CLH Digital - Issue #146

Issue 146

Calls for Inquiry into Energy Suppliers “Withheld Support” for Hospitality Sector www.CLHNews.co.uk

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Sector leaders have called for an urgent inquiry into the conduct of energy suppliers and its treatment of the hospitality sector, amid accusations of profiteering.

The British Beer and Pub Association earlier this week wrote to Harriett Baldwin MP and Darren Jones MP, Chairs of the Treasury and Business Select Committee respectively, to urge them to convene an immediate inquiry into the energy sector and potential instances of profiteering.

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Introduced in October, the Government’s Energy Bill Relief Scheme was intended to bring down energy costs for millions of businesses but has since had little positive impact for the brewing and pub sector. The trade body is reporting countless examples of price hikes and poor practice which in many cases have meant the impact of Government support is effectively nil, and has led to suspicions of profiteering on the back of taxpayers’ money.

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CLH Digital

Issue 146

Editor's Viewpoint

Welcome to the latest issue of CLH Digital Our lead story raises “alarm bells”. The energy costs support promised by the government, which the sector is in dire need of, appears not to be passed on to operators and accusations of “profiteering” are rearing their ugly head!

It seems that energy companies are profiting off the back of the curEDITOR rent economic crisis, with energy costs still on average between 200-300% of previous years bills, while oil and gas prices are lower than the period prior to the Russian invasion.

Peter Adams

Energy companies are accused of withholding money, reducing payment terms, excluding certain businesses from energy supply, as well as withholding the subsidy benefit from the Government Energy Relief Scheme, resulting in businesses being financially compromised.

And, understandably, there are calls for an enquiry. I would go even further than that! This is from a bill put before the Houses of Parliament on 11 August 1919, 104 years ago: “The Bill which we have to consider today is a carefully considered measure to deal with what all thinking men must regard as a serious evil. It contains within it an implicit definition of profiteering. Perhaps I may summarise it as follows: To profiteer is to make unreasonably large profit, all the circumstances of the case being considered, by the sale to one's fellow-citizens of an article which is one or one of a kind of common use by or for the majority of the population.”

Suffice to say, the profiteering bill was passed all those

years ago! So, as far as I understand, there are still laws in place that prevent companies from “profiteering”.

So it is a matter of urgency, as some businesses stare into the abyss, to dispense with the tired old clichés we see at every inquiry: “Lessons will be learned and this is a wakeup call for us all” and implement a law passed in 1919 to punish companies if they are guilty of profiteering.

I will be putting out an alert today to see if we can have some legal perspective on this, so please do watch out for coming issues.

In another article (see page 9) over three quarters (77%) of businesses in the night-time economy have called for the late night levy to be abolished. I don’t wish to sound flippant, but what are the other 22% thinking?!

The Government launched its consultation on the Late Night Levy charge earlier this month, that will be applicable to premises in England & Wales that provide late night refreshment (defined as the supply of hot food and hot drink to the public between 11pm and 5am).

Currently, the Late Night Levy, where adopted, is an added annual fee that operators of licensed premises within the local authority area must pay if their premises licence or club certificate authorises the sale of alcohol during a specified period between midnight and 6am (subject to a small number of exemptions).

The Levy was introduced in 2012. However to date only nine local authorities have the Levy in place, one of which, Liverpool, is considering removing it. Cheltenham, Southampton and Nottingham removed their Levies in favour of a BID (Business Improvement District).

I am at a complete loss to see the logic behind the consultation to impose yet another tax on an industry which is experiencing such catastrophic trading conditions.

Where on earth does anybody involved in the consultation think this additional tax would come from?

Other stories we have printed revealed that food inflation for the hospitality sector is reached an all-time high of 24%, and another report by the Federation of Small Businesses says that economic confidence has collapsed.

So, take all those ingredients and add a “late night levy/tax” - yes that’ll help!

At the time of writing this the Chancellor had only just completed setting out his “economic vision for the future”.

I have not had the time to analyse it in full yet, and I have not had any response from the sector (see next week’s issue), but I see precious little which gives confidence to the hospitality sector.

The speech centred around digital and technology, and removing EU red tape, concentrating on Digital Technology, Green Industries, Life Sciences, Advanced Manufacturing and Creative Industries.

Only two months ago the Chancellor saw first-hand the anger and the passion outside his own Treasury offices when the sector came together to protest at his treatment of hospitality.

I was there, and I remember the passionate speeches, and the loud noises made outside Parliament and his offices.

We were there to voice our anger at the situation the sector finds itself in not of its own making, but of the government’s making.

Their policies have pushed the sector to the brink, and he/they owes it to the sector to put it right. Unfortunately I have seen nothing in today’s statement that remotely touches on that!

One more thing! once again I would ask the favour - we want more Twitter followers !!!

So please do follow us on Twitter, and encourage as many people you know in the trade to subscribe to our digital issue, further details can be seen at www.catererlicensee.com

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.

PUBLISHED BY RBC Publishing Ltd Roddis House, Old Christchurch Rd, Bournemouth, Dorset, BH1 1LG

TELEPHONE:

01202 552333

FAX: 01202 552666 sales@catererlicensee.com

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EDITOR Peter Adams

SALES EXECUTIVES David Bartlett Guy Stephenson

PRODUCTION & DESIGN Matthew Noades

PRODUCTION & WEB ADMIN Charlene Fox

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Issue 146

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Calls for Inquiry into Energy Suppliers “Withheld Support” for Hospitality Sector (CONTINUED FROM FRONT COVER) Reports from publicans and brewers include sharp increases in nonenergy costs being layered onto bills, harsh new terms and conditions, requirements for enormous up-front security deposits and even flat out refusing to contract with hospitality businesses at all.

The BBPA has written to the energy regulator Ofgem which is investigating the claims, but says there is a need for action immediately to prevent what is already becoming the number one cause of business failure in the sector. The BBPA is calling on MPs in Westminster to demand an explanation from energy suppliers for the current state of the market. It is also essential that the recent reduction in wholesale prices is reflected in energy bills quickly.

SPIRALLING ENERGY COSTS “NUMBER ONE CONCERN” Emma McClarkin, Chief Executive of the British Beer and Pub Association said: “The spiralling cost of energy has been our members’ number one concern for close to a year now and remains so. Now, multiple reports of poor practice have compelled us to speak up on behalf of suffering businesses and make this urgent call.

“There is no doubt that this is causing businesses to fail – people simply cannot afford to make ends meet and are left with no choice but to shut up shop meaning a community loses its pub or brewery, and the jobs and livelihoods that go with it, for good.

“The Government put this support measure in place to stop this very thing from happening, but the energy suppliers just don’t seem to be playing fair. The damage being wrought on our sector is enormous and I hope that MPs will heed this call and investigate the issues fully.”

CUT DUTY ON BEER AND CIDER SAYS CAMRA CAMRA Chair Nik Antona said: “Huge increases in prices, fees and charges for pubs and breweries have effectively cancelled out the Government’s help with bills for many businesses, putting the future of many of our much-loved locals at risk as they struggle to make ends meet.

“Parliament and Government should urgently investigate any unfair treatment of businesses in the beer and pub sector by energy companies and take action to make sure that licensees and brewers know how much their energy bills are going to be each month. Those bills must be fair and without unreasonable extra fees, charges or up-front deposits added on.

“Given that many businesses haven’t had the reduced energy costs they were expecting as a result of this behaviour by energy companies, CAMRA is urging the Chancellor to use his Budget in March to announce more support with energy bills to help save the UK’s world-

renowned pubs and breweries. The Chancellor also needs to cut duty on beer and cider served in pubs by 20% and make the business rates system fairer if our locals are to survive this cost-of-doing-business crisis.”

PROVIDERS WITHHOLDING SUPPORT Sacha Lord, the Night Time Economy Adviser for Greater Manchester, also called for an urgent inquiry into evidence of withheld energy support for the struggling hospitality sector as financial deadlines loom.

Operators speaking to Mr Lord have stated they haven’t yet received any of the entitled support since it was introduced last September, and now fear they will miss out altogether once reductions are brought in from the end of March, as announced by the Chancellor Jeremy Hunt.

It is predicted that many operators will be unlikely to withstand the increased financial burden that the expected energy prices will bring, on top of existing Covid loan repayments due.

Mr Lord, who will meet with MPs next week to discuss the issue, believes the next quarter will be too difficult for some, he said: “Pubs, bars and restaurants have been most damaged by the economic turbulence of the past three years, and support is now being pulled from under businesses that are only just beginning to recover.

“I’m hearing from pubs where monthly energy bills are exceeding rent payments, and others who have temporarily shut sites during the colder winter months to save on gas and electricity costs.”

“We also have evidence of energy providers who have either not yet applied any Government support payments to business accounts, or have not applied the full amounts owed, and we are urgently pressing Ofgem and the Government to investigate.”

“NOT SEEN ANY SUPPORT” The owner of Capuchin Coffee in Altrincham, Greater Manchester, confirmed, “Our business has not had any money put into our business account from the government yet”, while Damien O’Shea, Director at Stockport’s Heaton Hops bar, stated, “We still have not seen any Government support discount applied to our energy bills yet.”

On Sunday, EDF, one of the UK’s largest energy providers, revealed it is failing to pass on emergency government help with bills to about 2,000 small businesses. EDF admitted to The Times that “systems issues” meant that certain businesses had not received the correct state-funded discount.

The news comes as a predicted decrease in consumer spending across hospitality adds further peril to businesses struggling to survive in the sector. Research from the Resolution Foundation has revealed that the average disposable income for a working-age family’s household will fall by 3 percent this financial year, while household budgets have come under pressure after food prices rose by a record 13.3 per cent in December 2022.

Lord continued, “From the end of March, we will see a hailstorm of damage inflicted on businesses, from the removal of energy support to rises in income tax thresholds, which will further affect consumer spending. Unfortunately, we will see many businesses close down as a result of these extra pressures.”

“We are moving from one financial crisis to another, and the Treasury urgently needs to put forward a long term financial plan, which will not only secure economic growth and stabilise the industries currently in peril, but instil confidence in business owners across the UK.”

REDUCED HOURS AND JOB LOSSES Fiona Botham, co owner of Ramsbottom’s Levanter restaurant has been forced to temporarily close sites during the winter months due to building financial pressures.

She said, “We have taken the hard decision to hibernate two of our spaces in Ramsbottom for the rest of the winter to cut costs for the immediate future, whilst keeping our original Square Street restaurant open. Unfortunately this has led to two part time job losses and reduced hours for the rest of our team.

“We’ve tried everything possible to avoid this scenario but the overall cost of living and cost of doing business, most seriously the untenable hike in energy prices, have both seriously reduced demand and simultaneously led to huge rises in our costs from every angle.

“We’re just hoping that when we can reopen our outside tables on the street in the Spring and that this will boost revenue, but it is going to be very hard to make up the difference in rising energy costs. These are very difficult times.”

Gemma Gardener who runs The York in Morecambe said: “Not only have our energy bills been extortionate, but our supplier has also added on extra unexpected charges outside of our standard rates, from a £2k installation fee to doubling our daily hire charge unexpectedly.

“We have tried to switch suppliers but been rejected, and the only reason we’re able to keep going is because our pub company is helping us through. We’re struggling with our bills but so are our customers and so we’re being squeezed at both ends.

“Not knowing what we’ll be charged month on month is incredibly scary, this isn’t only our business but our home and we’re at the mercy of our energy suppliers.”

£300 MILLION RELIEF MISSED Analysis by real estate advisory firm Gerald Eve recently found that the government only handed out only 80% of the money available from its £1.5bn Covid additional relief fund, which was set up to help businesses that were not covered by other tax relief schemes. The data found that eligible companies missed out on around £300m of business rates relief in total.

Supporting Mental Health During the Cost of Living Crisis 4

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By Daniel Stander, an employment lawyer and certified mental health first aider at Vedder Price LLP (www.vedderprice.com) The hospitality sector can be forgiven for wondering when it will catch a break. After all, the feeling of being in a permanent state of battle since 2020 and facing a cocktail of issues including high energy costs, debt, consumers tightening their budgets and Brexitrelated trading problems mean that for many businesses, the start of 2023 is about day-to-day survival.

With warnings being issued by insolvency practitioners that thousands of firms face collapse in 2023, pressure in the sector is immense. It is perhaps no surprise then that with 92% of adults in the UK reporting that their cost of living has increased compared to a year ago, financial pressures and concerns about taking time off work because of deteriorating wellbeing are a recipe for chronic stress levels, and can increase feelings of anxiety, loneliness and isolation, which are key factors for mental ill health.

With that being the case, the question arises as to how employers in the sector can best respond?

PUT YOUR OWN MASK ON FIRST It can sometimes be forgotten that business owners face an invidious and often lonely situation in navigating such a difficult period in seeking to keep their workforce and supply chain together. It is essential that employers take steps to safeguard their own mental health and wellbeing in order that they can be in a position to lead by example in supporting their employees. Steps such as joining an active mentoring group and/or engaging a business coach can help with fostering positive and constructive influences. Talking about mental health can be really difficult and if employees see their bosses speaking out about their own experiences, this can help break down stigma and help to create a more inclusive and open work culture.

CREATE SPACE FOR CONVERSATION Employers should consider how they can best improve the employee experience in terms of wellbeing provi-

sion. It is cost-effective and sensible to hold regular check-ins with employees to allow opportunities for discussions around mental health and wellbeing to develop. A manager may not always know what is best to say, or may feel that they need to “fix” the situation. In reality, most people just want to feel heard and that their needs are approached from a position of empathy.

SPOT THE WARNING SIGNS “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” This well-worn cliché has particular salience where mental health is concerned. In order to combat issues of absenteeism and presenteeism leading to high-levels of turnover and potentially costly disputes, employers should acquire the tools to spot the early signs and symptoms of a mental health issue developing, or of an existing condition worsening, so they can provide support and early intervention. This means ensuring that managers receive high quality, tailored and regular training to help an employer discharge its duty of care to ensure the health and safety of its workforce so far as is reasonably practicable.

SIGNPOST AVAILABLE SUPPORTS Employers can help demonstrate that they take mental health seriously by ensuring that employees are made aware of where to find wellbeing support information both within the business and via external resources.

This includes signposting to confidential advice helplines, which can be a cost-effective yet vital ingredient to provide employees with access to the support they need, when they need it.

IDENTIFY WHAT MATTERS TO BUILD UP RESILIENCE Employers are recommended to identify what actually matters to their employees and in what context they may benefit from extra wellbeing support throughout the employment life cycle. For example, employers should consider whether they can improve their employee experience on pay, including whether it is feasible to allow a proportion of salary be accessed early, or to provide benefits such as discounted gym memberships to give employees a potential outlet to help them build up their resilience.

It is clear that efforts to improve mental health in the sector require a redoubling of efforts in 2023.

Employers and employees alike need not face these issues alone.

A Kent Club Has Been Named Best in the Country The Marden Village Club has won CAMRA’s prestigious Club of the Year award A recently refurbished club located in the centre of Marden has been named best in the country in CAMRA’s Club of the Year competition.

Marden Village Club in Kent was completely renovated in 2017 to produce a light, airy, and friendly atmosphere. This Grade II listed community hub boasts six real ales generally from local microbreweries and a snooker and darts teams for its members. Many members are involved in these teams; others simply enjoy the friendly ambiance and watch live football and rugby on the sports TV. Simon Banfield, Marden Village Club Steward said: “We are really thrilled to have won this year. To have made it into the top four clubs nationally of what is a really strong competition was a real honour and a great achievement, but to go on and win, receiving recognition from CAMRA for the work that we do here for our members, is fantastic. It really is a big team effort, with a huge thanks to the proactive committee that organises our regular entertainment and live music events, as well as undertake an incredible amount of fundraising for our chosen charities. A huge thank you as well to our

amazing bar team who work really hard to provide a friendly warm welcome alongside great service, and also to our cleaner who keeps the club clean and tidy. As a large part of the award is about great real ales, we must thank all of our suppliers who provide us with some fantastic products and service.

“Lastly the biggest thanks of all goes to our members who come out and support us in what we do, and in turn provide a great atmosphere making the club a fantastic place to be in.”

CAMRA Awards Director Laura Emson said: “Huge congratulations are in order for the Marden Village Club which truly epitomises what it is to be a club at the heart of its local community. From organising charity events to running a warm hub for people struggling during the winter months, they are so much more than just a local business.”

Clubs in the competition are selected by CAMRA volunteers and judged on their atmosphere, decor, welcome, service, value for money, customer mix and most importantly – quality of beer. Runners-up include the Cheltenham Motor Club in Cheltenham, Dobcross Band Social Club in Greater Manchester and Barnton Cricket Club in Merseyside-Cheshire.

Tackling Cost of Living Crisis Top of Mind for UK Food & Drink Shows Bringing together the very best of the hospitality, manufacturing and grocery, speciality & convenience retail sectors, the UK Food & Drink Shows return to the NEC, Birmingham this April 2023 (24th – 26th), to showcase the very latest products, big thinking, key insights and address key trends through the lens of the developing cost-of-living crisis.

The must-attend event unites Food & Drink Expo, Farm Shop & Deli Show, National Convenience Show and Foodex Manufacturing Solutions (incorporating Ingredients) under one roof, giving food and drink professionals 2023’s most comprehensive snapshot of the latest developments across multiple industries.

The three-day event is well known for its ability to bring together the great and the good from the industry’s diverse sectors with innovative exhibitors, hot-topic seminars and business-changing awards central to the shows’ unparalleled line-up.

The UK has thus far narrowly avoided recession, yet the cost-of-living crisis continues to affect every part of the industry. We’ll hear from the manufacturers, supply chain operators, retailers, food producers, start-ups and key associations as they come together to discuss measures already in place and what comes next.

Andrew Reed, Managing Director – Wine & Exhibitions, William Reed, said: “Across the UK Food & Drink Shows’ three days, we’ll be addressing exactly what impact the heightened cost of living is having on the industry, grilling our expert panels on what can be done to help and highlighting the latest products and solutions the sector has to offer.

“The UK Food & Drink Shows are historically an event in which industry professionals can come together, dissect problems, and share ideas. Our industry’s spirit was laid bare throughout the Coronavirus pandemic, now – as we face yet another challenge – I have no doubt that we will unite once again in April to prove our resilience.”

Food & Drink Expo invites buyers and decision makers across the whole industry to come along and uncover the hottest trends, latest product launches and the industry’s vision for the future.

Free to attend, one trade badge provides access to all four shows. Register free at www.foodanddrinkexpo.co.uk

Chancellor Sets Out Long-Term Vision to Grow the Economy Issue 146

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has today (January 27) set out his vision for long-term prosperity in the UK, calling on businesses in key growth areas to invest in the UK and expressing his desire to make the UK an attractive site for innovators and entrepreneurs.

Speaking at Bloomberg’s European headquarters in London, the Chancellor opened his speech on the economy by highlighting one of the UK’s major growth sectors – technology – before revealing that the opening section of his speech had been written by ChatGPT, the AI software that was released late last year.

Getting the economy growing faster is one of the government’s five priorities, as set out in Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s New Year address. Mr Hunt outlined how he intends to deliver upon that over the coming years, ahead of the Spring Budget due on 15th March.

The Chancellor Jeremy Hunt said: “Our plan for this year remains to halve inflation, grow the economy and get debt falling.

“But all three are essential building blocks for much bigger ambitions for the years beyond.

“World-beating enterprises to make Britain the world’s next Silicon Valley.

“An education system where world-class skills sit alongside world-class degrees.

“Employment opportunities that tap into the potential of every single person so businesses can build the motivated teams they need.

“And opportunities spread everywhere just as our talent is spread everywhere.”

The Chancellor went on to call on businesses in the key growth sectors of Digital Technology, Green Industries, Life Sciences, Advanced Manufacturing and Creative Industries to increase their investment in the UK, with the Chief Scientific Adviser Sir Patrick Vallance already leading work on how we should change regulation to better support safe and fast introduction of new emerging technologies.

The Chancellor added: “If anyone is thinking of starting or investing in an innovation or technology-centred business, I want them to do it in the UK. I want the world’s tech entrepreneurs, life science innovators, and clean energy companies to come to the UK because it offers the best possible place to make their vision happen.

“And if you do, we will put at your service not just British ingenuity - but British universities to fuel your

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innovation, Britain’s financial sector to fund it and a British government that will back you to the hilt.”

Digital Secretary Michelle Donelan said: “I believe that Britain is uniquely placed in the world to become the number one home for tech - one where entrepreneurs have both the stability, but also the freedom, to invest and innovate.

“We have a clear vision for where this country is going, and a government that is prepared to match that ambition with action. That’s why this year we’re bringing forward new laws to transform digital markets, free up businesses to innovate with data, and set out our strategy for globally important semiconductors.”

Business Secretary Grant Shapps said: “We stand at the cusp of a new age, facing a technological revolution that will transform the world as deeply as the industrial revolution did in the nineteenth century.

“The UK has an opportunity to be at the forefront of this revolution, building upon our world-class research infrastructure and open markets to scale up the business titans of the future here in Britain, in everything from AI to quantum, from robotics to biotechnology.”

The Chancellor set out his aim to increase enterprise, supporting businesses by using our new-found Brexit freedoms to review regulations in key growth sectors to make it easier for companies to innovate, alongside the importance of competitive business taxation.

He reiterated the importance of employment and tackling economic inactivity, helping more people into work and filling the vacancies in the jobs market. He also outlined ambitions to help more disabled people and those with mental illnesses into work, and a pensions system that encourages continued workforce participation. The Work and Pensions Secretary is thoroughly reviewing issues holding back workforce participation, with a report due to conclude shortly.

The Prime Minister and the Chancellor have both placed enormous importance on education, with £2.3 billion of additional funding for 23-24 and 24-25 announced at the Autumn Statement and continued implementation of the government’s skills reforms. The government has already made progress with T-levels, boot camps and apprenticeships.

And finally the aim of levelling up everywhere across the UK, ensuring that all areas feel the benefits of economic growth with empowered local areas and reducing the time it takes to build new infrastructure. Already the Levelling Up Fund has awarded £3.8 billion to projects across the UK and the UK Government is working to launch Freeports in every country in Britain, with several already operating in England and the locations of two having recently been announced in Scotland.

The Secretary of State for BEIS Grant Shapps and Secretary of State for Culture Media and Sport also delivered keynote speeches at the event.

Wedding Business Is The Driver To Success 6

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Issue 146

By Richard Martin, The Blazing Donkey Country Hotel, Hay Hill, Ham, Sandwich, Kent, England (www.blazingdonkey.co.uk) We are owner operators of a small but thriving country hotel near Sandwich in Kent. Although our hotel accommodation is on point and our restaurant award winning we prefer to rely on our repution as one of our county's most prolific wedding hosts - and with good reason-its the most profitable segment to our business driving 90% of our profits.

TIP 1 - FOCUS ON WHAT DELIVERS YOU THE MOST PROFIT This year we celebrate our 30th year of ownership. Our business has survived multiple recessions, Brexit, unfair treatment by the now taxpayer owned Natwest (formerly RBS) and most latterly and most profoundly the global Covid pandemic.

So how have we managed to be sufficiently resilient to come through this most latest of challenges and what strategies will we be depending upon to sustain the health of our business moving forward?

The engagement of a top accountancy firm who take the time to understand your business is absolutely vital. I am in no doubt that had I not met Paul Randall, (senior partner of UK top 50 London-based accountancy firm RPG Crouch Chapman) then our business could have very easily failed. Too many small businesses in hospitality do fail needlessly because they don't get good advice and expertise at the right time or at all.

maintained their confidence in us. Although the CMA event deposit guidelines were clear in that all deposits for events were unconditionally refundable, none of our booked wedding clients (212 at the time) asked for or demanded a refund. Some of our clients changed their wedding date up to four (4) times.

TIP 3 - CARVE YOUR NICHE AND PROTECT IT AT ALL COSTS What are seeing now is the gradual normalising of all market conditions and business costs. Some characterise whats' happening in hospitality and business as "payback"...that's to perhaps say what the government gave in one hand during Covid they are now [indirectly] taking away. The manifestation of this taking away is the resumption of normal vat levels, no furlough support, Covid loan repayments, higher bank interest rates, bank repayment holiday removal and out of control inflation. The result for our business has been dramatic with monthly overheads around 33% or £15,000 higher than pre-pandemic. Further our cash burn post pandemic has been dramatic.

TIP 4 - REACT TO COST INCREASES BY BEING READY TO UPLIFT YOUR SELLING PRICES WHILE AT THE SAME TIME PAYING CLOSE ATTENTION TO YOUR COSTS AND ANY SAVINGS OPPORTUNITIES Assuming you have belief and confidence in your product and service you must react quickly to market forces. Don't allow the increased costs to erode your margins and immediately adjust your pricing upwardly.

Be bold, be confident as good quality customers are out there and still spending. Our selling prices for weddings and accommodation have increased at a faster rate than our costs and we have discovered to our benefit that our price elasticity to demand (how demand is influenced by price) is extremely low.

Selling Price Movement

TIP 2 - APPOINT AND BE PREPARED TO PAY FOR A QUALITY ACCOUNTANT WHO IS FAMILIAR WITH HOSPITALITY (OUR ANNUAL ACCOUNTANCY FEES ARE LESS THAN WOULD BE AN ADDITIONAL FULL TIME MINIMUM WAGE EMPLOYEE)

at The Blazing Donkey*

At the time the pandemic struck we were sitting on a record order book of booked events (weddings) and occupancy. Covid put paid to a forecasted EBITDA in 2020 of £300k (34%) making way to an enormous trading loss of £190k. Despite this deficit which previously would have been unfathomable,

Pre Covid 100 Guest Wedding £6k

we were able to remain viable. A combination of support packages from our current bankers (suspension of commercial loan repayments) and rates refunds from council made a dramatic difference. Although our balance sheet took a hit, the government backed furlough and covid loan schemes made survival for us as certain as it could be. All these schemes though depended on us working very closely with our accountants - and in the case of the bank support and Covid loan negotiations, swifty instructing Paul and his team to produce the required detailed suite of information that was essential to ensure that our applications for support were successful.

In addition to having no sales income we were staring down the "barrel of a gun" in potential refunds of over £1/2m. Our core business niche is weddings and so hundreds of thousands of pounds in refunds were a real possibility. The lifeblood of any business is its order book so it became very important for us to preserve this as best we could.

Despite Covid we were able to communicate clearly and regularly with all our valued wedding clients which

Pre Covid Dbl Room Rate £145 Post Covid Dbl Room Rate £220

Post Covid 100 Guest Wedding £10k *inc. VAT On the flipside we continue during these tough times to monitor cost of sales spend. Instead of remaining loyal to our traditional and established supply chain we now "spot buy" in respect of food and drinks purchases. In addition we continue to respect a self imposed non essential spend ban. Although the property needs maintaining it does not need further or increased capital expenditure.

TIP 5 - CASH IS KING - SUSPEND ALL NON ESSENTIAL SPEND AND INTRODUCE SPOT BUYING Concluding our initiatives and strategies have allowed our firm to restore its current balance sheet value to levels preceded by COVID

TIP 6 - UNDERSTAND YOUR BALANCE SHEET AND THE IMPACT OF YOUR DECISIONS UPON SHAREHOLDER VALUE

Local Community Pub Reopens Following £120,000 Investment The Keynsham Courtyard, formally The Wine Bar, a local community pub in Keynsham, Bristol will reopen on Friday 3rd of February following a significant £120,000 combined investment from pub company Admiral Taverns, which owns community pubs across England, Scotland, and Wales, and passionate licensee Robert Moore.

The pub will see a major transformation throughout, following the previous exterior renovation which took place in August 2021, which included a new decking, long tables and seating. As part of the latest investment, inside, the pub will feature an updated look, including new flooring and light fittings.

Outside, the pub will be painted a vibrant blue with fresh new signage to welcome residents back into The Keynsham Courtyard.

Licensee Rob, has 10 years of experience in the industry, running hospitality establishments from sports bars to high-end restaurants. Rob is passionate about the hospitality industry and brings a wealth of knowledge to the Keynsham Courtyard. He is keen to create a lively community establishment for residents to socialise in and is working hard to transform this old building into a Quality Community Pub. Robert Moore, Licensee at the Keynsham Courtyard, commented: “I am thrilled to be reopening The Keynsham Courtyard and showcase its revitalised look and feel to the community. I am extremely pleased with the results so far and am proud of how I’ve taken this pub from strength to strength over the last two years. I cannot wait to welcome the community back to their local and highlight all the pub’s new and fantastic

offerings!”

On top of its transformation, the Keynsham Courtyard is offering a brandnew, premium drinks selection, which includes speciality cocktails, a new list of wines from all over the world, the best draught products, and premium spirits. Moving forward, Rob is planning to introduce a food offering to accompany his wide selection of beverages.

In terms of entertainment, Rob will be treating customers to frequent evening events throughout the week, to truly bring the local community together. This will include live music every Friday and Saturday evening, a fortnightly quiz and an open mic night every Sunday.

Additionally, Rob will also hold weekly mental health coffee mornings to further reinforce the pub’s position as a community pillar, to combat loneliness. These will take place every Friday, welcoming anyone and everyone for a coffee and a chat, to combat feelings of loneliness within the community.

David Stallard, Business Development Manager at Admiral Taverns commented: “It’s fantastic to see how passionate Rob is about the pub, which has been demonstrated through the excellent refurbishments in the past couple of years. I cannot wait for the reopening after this extensive and fantastic transformation from the Wine Bar to The Keynsham Courtyard, which I am sure will be a fantastic hub open all day every day in the centre of Keynsham for years to come. I would recommend anyone in the area to take a visit, and I wish the pub every success for the future.”

Star Rolls Out Smart Meters to a Third of its Pubs to Help Cut Energy Bills With high utility bills a major concern for Iicensees, Star is installing gas and electricity smart meters at a third of its pubs to help reduce their energy consumption. The programme means all pubs buying energy through its Star Energy* scheme will have the meters by the end of April 2023.

765 pubs will receive the meters, which will enable them to better understand their consumption patterns and cut their energy usage. From trials in its Just Add Talent (JAT) managed operator pubs, Star expects licensees to be able to slash their energy use by at least 10% as a result of having a smart meter.

Under the initiative, Star has also appointed energy experts to analyse usage data from the smart meters and is sending specialist surveyors to 20 of its JAT pubs to monitor how they consume energy. Based on the findings, all licensees

participating in Star’s energy scheme will receive bespoke recommendations on how to best cut their energy usage, taking into account the type of pub they run and the style of their building. In addition, generic guidance on the most effective ways of reducing pubs’ energy bills will be drawn up and shared with those Star pubs not on the company’s energy scheme.

Says Mark MacDonald, Star Pubs & Bars’ Head of Pub Services: “We’re committed to doing all we can support to licensees in reducing their overheads.

Our pilots have proved that smart meters are a vital tool in cutting energy costs, allowing licensees to see how much gas and electricity they’re using at different times of day and eradicate unnecessary consumption. With energy bills at record levels, the minimum 10% saving is substantial for licensees.”

2022 Ends with Record High 24% Food Inflation Issue 146

The CGA Prestige Foodservice Price Index (FPI) ended 2022 at record highs, with the Food basket nearly one quarter higher than December 2022.

The FPI full basket which includes beverages ended slightly below this level at 22.9%.

December 2022 marks the eleventh consecutive month of double-digit inflation, after a year of intense inflationary pressures for foodservice businesses. Year-on-year inflation in the food basket of the Index—excluding beverages—was even higher at 24%.

All ten categories of the Index recorded inflation of at least 10% in December, with more than half topping 20%. The Oils & Fats category led the surge, with year-on-year inflation surging to a spectacular high of 47%.

As we enter 2023, the Index from CGA and Prestige reveals mixed signals from supply markets on future pricing. Oil and exchange rates, the two leading upstream influencers on food prices, are more benign than

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during most of 2022, and the UN’s FAO Food Price Index fell by 1.9% in December 2022—a ninth consecutive month of decline to take it to 1% below its value a year ago.

However, energy costs continue at extremely high levels against a background of tightening government support, while higher labour costs across supply chains show few signs of relief. With a significant easing in prices only likely to begin with an end to conflict in Ukraine, the outlook for 2023 therefore remains volatile.

Prestige Purchasing CEO Shaun Allen said: “The next step on our inflation journey will be when the current 2% to 4% month-on-month increases start to slow down. We expect this to start to happen in the months ahead, but we are likely to experience an extended period where prices continue to go up, but just more slowly. These market conditions provide an opportunity for some suppliers to increase prices ahead of market, and buyers should seek hard data to verify and benchmark any increases during 2023.”

James Ashurst, client director at CGA by NielsenIQ, said: “Businesses up and down the foodservice supply chain were besieged by inflation in 2022, and as we enter 2023 there is little respite in sight. Alongside the cost of living crisis for consumers, soaring food and drink prices are piling enormous pressures on hospitality, and sustained government support is needed to protect businesses and jobs in this vital sector of the UK economy.”

Hospitality Industry Serves Up a Fundraising Record for Action Against Hunger UK The UK hospitality industry has stepped up to the plate, raising just shy of half a million pounds – a record-breaking amount – for international charity Action Against Hunger UK.

in 2011. Despite Covid-19 and the cost-of-living crisis affecting the amount of people eating out, this year’s campaign exceeded targets and raised £62,000 more than 2021.

Over 200 restaurants across the UK signed up to take part in the charity’s Love Food Give Food campaign throughout October and November 2022. By adding just £1 to a customer’s bill, these restaurants helped raise £466,154 to tackle hunger in the UK and across the world.

The star of this year’s campaign was YO! Sushi. Partnering with Action Against Hunger for the second year in a row, the restaurant chain raised an impressive £241,740 across 52 restaurants.

Award-winning restaurant group, Tao Group London (which includes restaurants Hakkasan and Yauatcha) were one of over 200 restaurant groups that took part in this year’s campaign. Lauren Dodds, Marketing Manager of Tao Group said: “Working in the hospitality industry, we are acutely aware of the impact that food can have on people’s lives, and we are delighted to be a partnering restaurant helping support Action Against Hunger. Life-threatening hunger is such an important cause and one close to our hearts – with a love of food we are committed to helping fight the crisis.”

Victoria Mathers, Head of Marketing at YO! Sushi said: “Love Food Give Food is the perfect example of how food can be a powerful tool for change. We’re extremely proud to support Action Against Hunger UK’s campaign again this year, so more mouths can be fed across the world – including here in the UK.” The money raised will support thousands of children and communities facing life-threatening hunger across the world including Somalia, Kenya and Ukraine.

Jean-Michel Grand, Executive Director at Action Against Hunger UK said: “We are delighted to announce that Love Food Give Food 2022 has raised this record-breaking amount for the charity. This would not be possible without the immense support from restaurants and the generosity of diners. A huge thank you to everyone who took part to help us tackle life-threatening hunger.”

Finger Clickin’ Good: How Hospitality Can Get Better at SEO Action Against Hunger UK’s campaign has raised over £3.5 million since Love Food Give Food’s inception

By Chris Pitt, Managing Director at Vertical Leap (www.vertical-leap.uk)

But what the vibrant nature of the sector does surface is that outlets’ search marketing strategies need to be more effective than ever.

HOSPITALITY NEEDS A ‘NEAR ME’ STRATEGY Our analysis of consumer search terms for our recent Restaurant SEO Report reveals the first- and second-ranked phrases include the words “near me”. It might seem innocuous, but it’s hard to overegg the importance of making location a key ingredient of hospitality marketing. The inclusion of those two short words in searches has become almost unconscious for consumers - showing how much this matters when they’re making a choice.

So, optimising for ‘near me’ searches should be a given - no matter how big or boutique an eaterie is. But work doesn’t end there.

Simply stating the location in the text of search results won’t do. That would be a missed opportunity to display other aspects that make the place special and worth consumers’ time and money.

Whether fried chicken or foodie dishes are to your taste, the chances are you’ll have made a hospitality booking or devoured a delivery in the past few weeks.

It’s likely, because the value of eating out is even higher than previously predicted - almost £92bn by the beginning of 2023, while the takeaway market’s set to reach £12.6bn by 2025.

In the pandemic, more of us turned to deliveries. Post-Covid, we’ve returned to hospitality venues in droves while keeping up the takeaways.

While the cost-of-living crisis might mean different decisions for households up and down the UK, it’s unlikely to result in a dramatic downturn of bookings and orders. Most people still like being catered for.

Competitors need to create culinary curiosity by including other details in copy. That means going beyond opening times and a bog-standard image of a building exterior. Adding aspects of ingredient provenance, speciality dishes and accessibility will all drive choice.

In this way, businesses can engage a brand new audience further up the funnel. That might be enough to persuade people to eat in or take away, thus growing the target market.

Conversely, the last thing any hospitality venue wants is a slew of bad reviews (unless, of course, it infamously dines out on poor publicity). But they don’t have to leave a sour taste - in fact, it’s bad practice to ignore them. Embracing difficult reviews is an opportunity to respond with an improved marketing strategy.

Search optimisation is a key part of nourishing the narrative (or, at least, moving negative sentiment further down the rankings). We’re certainly seeing a rise in interest among brands to tackle this aspect.

Changing the conversation involves challenging brand assumptions. That begins with a renewed focus on the business website to show exactly what’s on the menu.

SEO IS A MAIN COURSE NOT A SIDE DISH Search optimisation has long been overlooked by many hospitality brands and establishments. This misses the strategy’s power to tap into new audiences and its effect on wider marketing opportunities.

SEO allows eateries to reach diners higher up the funnel as well as in their hungriest moments lower down the food chain. Any visitor to an outlet’s website means more volume, more fuel for CRM and more people to target through other channels.

If you want to improve your SEO, there are lots of tools available, not least Google’s own options. These include Google Analytics, Search Console and Keyword Planner. All are useful for managing and augmenting your website and Google Business Profile, one of the most vital aspects for achieving online visibility at a local level.

It’s also important to realise that it’s very difficult for any organisation to handle the granular aspects of successful search strategies alone.

Optimisation is a resource-intensive discipline that delivers an almost endless supply of data for customer trend analysis, and marketing and operational improvement.

Engaging a professional external partner that can manage the lion’s share of SEO through an AI-driven dashboard, can make all the difference in the race to provide the most mouth-watering offer to the UK’s growing army of diners.

High Demand for Night-Time Economy, but Late Night Levy 'Must Go' Issue 146

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New figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows hospitality is fuelling the night-time economy but worrying trends are emerging, particularly the loss of 800,000 workers in the past six years.

the late night levy had not met its objectives, wholeheartedly backed by the industry, suggesting that it is unaffordable and represents no benefit to businesses on the ground.”

Nightclubs, bars, restaurants and cafes are responsible for 42% of customer spend after 6pm, the largest of those examined by the ONS, which demonstrates the strong public demand for our late-night offering.

NTIA FLASH POLL: 306 RESPONDENTS: What type of business do you operate?

• • • • • •

The figures show the sector remains a key employer, with 8.7 million people working at night, but the significant loss of workers over the past six years and the continued drain on turnover by the Late Night Levy is preventing venues taking advantage of high demand.

UKHospitality Chief Executive Kate Nicholls said: “This new data shows how important the night-time economy is to communities across the UK; as a critical employer and its role driving footfall to towns and cities to visit our late-night venues.

“Hospitality is the main attraction in the night-time economy, with almost half of consumer spend taking place there, but there’s so much more we can do if barriers to doing business are removed. The loss of nearly a million workers from the sector just shows the pressure it is under.

“The Late Night Levy can be one of the main drains on business, costing venues £365,000 last year and stifling the sector’s recovery from the pandemic. Its introduction has been a failure and removing such an ineffective levy, which local authorities and a House of Lords Committee both concluded has not been successful, would provide much-needed relief for affected venues.

“After a pandemic where late-night venues could scarcely open and now a cost-of-living crisis, we need to see a concerted effort by Government and local authorities to back our night-time economy.

Supporting positive measures such as the agent of change principle would be a great help to the sector, as would planning and licensing policies that recognise the benefits the late-night sector brings.”

NTIA POLL BACKS CALLS FOR LEVY TO BE SCRAPPED Over three quarters (77%) of businesses in the night-time economy have called for the late night levy to be abolished in a survey by the Night Time Industries Association.

Many across the sector, the survey says are seeing this as a “Stealth Tax

” to support local Policing and Local Authority budgets across the UK, but more importantly, within the current climate these additional costs are unaffordable and will further erode the limited cash flow these businesses are surviving on.

• 77.8% England • 19% Scotland • 3.2% Wales Is your business currently subject to a Late Night Levy?

NTIA FLASH POLL : 306 RESPONDENTS (LNL – LATE NIGHT LEVY)

BUSINESSES OPERATING WITHIN LNL AREAS:

• 72.2% of Respondents with a LNL area feel it does not meet its objective • 84.4% of Respondents who do not currently pay LNL felt that a Late Night Levy would not benefit the area they operate within.

• 81% of Respondents felt that the LNL would not be affordable in the current operating climate.

• 77% of Respondents felt that The LNL should be abolished Only nine local authorities, including Newcastle, Southampton and London boroughs Camden and Tower Hamlets, charged a late-night levy in 2022. Several councils, such as Nottingham and Cheltenham, have scrapped the tax in support of the night time economy and hospitality sectors.

Michael Kill CEO NTIA says: “It is absurd that the Government is even considering consulting on the expansion of the current late night levy scheme. It’s atrociously timed, in the middle of a cost inflation crisis, where the sector is perilously being pushed closer and closer to the edge.”

“The House of Lords review on licensing last year was very clear that

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45.9% Nightclub / Venue / Event Space 36.1% Pub/Bar/Restaurant 4.9% Hybrid Space 4.9% Promoter / Event Organiser 4.9% Supply Chain 3.3% Other Where is your business located?

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• 71.4% No / 28.6% Yes Do you believe that the Late Night Levy meets its objectives for the business area you operate within?

• 72.2% No / 27.8% Yes

BUSINESSES NOT OPERATING WITH LNL AREA Do you believe a Late Night Levy would benefit the area which you operate within?

• 84.4% No / 15.6% Yes

BOTH LNL & NON LNL BUSINESSES Under the current operational conditions, is a Late Night Levy affordable to your business within your area?

81% No / 19% Yes What do you think should happen to the Late Night Levy?

• 77% Believe the Late Night Levy Should be abolished • 9.8% Left to Local Authorities to decide on implementation • 9.8% Rolled out nationally

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CLH Digital

Issue 146

Recent Years Have Made One Thing Clear: The UK Economy Can Overcome Even the Most Challenging of Circumstances

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

In the first week of January, sterling tumbled to its lowest level against the US dollar since November. The UK will undoubtedly bounce back stronger and more financially secure than ever, but for many British holidaymakers, the lavish trips will be put on hold for the foreseeable future.

However, with international visits getting more for their money in the UK, this may be the year they consider a British jaunt.

Rather than battening down the hatches and riding out the economic storm, British hoteliers should instead throw open the shutters and do their utmost to appeal to visitors from far and wide.

TARGETING THE INTERNATIONAL TRAVELLER Amid dire warnings that a third of UK hospitality could go bust in 2023, businesses cannot afford to be gung-ho in their efforts to attract international visitors.

Hoteliers will need to think carefully about who they target. Those markets where the pound is weakest and where there are plenty of consumers with disposable income to spend - such as the United States will undoubtedly offer the best opportunities. However, don’t assume that what works to attract visitors in the domestic market will produce the same results further afield.

provide the cultural experience visitors seek, but also encourage them to spend in your bars, restaurants and gift shops. For instance, at Burgh Island, our guests can tuck into a selection of afternoon teas at The Palm Court Lounge at lunch, before enjoying an evening meal of freshly sourced fish and chips at The Pilchard Inn.

The desire for relaxation is a given, but you will often find the types of activities guests are interested in, vary. According to a Beachbound survey, American holidaymakers are most interested in swimming (34%), hiking (34%), ziplining (33%), surfing (30%) and snorkelling (26%), for instance. To appeal to the wide range of guests that pass through our doors, hotels should provide a variety of activities and experiences. At Burgh Island, for instance, guests can choose to unwind in our on-site spa, wine and dine in our grand ballroom, partake in murder mystery weekends or spend their stay exploring the Devon coast. By offering an abundance of choice, hotels can ensure they’re catering to every kind of guest.

That said, there’s a reason why no matter where you are in the world, you’re never more than a stone’s throw away from an Irish-themed pub.

When away from home, we still seek some level of familiarity.

Emphasising British traditions and foreign customs aren’t mutually exclusive. Hoteliers can (and should) do both.

CAPITALISE ON THE QUINTESSENTIALLY ENGLISH

Mark those special dates on the calendar and show your guests your desire to celebrate their culture as much as they hope to experience ours — That black-tie dinner on Thanksgiving or 4th of July firework display could be the difference between a confirmed booking and a missed opportunity.

What matters most to international tourists is the chance to experience unfamiliar surroundings — According to GetYourGuide, 62% of US tourists feel a trip is wasted if they don’t experience a local culture.

Thankfully, the UK has plenty to share with its guests. From one of the world’s ancient wonders in Stonehenge to modern attractions such as the London Eye, British hoteliers should take every opportunity to leverage the world-famous sites that surround them.

And, of course, capitalising on the quintessentially English traditions that we are best known for throughout your establishment will not only

HELPING GUESTS TO FEEL AT HOME

Often, the time we have off from our busy work schedules to travel is concentrated around national holidays and cultural celebrations.

Undoubtedly, any guests that take these infrequent opportunities to stay at your establishment would still like to celebrate the occasions that matter most to them.

LOOKING FURTHER AFIELD I have full confidence in British hospitality to overcome these latest setbacks. When the pandemic hit, we recognised that the landscape had changed considerably and redirected our efforts to appeal wholeheartedly to domestic visitors seeking a mental break from Covid. This time around, we must take inspiration from our guests and instead broaden our horizons.

Delivery and Takeaway Sales Still Double Pre-COVID Levels Despite Dip in 2022 Combined sales in December 2022 were 104% higher than in December 2019, with deliveries up 238% and takeaway and click-and-collect orders 53% ahead.

The figures confirm how lockdowns and the convenience of delivery platforms have transformed the market for restaurants, long after the end of COVID restrictions in Britain. Managed groups received just over 24% of their total sales from deliveries and takeaways in December, the Hospitality at Home Tracker shows. It also highlights the increasing importance of drinks, which now account for 10% of all at-home orders.

However, trading has plateaued since late 2021. The Tracker shows total delivery and takeaway sales in 2022 were 2% behind December 2021—the 14th month of year-on-year decline in a row.

Karl Chessell, CGA’s business unit director – hospitality opera-

tors and food, EMEA, said: “After booming in 2020 and 2021, it was a year of consolidation for the delivery and takeaway sector. A return to eating out and a squeeze on consumer spending both contributed to the plateauing of sales throughout 2022. Nevertheless, with nearly a quarter of all sales now coming from at-home orders, COVID has cemented food and drink deliveries in people’s habits. The big challenge for all restaurant groups in 2023 is to protect sales and margins on third-party delivery platforms without compromising eat-in trade.”

The CGA Hospitality at Home Tracker is the leading source of data and insight for the delivery and takeaway market. It provides monthly reports on the value and volume of sales, with year-on-year comparisons and splits between food and drink revenue. It offers a benchmark by which brands can measure their performance, and participants receive detailed data in return for their contributions.

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 biotablet that breaks down uric acid and bio 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. See the advert on the facing page for further information.

Issue 146

CLH Digital

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Cost of Living And Cost Of Doing Business Crisis Put Casual Dining Sector Amongst Highest Risk in 2023 says IFT Businesses in the UK’s retail sector will be among those most in need of turnaround expertise to stay afloat this year as the cost-of-living crisis tightens its grip on consumers, according to the Institute for Turnaround (IFT).

Last year IFT members, who help underperforming businesses avoid unnecessary insolvency, saved in excess of 80,000 jobs as initiatives to fix finances and revamp growth strategies bore fruit. Members also helped UK companies deliver more than £3.6bn of shareholder value.

But in its latest Societal Impact Report, the IFT predicts increased demand for its services among struggling businesses this year with the casual dining sector likely to be among the hardest hit.

IFT Chairman Andy Leeser says: “Among IFT practitioners, casual dining is expected to see continuing demand for turnaround management over the next 12 months, in part reflecting consumers squeezed by rising energy bills, higher food prices and increased mortgage costs.

“This was backed up by data from Companies House that showed that the same sector saw steep increases in the number of distressed companies in the last quarter of 2023.”

The IFT report adds that inflationary pressures, rising energy prices, interest rates and labour shortages mean demand for turnaround expertise among distressed businesses

more generally will continue to grow in 2023.

“The directors behind UK businesses large and small, having risen to the manifold challenges of the Covid pandemic and associated lockdowns, might have expected a period of calm to recover and rebuild. Instead, firms have found themselves faced with multiple new challenges. A cost-of-living crisis is hitting consumers, whilst a cost of doing business crisis is combining with pre – existing stresses to put a great deal of pressure on UK PLC,” adds Leeser.

Whilst it is true that inflation is predicted to continue falling from likely peaks reached towards the end of 2022, it is still expected to end the year well above the Bank of England’s two percent inflation target. Borrowing costs,and borrowing conditions, will most likely remain challenging. Rising prices and wage pressures, a major feature of the business environment of 2022, will also remain big headwinds for business in 2023. All these factors are still working their way through to the balance sheets of UK businesses, with much of the consequences still to be felt.

Despite the distinct benefits turnaround experts can bring, many companies remain reluctant to appoint a turnaround adviser until cash flow pressures are extreme, which can limit the range of restructuring options available. The challenges and risks identified in the report, in addition to the uptick in fortunes experienced by businesses that engage short term professional expertise suggests that UK businesses suffering stress in the casual dining sector should act now to engage accredited turnaround support.

UKHospitality Comments on New Data from CGA Prestige Foodservice Price Index New data from the CGA Prestige Foodservice Price Index, showing food and drink inflation for food service businesses reached a record high of 24% in December 2022, UKHospitality Chief Executive Kate Nicholls said: “The central food and drink element of hospitality means that this level inflation puts the sector yet deeper into jeopardy.

“It’s another in a series of price increase across all fronts of operations and businesses will have no choice but to pass it on to customers. That will make it harder for the Government to deliver on its key commitment to reduce inflation

across the wider economy.

“This simple economic fact underlines the importance of Government investing in and supporting the sector to help keep our prices as low as possible, if they want to achieve their target of halving inflation.

“We recognise that public finances are tight, but an injection of support into hospitality can repay the cost many times over through the additional sales it creates, the growth this generates and the jobs it can offer.”

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Box Clever with Self-Led Crafting Idea 12

CLH Digital

Issue 146

Publicans looking for new ways to increase engagement with people living in their local community, help connect people with others and keep customers entertained can take inspiration from a ‘Creative Community Boxes’ initiative that has been successfully trialled at a range of Welsh venues.

ing paper, pens, charcoal and pastels, watercolour and acrylic paints, as well as origami materials, air drying clay (which has proven helpful for some people with arthritis) and weaving materials.

Creative Lives, www.creative-lives.org, the charity that champions community and volunteer-led creative activity, has seen self-led activity craft boxes become a hit with visitors at a range of venues, including a pub and library.

Another simple idea publicans could look at to help support creative groups that use their pub, or help customers who are crafters, is to offer a ‘Craft Exchange’ box. The idea is to encourage people to bring along to put in the box any unwanted arts and crafts materials which others can use for their creative projects, with the opportunity to takeaway something they need for their crafting in return, either when they drop things off for the box or in the future.

The craft boxes, which feature a range of materials and creative prompts, have been a success with lots of groups who are enjoying taking part in self-directed activities and using the creative prompts in the box to help inspire them for an activity if wanted.

Gareth says: “Many craft materials can be expensive to buy and people often have things leftover or unwanted from projects that other crafters can make good use of, so it makes sense and helps reduce waste to encourage more crafters to gift or exchange materials.”

SELF-LED ACTIVITIES Gareth Coles, Wales Director of Creative Lives, who has led the trial of the ‘Creative Community Boxes’, says: “The idea is that the box is there for groups or a couple of people to use without the need for someone being there each week to run a group or session. Publicans could look to encourage people along at a settime each week to engage with crafts in the box. One group meeting in a pub saw success from meeting fortnightly at 11am for games, lunch and then craft box activities.”

He adds: “Another way of using a craft box is to have it available in the pub, perhaps located with board games and other self-led activities the pub offers, for people to open up and do an activity from, either on their own or with others, if wanted.”

CRAFT BOX CONTENTS IDEAS These community craft boxes, devised by Creative Lives, feature materials such as basic drawing tools includ-

Also included are items for creating items that the crafter can gift, such as cards and bookmarks.

Publicans can find other ideas of resources to include in a box here: Craft resources for self-led groups | Creative Lives (creative-lives.org)

CRAFT MATERIALS EXCHANGE BOX

Publicans are being encouraged to use simple wooden or cardboard boxes to set-up a craft exchange.

He adds: “We have trialled craft exchange boxes in a library and it is working really well. For publicans the box, which doesn’t need to be very big, offers another way of highlighting that your pub is open to welcoming creative groups and also gives locals another reason to pop in to your pub.”

Find out more about Creative Lives ‘Pubs Welcoming Creativity’ campaign, which Pub is The Hub is supporting, including a range of useful resources for pubs looking to welcome more creative groups here: Pubs Welcoming Creativity – Toolkit | Creative Lives (creative-lives.org)

Shepherd Neame Pub Managers Celebrate 30 Years – With 30 Happy Couples “We couldn’t get over how they all made friends and were on the dancefloor together late into the night – it was just so lovely. You get thank you cards and messages but to hear people say how happy they’ve been was so nice for us – it was the best way to celebrate.”

A husband and wife team who have managed a Shepherd Neame venue for 30 years celebrated the milestone with 30 couples who have married there over the years – including several brides in their wedding dresses.

Janet and Philippe Sorak joined The Barn in Lonsdale Gardens, Tunbridge Wells, as General Managers in 1992 and launched weddings in 2011.

Chloe Hinson, 28, from Tunbridge Wells, was one of the brides who came in her dress, accompanied by husband Andrew, 30. The pair married at The Barn just eight weeks ago.

Since then the beamed building has gone on to become an award-winning wedding venue and hundreds of couples have marked their big day there.

Andrew described the service they had for their wedding as “faultless” while Chloe said: “Janet and Philippe were so amazing. It is a nice, intimate venue and they looked after every detail perfectly.”

So it was fitting that when Janet and Philippe reached 30 years at the site that they would celebrate with 30 couples – and they did so in style earlier this month.

Bev and John Smith, who live in Chalk, married there in June last year, after two postponements due to the pandemic.

Several brides attended in their original gowns, and the couples, along with others who have helped the pair over the years, including photographer Helen England and toastmaster Jim Cattermole – enjoyed a sitdown meal and disco into the evening.

Bev did not wear her wedding dress, opting for a necklace she wore on her wedding day with her outfit.

She said: “We looked at quite a few venues but we loved this one because it was more intimate and personal. Philippe was amazing from day one.”

Janet said: “It was an absolutely amazing night. Some of the couples were really emotional about it, and they are talking about doing an annual reunion now, they enjoyed it so much!

John added: “The amount of effort they put in for you is amazing. The awards they have received are well deserved.”

Taking Steps Towards A Sustainable Future For Hospitality Businesses topic of sustainability is only going to grow.

Yet, while the appointment of a chief sustainability officer might not be possible, there are other steps hospitality businesses can take today to help foster a sustainable future. One of the ways that pubs and bars off the mains gas grid can unlock significant reductions in their carbon emissions is through the transition to sustainable fuels.

UNDERSTANDING YOUR OPTIONS Calor Futuria Liquid Gas (previously BioLPG) is a sustainable fuel made from a blend of waste, residues and sustainably sourced materials.

As the drive towards net zero continues to gain pace, UK businesses are continuing to put sustainability at the heart of their operations.

Research has highlighted that almost two fifths (37%) of UK businesses have appointed a chief sustainability officer, while over half (56%) have an employee in post, whose remit includes sustainability.

And, with the UK Hospitality Association unveiling its 10 pledges to guide those working in the sector to net zero by 2040, it’s clear the

With busy pubs and bars requiring a fuel source that offers increased reliability and a controllable flame for cooking, Futuria Liquid Gas can be utilised for a variety of uses, such as hot water, heating and cooking requirements. In addition, Calor’s range of storage options, including underground tanks, which can be hidden out of sight, means there’s a solution for every business.

Available in a 100% blend, bulk Futuria Liquid Gas can reduce CO2 emissions by up to 86% (kgCO2e/kWh) when compared to using heating oil and up to 80%4 compared to conventional LPG. For 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, hospitality customers, while also highlighting the amount of CO2 saved.

THE FUTURE WITH CALOR As part of its commitment to offer its customers 100% sustainable energy solutions by 2040, Calor is raising awareness about off-grid energy options and encouraging hospitality businesses to make the switch to bulk Futuria Liquid Gas – helping to support pubs and bars across the UK to deliver on their sustainability goals for today and tomorrow.

To find out how Calor can help you reach sustainability targets, visit www.calor.co.uk/hospitality

It’s Not Too Late To Create The Perfect Date Night For A Memorable Valentine’s Day 14

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Discovery and booking platform DesignMyNight (www.designmynight.com) offers consumer insight and ideas for hospitality operators who want to feel the love and boost their business this Valentine’s Day. popular cocktails in the UK are piña coladas, mojitos, and martinis (including porn star and espresso).

As the UK emerged from recurring lockdowns, research from Barclaycard in 2022 revealed that seven in 10 Brits living with a partner (70%) and nearly two-thirds (62%) of people in a relationship, but living separately, intended to celebrate Valentine’s Day with their other half.

And, in 2022, Brits spent approximately £1.37 billion celebrating the calendar occasion, popularly associated with love and romance, according to figures from Wunderkind.

Be aware of the décor and adjust aspects to synchronise with your offer. Turn the lighting down a couple of notches and the candlelight up, think about any background music and the look and feel of the trading areas. Install a head-turning signature display that encourages your customers to share on their socials – this can be a balloon arch for example or can be assembled with fresh flowers

Putting the cards, flowers and chocolates and other seductive gifts to one side, hospitality has a great opportunity to use the language of love to encourage visits and boost trade and take its share of custom from this emotion-filled holiday. This will be particularly important in 2023, when 14th February falls on a Tuesday, when many venues may otherwise be quiet or even closed at the start of the week.

It's not too late to create a perfect date night and entice customers into your restaurant this year to save potential customers from countless last-minute dashes to the petrol station for a bunch of flowers.

Although some people are organised and plan weeks ahead, many leave dinner and bar reservations until the last minute. In 2022, online searches for Valentine’s Day rose more than 50% from the last week of January to week commencing 8th February and bookings made through DesignMyNight were up over 10% in the same period. Whilst ‘Valentine’s Day’ and ‘date night’ remain popular DesignMyNight searches in London for this year’s celebrations, it appears that people are looking for something different, with ‘quirky date ideas’ currently topping the list of Valentine’s Day queries.

Leighanne Bent, Senior Marketing Manager at DesignMyNight provides her advice on generating additional footfall and revenue from this most loving day of the year.

A survey from a Dishy Dates survey on DesignMyNight in 2022 revealed that 30.3% of people love to be wined and dined to get them in

Having gone to the effort of planning for Valentine’s, promote your offer(s) and maximise advance reservations, ideally taking a deposit to reduce no-shows. Use social media channels and existing loyalty or CRM technology to let previous customers know what you have planned but also use event listings to attract new guests and start building long-term relationships with them

the mood for love, so this is the obvious place to start. Develop a bespoke Valentine’s Day menu that is distinguished from your regular offer to persuade people that it is worth leaving their homes for. It needs to be special enough to warrant charging a premium price yet widely accessible in the current economic climate and based on regular dish ingredients to minimise waste Provide a simple drinks menu that matches the dishes to encourage linked purchase. Focus on delicious drinks that appeal to a diverse audience and which give people the opportunity to trade up, whether they select wine, beer, spirits or non-alcoholic drinks. Valentine’s Day gives people the excuse to splash out and treat themselves a little so offer Champagne, cocktails or aperitifs as soon as they arrive and don’t lose sight of the benefit of upselling drinks orders during their visit. Drinks House 24/7 conducted a survey in May 2022 revealing that the most

Whilst your focus is on guest experience, don’t forget to share the love with your team. Involve them in the planning, organise tasting and drink matching sessions and incentivise them on upselling. Make sure any tips are shared quickly and that they get home safely.

Commenting on Valentine’s Day events Anthony Knight, Sales and Marketing Director at Incipio Group, added "Valentine’s Day remains an important calendar date for hospitality venues. As well as being an important occasion for couples looking to dine out in more traditional format such as restaurants and romantic nights away it also marks a fantastic opportunity for venues to market to customers simply looking to have a great time out and celebrate single life and there’s a huge demand for our ‘anti-Valentines’ party concepts. Last year after nearly 2 years of lockdowns, heartbreak and a desire to connect with people again, we saw a significant increase in demand for guests wanting to join us for Valentine’s Day."

Adande Refrigeration Appoints Karl Hodgson as New Managing Director Adande Refrigeration Limited announces Global Sales Director Karl Hodgson has been appointed as the Managing Director of the company, effective January 2023. Karl brings three decades of experience in the foodservice sector, together with an extensive knowledge of refrigeration, having been with Adande for 13 years.

Adande Group Executive Chairman, Nigel Bell: “As the Adande Group of companies continues to grow, it is important we continue to strengthen the leadership team in key company areas. Karl brings deep experience and proven commercial and management skills together with an unwavering commitment to the Adande Refrigeration business. He has served as a director with the company for several years. It is vital that we continue the explosive growth out of the COVID period and achieve our company goals over the next 24-48 months. The board believe that Karl is the right person to lead the business, known for its unique sustainable drawers, in delivering that. Karl will replace current Managing Director Ian Wood allowing Ian to focus his knowledge and expertise on Engineering and Development across the Adande Group

of companies, including Adande Aircell Limited, where the growth of Aircell technology for powering open display retail cabinets is accelerating.”

Karl Hodgson, Managing Director: “I am very excited to take on this new challenge. and feel that Adande as a business is perfectly positioned to assist hospitality during 2023 in what is anticipated to be a tough year economically. Adande continues to excel producing and delivering sustainable refrigeration with a low lifetime cost. Our modular drawer units and open-display retail cabinets deliver significant energy reduction when compared with other popular market brands. Adande is proven to save operators £££s and this saving has never been so important for our industry. We have a dynamic UK sales team now reporting into newly appointed UK Sales Manager, Jackie Venn and a strong and committed dealer network in the UK. Over 40% of sales in 2022 were in overseas market and these sales continue to grow. I am very much looking forward to this next chapter. I’d like to thank the board and the whole Adande team for their support.”

KALDEWEI Joins the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance The Sustainable Hospitality Alliance (the Alliance) has welcomed KALDEWEI to their affiliate membership, as they become the latest member to join the network for responsible hospitality, alongside Choice Hotels, Whitbread, The Merrion and Rabmer Group.

As the first bath manufacturer in the world to use its climate-friendly steel enamel in its production, KALDEWEI work with the hospitality industry to bring the latest sustainable innovations to hotel bathrooms.

The German company keep longevity and circularity, as well as water and energy saving, at their core, as they work progress climate neutrality in the hospitality sector. The use of enamelled steel means that their products are 100% recyclable, of which 35% is recycled steel.

The company registers and documents its materials and products through pioneering platform, Madaster, which provides a transparent insight into the embodied carbon and toxicity of materials, as well as how their resources can be reused, time and again.

As an affiliate member of the Alliance, KALDEWEI will work together with a network of over 60 hospitality and supply chain companies to leverage the collective power of the industry to make a lasting positive impact for people, planet and place.

Only through this holistic approach, is it possible to accelerate towards a more sustainable and regenerative hospitality sector, that gives back more than it takes.

Roberto Martinez, CSO of KALDEWEI, said: “At Kaldewei, we are proud to be partnering with Sustainability Hospitality Alliance, working together with members to expand a holistic approach to sustainability, sharing our expertise in innovative bathroom solutions within the built environment.

Never before have the advantages of our steel enamel material been as present and convincing as they are today. As we see our climate changing before our eyes, there is no time to hesitate in eradicating plastics, acrylic and resins from bathroom fittings, which is why we are so passionate about using all natural, 100% recyclable and durable steel enamel bathtubs, shower surfaces and wash basins lead the way in sustainable bathing solutions. We look forward to uniting our expertise with that of the Alliance, showing that luxury and sustainability can go hand in hand. We call this LUXSTAINABILITY®, which describes the heart and soul of our product portfolio.”

Glenn Mandziuk, CEO of the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance, said: “In order to work towards Net Positive Hospitality, it is essential that we convene the value chain, maximising innovation across construction and supply chains, as well as operations. That’s why I’m delighted to welcome KALDEWEI to our affiliate membership. This is a pivotal time for the Alliance, as our affiliate and hotel membership continues to grow. I greatly look forward to working with KALDEWEI and am excited to see how their expertise will help shape the future of the Alliance and circularity across the hospitality sector”.

FOR ALL THE VERY LATEST NEWS FROM THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY VISIT WWW.CATERERLICENSEE.COM

Small Business Confidence Collapses – FSB Calls for Growth Plan to Power Through Issue 146

Small firms’ confidence in the final quarter of 2022 plunged to a depth almost on a par with that measured during the second Covid lockdown two years previously, new research from FSB has found.

The Small Business Index (SBI)’s headline confidence figure in Q4 2022 fell to -46 points, down from -36 points in Q3 2022, and the lowest such finding since Q4 2020, when it was -49 points.

In several individual industry sectors, the confidence reading was particularly low, with retail businesses registering a finding of -83 points, and hospitality firms coming in at -71 points. This is particularly troubling during the traditional during the ‘golden quarter’ for consumer-facing businesses such as shops, bars, and restaurants.

More positively, the construction (-19 points), IT and technology (-25 points) and manufacturing (-39 points) sectors were more upbeat than average, albeit still in negative territory.

More small firms reported a drop in revenues over the previous three months (43%) than reported a rise (33%), and their outlook for the next three months reflected this as well, with 44% expecting to see a fall in revenues against three in ten anticipating a rise (29%).

The proportion of small businesses which saw employee numbers fall (16%) outweighed the share which gained staff (10%) over the previous three months, although the employment outlook for the next three months was more positive, with one in seven small businesses (14%) expecting to increase their staff numbers against around one in ten (11%) expecting to see a fall.

Inflation continued to take a toll on small businesses, with nearly two in five saying costs were significantly higher (38%) than in the same period a year prior. Utility bills, including energy, were cited by over three in five small firms as a driver of their change in costs (61%).

Late payments are still holding back a significant number of small firms, with three in ten small businesses (30%) saying their payment situation had worsened over the previous three months.

FSB National Chair, Martin McTague, said: “There’s no way to sugar-coat these figures – small businesses’ confidence is at its third-lowest level since we started tracking it nearly a decade ago. But business owners are resilient and where there is a will, we will find a way through.

“Clearly, falling consumer spending, inflation, and high energy bills are all taking a toll, and poor results after the golden quarter are particularly disappointing – but this should also be a time to grasp the nettle and be

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decisive in finding more ways for the economy to grow, which is why we have drawn up a plan of action for the Government to implement.

“Small businesses are always the engine room of any economic recovery.

The more rapidly small firms pull through, the more rapidly we can all recover.

“Helping more people into work, tackling late payment, driving energy efficiency, powering R&D and getting more people to start up on their own are all initiatives that will make a real difference to the economy – just as small business owners individually will continue to demonstrate the ingenuity they showed during the pandemic to find new markets and new ways of working.

“Small firms are a fantastic national resource of innovation and creativity – especially if given the right conditions to flourish. These results are incredibly worrying, yes, but they are not the final word.”

FSB’S PLAN TO HELP SMALL BUSINESSES 1. Tackle late payment once and for all, by making the audit committees of large corporates responsible and accountable for supply chain payment practices, with a legal requirement that payment times and conditions be published in annual reports.

2. Address recruitment troubles by taking action to help people access affordable childcare, creating a ‘Kickstart’-style scheme to help more people kept out of work through health problems to access work, and bringing in skills bootcamps for the over-50s.

3. Introduce a Help to Green voucher with a suggested value of £5,000, to be used by small firms to invest in green improvements to their premises, such as a heat pump, better insulation, or solar panels. This will stimulate the economy, cut emissions, and reduce small firms’ energy bills at the same time.

4. Promote small businesses’ investment in R&D by reversing the cut to R&D tax credits brought in at the Autumn Statement, and reduce the complexity within the application process so small firms can navigate it without the need to hand over a large cut of any relief they gain to intermediaries.

5. Reform the way taxes are levied to help boost small firms - increasing Small Business Rate Relief to £25,000 in England and raising the VAT threshold from £85,000 to £100,000 to help the self-employed work more hours.

Extending Licensing Hours for King’s Coronation Would Provide ‘Much-Needed Boost’ for Sector The extension of licensing hours for the King’s Coronation in May will provide a “much-needed boost” for the sector, according to UKHospitality.

Nicholls said: “The King’s coronation will be a spectacle celebrated by millions and hospitality will no doubt be at the centre of a historic moment for the country.

The government launched a public consultation in December 2022 on extending licensing hours from 11pm to 1am from Friday 5 May until Sunday 7 May in England and Wales.

“I’m pleased the Government is proposing to extend licensing hours and UKHospitality is fully behind the plans. Not only will it benefit customers, but it also means businesses will be able to trade for longer, increase footfall and generate additional sales.

This extension will grant pubs, bars and clubs an extra two hours trading to mark Charles III being crowned on 6 May in a ceremony at Westminster Abbey in London.

Responding to the consultation UKHospitality Chief Executive Kate

“At a time when the sector has been ravaged by the cost of doing business crisis, as well as recruitment challenges and strike disruption, this extension would provide a much-needed boost and aid hospitality’s recovery.”

Fullers Salles Approaching Pre-Pandemic Levels but Industrial Action Costing Estimated £4million London pub group Fuller’s has reported like-for-like sales up 20% for the 43 weeks to 21 January 2023, and at 97% against the same period in FY 2020. Sales for the four-week Christmas and New Year period increased by 38% against a trading period in 2021 that was impacted by covid restrictions and work from home guidance.

The group also reported tha it has lost £4m in sales and will miss its profit targets this year due to the impact of ongoing rail strikes.

The group, which has almost 400 pubs, also warned that cost-of-living pressures were weighing on the business.

Simon Emeny , chief executive at Fuller’s, said: “We are encouraged by our underlying sales performance. While it is frustrating that the train strikes have set back our reported sales and earnings, it is reassuring that we are achieving our anticipated sales trajectory in periods unaffected by strikes. While ongoing strike action will dampen sales, demand from customers remains good and we are optimistic that 2023 will deliver further sales growth through a busy calendar of events, and as office workers and tourists continue to return to the capital.

We are operating in a high inflation environment, and that continues to impact our operating costs and margins. While some of these costs may be temporary in nature, others – such as the National Living Wage increase – are more permanent, and we are focused on taking action to mitigate these costs wherever we can. Although strike action and the cost-of-living crisis create short-term hurdles to our post-pandemic recovery, we remain confident in the resilience of the pub and the future opportunity for Fuller’s.

We are a long-term business and we will continue to invest in our people, in our properties and in providing excellent reasons for our customers to visit.

We are delighted to continue to support the development of our 200 apprentices and we look forward to the re-opening of The Admiralty in Trafalgar Square and The Sanctuary House in Westminster in the spring, following transformational investments, as well as opening The Willow, our new pub in the stunning Cotswolds village of Bourton-on-the-Water.

These are challenging times, but our fundamental strengths of a talented and experienced team, a high-quality, well invested, predominately freehold estate, and a healthy balance sheet provide the foundations for us to make the right long-term decisions in this period of short-term turbulence.”

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UK Hotel Industry Ends 2022 on a Positive Note but 2023 Will be a “See-Saw” with Mixed Fortunes Looking ahead to this year, Chris Tate added: ‘Like a see-saw, there will be ups and downs for the hotel industry. Operators are managing their cost base whilst juggling other financial pressures. As for 2023, there’s going to be a mixed bag of fortunes for the industry. Events like the King’s Coronation and the extra bank holiday, along with Liverpool hosting Eurovision and international sporting events across the UK, will boost both domestic and inbound tourism.

There were some positive signs for the UK hotel industry at the end of 2022 with improving room rates in December, despite a fall in occupancy rates according to the RSM Hotels Tracker.

The data, which is compiled and produced by Hotstats and analysed

by RSM UK, also highlights the cyclical nature of the industry when occupancy and room rates, revenues and gross operating profits (GOP) tend to fall at this time of year.

‘But fragile consumer confidence and increasing cost pressures will impact on the profitability of the hotel industry. With many having recently renewed, or having to renew their energy contracts shortly, it remains to be seen if hotels can continue to enjoy passing on costs to consumers and to maintain their REVPAR. The sector has a great opportunity in 2023 to capitalise on demand but challenges will remain.’

Average daily rates (ADR) of occupied rooms were up from £144.55 (November) to £152.68 (December) in the UK, and from £226.62 (November) to £246.89 (December) in the London market.

More positive data shows ADR of UK hotels is still 22% higher than the same period in 2019, and 30% higher for London hotels.

However, occupancy rates dipped from 71.5% (November) to 63.1% (December), with London hotels also decreasing (73.9% in November compared to 68.7% in December). Occupancy continues to lag behind pre-pandemic levels of 70.2% (UK) and 78% (London) in December 2019.

Revenue per available room (RevPAR) also dropped from £103.41 (November) to £96.27 (December) in the UK, but increased in the London market, from £167.48 to £169.72. Gross operating profits of UK hotels fell from 35.2% (November) to 32.7% (December), and from 43.4% to 42.7% in London highlighting that, although room rates remain strong, profits are still under significant pressure due to rising costs.

Chris Tate, head of hotels and accommodation at RSM UK, said: ‘Yet again the UK hotels sector is showing some mettle in the face of economic challenges. Despite the fall in occupancy rates, which is usual at this time of year, and not helped by the heavy industrial action on the railways last month, the spike in room rates for December shows hotels’ resilience at still being able to pass on higher prices to consumers.

‘December is usually a compressed month for hotels in terms of trading because of the Christmas holidays.

However, compared to last year when the sector was dealing with Omicron, it appears people did take advantage of being able to go out, travel and socialise in the lead up to Christmas which helped hotel operators increase their room rates.’

Thomas Pugh, economist at RSM UK, comments: ‘The record-breaking drop in households’ real incomes in 2022 and 2023 means that consumer spending is heading for a sharp fall this year after dropping by 1% q/q in Q3 2022.

‘As you might expect, spending on most discretionary areas, such as clothes and household goods, has fallen sharply recently as the cost-of-living crisis has caused consumers to cut back. However, more surprisingly, spending on hospitality services has continued to grow over the last three quarters, despite the huge headwinds as consumers have favoured experiences over goods.

‘However, even hospitality spending will suffer in the face of a near 2% drop in real incomes this year. Indeed, with consumer confidence near a record low, meaning that consumers are still adding to their pile of excess savings rather than spending them, we think total consumer spending will fall by about 2% in 2023.

‘The good news is that inflation should fall rapidly this year reaching 3% by the end of the year, or even lower if the recent falls in energy prices are maintained. That means households’ real incomes should be rising again by the end of this year, setting the stage for a decent recovery in 2024.’

Hoteliers Encouraged to Look Outside of the Industry in Order to Make Change Sustainability, the economy and inspiring positivity and change were just some of the many topics at the annual Hotel Leadership Conference hosted by the Master Innholders this week.

Award-winning keynote speaker and author, Brendan Hall, spoke about the importance of building and maintaining trust in a community and how it is key to a team’s success.

Over 400 hoteliers attended the two-day event at JW Marriott Grosvenor House London for the Beyond the Bubble programme.

Hall said: “As times get tougher, give more reassurance to staff.

It’s a journey and it’s the tough moments that define us and through hard experiences, you will learn how to overcome.”

Opening the conference was Professor in Economics Linda Yeuh, who spoke on the UK’s current economic outlook and what lessons history can teach us about our economic future.

A regular feature of the conference, CEO of UK Hospitality Kate Nicholls OBE, provided a realistic yet optimistic outlook for the year ahead.

Yeuh urged hoteliers to keep an eye on the bottom line and invest well, assuring delegates that there is a recession, but it will be a shallower one than seen in the 1970s.

Executive Vice President & Partner Relations at Internova Travel Group, Albert M. Herrera, spoke about how the hospitality industry can capitalise on its strongest asset – human connection. Herrera said: “Connection is so important – how are you telling your story to guests, both internally and externally? You all have a story to tell, you have to find out what it is. People don’t want facts – they want stories.”

There was a bigger focus on sustainability this year with presentations throughout the paper free conference with Graham Ramsbottom from Greensphere Capital, Co-Founder and CEO of Positive Luxury, Diana Verde Nieto, and Founder and CEO of Zero Carbon Forum, Mark Chapman stressing its importance and reminding the audience to stop thinking about carbon offsetting as the solution but focusing on reducing it as a priority instead.

Nicholls said: “There are mountains we must climb over in the next six months; however, we will emerge strong and be able to capitalise.”

Commenting on the success of the conference, Master Innholder Chairman Dan Rose-Bristow said: “Everyone in attendance here over the past few days has come looking for fresh perspectives and bold new ideas for the hospitality industry and I know I for one am leaving with exactly that.

“Each year this conference aims to provide a welcome opportunity for the industry to come together to tackle the real issues that affect us all, with this year’s event focusing on how we can all push ourselves and think ‘Beyond the Bubble.’

“Now more than ever we as an industry need to ensure we are ready for the year ahead, and I hope this year’s conference has provided ample opportunity for all those in attendance to share ideas and inspire each other to achieve greatness.”

A Real Nation Of Snackers

Snacking is a central part of British eating habits and most people snack on a daily basis.1

Importantly, crisps and savoury snacks are the No1 purchase alongside a drink and a sandwich for hospitality venues.2

Whether you offer sit-down or take-away meals, or snacks to accompany a drink, the inclusion of snacks is a must for all hospitality outlets.

Listing great tasting snacks is key, as the main reason for purchasing crisps is as a treat, so there has to be no compromise on taste. After all, a treat is a treat, it’s got to taste great!

THE REAL DEAL REAL premium hand cooked crisps is a hospitality exclusive brand, with award winning flavours that will delight you and your customers.

The right offering of quality branded snacks can help drive more cash through your till.

REAL Hand Cooked Crisps have so much to offer your business and your customers:

REAL TIPS Display the right range of snacks and flavours to drive incremental sales.

Ensuring your snack display is well stocked will help your business take advantage of the 40% of consumers who impulse shop their snacks3.

Snack sales increase by up to 80%3 when made more visible, we know displays is key and have a range of FREE POS to meet your needs.

Snacking offers hospitality venues a rare opportunity in the challenging times ahead. History tells us that snacking increases in a recession - as it remains an affordable luxury. Upselling a pack of snacks to every customer who orders a drink is a fairly simple way to put much-needed cash in the till.

Don’t miss out on incremental impulse sales, stock REAL hand cooked hospitality-exclusive premium crisps now!

1. Mintel, UK Crisps, Savoury Snacks & Nuts Market Report 2022 2. Hospitality Snacking Research, Norstat - August 2022 3. HIM! Foodservice Research 2016 4. CGA Strategy Research - 2016/2017

Cost, Taste and Ethical Eating Essential to Achieve Post-Veganuary Success, says GlobalData 16

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Meeting consumer expectations for ethical, ‘green’ offerings while maintaining reasonable costs will be a notable challenge for restaurants in launching vegan menus this year, opines GlobalData. Veganuary has always proved a valuable period for brands to showcase new meat alternative innovations, but this year, it’s the ‘green’ credentials associated with vegan offerings that will reel in the crowd, explains the leading data and analytics company.

Replicating a meat-like taste is a proven preference among consumers globally. In 2022, almost a third (31%)* of consumers globally claimed that they are likely to try meat or fish-alternatives because of the taste.

Baghdadi continues: “This Veganuary we have seen a wide range of new plant-based options being introduced across the foodservice sector, especially in the UK and US, including the new vegan American Hot pizza from Domino’s, Burger King’s Vegan Royale with Cheeze burger and the Double McPlant burger from McDonald’s which has been vegan-certified.

SUSTAINABILITY IS KEY FOR 33% OF CONSUMERS* TO TRY PLANT-BASED MENU ITEMS When it comes to new vegan product launches, leading brands such as McDonald’s have focused on consumer facing aspects like sustainable packaging, while other areas hidden down the supply chain, such as carbon footprints and simplicity of ingredients, have taken a backseat.

Ramsey Baghdadi, Consumer Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “For a plant-based menu to succeed, it cannot rely on its ‘plant-based’ status alone. It must also perfect associated aspects such as high quality, ethical production, and sustainable packaging to closely align with the preferences of non-meat eaters/flexitarians throughout the globe. While mega-brands like McDonald’s can rely on brand recognition, loyalty, and affordability to entice new customers, independent operators may not have that luxury. Therefore, independents such as Plants by Deliciously Ella, need to look towards high quality, sustainable and local operations that help them to stand out (and justify a higher price point).”

GlobalData’s 2022 Q1 consumer survey shows that, globally, people are more likely to try meat or fish-alternatives based on health (66%)*, sustainability (33%)* and animal-welfare (33%)*, and not just because it tastes good. If these measures are taken to consideration, you’re on your way to having a successful plant-based alternative menu item.

TASTE CONTINUES TO BE A PIVOTAL FACTOR FOR CONSUMERS PLANT-

Replicating the same flavor and sense of indulgence is essential for these big named brands, as many consumers are already accustomed to their meat counterparts – making a strong point of comparison.”

VEGANISM SHOULD NOT BE REGARDED A SHORT-TERM TREND The plant-based market is maturing, and consumers expect more than a basic ‘mushroom substitute’ when eating out. Foodservice providers must join leading brands in considering long-term strategies for vegan menus. Especially during the cost-of-living crisis, brands should also focus on the affordability of vegan products to boost consumer accessibility.

Baghdadi concludes: “Veganuary is now synonymous with experimental behaviors, as thousands sign up each year to test a flexi or vegan lifestyle for themselves. Naturally, not all participants will fully commit, with February onwards painting a truer success rate for both the participants and brands’ new menus. That said, as of November 2022, a third (34%)** of people globally claim to be vegan, vegetarian, flexitarian or have a low meat diet. This alone shows that the market for affordable plant-based meat is out there all year round, it’s not just a January thing.”

Hotel Takeover’ by Cheshire College South and West Empowers Young Hospitality Talent Hospitality’s rising stars from a Cheshire College South and West are planning to take over the running of the Devonshire Fell Hotel, located in the picturesque Yorkshire Dales village of Burnsall for two days this February.

“Our learner’s study at the college and to work in a well-regarded hotel such as The Devonshire Fell really helps to equip them with the knowledge and skills that they will require for full time employment in the future.

In a bid to support the next generation of hospitality professionals, and to raise the profile of the hospitality industry, the Cheshire students will be responsible for running of the whole property, including the hotel’s reception and guest check in, the preparation of freshly cooked seasonal dishes, the serving of food and beverages, room service and not forgetting the bar too.

The hotel takeover will be an invaluable experience for the students and I’m sure that the guests will enjoy the novelty of having talented students working hard to provide them with a memorable stay. They have had some hands-on practise as our facilities include both a 2AA Rosette, and a AA Rosette standard Academy restaurant at our Crewe and Ellesmere Port campuses respectively, where the students learn to prepare exquisite culinary creations. We are proud to have been awarded AA College Restaurant of the Year for two years (2017-18 and 2019-20)”

The students will gain invaluable practical experience of what it is really like to work in and manage a small but busy hotel, to complement their classroom-based knowledge and college-based skills training. Their work will be overseen by the hotel’s experienced team members, who will be on hand to encourage and perhaps even fine tune their delivery, ensuring that this becomes a valuable yet enjoyable experience for both college students and paying guests alike.

This two-day hotel takeover will take place on Monday 6th and Tuesday 7th February and is the result of a symbiotic project, hatched by John Holden, Food & Beverage Lecturer at Cheshire College, South & West, and Richard Palmer, Managing Director of Devonshire Hotels and Restaurants.

The students taking part are studying Level 2 Professional Cookery Level 3 Professional Cookery Level 3 Food and Beverage Service, Hospitality Supervision. They include rising star Leah Castleton, who has been world skills finalist for the last two years and is now in her third year at the college.

John Holden, who is responsible for all Front of house training in the college’s Academy Restaurant, explained more about this exciting hands-on collaboration:

Richard Palmer, Managing Director of The Devonshire Hotels and Restaurants Group added, “We are delighted to be inviting Cheshire College students for this hands-on learning experience. Our team are also looking forward to providing valuable on the job training and sharing of their knowledge and experience. I can relate very much to how this will benefit the students as I started with the company as a trainee myself in my late teens. In those days I worked behind the bar serving drinks.

I hope that the hands on experience will empower the students to embrace all that the hospitality has to offer and maybe even become hooked just I did! I will certainly be there in February to offer my support” The ‘Hotel Takeover’ complements the work of the Group’s ‘Devonshire Hospitality Academy’ which is now in its second year, and which gives new starters a thorough grounding and apprenticeship, whatever their age as they embrace a hospitality career with the group. Participants enjoy classroom study and online learning alongside their new roles at one of the Group’s several hotels and inns across the regions of Yorkshire and Derbyshire.

OiLChef Wins Prestigious Best Kitchen Innovation Award Congratulations to OiLChef for winning the prestigious Best Kitchen Innovation Award at the Restaurant & Takeaway Expo at the Excel in London.

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Global Traveller Report Reveals Shift Towards Sustainable Travel

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and travelling responsibly.”

A major new report by World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) and Trip.com Group, together with Deloitte, reveals a heightened appetite for sustainable tourism amongst consumers, with 69% of travellers actively seeking sustainable travel options1.

Jane Sun, Trip.com Group CEO, said: “Travel & Tourism is a powerful force in driving the global economy, creating jobs, stimulating economic growth, and lifting communities out of poverty.

In this follow-up report, WTTC joined forces again with leading global travel service provider, Trip.com Group and its major consumer brands Trip.com, Ctrip and Skyscanner, with additional data sourced from Deloitte, to analyse the trends that shaped the Travel & Tourism sector last year and will continue to do so over 2023.

“The Asia-Pacific Region, with its rapidly growing middle-class and dynamic economies, is well-positioned to capitalise on the growth of the industry and take its place as a leader in the global tourism economy.

The report, “A world in motion: shifting consumer travel trends in 2022 and beyond”, shows that sustainability is a key element of the travel agenda, with travellers eager to reduce their carbon footprint and support sustainable tourism.

“I’m optimistic about the positive momentum for the global resumption and growth of travel in 2023, primarily driven by mainland Chinese consumers, which will help accelerate worldwide recovery and development.”

According to a survey included in the report, three quarters of travellers are considering travelling more sustainably in the future1 and nearly 60% have chosen more sustainable travel options in the last couple of years1.

Sector leader, Deloitte Global:

Another survey also found that around three quarters of high-end travellers are willing to pay extra to make their trips more sustainable2.

“Travel is rebounding from the pandemic while innovating and meeting the demands of more modern alternative travel-types, sustainable travel, luxury travel, and much more.

Last year, following more than two years of travel disruption, travellers made clear their wanderlust is very much alive, with a 109% increase of international overnight arrivals, compared to 2021.

“Even the rise in inflation-driven financial concerns is not slowing the pace; incredibly travel is being prioritized and flexible/remote work arrangements are creating new opportunities.

According to the report, last year consumers were willing to stretch their budget for their holiday plans, with 86% of travellers planning on spending the same amount or more on international travel than in 20193, with U.S. tourists leading the list as big spenders4.

We are actively engaging with our clients as they embrace these new trends and create memorable experiences for consumers.”

But 2023 is looking even better in terms of travellers’ spend. Despite concerns about inflation and the costof-living crisis around the world, nearly a third (31%) of travellers said they intend to spend more on international travel this year than in 20223.

Additionally, according to Deloitte’s ‘Global State of the Consumer Tracker’, last year more than half (53%) of global consumers surveyed during the summer said they plan to stay in a hotel over the following three months4.

Julia Simpson, WTTC President & CEO, said: “The demand for travel is now stronger than ever and our report shows that this year we will see a significant bounce back. 2023 is set to be a very strong year for Travel & Tourism.

“Sustainability is top of travellers’ agenda, and consumers highlight the value they put on protecting nature

Scott Rosenberger, Global Transportation, Hospitality & Services

OTHER FINDINGS REVEALED IN THE REPORT INCLUDE: • 2022 sun and sea package holiday sales are estimated to be up 75% compared to the previous year5 • Last year during the summer, international arrivals in European sun and beach desti-nations were just 15% below 2019 levels6 • According to WTTC’s recent ‘Cities Economic Impact Research’, in 2022 visits to major cities are expected to see a 58% year-on-year increase, less than 14% below 2019 levels • Luxury holidays will prove particularly popular, with sales of luxury hotels expected to reach $92 billion by 2025 (compared to $76 billion in 2019)5 • In a survey, nearly 60% of travellers said they were either already paying to offset their carbon emissions or considering it if the price was right1

Wetherspoon Named a Top Employer for the 18th Time Wetherspoon has been recognised by the Top Employers Institute as a Top Employer United Kingdom 2023.

It is the 18th time that Wetherspoon has been certified by the Top Employers Institute – the independent organisation behind the Top Employers accreditation.

To achieve Top Employer certification, participating organisations are assessed by the Top Employers Institute via a rigorous analysis of their people practices.

The HR Best Practices survey covers six HR domains consisting of 20 topics across the business and employee lifecycle, including people strategy, work environment, talent acquisition, learning, wellbeing, and diversity & inclusion.

To access more information and read the report in full, please go to https://wttc.org/consumer-trends

integrity of the processes and data.

Wetherspoon’s people director, Tom Ball, said: “We are extremely proud to be considered among the best employers in the United Kingdom, particularly as the recognition comes from an independent organisation, which researches numerous companies.

“The company employs more than 41,000 staff across its pubs in the UK and the Republic of Ireland, as well as at its head office.

“Wetherspoon is committed to offering employees the best opportunities to succeed and grow within the company, including studying for qualifications and apprenticeships.

“This is evident in the number of staff progressing to more senior positions at Wetherspoon.”

Dispelling the Myths About Good Cellar Hygiene The information is then validated and audited independently by the Top Employers Institute to ensure the

Following the opening of their new 13,500 sq ft Trafford Park facility, sister companies Chemisphere UK and Beer Piper International are working on a drive to educate the industry on the importance of good cellar hygiene and to dispel the myths that it’s a complicated process.

The two companies have a unique proposition – Chemisphere are specialists in providing the hospitality industry with premium detergents and accessories for ware-washing, beverage dispense system sterilisation and kitchen hygiene, whilst Beer Piper provide advanced beer line cleaning systems. This means that complete bar & cellar solutions are available all under one roof.

Chemisphere developed the world’s first purple beer line cleaner changes colour if the line is dirty, when it remains purple you can be confident that your line is absolutely yeast and bacteria free. This product revolutionised beer line cleaning and continues to do so today with both manual cleans and automated cleans.

As publicans and bar managers struggle to maintain their ever-increasing workload in these difficult times,

automated beer line cleaning systems such as Beer Piper have taken the stress out of a little-loved, yet essential, task.

The Beer Piper unit is programmed, meaning it does all the hard work for establishments during their opening hours. One of the distinctive features of the Beer Piper system is the Dispense Line Beer function which gives the option of saving much of the valuable beer that until now, was simply poured down the drain every week when doing a manual line clean.

Chemisphere and Beer Piper continue to invest in new equipment and develop a wider range of products.

Wilf Worsley, Operations Director at Chemisphere said “our research and development department are hard at work and strive to lead the industry through new product development. We are the home of several pioneering products and we continue our mission to educate the industry on the importance of maintaining high hygiene standards of their dispense equipment and glass hygiene to ensure optimum quality of their dispensed products.”

Both companies now look forward to continuing to execute their growth plans with Chemisphere UK focusing on expanding their product range and Beer Piper International on the launch of their new BP5 beer line cleaning machine which will utilise Chemisphere’s game changing powder-based product.

Visit www.chemisphereuk.com and www.beerpiper.co.uk for more information.

Next Step in Keeping Business Costs Down Digitising the Supplier Order Process with Choco 22

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By Alex Kiely, General Manager of Choco UK (https://choco.com/uk/)

The UK food industry has a real appetite for tech. It’s adventurous.

Many of us know that digitising our business is not optional anymore.

The margin for error with orders being exchanged on pen, paper, voicemail or WhatsApp is too high. Wrong, misheard, or misspelt orders cost money and reputations. If anybody has been watching The Bear, the recent US TV drama about a top chef who takes over his brother’s neighbourhood restaurant in Chicago, you’ll have seen the repeated scenes of increasing frustration when orders are delivered in the wrong quantities.

As our industry prepares for a difficult few seasons, Choco, the industry’s No.1 global ordering platform, has launched to the UK restaurant and supplier market.

Choco can enable both suppliers and restaurants to make every possible financial and process efficiency, improving margins and strengthening the digital food chain.

Choco’s app allows suppliers to offer customers a fully digital ordering process, replacing the ‘gut feel, phone and paper list’ system. All available

products are shown on the interface in real time, giving chefs the confidence that in a few clicks they can know exactly what products they are ordering and at what cost. This is hugely important, with inflation soaring and food costs changing on a daily basis, the platform provides transparency to chefs for accurate budgeting.

London's Fitzrovia district serving a seasonal menu of modern British cuisine, uses Choco. “I’ve never come across an online food ordering platform for restaurants before, so when I was introduced to Choco I loved the concept. We’ve been using the platform for a few months now and it’s truly transformed the way we do things.

Food waste on the restaurant and supplier side is also adding to economic worries, and it is also leading to more of a focus on creating more sustainable environments. Currently 30-40% of food produced goes to waste each year and nearly three-quarters of that waste happens in the supply chain before consumers are involved. Waste is the third-largest driver of climate change. If food waste were a country, it would be the third largest in carbon dioxide emissions on the planet.

99% of our suppliers use the platform. We can see in real time what is available, and we can select exactly what we want any time of the day. It not only saves me approximately 20 minutes at the end of each service, but it also cuts out the human error, so I now get exactly what I ordered.

We estimate that, when using the Choco app, restaurants are saving on average 1.27 kilos every week by reducing their ordering mistakes and saving up to two hours every week by improving their efficiency in the kitchen.

THE SUPPLIER PERSPECTIVE Shaun Henderson, founder of Henderson Seafood, the Brixham-based, sustainable and ethically sourced fish supplier to the restaurant industry is using Choco. “We use it as a platform for our customers to buy online from us. We typically take 50 orders a day. WhatsApp or phone can be prone to human error, but Choco eliminates that. It saves time for our customers as they simply tick box what they want, the order comes through to us, we process it, and the invoice is automated, saving us even more time. Onboarding has been quicker than ever imagined and we were up and running within two weeks - two thirds of our orders are already coming through Choco. Customers have really taken to it.

Choco has really changed the way we do things, and we couldn’t be happier.”

Previously, when done by phone, I could be waiting around to speak to someone, then I could read something out wrong or the supplier could have noted it down wrong so with Choco, we both know exactly where we stand so it’s a more seamless, efficient experience.”

Find out more about him and Choco UK at https://choco.com/us/stories/life-at-choco/london-launch https://choco.com/uk/ contact@choco.com

THE CHEF’S EXPERIENCE Chris Bassett, Head Chef at Portland, a Michelin starred restaurant in

Celebrations After Popular Licensee Completes 32 Years at the Victoria Hotel

Pub Company Admiral Taverns is celebrating local licensee Michelle Dwan, who runs the Victoria Hotel in Allerton Bywater, and is set to retire at the end of the month, after more than 32 years at the helm of the local community pub. The Victoria Hotel is owned by Admiral Taverns.

Michelle took over the popular community pub in August 1990 and with the help of her partner, Malcolm, they have successfully cemented it at the heart of the community, becoming extremely loved and popular figures within the local area. This month, Michelle was visited by Admiral Taverns’ Chief Executive, Chris Jowsey and Business Development Manager, Andy Longley, receiving a certificate of achievement to recognise the outstanding achievement and service to the pub.

Michelle Dwan, licensee of the Victoria Hotel, commented: “I can’t put into words how amazing my time at the Victoria Hotel has been, it has been our way of life for so long now and I’m extremely grateful to each and every person who has visited our pub. A lot has changed since taking over, we have celebrated our customers’ weddings and their children’s weddings, it has been amazing to see our community grow and be part of their journey. I am so grateful to all my team who I’ve worked with over the years and of course, Admiral Taverns who has been a continuous support for us – they are unlike any other

pub company.”

Michelle has constantly supported her community through an annual schedule of events, from charity fundraising initiatives, to live music events and her famous street parties. Michelle will be helping pass the reigns over to the new licensees, Janice and Lee Ashworth who are keen to continue Michelle’s fantastic work in the community and ensure residents can still enjoy everything the Victoria Hotel has to offer.

The Victoria Hotel boasts a broad selection of cask marque accredited ales, numerous quality lagers, premium wines, and an excellent range of over 95 artisan gins. It also offers a delicious bar menu, including homemade pies and a popular Sunday carvery.

Andy Longley, Business Development Manager at Admiral Taverns, commented: “Firstly, I would like to congratulate Michelle and Malcolm on such an incredible achievement – they have truly created a special pub which is loved by locals. Second, it has been a privilege to work with such passionate people, they are always looking for ways to bring the community together and I know they will be sorely missed. Everyone at Admiral Taverns wishes them the very best for the future and we will be sure to keep in touch.”

Punch Pubs & Co Latest Operator to Join the Zero Carbon Forum The award-winning pub company has almost 1,300 community pubs throughout the UK, with ESG principles embedded at the heart of their strategy.

Clive Chesser, Chief Executive Officer at Punch Pubs & Co, said: “As a modern and progressive pub company, we have a responsibility not only to manage our own impact on the economy, society and environment, but also to lead the way in understanding, improving and innovating our Publicans and Management Partners towards achieving sustainable hospitality.

Sustainability forms a key part of their ‘Punch Promise’ with a laser-like focus on working with diverse communities to build an inclusive, resourceful, responsible and environmentally friendly business.

“Working collaboratively with, and harnessing the learnings and expertise from, the Zero Carbon Forum and its members will be key to helping us achieve our ESG targets.”

Acknowledging the impact of Punch’s footprint on the environment, and its commitment to a circular economy, various carbon reduction initiatives are well underway throughout the estate and at their Head Office in Burton on Trent.

Mark Chapman, founder and CEO of the Zero Carbon Forum, added: “We welcome Punch to the forum as our latest member and look forward to supporting the group on its journey to net zero.

Punch Pubs & Co is the latest member to join the Zero Carbon Forum as the industry works together to reduce energy, cut carbon and cost at a critical time for the sector.

Renewable energy, electric vehicle adoption, sustainable sourcing and plastic and food waste reduction programmes are examples of activity in progress.

“Power in numbers and collaborative action is what the Zero Carbon Forum stands for and by working together, it’s our belief that we can and will reach our net zero target as an industry to avoid a climate catastrophe.”

Wetherspoons Sales Rise But Still Below Pre-Pandemic Levels Issue 146

Sales across the J D Wetherspoon estate remain lower than they were before Covid-19 hit, with chairman Tim Martin stating he remains “cautiously optimistic” about the financial year.

In a trading update announcement Tim Martin has renewed calls for tax equality for pubs with supermarkets as Wetherspoon reported a 13.1% rise in half-year like-forlike sales. In the 25 weeks to 22 January 2023, like-for-like sales were 13.1% higher than the same period a year ago and 0.7% lower than the same period immediately before the pandemic, the 25 weeks to 26 January 2020. Like-forlike sales in the last 12 weeks were 17.8% higher than the same period a year ago and were 2.0% lower than the prepandemic period.

The Coffer CGA Business Tracker, which monitors sales for the UK pub and restaurant sector, reported that one-year like-for-like sales for the sector in December

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2022 were +15.0%, while Wetherspoon’s like-for-like sales in December were +21.3%. Martin said: “We are cautiously optimistic about the company’s prospects for the financial year. The biggest threat to the hospitality industry is the vast disparity in tax treatment between pubs and restaurants and supermarkets. Supermarkets pay zero VAT in respect of food sales, whereas pubs and restaurants pay 20%.

This tax benefit allows supermarkets to subsidise the selling price of beer. We estimate that supermarkets have taken about half of the pub industry’s beer volumes since Wetherspoon started trading in 1979, a process that has likely accelerated following the pandemic. Pub industry directors have, in general, failed to campaign for tax equality, which is an important principle of taxation. Unless the industry campaigns strongly for equality, it will inevitably shrink relative to supermarkets, which will not help high streets, tourism, the economy overall, or the ancient institution of the pub.”

Wetherspoon’s free cash flow is expected to be substantially in excess of profits as a result of a cash inflow of approximately £170m from the October 2022 sale of interest rate swaps. At 22 January 2023, the company’s net debt was £745m, approximately £60m lower than the company reported at the same stage in FY2020, before the pandemic.

Bidcorp UK Secures Thomas Ridley Foodservice as Second Acquisition in 2023 After the announcement about the acquisition of Harvest Fine Foods last week, Bidcorp UK has today further strengthened its portfolio of brands with the acquisition of Thomas Ridley Foodservice.

The independently run foodservice supplier opened its doors back in 1808 and has fantastic, longstanding experience in servicing customers across a variety of sectors including healthcare, education, hospitality, hotels, restaurants and retail.

Andrew Selley, CEO of Bidcorp UK commented: “This is already shaping up to be an incredibly exciting year for us as a business. After being delighted to welcome Harvest Fine Foods into the Bidcorp family earlier this week, it gives me great pleasure to extend that same warm welcome to the team at Thomas Ridley Foodservice.

“As with Harvest, Thomas Ridley will join the Caterfood Buying Group, our growing network of independ-

ent businesses which includes Nichol Hughes, Elite Fine Foods, Caterfood, South Lincs Foodservice and Cimandis. These latest two acquisitions now make Caterfood one of the main buying groups serving the foodservice wholesale sector.

“Thomas Ridley is a highly experienced and accomplished foodservice supplier, and will perfectly complement the Caterfood Buying Group. As with the acquisition of the other independent businesses within the group, Thomas Ridley will continue operating as an autonomous and independent business.

“We look forward to working alongside them to both learn from their expert teams, as well as supporting them from a financial and strategic perspective.”

Justin Godfrey, Managing Director of Thomas Ridley said of the sale: “The business has been run by my family for over 200 years so it was important that we joined a company that shares the same customer focussed DNA; making food delivery one less thing to worry about.

“Bidcorp UK’s Caterfood Buying Group has the resource to support Thomas Ridley Foodservice in further improving and developing our offer and service level to our customers whilst keeping those family values.

Thomas Ridley Foodservice will begin operating under Caterfood Buying Group as of 23rd January 2023.

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Spirits and Cocktails

Cocktails - “Defying Cost of Living” have seen cocktails listing branded spirits on menus when visiting bars and/or restaurants in the past 3 months, and 44% have subsequently ordered these cocktails.

The number of cocktail drinkers is on the rise! Research late last year revealed that on trade cocktails had increased by 11 percentage points.

Despite the current economic climate, the sector has seen, post-lockdown, a return to market has seen a growth in demand for premium serves amongst treat-seeking consumers. But, the price of cocktails is rising, against a broader market backdrop of growing inflation and a costof-living crisis.

Among consumers who have ordered cocktails including branded spirits in the past 3 months, 2 in 5 have done so every time/almost every time they have visited the On Premise – highlighting the influence this brand exposure has when positioned as a key ingredient in a preferred cocktail type.

As a result, consumers are increasingly focusing on price and value. And their price-consciousness highlights a renewed onus on pricing and promotional mechanics for the category.

CGA by NielsenIQ’s survey of 1,000 nationally representative GB On Trade cocktail drinkers in 2022 revealed that 19% of GB consumers drink cocktails out of home. Out of 9 million cocktail drinkers, 67% are very likely or quite likely to pay more for a higher quality cocktail, (+7pp vs Q1 2021).

Many consumers are undecided on the cocktail they will choose before visiting. But, the most important factors when choosing a cocktail are – 1.flavour(s) 2.ingredients 3.is already tried and tested 4.on promotion 5.price compared to other cocktails The cost challenges currently facing bars, pubs and nightclubs mean that costs are being squeezed, and some price rises will have to be passed on. These cost expectations have grown across the On Premise, with consumers expecting sharp increases to prices on each drink in restaurants (+£1.18) and nightclubs (+£1.51) vs Q1 2021. This includes significant increases in expected price points for cocktail serves, with inflated prices especially in the nightclub sector.

“VALUE FOR EXPERIENCE” Despite cost of living increases, consumers are still planning to prioritise food and drink spend, but they are increasingly “value led”. For a significant proportion of consumers, this means “value for experience”, for example – is the price worth paying for? Value is considered to be more important than price, however value doesn’t necessarily mean cheaper,

but can be considered synonymous with quality. To this end, high-quality, premium cocktails that are part of a memorable experience will keep visitors coming back.

Price is also important to consumers, even if it’s not the most important factor in choosing a cocktail – with 56% of consumers purchasing this drink type on promotion every time or almost every time they go out for cocktails (+8pp vs Q1 2021). In addition, non-cocktail drinkers are 32% more likely to be tempted by an offer to change to the category.

Phillip Montgomery, director of client services – UK & Ireland, said: “Many consumers are alleviating the rising cost of cocktails by focusing more on the availability of deals and promotions, as they assess the value outlets are offering. So, offering cocktails at great value is important for operators and suppliers hoping to appeal to a much broader consumer base, rather than just competing for consumers who actively seek high quality cocktails.”

BRANDED SPIRITS The latest CGA Consumer Impact report shows that in the past month 2 in 5 consumers have visited the On Premise 3 or more times and 56% of consumers’ last trip to the On Premise was within the past week. Visitation levels remain positively steady compared to the previous month, however 38% of consumers have been out for a drink-led visit, up +2pp compared to July; likely driven by consumers wanting to make the most of patio season and the warmer weather.

Significantly, the report reveals that almost 3 in 5 cocktail drinkers

There is still significant room for growth in this area for brands to entice consumers to try a branded spirit in a cocktail, by optimising this crucial part of the consumers’ path to purchase – 52% of consumers order cocktails with branded sprits only occasionally when visiting bars and/or restaurants.

Typically, when ordering spirits, 43% of spirits drinkers order by specific brand, while just over a third (33%) order the category generally, and 24% do so depending on the situation. This presents suppliers with the opportunity to engage loyal brand consumers, and to drive consumers to trial brands when presented in a range of cocktail serves.

Matthew Crompton, regional director – North America, said “Casual dining chains continue to be the most visited venue type in the On Premise, with over half of consumers visiting the channel in the past 3 months. Working effectively with target outlets to get branding and branded descriptions on menus can help boost visibility further to influence cocktail choice. It’s important for suppliers to consider the effectiveness of branded and non-branded options when building On Premise strategies with operators and independents.”

STEADY LEVEL OF CONSUMER VISITS On Premise satisfaction remains high across the board, particularly around quality of service. The research also suggests operators and suppliers can expect steady levels of consumer visits to bars and restaurants in the upcoming month, and new opportunities to entice target consumers to repeat purchase and trial brands.

“Being able to truly understand the nuances of consumer preferences, need states and motivations to influence effective decision-making is key to success. On Premise occasions are important to consumers, and suppliers and operators need to be able to cater to the needs and expectations during visits,” said Matt Crompton.

Introducing Bareksten – A Premium Range Of AwardWinning Spirits From The Dark Norwegian Forests Join the Spirit of Norway

Bareksten has bottled the essence of Norway, in both taste and character – dark, wild, breath-taking and dramatic. Developed with the finest ingredients and exceptional flavours, the hero product in this range of spirits; Bareksten Botanical Gin (46% ABV) is a smooth potato based botanical gin, a superpremium, versatile spirit, making it a distinctive addition to any bar’s gin line-up. Featuring 26 botanicals, 19 of which are found locally, the exquisite black bottle hints at the deep, dark forests where the majority of the botanicals are sourced.

Norway is renowned for the best quality berries in the world; juniper, blueberries and lingonberries are selected for their depth of taste and aroma. Whilst herbs sourced from amongst the pine trees add dense dark undertones of the forest floor. Produced at the Oss Craft Distillery in Bergen, Bareksten Botanical Gin tastes exactly as you would expect it to - of the Norwegian forest. The nose is vibrant and inviting with clear notes of fresh pine intertwined with enticing spiced undertones. For a perfect serve, a classic Bareksten Botanical Gin & Tonic is best served with cherry tomatoes to fully appreciate the botanical flavours.

The Bareksten Spirits collection also includes Navy Strength Gin, Old Tom Gin, Double Gin, Illsint Absint and the Scandinavian favourite, Botanical Aquavit. Bareksten Botanical Gin was awarded Gold in the Gin category at The London Spirits Competition in 2022.

For trade enquiries, please contact sinead@osscraft.no or visit www.barekstenspirits.com

Stig & Tonic Ingredients: • • • •

35ml Bareksten Botanical Gin Premium Tonic Water 2 Cherry tomatoes halved Coriander leaves

For trade enquiries, please contact sinead@osscraft.no Master of Malt | LWC | Hammonds | Amazon | Enotria | Speciality Drinks

Barekstenspirits.com | @barekstenspirits

Method: • Pour Bareksten Botanical Gin in a glass full of ice cubes.

• Top up with premium tonic water and garnish with halved cherry tomatoes and coriander leaves.

Spirits and Cocktails

Goldstone Rum There’s a new family run distillery on the scene in Sussex and it’s offering something a bit different to Britain’s rum industry. Their scratch rum is made from fresh sugar cane juice which is added to the fermentation within hours of being pressed. This along with three other types of sugar jaggery, panela and traditional molasses makes for a very unique tasting rum.

Tom Surgery who recently visited the distillery said ‘I’m so excited to see the journey Georgina and John are on with Goldstone Rum. It’s inspiring stuff. The rums are characterful, pure and super smooth. I can’t wait to watch them develop further.’

The team at Goldstone Rum are currently developing their flavour range inspired by traditional rum cocktails. Ginger and lime after the dark and stormy and Kola Nut after the cube libre. The flavoured rums will be available in the Spring.

John Bowell co-founder said ‘Our rum has a flavour profile like nothing else we’ve tried during our recipe development. The rum has notes of baked banana and hazelnut making it rich and round on the palate and nose.

We’ve been overwhelmed with the feedback we’ve received from customers and hospitality professionals’.

The Brighton-based husband-and-wife duo are also working with the hospitality industry to provide sessions at the distillery for restaurants and bars to expand their knowledge on fermentation and distillation of spirits.

Their rum school upstairs allows sommeliers and bar staff to create their own flavour combinations of rum.

Their distillery is open to the public on Saturdays for tours and tastings for just £10 per head.

Born out of the idea that there is a gap in the market for an artisanal quality rum usterlising traditional methods over mass production. Goldstone Rum is made with a slow fermentation, using high quality natural sugars. The result being something exceptional.

To find out more visit www.goldstonerum.com

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Pineapple and Ginger Daiquiri INGREDIENTS 50ml Goldstone white Rum® 50ml pineapple juice 25ml ginger syrup 25ml coconut water Juice of half a lime

METHOD - Make the ginger syrup by combining the sugar, coconut water and a thumb of peeled grated ginger in a saucepan on a low heat and stir until dissolved.

Allow to cool.

- Combine Goldstone Rum®, pineapple juice, lime juice and ginger syrup together in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake well, strain and serve.

Flavour Blaster - Add Theatre to Every Serve With Aromatic Bubble Garnish A DEVICE adding the wow factor to cocktails has taken the international market by storm, after being inspired by the childhood experience of blowing bubbles.

Flavour Blaster Pro, which creates aroma filled bubbles on the top of drinks, is now used by professionals in Michelin Star Restaurants and Five Star Hotels around the world. As well as leading mixologist and Flavour Blaster ambassador Simone Caporale, owner of Sips 3rd best cocktail bar in world.

guru, Robert Flunder who came up with the initial concept to add some theatricality to the drinks experience. And the resulting creation was down to Colins fascination with the concept of edible bubbles which would use authentic aromas rather than synthetic flavours.

Australian-born Colin, who previously worked in the bar and leisure industry in the UK, spent four years helping to develop the product which he describes as “an inner child gadget.”

The professional aroma gun is sold to more than 40,000 customers in 150 countries, thanks to its use of innovative technology.

The company uses a leading company in New York to prepare its aromas, which are distilled from actual fruits, herbs and spices rather than being artificially produced.

Other clients include top chains such as The Alchemist, Maybe Sammy in Australia, and it is also currently helping to create the immersive experience at Johnny Walker in Edinburgh.

And it’s not stopping there. Now with a 15-strong staff plus a R & D team, a number of other products for the Hospitality sector are also in development.

The company also has a strong foothold in the international market, particularly in the USA where it can be found in venues in California, Florida and Las Vegas to name a few.

Its success is the result of a collaboration between hospitality entrepreneur Colin Myers and manufacturing

“The ultimate in theatrical mixology.”

For further information visit www.flavourblaster.com

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The Source Trade Show Preview

Take a Bite Out of the Best the South West Has to Offer With 2023 rapidly approaching, it’s time to plan how you’re going to find ingredients for your new menus, the best retail food and drink, and the equipment and services your business needs to keep ahead of the competition. Whether you run a pub, hotel, restaurant, café, deli, farm shop, holiday park, tourist attractions, catering business, supermarket or if your business is food and drink, the Source trade show is for you.

The Source trade show will take place on Wednesday 8th and Thursday 9th February 2023, at Westpoint, near Exeter. There’s been a food and drink and hospitality show in this time slot in the South West now for more than 20 years. This is one of the key times of year for buyers to seek out new suppliers of products and services and, in partnership with regional food group Taste of the West, this trade show will delight your senses with the latest flavours and ideas. The Source is easily the biggest and best regional trade show in the country. You’ll discover

South West Labels

South West Labels are a supplier of labelling guns, thermal label printers & labels. We’re here for retail, industrial and manufacturing businesses. We’re independent, which means impartial recommendations combined with over 30 years experience in supplying these products.

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

everything a food or hospitality business could possibly want, from high quality ingredients, the freshest food and drinks through to foodservice, kitchen equipment and designs, stylish furniture and the latest EPoS and other business systems to keep your operation running smoothly.

This is a two day opportunity for you to see what’s hot in the fast-moving world of cuisine, network with colleagues, and pick up on the trends, business challenges and opportunities shaping the sector for 2023.

Meet the Newcomers, who are new companies from the South West that have never done a trade show before. Plus, many exhibitors put on exclusive show offers that you can advantage of!

For more information about the show and to register to attend, visit www.thesourcetradeshow.co.uk/welcome.

You can also follow the show on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at @SourceFoodDrink.

known by different names depending on their use.

Labelling guns, price guns, pricing guns, label guns, coding guns and batch guns. Our range of products can meet all needs: Simple low use models, durable machines for industry. A wide variety of specialist features including autoincrementing guns for batch codes.

The labelling gun market can be complicated. Many products are

HALE EVENTS

All equipment is supplied with a one year factory warranty and are designed to give years of reliable and effective service.

Visit us on stand H4 to view our products.

The Source Trade Show Preview

Barton Reed & Co Barton Reed & Co is the leading supplier of quality furniture to hotels, restaurants, public houses and leisure facilities in the South West. We can supply beautiful leather sofas, stylish high bar stools, comfy tub seats, elegant restaurant tables and chairs, and relaxing beds.

From laid back, seaside charm to cutting-edge design our extensive product range will suit your style and give your business the look that you want to achieve.

We have a huge choice of colours, fabrics and finishes and all our furniture comes with a two-year warranty.

Barton Reed & Co is a familyrun business and we have been involved in the furniture industry since 1945. Over the years we have forged strong relationships with our suppliers to give

Devon Distillery

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you the best furniture available with a service that goes above and beyond our customers’ expectations.

Seven reasons why you should choose Barton Reed & Co to supply your contract furniture: • Wide range of styles • Easy ordering and re-ordering • Single point of contact • Short lead times • Direct delivery • After sales service • Two-year warranty on every item Get in touch to discuss your furniture requirements or to order our new brochure – we’re here to help.

Call us on 01409 271189, visit www.bartonreed.co.uk or email info@bartonreed.co.uk Alternatively see us on Stand H16 at The Source Trade Show.

Devon Distillery also produces it’s own award winning Dappa (Devon Grappa) and Devoncello as well as a great Sloe Gin. See the advert on this page for details or visit Stand C15.

Devon Distillery can produce a gin just for you.

Specialising in short run white-label production at competitive prices, we have made award winning gins for a number of clients already. If you want your own house gin or a gin for a special occasion Devon Distillery can produce it for you. You can include your own botanicals and design your own label, all with guidance from our master distillers.

CREATE YOUR OWN BESPOKE GIN SEE US ON STAND C15

T: 01803 812 509 E: info@devondistillery.com www.devondistillery.com /devondistillery

@devondistillery

CLH NEWS - SERVING THE INDEPENDENT HOSPITALITY SECTOR FOR 22 YEARS!

HS French Flint - The Glass Container Specialists HS French Flint Ltd are very pleased to be exhibiting at the Source Trade Show again this year and are looking forward to seeing Old Friends as well as New Contacts on STAND E17.

range and have even more wonderful glass jars and bottles to show you this year. Please have a look at our website www.frenchflint.com or give us a call on 020 7237 1750.

Having moved into a new and larger showroom overlooking the River Thames near Tower Bridge we have continued to expand our

HS French Flint Limited, The Gallery, Springalls Wharf, 25a Bermondsey Wall West, London SE16

See us at The Source Tradeshow 2023 www.catererlicensee.com

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Products and Services

From Humble Kitchen To A Growing National Brand! gluten free and available in 15 flavours with two vegan varieties Everyone can enjoy their delicious snacks which can cater for Keto, Vegan, Sugar Free, Gluten Free and Allergen Free lifestyles. You won’t find many competitors who can offer the same choices at such good prices.

If you haven’t heard about Robert’s Dorset before, let me update you. Robert’s Dorset is a family run business established in 2011. Robert Parkin, his wife Helen and their two sons Louis and Rorke set about creating snacks in the family’s humble kitchen and started selling at local markets.

“We took our products to markets in and around our beloved Dorset and were thrilled with the response. We knew our snacks were amazing, but we were blown away that everyone who tried them thought so too!” Robert Parkin From that moment, they have worked hard to ensure their products are of a high quality, ethically sourced and incredibly tasty, while keeping prices low.

They continue to develop delicious new flavours and ideas, as well as consistently deliver those firm favourites they started with all those years ago.

All their snacks are handmade in the beautiful county of Dorset, England, and all items are prepared to order to ensure that customers always get the freshest products. They have a 99.9% waste free production process. They are also 100% certified by RSPO (Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil) and buy only from a segregated supply chain. Pretty impressive.

Robert’s Dorset products include: Proper Pork Crackling – Triple cooked with incredible crunch available in 11 flavours, no MSG or artificial flavours Yummy Peanuts – Grade AA nuts, ethically and sustainably sourced, and available in 13 flavours Fabulous Fudge – Made with locally sourced cream,

They remain a family business, ensuring that their steady growth does not compromise quality or customer focus. This is the beauty of a small company like Robert’s Dorset, they can produce big flavours and fulfil big orders, but without the big price tag as they don’t have the same overheads as other brands.

Robert’s Dorset products are available for both retail and the hospitality industry, with the option of recyclable or reusable packaging in various sizes to suit your needs.

Set up a Trade Account and receive the following benefits: • Dedicated Account Manager • Amazing Trade prices • Easy order options - online or by phone • Next day dispatch on orders received before 2pm, delivered by a trusted, trackable courier • Delicious, high-quality products which will keep your customers coming back for more!

See the advert on page 3 or contact Robert’s Dorset to find out more, or to set up a trade account: robert@robertsdorset.com 01208 875280 www.robertsdorset.com

Fire Detection and Emergency Lighting Solutions You Can Trust Trowbridge and Farnham.

Illumino Ignis are independent, professional and highly experienced. We specialise in the design, commission, supply and support of an incredible range of fire safety, emergency lighting and disability products.

With our head office being based in Yaxley, Peterborough we also have other branches covering the UK; these are located in Cannock, Blackpool,

Besides designing fire alarm and emergency lighting systems, Illumino Ignis also focuses on the distribution of stock from our packed warehouses across the country which hold high levels of stock from many of our fire alarm manufacturers.

As well as distributing stock via courier, if you are in the local area you can pick up your equipment from one of our many branches which have trade counters.

See the advert on page 9 or visit www.illuminoignis.co.uk

The Difference in Engaging Food Hygiene Training is Right in the Video

The Safety Expert has created an online Level 2 Food Hygiene course for hospitality businesses that enables staff to learn through video. The course consists of videos that are filmed in real-life scenarios with practical examples. The course is created and delivered by Natalie Stanton, Founder of The Safety Expert. Natalie is a Chartered Environmental Health Officer, food safety advisor and trainer.

Natalie said: “Presenting information in a visual way can increase knowledge retention. That’s why I opted for video. My mission is to bridge the gap between elearning and face-to-face training. I want to retain the flexibility and affordability of online training whilst presenting information in a visual way to ensure staff learn and remember as much as possible. I know now more than ever food businesses are experiencing a high turnover of staff. It is essential that all of these staff are trained to work safely. After all, a business is only as good as its staff.

My experience shows that training can’t just be a ‘tick box’ exercise. To produce safe food and for a business to get a good food hygiene rating, staff need to understand food safety. This is only possible if they learn and retain knowledge from training.

Having worked as a local authority EHO for over 11 years I’ve seen many examples of how poor staff training can impact a business. During a food hygiene inspection, it only takes one mistake from a food handler to cost the business its 5-star rating. For example; I’ve seen food handlers panic to get food into the fridge and cause cross-contamination by storing raw meat incorrectly. The EHO can’t ignore this when calculating a food hygiene rating. Effective training should help staff make the right decisions when it comes to food safety.”

I’m passionate about helping food businesses to succeed by ensuring their staff are trained to work safely.

To find out more: www.thesafetyexpert.co.uk info@thesafetyexpert.co.uk See the advert on page 9 for further details.

For an exclusive use code CLH248.

Offer ends 31/01/2023*

10% OFF

Authentic Spanish Sangria – Now In A Can! spice giving a refreshing and drinkable palate’’.

Solsueño sangria in a can, introduced to the UK in spring 2022 in partnership with Proof Drinks Ltd, has brought a premium, innovative addition to the pre-mix beverage sector and a ray of liquid Spanish sunshine to UK consumers!

Packaged in a modern 330ml slimline can at 5% abv, Solsueño is an authentic sangria, crafted in the Denominacion de Origen region of Jumilla, Murcia.

Using local and natural ingredients, the great tasting liquid is vegan and gluten free, instantly giving consumers the ‘sun, sea and sangria’ holiday feeling.

Ideal for all indoor and outdoor settings, with no preparation or wastage, the can offers single-serve convenience but can also be used in shared occasions adding ice and fruit in a jug. The eco credentials of cans mean lower transport costs due to the lightness of the packaging and the cans are infinitely recyclable.

Awarded Bronze in the 2022 IWSC Alternative Drinks category competition, the professional winetasting panel offered the following tasting notes: ‘’juicy cherry and plum palate, with clove and cinnamon

Following a first year of attending many national trade fairs, regional outdoor events, Foodie Festivals and local food & drink fairs, the overwhelming reaction to the liquid is really positive and has driven early successes with on and off-trade distribution, as well as Amazon. Supported by an active social media and extensive sampling campaign, Solsueño has established a firm foothold and the brand is very much looking forward to continued successes into 2023.

With pre-mix drinks growing to be a hugely popular category, particularly during the summer, sangria is a natural fit given the high levels of consumer awareness due to Spain being a major holiday destination for the UK consumer.

Solsueño sangria, Bringing Spain to the UK! Contact us at: info@sangria-solsueno.com www.sangria-solsueno.com @sangriasolsueno See the advert on page 2 for details.

Sustainable & Cost-Effective Hot Water Is Achievable Today

round conditions for staff and customers, providing access to spaces better suited to delivering quality hospitality.

Hotels and restaurants typically exhibit significant, but varied, hot water and heating usage patterns, which contributes to the current 40% tally of UK greenhouse gas emissions generated by the built environment.

To help achieve climate-neutral building stock by 2050 the industry is being challenged to reduce operational energy use. By increasing the use of renewable energy supply and prioritising on-site renewable energy sources the hope it to reduce both harmful carbon emissions and bills.

There is no doubt that being more sustainable comes with a cost. Whether in the form of new build projects or, and far more likely, the refurbishment of existing, yet ageing facilities understanding the necessary capital investment, operational savings and payback periods is going to be key.

Addressing the efficiency of domestic hot water (DHW) systems - whether through the implementation of heat pumps, solar thermal, direct electric water heating or even simple modernisation of existing gas appliances helps properties meet sustainability goals in a practical and cost-effective manner. It also delivers improved year-

For buildings already on gas and that rely on large amounts of DHW - a large proportion of current UK hotels for instance – silent solar preheat is the preferable option. For new build properties, the expectation is for specification to default to a mixture of heat pumps and direct electric afterheat. New system approaches, including prefabricated packaged plant rooms, also provide for better use of the spaces that already exist, without the need to undertake expensive and disruptive building projects. This is especially valid as demands for floorspace for dining as well as additional or larger accommodation space comes at a premium.

Adveco can help achieve emission reduction targets. With more than 50 years of specialised expertise in designing, supplying, and servicing hot water systems to the hospitality and hotel industry, Adveco is the single resource you need for independent expert technical guidance on choosing and developing bespoke sustainable applications today to get you on the right path towards net zero operation. Visit www.adveco.co/sectors

Is It Time For Some Fresh Promotions?

The start of the year is always a good time to reflect on what you did last year and what worked best for you in terms of both bringing in the footfall and ultimately profits.

Planning your promotions throughout the year is always good practice with any business and for our market sector we have to focus on events around the year and of course seasonal activity such as Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day. HFE Signs have a range of pre-designed Pub Banners which are great to give some ideas.

There is no better way to advertise your promotions than Printed Banners from HFE Signs – with great deals such as Three 8x3ft Printed Banners for just £108 delivered, you can’t go wrong! Furthermore, if you order printed banners by 11am they are delivered next working day and if that isn’t good enough, the design is free too.

For more information on Printed Banners, check out www.hfe-signs.co.uk today!

Cleaning and Hygiene

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Pod in a Pouch - Being Green Shouldn’t Cost the Earth SIMPLE, SUSTAINABLE, REVOLUTIONARY Pod in a Pouch allows traditional cleaning products to be more sustainable and easier than ever to use, with its clever packaging and soluble capsule design. Enabling you to clean more sustainably, it is easy to implement for both your staff and your facility.

Everything from the packaging to the sachet itself is manufactured in the UK which reduces transport costs and therefore your carbon footprint.

If we can help you reduce your carbon footprint, the cost of your cleaning products, reduce your single use plastics to zero, and save you a tonne of storage space, all whilst improving the quality of your range, then surely, you’d have to be interested?

Introducing our eco-friendly dissolvable cleaning pod range:

Product Name

Pack Size

Multi-Purpose Glass & Stainless Steel Bathroom Cleaner Toilet & Urinal Descaler Virucidal Disinfectant

20 x 750ml 20 x 750ml 20 x 750ml 20 x 1 Litre 20 x 750ml

edencleen from Cleenol

Over the course of our history, we at Cleenol have always produced products that offer a perfect balance between cleaning performance and efficiency with an attention to reducing the environmental impact that our products may carry. edencleen, our latest brand, reaffirms our commitment to our credentials for environmental guardianship, and represents an evolution of what has been an integral part of our DNA. Edencleen has been designed to reflect in part our vision for a cleaner, safer world, that touches not only the environmental aspects of sustainability, but has as an aim, a social ambition to leave the planet in the safe care of and for future generations. As such with edencleen, Cleenol looks to ensure transparency in our approach, which may on occasion result in some counter intuitive elements.

The range covers the essential needs to cover 80% of daily cleaning and include: a washroom cleaner and toilet gel cleaner and urinal deodoriser, an all-purpose surface sanitiser, a degreaser and a washing up liquid, a no rinse floor degreaser, a window cleaner and a laundry detergent and fabric softener. edencleen products have been developed around the following principles and ingredients

Standard Price Price Per Bottle £9.72 + VAT 0.49p £9.72 + VAT 0.49p £9.72 + VAT 0.49p £19.35 + VAT 0.97p £17.00 + VAT 0.85p

Degreaser Degreaser Detergent Air Freshener Laundry Pods (Non-Bio) Trigger Bottles (750ml) Toilet Cleaner Bottle (1 Litre)

20 x 760ml 100 x 5 Litre 20 x 750ml 300 1 1

£9.72 £22.86 £17.18 £41.90 £1.99 £1.99

+ VAT + VAT + VAT + VAT + VAT + VAT

0.49p 0.23p 0.86p 0.14p -

We are so convinced about our Pod in a Pouch range that we would like to share it with you. Simply go to the link to access the Purozo shop and add “PIAPSAMPLE” to your basket. At checkout you will need to detail which product you would like to try, and we will send you a free sample together with a screen-printed trigger bottle.

See the advert on this page or www.purozo.co.uk or call +44 (0) 1594 546 250 for further details. *Offer finishes 16th January 2023 and is limited to one product per customer.

• RSPO certified palm oil derivatives • No animal derived products • Cruelty free • Minimal petrochemical derived products • No parabens, formaldehyde, CMI/MIT, triclosan, phosphates, chlorine bleaches, optical brighteners, quaternary ammonium compounds • VOC free and phosphate, EDTA, NTA free • Recyclable / recycled packaging • 100% bio-based surfactant - made by using bio-based ethylene oxide which is manufactured from biomass ethanol.

• Bioethanol, naturally derived acids, sugar-based surfactants, bio-based solvents, low impact preservatives Combining carefully formulated products, with appropriate packaging, using recycled material or recyclable componentry, the range’s mostly colourless liquid and low fragrance usage are designed to convey a transparency and straightforwardness of our approach which will be a hallmark of all edencleen products and associated services.

Careful use of enzymatic formulations and more traditional chemistry brings a portfolio of products that’s finely attuned to delivering effective cleaning which when used as instructed helps maintain a neutral environmental impact. edencleen’s new range represents just the start to a fully refreshed solution to meet the most demanding of customers expectations.

See the advert below for further information.

Chef's Buyer's Guide

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It's Time To Get Real

LittlePod’s responsibly-sourced product range includes our innovative, easy-to-use natural vanilla paste Are you squeezed for time? Why not try our quality and organic vanilla Vanilla Bean Paste in a tube. pods, as well as our It has been specially created to provide top-quality extracts of vanilla, vanilla in an easy and versatile form, with no wastage and coffee and chocoless flavour bake-off. Each tube has a two-year shelf life late. These ingrediand contains the equivalent of 20 pods, seeds and all. ents not only Put it in coffee, porridge, smoothies and ice cream, rub support each other in the rainforest, but it into meats like duck and pork, use it in your cakes and bakes, or as a marinade for fish! Sweet and savoury are also perfect alike, LittlePod products are gluten free, suitable for veg- flavour partners in the kitchen. ans and kosher certified.

Visit www.littlepod.co.uk

Vinicola Tombacco Achieves Equalitas Sustainable Winery Certification Padua’s Vinicola Tombacco has been awarded Equalitas Certification, a globally recognised sustainability standard set for the wine sector which guarantees the winery’s commitment to sustainability.

Tombacco, who’s wines are available in the UK through Lanchester Wines, has announced the achievement following a series of both ongoing and new projects to address key sustainability issues. The third-generation family business, which recently celebrated its centenary year, has implemented various practices across its wineries to minimise its impact on the environment.

Solar panels are installed on Tombacco’s buildings, which optimises the cost of electricity covering 10% of the company’s energy needs and is the first step towards complete energy autonomy. An innovative Israeli-type drip irrigation system has been installed, that delivers just enough water and nutrients to the vines while minimising wastage. And, Valoritalia, the Italian certification body, has rewarded 47 Anno Domini's efforts with organic certification which in itself is a guarantee of attention and care to the highest standards.

Furthermore, Tombacco has introduced an employee welfare programme which, in the long term, will see them as recipients of annual awards for their good work and team building activities.

Brothers Cristian and Andrea Tombacco are joint

owners of Vinicola Tombacco.

Cristian said: "Improvement is a path taken one step at a time, and each step must follow a precise direction made up of short-term objectives that lead to more ambitious and prestigious long-term successes. Every year we'll prepare a Sustainability Report setting out the improvement policies that we intend to put into practice, measuring the overall situation. An independent body performs an audit to certify progress: this guarantees greater transparency, but also encourages businesses to show constant commitment and efficiency.”

"We know the path we have decided to take is a difficult one, but we do it with the awareness that this is the right one in order to stay faithful to our principles and guarantee future generations a thriving business like the one we are experiencing today,” concludes Cristian.

The Equalitas standard focuses on the social, environmental and economic pillars of sustainability. It’s a voluntary certification procedure regarding wine sustainability with the aim of bringing together companies in the wine sector to promote one, shared approach to sustainability. For more information, please visit www.equalitas.it/en For more information on Tombacco’s commitment to sustainability, please visit www.rinomatatombacco.it

Let Your Dessert Menu Sparkle with Just Desserts

With over 100 handcrafted desserts already on offer, Just Desserts Yorkshire Established in 1985 in the renowned Salt’s mill, Just Desserts Yorkshire specialise in baking a range of over 100 quality handcrafted desserts.

Using the finest of ingredients, the Just Desserts Yorkshire range includes a selection of over 20 large and individual luxury cheesecakes, decorative gateaux and cakes, tarts and pastries – featuring a range of delicious fillings, the famous Yorkshire Scoundrel, puddings and crumbles and so much more.

When it comes to sourcing, we work closely with our suppliers to develop long-term relationships. This ensures the ingredients we use in our baking is sourced sustainably and responsibly resulting in a quality product that we can all enjoy.

We can’t bake great cakes without looking after our

environment. Reducing our carbon footprint and working towards a greener planet is fundamental within our operations.

We are committed to manufacturing delicious, handcrafted desserts in a way that is environmentally sustainable.

Our vision and ethos of bringing quality handcrafted desserts for all to enjoy, guides, motivates, and is reflected within the desserts we produce. It is our purpose to put into practice traditional baking methods to create a wide range of high-quality handmade desserts whilst sourcing the best ingredients and applying attention to detail.

Widely available for distribution throughout the UK, Just Desserts Yorkshire supply the hospitality and retail sector, including pubs, restaurants and hotels with the finest of desserts. https://just-desserts.co.uk/

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

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Laundry and Linens

Elis UK Partners with Harts Group for Laundry & Washroom Requirements Hart Group was impressed with the thorough preparation and attention to detail that Elis has shown. The service has proven to be reliable and straightforward, allowing the restaurant teams to focus on their core business operations rather than worrying about the availability of laundry.

Textile and laundry services provider Elis UK (https://uk.elis.com) has partnered with Harts Group to deliver on laundry and washroom requirements for all its London restaurants. These include the modern Spanish Barrafina and Parrillian restaurant groups, the Mexican El Pastor chain and the historic Soho Quo Vadis restaurant and private members’ club.

Aurelija Sovaite, Operations Manager of Hart Group, said: “We chose Elis after reviewing several options and we’re very pleased by the attention to detail shown in the transition of the services. Visiting every restaurant and getting a full understanding of the needs and challenges of each has meant that the service Elis has designed fits our requirements, reduces the number of deliveries and collections and offers true value for money. As a result, I now spend little time of dealing with complaints in regards to laundry and washroom services, and we’re delighted to have selected Elis as our laundry and washroom partner.”

The company required a range of products such as chef and front-ofhouse uniforms, table linen, kitchen linen and washroom services.

Garments needed to be smart and professionally laundered, with a strong emphasis on quality and brand image. It had historically experienced a lack of consistency with service levels from a range of suppliers, creating complexity and additional administration pressures.

Elis worked closely with Harts Group to understand its key requirements at a site level. It completed site surveys and meetings with the management team of each restaurant. This helped to identify the number and type of garments required and the number of wearers, enabling Elis to work out a schedule that would fit the restaurants’ exacting requirements, while offering a consistent level of service. As a result, Elis was able to reduce the number of weekly collections and deliveries, increase the amount of stock in circulation, and combine all services into one straightforward delivery model. This reduced the carbon footprint of the services being delivered, and unlocked further commercial benefits.

Following the site visits, Elis gained a strong understanding of the operational and logistical requirements for the group and was awarded the contract. The service cycle commenced as part of a two-phase roll-out to support the Group during the withdrawal of the incumbent suppliers.

Quantex: Full Linen Quality Control

As in most situations of life, the first impression counts. This is also true when entering a hotel room as a guest. Our first scrutinizing look often focuses on the essential element of every hotel room: the bed. That is no surprise, since this is where guests spend several hours during the night. Therefore, quality and cleanliness of the bed linen has a decisive influence on the customer experience. However, hygienically clean is usually not enough. For many hotels, immaculate linen is a key requirement as holes and stains in the linen can easily overshadow an otherwise pleasant guest experience.

THE PROBLEM: INACCURATE QUALITY CONTROLS Laundry and hotel staff often work under great time pressure. Stains and holes are often only discovered by the hotel guests, thus leaving a lasting negative impression of the received service.

THE SOLUTION: QUANTEX BY KANNEGIESSER

Working with Harts Group for laundry & washroom requirements Elis UK are proud to have partnered with Harts Group to deliver on laundry and washroom requirements for all its London restaurants.

For all workwear, catering, food service laundry provider requirements please contact 0808 1685795 or uk-marketing@elis.com

Harry Bown, Director of Operations at Hart Group, said: “Having worked with some well-known laundry suppliers in London for many years, it’s been refreshing to work with a supplier of Elis’ professionalism and quality. It was important that we streamlined our invoices and supply chain to remove complexity. Laundry and washroom services have historically taken time to manage. However, Elis has delivered on its commitments and caused no disruption to our operations during the transition.”

Quantex offers automatic, end-to-end quality control of flat linen on Kannegiesser ironer lines. The scan system checks every piece of linen and guarantees highest quality, individually tailored to the needs of each hotel or restaurant. It sorts out flawed pieces of linen and enables quick delivery at the same time.

State-of-the-art camera technology mounted on the folding machine detects stains, holes, worng alignments and wrinkles on both sides of every piece and automatically separates rejected items. Quality criteria can be determined individually for each type of linen and each customer, thus guaranteeing optimally customized quality. The scanning system reduces the workload in quality control, speeds up the feeding process, and lowers the error rate.

Quantex at a glance: 1.Precise hole detection for single and multi-layered pieces 2.Reliable stain detection 3.Real-time detection of wrong alignments and wrinkles 4.Optional disregard of item areas 5.Clear, intuitive user interface 6.Comprehensive statistical evaluation for each criteria Visit www.kannegiesser.com/uk/en or see the advert on the facing page

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Hospitality Technology

Hospitality Tech - Trends and Priorities for 2023 Infor’s Paul Griffiths looks at what trends and priorities will colour industry technology conversations in 2023 (www.infor.com/industries/hospitality) As we begin the new year, what are the trends and priorities we can expect to see in hospitality technology in 2023?

GREATER CAPACITY FOR ADAPTATION – READY FOR CHANGE If the last few years have taught us anything, it’s that conditions, landscapes, and frames of mind can and must change and adapt to all kinds of forces that affect business outcomes. Those forces originate from as many different directions. In the past year, businesses – ours and those of our customers – have had to be agile, and adaptive, which is as it should be.

This isn’t just about following new technology in hospitality industry trends, it’s about looking at how perceptions have changed, and how attitudes have had an impact on consumer culture in every industry.

Sometimes, compensating for shifting attitudes and approaches can be just as involved as developing new technology in hospitality industries to meet those demands. But that’s the road we’re all following in pursuit of what the industry will be this year and beyond.

A RENEWED LOOK AT THE GUEST JOURNEY What makes for a great guest experience today may be defined quite differently in the next few years. Understanding this has meant a deeper dive into streamlining and diversifying the booking and ordering processes and examining the various ways guests access menus to get what they want, from restaurant menus in various channels, to more accessible hotel booking processes even before the stay begins.

Building on greater precision of how the guest journey is supported is and will continue to be about long-term relationship building and having insights that come out of it inform strategy. Understanding and accessing guest histories and preferences is the vital guiding star to follow here. After all, the guest experience characterised by warm welcomes and attention to detail when needs arise is the whole reason the industry even exists.

KEY TECHNOLOGY IN HOSPITALITY PRIORITIES

Within a wide spectrum of contexts, here at Infor, we foresee a few important priorities that we pursued this year that will come to greater fruition in the next. Here are some of those.

Precise booking platforms for hotels and related support systems to enhance superior guest experiences Greater intelligence and reporting functionality to know who guests are, what they want out of an experience, and the related revenue opportunities that come out of that Continued emphasis on mobile solutions that empower guests to manage their own journeys according to their own levels of comfort and preferred contexts Solutions and systems to empower teams at all levels of the business to do their best work – greater access, convenience, accessibility, and therefore greater attention to detail Scalability in connecting systems together across properties to enhance operational efficiencies in all of them – with the cloud and SaaS

How To Create A Compliant Labelling Solution To Meet Natasha’s Law

By Ged Cairns, Head of Auto ID at Brother UK

Natasha’s Law has significant implications for all businesses that produce foods pre-packaged for direct sale (PPDS) to customers on-site. Together with putting customers at risk, those who don’t comply face the possibility of large fines and reputation damage, with longer-lasting consequences for customer numbers.

It’s created a product labelling challenge for food retailers. But while our research found that all agree the regulation will make consumers with food allergies feel safer, many say they are finding it challenging to adapt their labelling processes.

Handwritten labels open you up to the risk of human error, and pre-printed labels can be costly and limit your ability to make any changes to an ingredient list - neither provide the speed, accuracy and flexibility of a digital, compliant food labelling solution.

Brother has a strong track record of delivering tailored systems for the food service and hospitality sectors and creating a solution for full ingredients labelling for PPDS food needn’t be complex or expensive.

Our compact desktop devices make it easy to create long-lasting, high-resolution labels for allergen content, ingredients, barcodes, branding, pricing and expiry dates quickly and accurately, using thermal print technology without the need for inks or toners. For those with multiple sites, our solutions also integrate with menu man-

agement systems Depending on setup and menu size, we offer businesses three types of solutions: a complete standalone solution with pre-built designs and pre-stored menus, a wirelessly connected tablet and app from one of our specialist software partners, or a multipurpose PC-based solution that can be used alongside our free P-Touch label design and print software.

One business benefitting from our multipurpose solution is café Common Ground, in Altrincham in the North West.

After the business started offering takeaway PPDS food for the first time, they used our Brother TD-4520DN professional network desktop label printer, alongside our free P-touch Editor software, which enabled them to design and print custom food labels, alongside logos, images and barcodes. They simply connected the device to a laptop and printed off batches of labels for that day’s products.

To discover more about how to integrate food labelling solutions into your business, visit www.brother.co.uk/food-labelling

Holidaymaker App - The Digital Platform That Powers Your Park Business

• Give your guests all the information they need for their holiday on their smartphone.

• View welcome packs, check pool timings, on-park restaurants details, check-out times, events, special offers, holiday home sales and other guest services • Personal itineraries from your things to do, events and activities • Browse interactive park maps • Send out notifications and special offers

When holiday park guest spending is at a premium it is time to look at new ways of working. Gain a new competitive advantage with Holidaymaker, our integrated Guest Experience platform to upsell holidays, increase on-park spend and encourage direct re-bookings.

Holidaymaker has been designed to help you engage with your guests from the moment their booking is confirmed, allowing you to deliver key information, upsell and market new opportunities to them and provide an exceptional guest experience before, during and after their stay with you.

We have 24 Parks already using Holidaymaker and over 100,000 guest downloads to date.

Our park owner customers are already …

• Earning more from every booking by up-selling services or promoting products or services from local partners • Creating new revenue streams by promoting special offers, caravan sales, and late-season deals with push notifications • Saving staff time and reducing costs by providing all their key information and messaging via their own branded app.

Holidaymaker is jam-packed with functionality, and we integrate with some of the leading park booking systems to personalise app content, including RMS, Elite Dynamics, Prophet, GemaPark, ParcVu, and CampManager, as well as activity booking systems such as

SumUp POS

• Integrate with your booking system

Our mission is to empower small merchants across the globe

• NEW… holiday home sales and digital display screen modules

HOW WE CAN HELP

• 100,000 guest downloads to date across our parks

We give access to financial services to the millions of businesses that are considered too small for most providers. They’re as much as 10 times smaller than the smallest businesses that would be targeted by banks and traditional providers.

BookWhen.

Holidaymaker app is available for single parks but can also be used by park groups with the multi-park set up.

Manage all the information from one central CMS and allow your guests to select their park (and respective app information) when they download the app.

Here’s just a few examples of what Holidaymaker can provide to you and your guests:• Holiday countdown and payment reminders • Welcome packs and video FAQs • Push notifications – send messages directly to your guest’s smartphone whenever you want to notify them • Things to do, virtual park maps and personalised guest itineraries • Events and special offers • Holiday home sales module – display your lodges and caravans for sale just like RightMove • New - Digital signage module – use one CMS to manage your app and digital signage content and update display screens around your park from your head office.

Book a Demo to see how Holidaymaker technology can help you connect directly with guests and generate new revenue opportunities www.holidaymakerapp.co.uk/discover

What started out as one card reader has now turned into a range of readers, multiple remote payment solutions such as Invoices, Gift Cards, Payment Links and so much more.

INCLUSIVE We want to make technology that anyone can use and everyone has access to. Whether you’re a oneperson show or a team, we’re there for the smallest of businesses.

PERSONAL SUPPORT Do you have questions about the usage of SumUp? We have a dedicat-

ed customer support team in the language that works for you.

SECURE PAYMENTS SumUp card readers are the most secure methods of card payments and have received full certification from a range of regulatory bodies.

RELIABLE TECHNOLOGY SumUp is authorised as a Payment Institution by the Financial Conduct Authority (license no. 900700) and is EMV (Europay, Mastercard, and Visa) and PCI-DSS certified.

See the advert opposite for details.

Commercial Kitchen Fit-Out

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Fatstrippa Launches Approved Contractors Network Fatstrippa has been at the forefront of Fats, Oils and Greases (FOG’s) Management for the Catering and Food Manufacturing Industries since the 1990’s when it introduced its patented Fatstrippa Range of non-mechanical Grease Recovery Units.

These units achieved FOG recovery rates of well below 35 ppm eliminating the need for secondary treatment with costly enzymes or chemicals.

Designed by Chief Marine Engineer, Allan Owen, in close cooperation with Water Authorities, Environmental Agencies and Restauranteurs the Fatstrippa quickly established itself as a market leader in performance, requiring little maintenance and a reputation for robustness. Manufactured from 304 Grade 3mm Stainless steel many of the units installed over 20 years ago are still giving peak performance to this day.

Allan who stepped down day to day running of the business still retains an important role as Chief Engineer to the business with his 65 years technical experience.

With over 40,000 units sold in the UK, Fatstrippa continues to lead the way on performance recently winning a

3 year supply contract to a major Pub Chain following an independently assessed, competitive, performance based tender.

Building on this reputation for quality and performance new Managing Director, Dan Owen, this week announced a major new initiative, the launch of a Fatstrippa Approved Contractor Network following feedback from end users.

All contractors are required to demonstrate; • Understanding of relevant Legislation and Guidelines • Different Methodologies of Fog Management.

• Factory Trained Knowledge of Fatstrippa Range of Products and Options.

Fatstrippa undertake audits of each contractor performance with Approved Status formally reviewed on an annual basis.

For further information contact Dan Owen at info@fatstrippa.co.uk or see the advert on page 35.

New DrainMinor C (Combi Oven Kitchen Extract Hygiene – A Burning Issue Pump) Creates Considerable Interest The New DrainMajor C (Combi Oven Pump) manufactured by Pump Technology Ltd. There are significant advantages that this combi oven drainage pump offers The pump features a 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.

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

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

ComPaCK - THE sTaNdard THaT maKEs THE dIFFErENCE

ProFEssIoNal WarEWasHING sYsTEms rElIaBIlITY HIGH PErFormaNCE GUaraNTEEd assIsTaNCE at prices you will be overjoyed with Purchase/rental/Interest free 0% finance available ComPaCK GlassWasHErs

The Compack glasswashers have simplicity and robust performance in mind.

Where the need for just washing glasses is the main aim this is the machine for the job.

• Electronic control with push buttons for high efficiency and easy to use • 350, 400 and 500 basket machines available • 120 seconds washing cycle • Ecoclean control system for partial clean water refill at every wash cycle • Built in drain pump included • Complete with built in adjustable detergent & rinse aid dispensers • Guarantees hot rinse thermostop • Thermal protection for wash tank and boiler • Light function button with self diagnostic

(subject to status)

ComPaCK FroNT loadING dIsHWasHErs

• Electronic control DIGIT with temperature display • 4 washing cycles • Ecoclean control System for partial clean water refill at every wash cycle • Built in drain pump included • Complete with built in adjustable detergent & rinse aid dispensers • Guarantees hot rinse thermostop • Thermal protection for wash tank and boiler • Built in softener (only on D50S and D55S) • Colour coded function button with self diagnostic • Evolute Electronic control with lCd display

ComPaCK Pass THroUGH dIsHWasHErs

d100

For all modEls

• Self-diagnosis with errors solution, precise setting of the detergent dispenser, different temperature setting for each cycle • Ecoclean control system for partial clean water refill at every wash cycle (only with built in drain pump).

• Thermal acoustic double door • New inclined and deep-drawn welded tank • Door reinforcement brackets • Adjustable rinsing arm rotation speed • Fully stainless steel made wash and rinse arms for low maintenance, heavy duty, all corrosion resistant • Removable double filtering system for wash and drainage cycle

Web www.compack.uk Email info@compack.uk Tel 0333 456 4500

BT100/BT100s

• Electronic control with LCD display • 4 individual programmable cycles • Ecoclean control System for partial clean water refill at every wash cycle • Built in drain pump included • Complete with built in adjustable detergent & rinse aid dispensers • Break tank – AA air gap – Wras approved • Guarantee rinse temperature 85⁰C at constant pressure • Self cleaning cycle on drain down • Thermal protection for wash tank and boiler • Built in softener (only on BT55S) • Self diagnostic

BT100TC/BT100TCs

Commercial Kitchen Fit-Out

Fryers and Oil Operators should consider when purchasing a fryer and their oil, the oil capacity against production rate, burner efficiency and recovery rate, as well as a true cool zone in gas fryers to help prolong the oil life. Blue Seal V ray Gas Fryers are our premium fryer and burner system, which come at a higher price compared to some competitors’ gas models. However the fuel efficiency, cost saving, performance and stainless steel high build quality far out way the additional initial cost to the operator.

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By David Chesshire, National Accounts Manager, Blue Seal (www.blue-seal.co.uk) the batter plates from continuous cooking and carbonising, which in turn helps prevent the degrading of oil quality. This all achieves considerable cost saving for the operator with fuel and oil, as well as time efficiency, producing the finished products.

Evolution Fryers and Filter Units

Blue Seal also offer an additional Filtration units that give a fantastic solution to improving oil life, have great mobility and space saving features as well as powerful pumps & full stainless steel construction.

Blue Seal produce high performance thermostatic controlled gas & electric fryers.

Our Evolution range gas fryers GT60, GT46 & GT45 have a premium feature benefit of all using our patented “V’Ray” burner system. This system uses infrared technology radiating the heat into the tank, only heating the area of oil the baskets are sitting in. This promotes incredibly fast recovery rates, high efficiency for limited fuel consumption provides a true cool zone in conjunction with the specially shaped tank. The true cool zone prevents crumb and food debris that drops below

Moisture, fatty acids and food residue contaminate cooking oil, spoiling fried food taste and causing the oil to smoke. Blue Seal Filtamax removes impurities, quickly and effectively, maintaining consistent high cooking quality and considerable extension of oil life.

The Carbon Pads remove sub-micron particles down to 0.5 microns – this is 100 times smaller than a grain of sand. Daily filtering of fryer oil using carbon filters can massively increase the life span of the oil creating large cost savings and create more consistent finish and taste to the food product.

Why MIWE is a Five-Star Choice For Top Pastry Chefs The oven is the cornerstone of any baking operation for caterers, licensees, and hoteliers. Controlling the movement of air inside the convection oven, coupled with the performance of steam generation, ensures perfect heat distribution and the best baking results. Whether it’s a countertop oven to produce delicious snacks or full-scale ovens for busy kitchens, MIWE offers the oven to suit your needs and to provide the bake quality you demand. It’s no wonder that top pastry chefs request MIWE ovens for their five-star hotels.

The MIWE range of convection baking ovens offer excellent quality throughout the entire product catalogue, with the benefit of gastronomic functions and auto cleaning to provide ovens that offer fantastic flexibility and energy efficiency.

With a myriad of clever features to make baking a pleasure, programmable controllers to ensure consis-

tent results and an automatic cleaning system that allows you to clean your baking station overnight and save energy with the auto-start technology, MIWE convection ovens are designed to offer bakers the solutions to meet their needs.

Its ovens also feature a variety of energysaving technology. The MIWE eco mode ensures the right compromise of low energy consumption and baking-readiness is assured in between baking processes.

In addition, MIWE air control technology allows bakers to precisely control the amount of circulated air in convention ovens, allowing you to ensure optimal baking conditions for all baked goods in every baking phase.

EPP is the exclusive UK distributor of MIWE. To find out more, visit www.eppltd.co.uk

The Ultimate Bs EN 1825 Compliant Grease recovery • over 40,000 Units sold.

• separates down to below 35 parts per million.

• Eliminates need for enzymes or chemicals.

• Constructed of 3mm 304 Grade stainless steel.

• 10 Year Construction Warranty.

• manufactured in UK and Ireland.

• sizes from 0.5 litres Per second through 8.5 litres Per second.

Buy with confidence of performance and the back up of The approved Fatstrippa Contractor Network.

www.fatstrippa.co.uk

For further information contact Fatstrippa sales 0207 207 7713 sales@fatstrippa.co.uk

The Premium Fryer and Burner System The ultimate solution for any catering establishment, perfect for pubs, hotels, restaurants, cafes and much more.

www.blue-seal.co.uk Please mention the Caterer, Licensee & Hotelier News when replying to advertising

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Outdoor Spaces

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

Outdoor Spaces

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Café Culture - Pavement Profit

We are an independent supplier serving the outdoor restaurant trade with supplies for outdoor seating areas. We have some large clients including Gondola group along with many smaller cafe bars, restaurants and public houses.

We design and manufacturer our own windbreaks and use the best materials available. For anyone looking long term that saves you money as you won’t be replacing cheap internet imports next season. It’s one area where it doesn’t pay to buy budget as the continual bumps and

scrapes outdoor goods receive combined with the harsh British climate really needs something tough enough for the job.

We also supply Markilux awning which are some of the best made in the industry and Uhlmann parasols another top rated German brand.

Bespoke goods are also a speciality with custom made menu holders, waiter stations and planters all to you requirement. If we can help you do drop a line to sales@cafeculture.biz

"Can We Sit Outside Please?"

Over 79% of UK diners have attested that they would spend more time and money in a restaurant if they incorporated outdoor dining.

Integrating outdoor dining into your establishment is a no brainer decision especially when you consider the al fresco movement across the UK and return on investment opportunities. For example, when discussing predictions for the rise in al fresco dining in 2022, Janice H. Dobson, Business Development Director at Archatrak, said: “Restaurant owners can look at it mathematically, they know the value of every seat they offer and I encourage my clients to ask themselves, ‘what could 8 extra seats, 12 extra seats, 20 extra seats, mean for your business?’ Often, they’ll find that, in a relatively short period of time, these outdoor areas can pay for themselves and continue generating revenue years afterward.”

The maths is simple; seating 16 people under a 4m x 4m parasol, at an average spend of £12.50 per head equals £200. If you were to turn these 3 times a day

that would equal £600. If we multiply that by a realistic 4 days of the week, you’re looking at £2400 or £9,600 a month! Multiply that by 12 and your revenue would increase by £115k per annum.

Assuming 50% gross margin, the investment of 1 parasol could provide a profit contribution of £57.6k per annum, which is a welcome statistic in these economically trying times.

What’s more, our zero deposit leasing options allow for payments to be spread over 2-5 years.

So taking a 4mt X 4mt parasol with a moveable base, import, delivery and fitting, the monthly payment over 36 months would be £184.09 or the weekly equivalent of £42.98. As such, your potential R.O.I. massively outweighs this no deposit figure.

What are you waiting for?!

01352 740164 www.indigoawnings.co.uk enquiries@indigoawnings.co.uk

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

41

EXTENDING OUTDOOR LIVING

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Retractable Buildings - Retractable Roofs - Glazing Choices - Automatic Awnings

Design and Refit

Extending Outdoors Ltd Extending Outdoors offer a wide range of Pergolas & Verandas to extend your living into the outdoors.

Many hoteliers, restaurants and cafes depend on their open-air space to distinguish them from their rivals, so displaying this space with an excellent outside open or covered construction can help entice customers in and to appreciate the ambience and vistas regardless of the weather.

For hospitality businesses requiring a fast, simple and affordable change to their outside space one of our pergolas or canopies could be the ideal arrangement. Both pragmatic and beautiful, they give shade and protection from the elements.

For existing verandas and pergolas, outside blinds can be mounted to the top and sides to give powerful protection from the sun or rain, establishing a

comfortable climate throughout the entire year.

Shades and pergolas offer an incredible expansion to large open spaces, particularly when supplied with your own personalisation including remote controlled retractable or sliding rooftops, sliding glass, zip screens, separate passage entryways, climate sensors and LED lighting and radiators.

All work carried out is fully guaranteed and our products are all fitted by our own fitters and offer nationwide coverage. We have over 35 years’ experience in bespoke made to measure glass extensions, conservatories and orangeries.

Allow your customers to dine outdoors with full protection or utilise the extra space for a children's play area ...the opportunities are endless.

See the advert on this page for further details.

Keeping Food Hot? We Have All The Answers Create an outdoor living space to enjoy all year Extending Outdoors Ltd provide a wide range of products to extend outside living.

Planning undertaken as applicable.

30 years experience - guarantees up to 10 years.

We have over 1,000 installations throughout the UK. Only provide quality products.

Most products are exclusive all from Europe.

Pergolas

Verandas

Swimming Pool, Spa & Hot Tub Enclosures Residential and Commercial

Email: extendingoutdoors@yahoo.com telescopicpoolenclosures@yahoo.co.uk Mobile: 0771810511 Main Line: 01722 444590

Websites: www.extendingoutdoorsleisure.co.uk www.extendingoutdoors.co.uk

8 Wilton Business Centre, Kingsway, Salisbury, Wilts SP2 0AH - Nationwide

First of all, you will want one of our world beating Kanga boxes and a Carbon Heater. You can then keep food hot indefinitely and fully comply with HACCP regulations.

Sounds too good to be true?

Well we only supply premium German manufactured products from stock at incredibly low prices. The insulated box manufactured from top quality expanded polypropylene is a dense closed cell insulation material but incredibly light to handle when empty for example the GN insulted box with a 117 mm internal depth only weighs just over a kilo and yet holds a massive 21 lts capacity. Now combine the Kanga box with a Carbon Heater and the magic begins, hot food all the time!

Our range of Carbon heaters offers two voltage options 12 volts for car operation using the cigarette lighter socket or 230 volt mains voltage for internal or external mains use. The big advantage of the Carbon Heaters they are absolutely fool proof just insert them in the bottom of the box turn on and forget, there are no consumer controls the temperature is pre-set at the factory at 75 deg C. The Carbon Heater is very light at only 700 grammes and does not take up much room only being 10mm thick. Dishes can be place on the Carbon Heater straight out of the oven up to 120deg C. Finally quick and easy to clean just wipe over with a damp cloth.

Contact Catering Equipment Limited on Tel: 0121 773 2228 or visit www.clickonstore.net or www.kangaboxuk.com

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The Great Outdoors – Key Considerations When Choosing Contract Fabrics As on trade and hospitality professionals start preparing for spring and the outdoor dining opportunities the season presents, Catherine Seville-Clare, Group Customer Experience Manager at Panaz (http://www.panaz.com/en), discusses the key considerations that should be addressed when choosing contract fabrics for outdoor applications.

Easter falls between 7th – 10th April this year, a week earlier than in 2022. As a result, many professionals will already be turning their attention to updating their outdoor dining areas in preparation for the influx of visitors over the upcoming bank holiday weekend.

Consumer spending in UK pubs, bars and nightclubs over the 2022 Easter weekend was up 74% when compared to 2019 figures, with researcher Barclaycard Payments attributing the warmer weather and lack of lockdown restrictions for the significant increase.

Another key consideration is fire retardancy. Whilst some on trade and hospitality professionals may look to choose a residential fabric and have a FR treatment added, this can alter the fabric’s texture and appearance, and depending on the type of yarns involved, it also may not guarantee to make it FR. Professionals should therefore find fabrics that are inherently flame retardant to EN1021-1/2.

The wear and abrasion resistance of the upholstery fabric is another area that should be considered, particularly for seating areas that will experience high levels of usage. It’s therefore important that the chosen fabric has been tested to the Martindale Rubs testing process, which demonstrates the fabric’s resilience against everyday wear and tear. Professionals should be choosing fabrics that have been tested to 40,000+ cycles.

The stain resistance of the fabric is also essential, as not all stain resistance products are the same. Solutions that repel oil based food products and proteins, which are the most difficult stains to remove, and the most common to be found within an outdoor dining area, should be chosen.

As professionals look to accommodate the same level of customers this year and secure an increase in spending, one of the ways they can maximise their outdoor drinking and dining space is by utilising contract fabrics to achieve a cost-effective yet impactful update.

The fabric’s colour fastness to chlorinated water, sea water, dry rubbing and wet rubbing should also be tested and proven up to Grade 4-5, and up to Grade 8+ for colour fastness to light. This will ensure the long term suitability and durability of the contract fabric to meet the requirements of outdoor areas.

One of the key areas that should be considered when choosing contract fabrics to upholster outdoor seating areas and for accessories such as cushions, is whether the fabric is mildew resistant. Whilst it’s crucial to ensure the fabric is waterproof, many waterproof fabrics do not allow the interior to breathe.

Whilst ensuring all of the above is crucial to securing the long-term suitability and durability of the space, it’s also really important that customers are protected from the spread of viruses and bacteria, such as Norovirus.

This means that if the interior of the seating gets wet due to water ingress through the zip or a similar entry method, mildew will start to grow. Exposure to a large number of mould spores may cause allergic symptoms such as watery eyes, runny nose, sneezing, itching and coughing.

Selecting fabrics that contain anti-microbial coatings that are non-depleting and non-leeching will provide an invisible protective layer that kills bacteria and viruses immediately, whilst also ensuring the fabric is safe for the environment and the level of protection provided does not diminish.

It’s therefore just as important, if not more important, to make sure the contract fabric is mildew resistant.

Ensuring the technical performance of upholstery contract fabrics for outdoor applications will be the main consideration for professionals, but that doesn’t mean they should have to compromise on aesthetics.

This can be achieved by choosing woven polyester acrylic blend or faux leather vinyl fabrics, which can be combined together to create a complementary yet visually impactful scheme across all of the upholstery and additional accessories across an entire outdoor area.

By working with a manufacturer that offers a suite of designs and plains in a variety of complementary colourways, on trade and hospitality professionals can create an outdoor space that captures the attention of customers, creating a comfortable and inspiring environment.

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Caterquip Ventilation – For All Your Commercial Catering Ventilation Needs

Caterquip Ventilation Ltd is proud to be celebrating their 23rd Anniversary this year.

This Warwick based company offers nationwide coverage for all your commercial catering needs: free site surveys, quotations and designs (CAD), quality bespoke and standard fabrications, specialist knowledge of catering ventilation systems including input air, odour reduction (carbon filtration and ESP) and sound attenuation.

Affiliated members of Constructionline, CHAS and B&ES, Caterquip Ventilation have a strong hold in the marketplace often advising industry professionals on ventilation systems to a DW172 specification & BSEN:6173.

They have strong relationships with all leading kitchen equipment suppliers, and they offer a kitchen design serv-

ice to help you build your ideal kitchen.

Projects undertaken have included Olympic Villages, Basildon Hospital, The Mitre Hotel at Hampton Court, The Truck Stop at Anglesey, The Lodge at Old Hunstanton, Colleges, Schools, Hotels, Restaurants and Public Houses. They ensure their systems are compliant with the current guidelines whilst maintaining an efficient and dynamic facility.

With extensive knowledge of manufacturing and installing ventilation systems, they can help you design the best kitchen within the space available.

Call: 01926 887167, visit: www.caterquipventilation.co.uk, email: info@caterquipventilation.co.uk

Breathe New Life into Your Hospitality Space for Spring As the days brighten, any wear and tear in your hospitality furniture will suddenly seem more obvious. The good news is Trent Furniture has great solutions for refreshing your furniture while avoiding unnecessary waste or expenditure.

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

Trent’s expert team of upholsters, who also work on our great range of new chairs, can have your chairs looking as good as new, in a wide variety of fabrics and at highly competitive prices. And if your otherwise robust wooden chair frames are also in need of some TLC, we can respray and finish them for a brand new lease of life too.

Table tops usually show signs of wear and tear long before their bases do. That’s why at Trent, we offer a wide range of solid and veneer table tops to keep your dining space looking fresh and polished. Our veneer range can be cut and sprayed to your exact requirements, making it both a versatile and cost-effective option whether you want to refresh your existing décor or create a whole new look.

To find out more about reupholstery, replacement tabletops and other ways to update your pub, café or restaurant for spring, please call us on 0116 2864 911 or fill in our contact form.

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Iconic Project Management. Commercial Construction Projects; On Time, On Budget, On Brief. Guaranteed.

Iconic Project Management are on a mission to improve the reputation of the construction industry. We exist to help our clients turn their construction plans into reality. It goes without saying that our clients are our number one focus. We love solving their problems and delivering their projects. What we love even more is to delight our clients by exceeding their expectations.

Everyone has a horror story of that building contractor who over-promised and under-delivered. It’s almost considered standard practice to under-quote in order to secure contracts but we think that’s counter-productive.

Almost all our work comes from recommendations by people we’ve worked with in the past. The reason that they are happy to recommend us is not necessarily that we quote the lowest prices and the shortest delivery times but that we can be relied on to deliver what was agreed, by the agreed date.

Our team has over one hundred years of experience between them. We are experts at delivering restaurant and kitchen fit out projects. Satisfied recent clients include, Tim Hortons, Poke House, Boparan Group and Yolk.

Whether you are opening your first restaurant outlet or have a whole chain of pubs you want to fit out, we can help you achieve your ambitions. We’ll guide you through each step, from establishing your brief, procuring your design and selecting contractors, to managing the fit out.

We promise to keep your budgets and timelines on track so that your restaurant or pub is perfectly ready on time for your grand opening. Call us to talk through your project on 07775 543038 or email info@iconicprojectmanagement.com. If you’d like to know more about us, or would like hints and tips on how to plan your project, check out our website at www.iconicprojectmanagement.com

10 Years of Mayfair Furniture Mayfair Furniture will be celebrating 10 years this year of providing the UK’s fastest and affordable commercial furniture.

Supplying all kinds of establishments from high end hotel chains to small local takeaways.

We keep in stock a huge variety of items ready for immediate dispatch, and can fulfil a wide range of bespoke orders. We deliver to all areas of the UK, Ireland & Europe.

We are not just a supplier; we understand that from time to time hospitality and leisure establishments like to give themselves a fresh new look. That's why not

only do we supply contract furniture, but when it's time for your establishment to go through a refurbishment we also offer a complete clearance service. We'll organise everything from a suitable time and date, professional clearance staff to remove contract furniture whether fitted or unfitted. Along with our sister company Caterfair who provides commercial catering equipment for your kitchens we are the ideal people to speak to when you are looking to refurbish.

See the advert below for further details.

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

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CLH Digital

Design and Refit

Issue 146

CardsSafe - Lock in Our Old Prices Today! Additional Ranges as ILF Continue to Expand www.ilfchairs.com email;terry.kirk@ilfchairs.com

tract.

There are many benefits to using CardsSafe in bars, restaurants and pubs:

Until January 2023, CardsSafe unit rental will remain at just £9.95 per month.

We have been helping restaurants, bars, pubs, golf courses and other venues to securely retain their customer bank cards while they run a tab for almost twenty years.

Since we introduced rental contracts in 2008, we’ve kept our prices as low as possible at just under a tenner a month and this has never increased. However, due to significant increases in both our cost of goods and related costs, we plan an increase in January 2023.

Our existing customers will continue to benefit from our low prices, so if you’re considering CardsSafe for your business, or need additional units, lock in at just £9.95 per month (per unit) for the duration of your con-

• Managing customer tabs • Helping to increase spending, therefore profits • It is a significant deterrent for walkouts • Offers protection against credit card fraud – helps to build trust!

• Pays for itself by reducing charge-back and walkouts • No data capture required to use • Customers have peace of mind that their bank cards are kept safely, and they keep the unique key!

“Turnover increased significantly after CardsSafe was installed, and the system easily pays for itself.” Siobhan, The Prodigal London.

CardsSafe is affordable! Each unit contains ten card drawers that can be hired for just £9.95 per month. Each hire comes with customer service troubleshooting and a number of free replacement keys. Additional units can be added at any time.

For more information, please visit www.cardssafe.com Or contact the sales team on 0845 500 1040

PLEASE MENTION

WHEN RESPONDING TO ADVERTS

With the continued success of the ILF Chairs comprehensive website, ILF have now added to the 2 chairs already stocked in 7 colours, a stock armchair in 7 different Faux colours, matching the chairs, plus a 6 colour range stock of Egger laminated table tops in a selection of sizes. A full range of table bases are also kept in stock.

Their new online website offers both indoor and outdoor seating and table solutions.

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.

Saniflo Provides a New CPD Offering ing for Public Health Engineers, Mechanical Consultants, Architects, Mechanical Installers and Specialist Resellers.

The hour-long talk, which can be supplemented with a two-hour session of pump curve training if required, is designed to discuss and offer technical training on macerators and lifting stations for commercial and domestic buildings. This CPD is part of wastewater and drainage in the public health sector/mechanical engineering.

Saniflo UK – part of the SFA Group and a leading designer and manufacturer of pumps, macerators and lifting stations – has a new CIBSE-approved CPD offer-

By the end of the presentation, attendees will understand the challenges of gravity-fed drainage systems, be able to identify where and when to use a macerator or lifting station, be able to navigate critical installation requirements and considerations, understand some of the key differences between the lifting station technologies, and be able to use pump curves to help specify the correct pump.

To book a CPD for your organisation, call 020 8842

Property and Professional

Issue 146

CLH Digital

47

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.

your business actually works’’ we can ensure that you are maximising the labour usage in your business.

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.

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

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.

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?

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.

What Should a Business Owner’s Focus Be? When starting a business, the main measure of success is often “how much profit is the company making?”. However, should a business owner also be looking at other financial aspects of their business to help them create and sustain a business with longevity?

“Cash is King” and it is vital to keep a steady flow of cash into your business. Without income you can’t cover your expenses, pay employees or run your day-to-day operations. If cash isn’t coming into your business, you won’t think about growing your business and every business owner should be focusing on growth.

Understanding the finances of your business is hard. Especially if you are not familiar with accounting jargon or technical terms. We help and support business owners who are great at what they do but struggle to understand the complexity of business. Knowing where your business stands in terms of “cash in” and “cash out” is vitally important, especially in the current economic landscape.

Of course, every business wants to make a profit, but profit doesn’t automatically make a stable business. All business owners need to know their numbers. You need to know how much is coming in and going out of your

T H E W E S T C O U N T RY S P E C I A L I S T S

LYME REGIS, DORSET

SOMERSET VILLAGE

SOMERSET TOWN

Immaculate Coffee Shop & Café

Guest House With 6 Letting Rooms

Impressive Free Of Tie Landmark Inn

Completely Refitted in 2019

Refurbished To A High Standard

16 E/S Letting Rooms, Owners Flat

Easily Manageable Business

Lifestyle Home & Business

Refurbished To A High Standard

Daytime Hours Only

Gardens & Car Parking

Bar & Restaurant (82+), Kitchens

Well Presented & Equipped

Substantial Six Figure Net Profits

Exceptionally Low Overheads

LH £19,995

2153

FH £549,950

6009

LH £75,000

4829

SOMERSET TOWN

TAVISTOCK, DEVON

DORSET VILLAGE

Impressive 120 Cover Café/Takeway

Quality Delicatessen & Store

Detached Country Inn & Restaurant

Impressive 6 Figure Net Profits

Unique & Well Equipped

Impressive & Profitable Business

Trading Day Time Only

Sought After Location

Bar/Restaurant (60+), Al Fresco Seating (50+)

Outstanding Catering Business

Easily Manageable Business

3 E/S Letting Beds & Owners Apartment

Well Presented & Equipped

Tremendous Potential

Commercial Kitchen, Car Park & Garage

FH £625,000

2147

LH £32,500

2148

FH £625,000

4822

DARTMOOR NATIONAL PARK

DARTMOUTH, DEVON

CHAGFORD, DEVON

Detached B&B Set In 6 Acres

Two Businesses In One!

Superb Character Country Inn Sought After Trading Location

5 Letting Rooms, Owners Accom

Successful French Bakery Business

2 Lounges, Dining Room, Sun Room

Retail Shop/Cafe & Bakery Unit

Bar Areas (62+), Garden (40+)

Gardens, Paddock, Meadows, Stables

Profitable Business With Potential

4 E/S Letting Rooms, 2 Bed Owners

Idyllic Home & Income. Low Overheads

Full Handover & Training Available

New Free Of Tie Lease Available

DUCHY LH £395,000

6012

LH £90,000

THINKING OF SELLING? CALL FOR A FREE VALUATION

2151

LH £49,950

4825

01392 201262 www.stonesmith.co.uk

business and where it is coming from and going to. You need to know what your income streams are and the company’s expenditure. It’s always good to be thinking about and implementing sales and marketing campaigns to increase revenue. At the same time, you need to review your company’s expenditure and look for ways to reduce expenses regularly. If necessary, renegotiate with current suppliers or look for alternatives. Ask yourself if a particular product or service is working for your business.

We have products which can help with cashflow; Do you need to purchase additional stock for an event or busy time of year? A Working Capital Advance or Overdraft Facility (without the bank) could help.

Do you have a VAT bill which is larger than you expected? Ask us about a VAT Loan. It may be better to retain the capital in your bank.

Are you waiting for customers to settle their invoices but need to pay your suppliers? Invoice Finance could be the solution, receive up to 90% of invoice value in 24 hours, not 30 days or more.

Visit www.businessloansltd.co.uk for further details or see the advert on this page.

CLH Digital

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Property and Professional

Issue 146

Insurance in the Good Times, Insurance in the Bad Times Independent hospitality businesses play a vital role in the local community across the nation by creating jobs and providing access to essential products and services. When times are bad the last cutback you want to make is your insurance cover, it is the equivalent of throwing parachutes out of a plane to reduce the weight, or throwing life vests out of a ship taking on water to stop it from sinking. In the modern day, insurance is the only truly effective method of mitigating risk.

With over 32 years of experience protecting the hospitality sector, Forum Insurance understands that the key to achieving long-term success is having your business run smoothly and preparing for any unforeseen incidents.

Insurance is designed to do exactly that, protect your livelihood, your assets and your customers – paying the way for your business to truly grow.

WHY FORUM INSURANCE? Over 3 decades we have developed longstanding relationships with insurers and a wealth of insurance broking experience in this sector. We have the access and expertise to provide your business with advice, tailored insurance covers, and competitive premiums. For the most part, we have had great success in understanding our client’s

needs, mitigating the risks involved and when they have a claim, getting them back on their feet with our inhouse claims handling process. We understand that if we look after our clients, our clients will look after us.

Whether you’ve just started your business and are unsure which insurance covers would be beneficial for you, or you’re an experienced business looking for a free insurance review, request a call back using our website or call 0208 909 2899 and our friendly team will be able to help you.

Don’t just take our word for it, we have achieved a 97% satisfaction rate with our clients because we ensure they have the correct cover at a competitive price.

See the advert on the facing page for details.

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.

• Hiring additional staff • Purchasing new catering equipment … or anything else which your business needs.

Unfortunately, business owners are once again confronted with turbulence, thanks to the ongoing cost of living crises. However, there’s still an opportunity to prosper.

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, www.capify.co.uk/hospitality-fund

If you’ve got exciting business plans in 2023, we can help you achieve them. 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.

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.

Capify’s finance can be used for any business purpose, whether that’s: • Managing short-term cash flow issues • Purchasing seasonal food and drink

To find out more www.capify.co.uk/hospitality-fund or call us on 0800 151 0980 to speak to one of our specialist finance sale team.

Hospitality and Leisure: Survival of the Staffed

By Chris Maloney, partner and head of hospitality and leisure at accountancy firm, Menzies LLP (www.menzies.co.uk)

W! NE

PRICE: OIRO £200,000

W! NE

PRICE: £125,000

W! NE

PRICE: £175,000 + VAT

W! NE

PRICE: £1,750,000

TORQUAY, DEVON

• Restaurant Premises in Fabulous Location • Panoramic Views Across Torbay • Internal Seating for Circa 50.

Terrace Seating for 48 • 1st Floor Dining Room with Uninterrupted Sea Views Seating 35+ • Versatile Residential Accommodation

LEASEHOLD

REF: 3778

MORETONHAMPSTEAD, DEVON

• A Popular Daytime Cafe in The Heart of This Thriving Moorland Town • G/F Lock Up with Central Servery & Seating for 45/50 • Outside Seating & Fully Equipped Commercial Kitchen • A Strong & Well-Established Business

PRICE: OIRO £85,000

BRIXHAM, DEVON

REF: 4404

• Delightful Cafe in Sought After Location of Totnes • Quietly Trading to Suit Current Owner/Operators • Profitable Business with Further Potential • Trade Area Seating up to 34, Bespoke Servery, Kitchen • Car Parking for 1 Car

PRICE: £58,000

• Award-Winning Bar/Cafe/Restaurant • Adjacent to Exmouth Marina & The Exe Estuary • Main Trade Area with Seating for circa 70 & Alfresco Seating for circa 64 • Extremely Profitable Waterside Licensed Business Currently Run Under Management

EXMOUTH, DEVON

LEASEHOLD

REF: 4412

TETBURY, GLOUCESTERSHIRE

• Stunning Multi-Faceted, Award Winning Business in 4.2 Acres • 6 En-Suite Letting Rooms & Brand New Wedding/Function Venue ‘The Barn’ • 2 Large Camping Paddocks, Glamping Bell Tents • Permaculture Plot, Vineyard, Cider & Fruit Orchard • Stunning Owners Timber Chalet & Managers Flat

FREEHOLD

REF: 4439

REF: 4215

TOTNES, DEVON

• Freehold Commercial Premises in Brixham Town Centre • Of Interest to Owner Occupiers, Investors and Developers • Previously Trading for 18 Years as a Well Loved Bakery • Full Specialist Inventory Included • Opportunity Not to be Missed

FREEHOLD

LEASEHOLD

LEASEHOLD

REF: 4073

• Stunning 9 Bedroom, Grade II Listed Hotel • Situated in the Village of Dunster at the Gateway to Exmoor National Park • Main Bar & Restaurant, Ballroom/Function Room • 9 Beautifully and Individually Appointed En-Suite Letting Rooms • Rare Opportunity to Buy a Substantial & Successful Freehold Business

DUNSTER, SOMERSET

PRICE: £1,300,000

D UCE RED

FREEHOLD

REF: 4302

• Delightful Village Inn, Currently Closed • Large Open Plan Traditional Trading Area • Spacious 3 Bedroom Living Accommodation • Outside Trading Area to the Rear, Barn with Possible Development Opportunity (STP) • Affordable Freehold Property Priced to Sell

KINGSTEIGNTON, DEVON

PRICE: OIEO OF £200,000 + VAT FREEHOLD REF: 4315

It is no secret that the hospitality and leisure (H&L) industry has faced unprecedented challenges in recent years. From forced closures due to pandemic-related restrictions, to staff shortages and soaring energy bills, it is little wonder that some operators are struggling to cope.

The largest challenge facing the industry is that of recruiting and retaining staff. A report by accountancy firm, Menzies LLP, has revealed that a lack of skilled workers from baristas to hotel managers and chefs is holding the industry back, and with staff beginning to look elsewhere for more rewarding work as the costof-living crisis hits, businesses in the sector are struggling to remain viable. In fact, a hospitality and leisure thinktank, led by Menzies, found that most hospitality employers said that they had been forced to close due to staffing issues, and some felt that wage inflation was also a particular issue.

With 1.288 million unfilled roles within the H&L sector, according to data from the ONS, reported in UKHospitality’s Workforce Strategy, it is little wonder that employers are facing significant staffing and recruitment challenges. However, with some innovative thinking around building a brand and implementing a structure that supports staff in a rewarding long-term career, businesses could reverse their situation to become an employer of choice.

To succeed in attracting staff in a climate of low unemployment, employers need to put together a compelling and competitive offer, seeking to implement changes both internally and externally as they do so. For example, with many candidates looking for work that empowers them and allows them to have a positive effect on the world around them, employers need to create career paths with this in mind; adapting practices and developing a brand with a social purpose.

Potential applicants are looking to work with busi-

nesses that not only understand the world around them, but the experience of being an employee within the H&L sector. This can also help to retain employees, as employers seek to understand how they compare to others in the sector. Listening to the workforce and acting on appropriate feedback is one way to ensure that recruits find their new roles motivating and skilled staff feel respected and valued.

Employers should also be aware of external processes that could help to attract and retain staff.

These can be as simple as considering the business’ hiring strategy and reaching out to new employment pools, perhaps to candidates who will require a little more training than originally anticipated. With the right support from their employer, these newcomers can flourish and stay to pursue their careers.

Additionally, changes to immigration policy in both 2021 and 2022 now allow employers to recruit skilled workers from overseas. Whilst the UK may be facing a shortage of staff, the world is made up of people who are willing to work, and there are a number of routes available to employers to engage with them.

For example, the Youth Mobility Scheme visa allows young people between 18-30 years from participating countries to live and work in the UK for up to 24 months. In addition, as part of the Australia-United Kingdom Free Trade Agreement, there are pathways for workers from Australia to live and work in the UK for a set time period.

Finally, it is well worth considering internal practices, such as the approach to staff development, internships and partnering with local colleges and universities, which may provide hospitality courses.

Implementing a robust training and development programme will also act as a draw for candidates from all walks of life. Careful career structuring, combined with a sensible approach to pay that allows the business to remain viable, could help employers to build a strong reputation within the industry, attracting and retaining workers over time.

In the face of unprecedented challenges and disruption, attracting and retaining the right staff, in the right roles, is a key ingredient for success. Employers should examine their businesses both internally and externally and focus on building a brand with staying power.

Make 2023 your best year yet áƺ‫ټ‬ȸƺ ǝƺȸƺ ɎȒ ǝƺǼȵ ɵȒɖȸ ƫɖɀǣȇƺɀɀ ˢȒɖȸǣɀǝً Ɏǝȸǣɮƺ ƏȇƳ ȵȸȒɀȵƺȸ It’s a challenging time for business owners

Xǔ ɵȒɖ‫ټ‬ɮƺ ǕȒɎ ȵǼƏȇɀ ǔȒȸ ɵȒɖȸ ƫɖɀǣȇƺɀɀً

in the hospitality industry, with global

ƫǣǕ Ȓȸ ɀȅƏǼǼً ɯƺ ƬƏȇ ǝƺǼȵ ɵȒɖ ƏƬǝǣƺɮƺ Ɏǝƺȅِ

price hikes driving up the cost of products

!Əȵǣǔɵ‫ټ‬ɀ ƏƬƬƺɀɀǣƫǼƺ ƫɖɀǣȇƺɀɀ ǼȒƏȇ ƬƏȇ ƫƺ

and bills. However, we’re here to support

ɖɀƺƳ ǔȒȸ‫ ي‬

you throughout the festive season, leading

• ¨ɖȸƬǝƏɀǣȇǕ ɀƺƏɀȒȇƏǼ ǔȒȒƳ ƏȇƳ ƳȸǣȇǸ • RǣȸǣȇǕ ƏȇƳ ɎȸƏǣȇǣȇǕ ɀɎƏǔǔ • ɖɵǣȇǕ ȇƺɯ ƺȷɖǣȵȅƺȇɎ Ȓȸ ȅƏƬǝǣȇƺȸɵ • XȇɮƺɀɎǣȇǕ ǣȇ ɎƺƬǝȇȒǼȒǕɵ

into 2023 and beyond... !Əȵǣǔɵ‫ټ‬ɀ ƫɖɀǣȇƺɀɀ ǼȒƏȇ ǣɀ ƺƏɀɵ ɎȒ ƏȵȵǼɵ ǔȒȸ ƏȇƳ ƬƏȇ ƫƺ ƏȵȵȸȒɮƺƳ ƏȇƳ ȵƏǣƳ ȒɖɎ ǣȇ Əɀ ǼǣɎɎǼƺ Əɀ ‫ גא‬ǝȒɖȸɀِ

ٌ Ȓȸ ƏȇɵɎǝǣȇǕ ƺǼɀƺ ɯǝǣƬǝ ɵȒɖȸ ƫɖɀǣȇƺɀɀ ȇƺƺƳɀِ

Xǔ ɵȒɖٔƳ ǼǣǸƺ ɎȒ ˡȇƳ ȒɖɎ ǝȒɯ ȅɖƬǝ ˡȇƏȇƬƺ ɵȒɖ ȷɖƏǼǣǔɵ ǔȒȸ ɯǣɎǝ !Əȵǣǔɵً ǕƺɎ Ə ȇȒ‫ٮ‬ȒƫǼǣǕƏɎǣȒȇ ȷɖȒɎƺ ɎȒƳƏɵ

Visit capify.co.uk/hospitality-fund or call us freephone on 0333 880 3665