fill in our contact form at www.trentfurniture.co.uk/contact-us

New Ranges Launched by ILF www.ilfchairs.com email;terry.kirk@ilfchairs.com With the ongoing success of the ILF Chairs comprehensive website, ILF have now added a stock armchair in 7 different Faux colours plus a 4 colour range stock of Egger laminated table tops in a selection of sizes.

Their new online website offers both indoor and outdoor seating and table solutions.

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Divided into Contemporary seating, Barstools, Lounge Seating, Period Seating, Outdoor seating and tables plus Indoor Dining & Coffee height tables, offering a great selection of products to view at your leisure. Also included now an extensive range of stock seating, barstools, table bases and table tops.

Most made to order indoor seating and indoor

wooden table bases and tops can be finished to any customer specification. Outdoor items offer a variety of colours within the same product style.

Also included is a link to priced chairs and table bases plus a selection of priced made to order seating in a selection of Faux Leather upholstery colours and wood frame colours. These products can also be supplied to customer specification, just ask for details.

Enquiries can be sent to them directly from the website and they will reply within 24 hours. They hope you will enjoy the experience of viewing their easy to navigate website and they look forward to helping clients get the best products for their hospitality site.

Design and Refit

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Castelan Commercial Services Set the Standards

We caught up with Rob Jackson, from Castelan Commercial Services to ask what have been the key drivers to Castelan’s success in hospitality restoration after Covid.

"Our Commercial Division works on many projects across the UK- helping our hotel clients and working tirelessly together to provide cover in social care with the following services -

1) 2) 3) 4) 5)

Carpet/hard floor cleaning Upholstery cleaning Bath tub restoration Re-Upholstery service Environmental cleaning

“During the COVID crisis we expanded our cleaning services to include carpet & upholstery cleaning, re-upholstery services, mattress cleaning, bedroom deep cleaning (environmental) and bath tub restoration. Not only did we offer greener, safer cleaning products, but we found we were really effective at doing the work -and being competitive at doing this was a bonus."

If you need any assistance with the restoration of your fixed assets or have any questions around restoration ideas, please contact Rob Jackson who will be happy to help.

Contact Email: commercial@castelangroup.com M 07787 847 353 or T 0330 024 0433

Demand for Hospitality Furniture Outstrips Supply for Many in the Industry The ever increasing need to differentiate and refresh hospitality interiors has led to shortages of outdoor furniture and extended lead times on anything made to order. All sizes of business from local pubs to large hotel chains are feeling the pinch, and having to pay a premium for any available models they can find that fit their concept.

These are challenging times for suppliers too, as managing director of the market leading Contract Furniture Group, Richard Bellamy, confirms: “Timber, fabrics, plastics, transport – you name a cost and it’s gone through the roof. Our margins have always been thin, so trying to find ways to keep our prices down is tough – especially when our customers rely on us being the most cost-effective supplier around.

“We’ve seen demand skyrocket in the last couple of years, while many of our competitors have struggled to keep up. The market consolidation has seen us grow, but also limited buyers’ options – which has subse-

quently put further pressure on supply chains and the cycle continues. Luckily for us we work exclusively with a number of European manufacturers, so our lead times have not been as badly affected as others. We’re seeing some pretty big players having to quote over fourteen weeks to get bespoke upholstered seating, which is just far too long for most people. I’m not saying we can return to the three or four weeks we used to work to, but happily we’re nowhere near those kinds of delays.”

With the summer upon us and the need for outdoor furniture imminent, it seems inevitable that there will be a clammer for different ways to kit out new spaces or replace damaged items. Forward planning for furnishings has never been so business critical for the hospitality industry. Thankfully there are still contract furniture suppliers out there agile enough to deliver when the unexpected occurs and we need solutions fast.

See www.contractfurniture.co.uk or the advert on this page.

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Issue 122

Property and Professional

Capify - We're Here to Support Your Hospitality Business For almost 15 years, Capify has worked closely with the hospitality sector, providing business owners with much-needed funding. We’ve been there through some difficult times – like the 2008 recession and Covid-19, and have continued to lend even when the banks have said no.

We’ve recently conducted a Business Confidence Survey and found that cash flow and cash reserves are key concerns for business owners across the UK. Over half of those who responded also said they lack confidence in their existing banking partners to meet any future borrowing needs.

We’re proud to have created an accessible business loan which is both quick and easy to apply for, and, once approved, the funds can be paid out in as little as 24 hours.

The finance can be used for any business purpose, whether that’s:

• Purchasing extra food and drink • Hiring additional staff • Purchasing new catering equipment Our flexibility means we will try and look beyond your credit history when assessing your application and instead, we will consider whether your business has the potential to deliver solid and sustained growth.

If you’d like to find out how much finance you qualify for, visit www.capify.co.uk/hospitality-fund You’ll be taken to Capify’s website, where you can get a no-obligation quote within minutes. You’ll also be able to find out more information about the business loan and the unique and straightforward repayments.

To find out more visit www.capify.co.uk/hospitality-fund or call us on 0800 151 0980 to speak to one of our specialist finance sale team.

• Managing short-term cash flow issues

Why Use a Specialist Hospitality Consultant?

Answer: because we can help your business to succeed.

With over 30 years of industry experience in the Hospitality sector, The Bowden Group’s Managing Consultant David Hunter will work with you to address the following elements: Profitability, Operational Strategy, Staff Management, Marketing and The Future of your business.

David will also be on hand to give you extra (and this can be without any extra charge) support through our Sprowts4Mentoring system, to analyse, every single week, your business performance figures … giving you weekly analysis and concise reports, with appropriate guidance, to optimise your business’s Sales, Profitability and Staff Management.

the labour usage in your business.

And YES … Covid19 changed a lot of things. We need to learn from those things!

Right now we are experiencing massive increases in the cost of the raw materials that we buy … both Food and Drink. We will take that fully into consideration. When was the last time that you fully and meticulously costed out and priced correctly, every dish on your menu … both Food and Drinks?

Budgeting, Forecasting, Menu Management, Stock Controls, Purchasing, and controlling Variable Costs are just a few of the other areas that David Hunter, your Restaurant Consultant, will work on with you, and improve with you.

PROFITABILITY & OPERATIONS

MANAGING PEOPLE

Our experts will analyse your entire operation and also its key operating figures if they are available. We then help you to identify strategies to manage costs and overheads associated with the core Profitability of running a Hospitality business.

Managing people brings with it a whole set of new skills that are now needed more than ever. From ‘’Managing the Managers’’ through to Service and Kitchen staff, your team needs careful and skilful Management, Motivation, guidance and Development.

The largest overhead, even higher than Cost of Sales, is the Labour cost, so, with detailed analysis of your wages and being able to understand ‘’the way your business actually works’’ we can ensure that you are maximising

We have a very good record in helping Hospitality business owners to implement processes that improve how they manage their people, which in turn benefits the owners as well as the Team Members themselves.

We can help you to manage ‘difficult’ people situations, to improve your operational planning, to recruit, train and manage your team better, creating a more productive, pleasant and ‘’retaining’’ working environment.

MARKETING We will help you build a workable, planned Marketing Strategy. We don’t do fancy, posh or expensive … we just recommend what our experience says will actually work for your business.

It’s no longer enough to rely on word-of-mouth and repeat business.

You need to employ a wealth of skills in a number of areas to ensure that your Marketing is attracting new customers and engaging with existing customers.

From Digital Marketing, such as Social Media marketing, Websites, eMail Marketing and online advertising, to print design, Promotions and offline advertising, your Hospitality business should be constantly working on ‘’ all things Marketing’’.

If your business is actually struggling, or if you just feel that it could be doing some things better, give David Hunter a quick call on 07831 407984 to arrange a ‘’Free of Charge’’ initial consultation (please quote CLH Offer), when David will discuss with you what could be achieved if you ask us to work with you.

Property and Professional

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CLH DIGITAL

Margate Old Town Hall to be Offered for Lease

Margate is home to a vibrant and expanding creative sector. Its Old Town has become a year-round mecca for art lovers who visit Turner Contemporary and numerous independent galleries as well as the cafés, restaurants and vintage and contemporary shops that surround the cobbled Market Place.

As Margate is served by high-speed trains from London, with a journey time of just 90 minutes, a new generation is now discovering this original seaside escape. We enjoy a year-round demand for high quality serviced accommodation, driven in part by the Dreamland live music programme, the annual Margate Soul Festival and the area’s reputation as a stunning location for film and photoshoots.

The Grade II listed Old Town Hall sits right in the cen-

tre of Margate’s Old Town. Completed in 1898, the magnificent neoclassical structure served as the headquarters of Margate Borough Council and court building until Thanet District Council was formed, moving to larger, purpose-built premises in 1974.Since then, it’s been used as the Mayors Parlour and evidence of this can be seen inside with many a wall adorned with fine portraits and photographs of past Mayors.

Thanet District Council is now looking to let the entire building on a long lease as part of its capitalisation of its property asset register. Sitting as it does, centre stage in Margate Old Town Market Place, surrounded by bars, restaurants, art galleries and quirky independent retailers, it is expected it will attract a high level of interest. The building would suit conversion to a boutique hotel, business centre or retail. The council is open to innovative proposals (subject to the relevant planning) but these must demonstrate a strong sustainable business model and be fully funded.

The property is being offered on a long lease with a guide price of £75,000 pa. Please note that the Margate Museum building does not form part of the lease. Block viewings will be taking place over a six-week period. To book a viewing contact Dave Tappy, Commercial Director at Oakwood Commercial via email: commercial@oakwoodhomes.biz or by calling 01843 222704. Full and final bids must be submitted to Oakwood Commercial in writing or by email by 1200hrs on Tuesday 12 August 2022.

The Westmorland Inn, Bowness-OnWindermere Comes on the Market

The Westmorland Inn is quite simply a brilliant business that is only available as the owners wish to retire.

With a highly rated restaurant & pub for the past 4 years on Trip Advisor, the new owners can be assured of a great business moving forward. With a large lower ground floor restaurant, fully equipped commercial kitchen, bar area with additional mezzanine area and then 8 great en-suite letting rooms. Is this a bar, with a restaurant and letting rooms, a restaurant with a bar and rooms or a B & B with bar and restaurant, we'd suggest all 3.

The restaurant offers good traditional food, the cosy bar has a range of 5 real ales, draft lagers, wines, spirits and a large selection of gins together with everything else one might expect. Each of the 8 letting rooms are en-suite and are neatly presented and furnished.

The business is currently owner operated but managed allowing the new owner to do as little or as much as they like. Also, with opening hours starting at

1pm except Sundays which opens earlier for Sunday lunch there is scope to enhance the business. If the new owner wanted to open and offer breakfast and lunchtime food this would increase both the food and beverage sales within the business as the letting rooms are on a room only rate.

To the rear of the property is an adjoining 3 bedroomed house, for either the owner to live on site or as staff accommodation.

All in all, this huge building amounting to over 6000sq ft or 560m2 needs to be seen to appreciate.

Prominently positioned on Lake Road, just before the Royalty Cinema towards the top of the popular tourist village of Bowness-On-Windermere on the main road leading from Windermere to Bowness.

To book a viewing call 01539 444461 or see the advert on this page for further details.

Catering Partner Needed for Oxford Masonic Hall

Oxford Masonic Hall Company Limited was established in 1943 to provide accommodation for Masonic Lodges meeting locally. In 2016 they acquired their current premises (Cardinal House, in the village of Marsh Baldon, South Oxfordshire). Our provision of accommodation for & services to these lodges enables them to focus more of their time on their charitable activities (nationally, Freemasonry donated over £50m to charitable causes in 2020 and provided over 18 million hours of volunteering time).

These new premises were extensively renovated and updated by the Company and includes a fully-equipped, professional grade kitchen. Use of these premises for the caterer’s other commercial purposes is encouraged, with details to be agreed.

Currently some 20+ Masonic Lodges meet at the premises, a total of 70+ meetings estimated for the year commencing 2022. Using 2019 as an example of ‘usual’ trading, over 2200 meals were served in this period. The board considers that 2000 meals per year may be considered a good ‘lower estimate’ of masonic meals required throughout 2022, with the belief that as the impact of Covid-19 reduces this number will increase over the coming years.

The company also actively promotes its facilities for third party useage for social, commercial and charitable purposes and so the total provision of meals is likely to be somewhat higher than this.

The directors are looking to appoint a new catering contractor to provide services (via the company) to its members and other users of the premises.

We hope that our future catering partner would consider this relationship as a source of secure, repeat business.

If you would like to discuss this request for tender (or our process) in any further detail, please get in touch with: Mr. Tom Boardman-Weston, Director Tom.Boardman-Weston@omhc.org.uk Or Mrs. Tara Buck, Centre Manager Tara.Buck@omhc.org.uk

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