CLH Digital - Issue #47

Issue 47

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UK Set For “Staycation” Boom This Summer

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Staycations are expected to boom this Summer as the country eases towards the end of the lockdown. The anticipated boom comes as UK holidaymakers look “closer to home” for getaways this year, as the vaccination scheme continues to roll-out, along with the ongoing suspension and uncertainty of overseas travel.

The forecast is good news for the beleaguered hospitality and licensed on trade sector which has been devastated these past 12 months by the Covid pandemic, and also follows Chancellor Rishi Sundak’s budget earlier this week which was warmly greeted as a “support for budget” for the hospitality and on trade sector.

When the government lifted its restrictions last summer and introduced its Eat Out To Help Out scheme there was a massive surge in staycations, and, according to reports this summer seems set to continue this trend.

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Visit Britain forecast that domestic tourism spending will be “up 79% compared to 2020”, and many destinations are already saying they are almost fully booked.

Anthony Climpson, CEO of Go New Forest, a CIC company responsible for promoting tourism to the New Forest says that, “many of our hotels and holiday parks are already reporting that they are 80-90% full for the summer.”

“Lots of people will remain nervous about going overseas and will seek a holiday closer to home,” adds Climpson. “The New Forest’s fresh air, wildlife and open spaces are the perfect antidote to all the lockdowns, and a way in which to feel normal again.”

(CONTINUED ON PAGE 3...)

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CLH Digital

Issue 47

Editor's Viewpoint

Welcome to the latest issue of CLH DIGITAL EDITOR

Peter Adams

THANKS RISHI - NOT A BAD BUDGET!

PUBLISHED BY

I would draw your attention to our extended article on the industry’s response to Chancellor Rishi Sundak’s budget. (See pages 4-5.)

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One must give credit where credit is due and for the hospitality sector it was a supportive budget. Yes, it could have been a tad better, but could have been a lot worse!!

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FAX: 01202 552666 sales@catererlicensee.com

Extension of furlough, a recovery loan scheme, business grants, duty frozen, VAT reduction held and business rates holiday extended, all in all a supportive budgets to the sector as it could be.

Personally I would have kept the reduction in hospitality and tourism VAT at 5% until 2023.

Regular readers will note this is an issue we have often raised, and welcome though the Chancellor’s reduction has been, it is an opportunity for the country to see in the long-term successful it could be had the Chancellor given it more time.

A concern I have always had regarding the pandemic is the often sensationalist reporting by the media which drives down confidence. The pandemic has been devastating to the economy and sectors such as the care sector. However, hospitality was blamed for a spike in infection rates when all the evidence pointed to the opposite.

www.CLHNews.co.uk @CLHNews CLHNews The government really does now have to stand its ground, and stand up to sensationalist reporting. The sector must open and remain open once lockdown has eased.

As reported in our front page story there is a boom in “Staycation” holidays and breaks on the horizon. Pre-pandemic £4 in every £5 spent in UK tourism came from domestic tourists.

The whole country will be a lot like me and people reading this article will be primed, raring to go and wanting a break!

Now we see that the government’s test and trace system for pubs and restaurants was according to a Sky News report “barely use”.

A Staycation is a real opportunity to get regions/destinations, hotels, pubs bars and restaurants up, running and profitable.

We have often reported how hard the sector worked to ensure that the premises were, and continue to be, safe. We have been at “the coalface”! In constant contact with operators and suppliers, including articles, features and case studies on how safe premises are.

Once again we called have on some of the industry’s leading lights and influential figures to provide the knowledge, insight and expertise to help operators trade their way through this crisis.

Yet just one report, not backed by any evidence whatsoever, made nationwide news, followed by calls for the sector to be closed down.

Please do email us with any of your news and views we would be delighted to print them and I can only be contacted on edit@catererlicensee.com

EDITOR Peter Adams

SALES EXECUTIVES David Bartlett Guy Stephenson

PRODUCTION & DESIGN Matthew Noades

PRODUCTION & WEB ADMIN Shelly Roche Published Publishedbyby

UK Set For “Staycation” Boom This Summer Issue 47

(...CONTINUED FROM FRONT COVER)

INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL WARNING The staycation boom coincides with a warning by The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), that nearly £27 billion will be lost from the UK economy if the government delays restarting international travel until May 17, the date set by Prime Minister Boris Johnson when he unveiled the government’s roadmap out of lockdown.

The independent chain saw a huge number of bookings in the 24 hours after Boris Johnson’s roadmap announcement and represented an increase of over 300% when compared to a typical one-day window pre-roadmap, and shows the demand in the market to travel when the tiers allow it.

South Coast tourist destination Bournemouth announced today (March 5) the return of its successful air festival September. In 2018 the four-day event attracted over 700,000 visitors raising £31 million for the local economy. This year the festival is scheduled run from September 2 of September 5, with councillor Lyengar saying: “Following the government announcement of the dates for the easing of lockdown, were encouraged that the event can still go ahead and will keep our preparations rolling forward while staying attuned to any further developments” According to a travel and tourism survey by vacation site TravelNest almost eight people out of ten (79%) will take “one or two” UK-based staycations this year.

The survey also revealed that while just a quarter of people surveyed say they are “very likely” to book a holiday before they’ve had the Covid vaccine, this figure more than doubles post-vaccination.

Over 50 percent of respondents say they will not take a holiday abroad this year, with 79 percent of respondents planning to take one or two UK-based ‘staycations’.

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protocols are very important to travellers. Overall, these results bode well for the UK’s rural vacation rental market when restrictions on travel are lifted.”

Point A Hotels saw bookings rise by over 300% after the Prime Minister announcement of the de-escalation of lockdown., The data reveal that consumers are dashing to book domestic holidays and city trips once the sector reopens in May.

Nic Wenn, Managing Director at Point A Hotels, said: “We are over the moon to see Brits confidently making holiday plans once again. I think this again highlights the importance of the hospitality sector in the recovery of the country as a whole. As a family-run business, we cannot wait to return our customers’ faith by providing them with a safe staycation”

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WTTC, which represents the global Travel & Tourism private sector, fears delaying the revival of international travel for another seven weeks, will hasten the further slide into collapse of a sector which contributes £200 billion annually to the UK economy, and is responsible for almost four million jobs.

The survey also revealed that rural holidays (51%) are most popular with Brits, followed by beach holidays (43%), city breaks (36%), road trips (29%) and activity holidays (19%).

Other key findings include: • 44% plan to holiday in the Summer (June, July, August) with 23% planning to vacation in the Autumn (September, October, November) • Holiday homes (44%) are more popular than hotel stays (29%) • Planned breaks of 7 nights or more have doubled in 2021 versus the last 3 months of 2020 and on average customers are booking stays of 5 nights • Average booking value has increased by around 40% in 2021 versus the last 3 months of 2020 Rebecca Moore, Chief Operating Officer at TravelNest says: “The findings, together with our own booking activity, reveal significant pent-up demand for holidays when restrictions allow, and that the vaccine is affecting decision-making by significantly increasing traveller confidence.”

“The results also show travellers are thinking pragmatically, with the strongest demand for UK staycations versus holidays abroad, and a strong preference for rural vacation rental holidays in the summer months. Also, factors such as flexible cancellations and Covid cleaning

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Gloria Guevara, WTTC President and CEO, said: “While the UK government’s announcement that international travel could resume on May 17 gives us grounds for optimism, it will come as cold comfort to struggling SMEs and Travel & Tourism businesses up and down the country.

“Our economic modelling shows the brutal impact the £27 billion loss could have, caused by delaying the restart of international travel by just seven weeks.

“It would be far less economically damaging to invest in testing and biometric technology which could safely reopen the doors to travel and save the millions of jobs at risk.

“In the same way widespread community testing is being provided through rapid test kits twice a week to pupils and anyone in their household or support bubbles, so extensive testing will also permit the safe restart of international travel.

“But every day we delay will see many more cash-strapped businesses join the growing list of companies which have already disappeared due to the demise of international travel. Nor should we forget the human cost and the terrible suffering of so many people whose very livelihoods have been left in ruins due to the sector’s virtual collapse.

Cautiously Positive Industry Reaction To The Chancellor’s Budget 4

CLH Digital

Issue 47

Photo by Number 10

Chancellor Rishi Sundak’s budget has been cautiously but warmly welcomed by the hospitality and licensed on trade.

The Chancellor confirmed that the business rates holiday and the VAT cut will be extended, but not for a full year which the industry had been calling for.

The 100% business rates holiday will be extended into the first three months of this financial year, through to the end of June, and for the remaining nine months will be discounted by two-thirds up to a value of £2m, with a lower cap for businesses who have been able to remain open.

The 5% reduced rate of VAT the Chancellor brought in for the hospitality sector and the pandemic first broke will be extended for six months to 30 September with an interim rate of 12.5% for another six months after that, returning to 20% in April 2022.

The Chancellor also announced a freeze on wine and spirit duty, and the Bounceback and Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan schemes will be replaced with a new recovery loan scheme, with businesses of any size able to apply for loans from £25,000 up to £10m through to the end of this year. The government will provide a guarantee to lenders of up to 80%.

In 2023, the rate of corporation tax, paid on company profits, will increase to 25%, however it this will be kept at 19% for businesses with profits of £50,000 or less. The government will also introduce a taper so businesses only start paying the full rate on profits from £250,000.

The decision by Rishi Sunak MP to freeze alcohol duty could not have come at a better time for the UK wine and spirit industry says the Wine & Spirit Trade Association,

businesses once more. The extension of furlough to September will help our pubs to manage the return of their teams until they are able to trade freely again. The confirmation of further reductions in Business Rates will allow them time to recover, but until our nation’s pubs are able to return to normal trading, the vast majority of these businesses will still be loss making.

CAMRA’s National Chairman Nik Antona said: “Freezing alcohol duty is obviously better than a rise.

However, CAMRA had hoped to see the Chancellor announce a cut in duty on beer served on tap in pubs and social clubs to benefit consumers and help the great British pub recover and thrive in the difficult months and years ahead by being able to compete with supermarket alcohol.

“The extension of the VAT cut is welcomed, helping food businesses through the summer, however for our community wet-led pubs, the benefit will be extremely limited and they will not be able to trade profitably until all restrictions are removed.

“The Government’s commitment to review alcohol duties in the coming months is welcome. CAMRA will continue to call for a lower rate of duty for beer served in pubs – an option available to the Government now we have left the European Union.

“The news on further grants is positive, but in no way covers the basic running costs of our closed pubs or compensates them for the lost income over the last 12 months. For many of our members, these grants will not even cover the furlough contributions that will be needed to safeguard their teams until May, let alone June.

“Reducing tax on beer served in pubs and social clubs would encourage responsible drinking in a supervised, community setting – as well as boosting jobs and local economies, helping consumers and benefiting pubs and licensees.”

“The support announced gives our sector an opportunity to rebuild as they reopen in line with the Government roadmap, however, any changes to their plan will need to be matched with appropriate support measures.

“I have no doubt that customers will return to their local pubs at the earliest opportunity and once again be given a fantastic hospitality experience. Our members have shown throughout this crisis their commitment to their local communities, and their ability to keep customers and staff safe. They will need all of our support over the coming weeks and months, as we all return to the Great British pub.”

Joss Croft, CEO, UKinbound said – “The extension of furlough is very welcome news for our industry, as is the business rates holiday and its further cut. We’re also pleased that leisure grants of up to £18k will be available for businesses that need to stay closed for longer, but we urgently need confirmation from Government that tour operators, coach operators, language schools and event organisers will be eligible for these grants, having been unfairly excluded to date.

Miles Beale, Chief Executive of the Wine & Spirit Trade Association, said:

“It was however disappointing and a huge missed opportunity to hear that sector-specific support, which has been rolled out in Scotland, will not be provided. The VAT cut will be beneficial to hospitality and domestic tourism businesses, but its impact on inbound tourism, and the export value it delivers that will take longer to restart, will be minimal.

“The decision to freeze wine and spirit duty comes as a huge relief for British businesses, pubs, restaurants and its suppliers following the crushing – and continuing – closure of the hospitality sector, for months on end, during the pandemic.

“The inbound tourism industry still has a long road to recovery and the Government needs to recognise this. International inbound tourism to the UK can play a crucial role in supporting the country’s economic recovery, and it’s levelling-up and Global Britain agenda, but this will only be possible when it’s safe to travel again. Until then we need Government to continue its dialogue with the industry and understand that further support is urgently required.”

Chancellor Rishi Sunak seems to “get it”. He understands that supporting our industry will allow it to recover, rebuild, create jobs and – in time – replenish revenues to the Treasury. He has also shown he is in touch with men and women from all walks of life who want to enjoy their chosen tipple without getting stung by further tax hikes.

Dr Nicola M Headlam, incoming Head of Public Sector at Red Flag Alert, said: “Pledging hundreds of millions to revitalise the hospitality, retail and cultural sectors is a step in the right direction but risks being short lived. Furlough and lockdown have had huge, and potentially long lasting, impacts on how people use city centres, high streets and business districts, meaning that a data-heavy response to the economic crisis must be at the cornerstone of the recovery. This will inform successful economic and industrial strategy and urban planning that is more likely to achieve the Government’s aspirations to level up the UK.”

We will all raise a glass to the Chancellor tonight – and look forward to more permanent support for the sector following the review of alcohol taxation.”

Recent HMRC figures show the number of distilleries registered in 2020 shot up to over 560 as the UK boosted its distillery numbers by a record breaking 124 last year, doubling the number of UK distilleries in four years.

Miles Beale, added: “We also welcome the extension to the VAT cut for the hospitality sector, but it is disappointing that the Chancellor did not extend this to include alcoholic drinks, which would have given the trade a real boost when they are finally allowed to re-open their doors to the public.”

Steven Alton, BII CEO commented: “With the package of support from Government laid out, our pubs can begin to look to the future of their

Robert Hayton, U.K. President of Property Tax at Altus Group, Britain’s largest ratings advisory, says “the Chancellor has struck a decent balance with the roadmap out of restrictions and the overall basket of support” adding “after the 3 month exemption period, the caps on the value of rates relief available makes the support targeted, a key ask, whilst the lower level of discount once all restrictions are removed, still supports those sectors most impacted by the pandemic in the longer term. Both of those measures together deliver the best value for taxpayers but must be kept under constant review.”

On financial support announced, Nik commented: Cutting VAT as pubs begin to reopen, and reducing it until April next year, means they can now start benefiting from that cut – but CAMRA believes this VAT cut should be extended to alcohol so that traditional locals that don’t serve food can benefit too.

“The extension of furlough until September and new grants of up to £18,000 are very welcome. However, pubs are unlikely to be able to fully reopen at pre-COVID trading levels due to outside space and then table service only indoors restrictions. The beer and pubs sector will need further support over the coming months, over and above new loans, to help them get back on their feet until there is a full and proper re-opening and they can trade at full capacity.

“Extending the business rates holiday until the end of June will help keep the wolves from the door for many English pubs, with the twothirds reduction for the rest of the financial year a welcome step.

However, given how tough it will be for many pubs we believe the 100% cut in business rates needs to be extended for a full 12 months as has already happened in Scotland.”

UKHospitality Chief Executive Kate Nicholls said: “The Chancellor has listened to the concerns of the hospitality sector. Details are yet to be pored over but it looks like crucial support will help businesses at a critical time.

“The Chancellor has announced support to help our sector get back up and running, now it is vital that the Government sticks to its date of June 21st for a full reopening of the sector. Delay would see more businesses fail, more jobs lost and undo much of the good work the Chancellor has done todate.”

On VAT: “An extension of the 5% VAT rate was absolutely crucial for hospitality businesses. Confirmation that the Government will provide support for a full year will bring peace of mind to the sector. UKHospitality has been pushing hard for this and it was critical that it was delivered today.

“While it would have been better to have extended the 5% rate further, it is now vital that the Government looks at introducing the interim rate for hospitality on a permanent basis. It would be a positive legacy of an otherwise dreadful year for our sector. A permanent reduced rate of VAT for hospitality would redress the unfair tax imbalance that our businesses have faced for too long and make us internationally competitive.”

On business rates: “It is great that this fixed cost has been eliminated during the recovery and is heavily reduced for the rest of the financial year. It will give some much-needed breathing room for businesses as they prepare to reopen, though the cap will impact some larger businesses. Not all businesses will be able to reopen swiftly, it will take them time to get up and running. They will be burning through meagre cash reserves as they do so, so this extra flexibility is going to crucial in ensuring as many as possible stay alive.

“The forthcoming revamp of the rates system then has to deliver a wholly new system of business tax that no longer unfairly penalises our sector.”

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Issue 47

CLH Digital

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Cautiously Positive Industry Reaction To The Chancellor’s Budget (...CONTINUED FROM FACING PAGE) On grants: “The previously announced grants are a welcome boost. The priority now is making sure that these grants find their way to the businesses that need them as quickly as possible and that interest rates are capped.

It is critical that Government makes clear that EU State Aid rules do not apply to these grants.”

On furlough: “The extension of the scheme brings stability and peace of mind to employees after a dreadful year of uncertainty. There is still a worry that it will place unnecessary pressure on fragile businesses just as they are beginning to get back to their feet, though.”

On duty: “Scrapping any increase on the rate of alcohol duty is a pragmatic step.

Additional costs were the last thing that businesses needed at the minute. As we emerge from the crisis, we hope that the Government will seriously consider a separate rate, long pushed for by this sector, for on-trade alcohol.”

On the recruitment bonus: “Increasing the recruitment incentive will be a major boost in helping the hospitality sector rebuild once the crisis has passed. The doubling of the apprenticeship incentive will be a major boost for our sector’s recovery and aids our commitment to upskilling people across the country. Driving the economic recovery of the UK will be dependent on getting people back into work and this will be a huge help. The hospitality sector is going to be a key weapon in the country’s arsenal if it wants to rebuild the economy and tackle unemployment.”

On investment relief: “The commitment to encourage investment, with 130% tax reliefs, is very encouraging as we re-build and re-generate high streets and local communities.”

On rents: “The biggest gap in support remains the outstanding sector rent debt.

We need the Government to announce an extension of the moratoria at the earliest opportunity and work with industry to establish a landing zone to resolve this £2bn millstone around our recovery.”

Emma McClarkin, Chief Executive of British Beer & Pub Association, said: “We welcome the Chancellor’s announcement of continued support for the devastated pub sector in the form of additional grants, as well as extensions to the job retention scheme, 5% hospitality VAT rate and business rates holiday.

“The new grants are worth £400 million for pubs and will go some way in helping many of them survive through to the time when they can reopen and operate viably. It is, however, crucial that the Government

ensures all pubs benefit, including those that are part of a group, by removing the current State Aid cap.

“The extension of the job retention scheme until September will help save thousands of pub jobs. Worth £700 million to our pubs and brewers, it gives the sector time to reopen and rebuild trade before bringing all staff back, which would otherwise be too costly and unviable whilst still facing trading restrictions until end of June.

“It is imperative that the Government allows pubs to operate without restrictions as planned from 21st June. This will give them the best chance to get back on their feet and serve their communities.

“Extending the 5% VAT hospitality rate until September and at 12.5% thereafter is most welcome. We calculate it is worth £485 million to pubs. With all pubs having been closed for so long, the lower VAT rate has been of limited benefit so far, tens of thousands of pubs will not benefit from this until they reopen on 17th May at the earliest and then still at reduced capacity. However, wet led pubs will be especially disappointed again that the reduction will not apply to all beverages so they too can benefit from this.

“Overall, this is a good Budget for pubs and breweries in the short term, reflecting just how vital they are to the social, cultural and economic fabric of our communities.

“However, this is just the start of the journey on the hard road to long-term recovery for our sector. The Chancellor has made it clear today he recognises the vital role local pubs play in their communities.

Now he must continue that commitment by ensuring Britain’s pubs and breweries are supported in the long term. This should start by extending the VAT cut on hospitality to all drinks until at least the end of the year.

We also need a fundamental reform of VAT, business rates and beer duty to ensure that the thousands of pubs and breweries across the UK can thrive and help drive the social and economic recovery we urgently need.”

Lawson Mountstevens, Managing Director, Star Pubs & Bars, HEINEKEN UK, said “We welcome the package of support for hospitality announced in today’s budget including the freeze in beer duty. Continuing

the 5% VAT rate until September and further business rates relief together with the new Restart Grant scheme provides a much-needed lifeline to an industry on its knees. We’ve done all that we can to help our licensees through the pandemic – investing nearly £50 million in rent reductions. It is good to see the Chancellor step up and provide additional support for pubs who are the beating hearts of their communities the length and breadth of the UK, and we hope today’s announcement paves the way for future alcohol duty and business rates reform to help our sector longer-term.”

Patrick Fawley of the East London Pub Co. runs five pubs and bars in central London said: “Businesses need to be propped up properly so that they can restart and create meaningful and long term employment. I am relieved by the news of the extension of the reduced local authority rates and very much welcome that VAT remains low. Whilst the Restart grants are beneficial, they pale into insignificance when offset against the huge losses of the last 12 months. The public perception is that business owners have loads of support through the furlough scheme, but in reality the level of business support to owner operators is far less than in Ireland or France.

“The extension of the furlough scheme is welcome but it is a sticking plaster. The furlough system needs reviewing so employers can take on staff confident in the knowledge that they’ll be supported if another lockdown happens. We’d like to open three more pubs this year, but we need this reassurance. We opened a pub in Soho just before the first lockdown but because it had only been open a couple of weeks the 51 new employees weren’t eligible for furlough, which was devastating for them.

“Local Authorities also need to do their bit and work with local businesses to support and create jobs. We’re currently in negotiation with Tower Hamlets to takeover a carpark to create outdoor space next to our Spitalsfield pub, The Gun, but engagement is poor and they want to charge an exorbitant amount. We all need to work together to revive the economy.”

Jackie Fairburn, The Hare & Hounds, West Ardsley, Yorkshire said: “Any help is gratefully received. The new Restart Grant scheme and the VAT and business rate relief extensions are really welcome and will definitely help in the coming months, especially as the hospitality industry has been unfairly floored by covid restrictions. I am lucky as I am a tenant and so have had rent support from my pub company, but even with that I am haemorrhaging money. I simply don’t know how others without that support are coping. I also have a large garden and so can focus on reopening outdoors on 12th April. I will get through this but sadly many others won’t.”

Why Hospitality Needs To Take Back Control 6

CLH Digital

Issue 47

By Victoria Searl, hospitality expert and Founder of DataHawks (www.wearedatahawks.com).

DataHawks is a disruptive hospitality marketing business that analyses data to identify and profile the most valuable customer to its clients – forming the basis of an often business changing acquisition, conversion and retention strategy.

Whether a fresh round of Eat Out to Help Out, the perfect run of warm summer days, or the much-anticipated rush of Christmas bookings - which increasingly never seems to happen - operators are always hoping to be on the kind end of some sort of divine (and revenue driving) intervention.

The latest is the notion of the new ‘roaring 20’s – an idea gaining momentum fuelled by an interest in consumer behaviour following the last major pandemic 100 years ago.

While the first ‘roaring 20’s’ was marked by significant social, economic, technological and cultural change, the modern ‘roaring 20’s’ will be marked by vaccinated revellers, dancing in the streets with 3 pints of craft ale in one hand and a 7-course tasting menu in the other. I suspect the modern ‘roaring 20’s’ may only last a short time as the economic realities of a post-pandemic UK kick in.

So, with the sentiment that all parties have to end sometime, it feels increasingly important that operators look beyond this period to make sure their ‘roaring 20’s’ doesn’t become a ‘great depression’.

Being at the mercy of uncontrollable variables seems to be where hospitality operators think they should be but having a business at the mercy of anything is not a good place to be. The answer is clear. Operators need to take control of their businesses and be able to operate successfully - whatever the whims of the economy, the weather or the performance of our national sports teams.

With over 27 years’ experience working in the industry, from pulling pints to board level decision making for

restaurant groups, the answer to how operators take back control became abundantly clear to me and needs sharing now more than ever: Data.

We now live in the era of personalisation. Long before COVID-19 ravaged our sector, hospitality had already changed forever.

The 90’s were all about innovation and choice, with a boom of exciting new brands from grab and go to high end casual dining. The 00’s brought a shift to online, where websites enabled the customer to decide, almost in real-time, where to place their spend. Then the birth of social, particularly Instagram in 2010 powered the era of the ‘experience economy’. Customers wanted to eat and drink, but they wanted it with bells on.

But the millennials who drove the ‘experience economy’ are now turning 40, and Gen Z are setting the agenda. Like groups before them, they still want to eat, drink and have fun – but like everything else in their lives, they want it entirely on their own terms. And when you consider that 40% of the out of home market fall into the Gen Z category, not including the older groups they influence and are part of, this is a group no hospitality brand can afford to lose.

And it’s not just Gen Z who benefit from personalisation – all age groups respond to personalised and relevant communications and experiences.

This leaves us with an obvious new reality – brands who do not get to know their most valuable customers in intimate detail (and act on that knowledge), will lose them to brands who do.

By collecting your customer data to identify and profile your most valuable customers, then leveraging it to power everything from your SEO to CRM, you can build, maintain and grow a solid group of loyal customers – and know actually which levers to pull to drive the behaviour you need at any given time – with the lowest cash outlay and the highest ROI. Your marketing activity will feel less like desperately throwing more liquid into the top of a very large and leaky bucket, and more like a gentle afternoon in the park conducting the Royal Philharmonic.

So, when the post-COVID-19 rush happens, my advice would be don’t get carried away on a false wave of optimism. Use it as a focused exercise in data capture because when things start to go back to ‘normal’, and the country comes to terms with who is going to have to pay for the billions of pounds the government has spent (and wasted) on COVID-19, you’ll want to know exactly how to make sure that precious disposable income is spent with you and not your competitors.

Welsh Beer & Pub Association Launches On St David’s Day to Promote Brewers and Pub Operators of Wales A new trade association was launched on St David’s Day to promote brewers and pub operators in Wales.

The Welsh Beer & Pub Association will represent the wide range of beer and pub businesses in Wales, campaigning for policy outcomes that help protect and grow the sector.

It will work alongside the British Beer & Pub Association, the Welsh Government, the Senedd and UK Government to achieve these outcomes.

There are over 3,000 pubs in Wales and approximately 120 breweries, with the overall Welsh beer and pub sector supporting 42,000 jobs and contributing nearly £1bn in Gross Value Added to the economy.

Emma McClarkin, Chief Executive of the newly formed Welsh Beer & Pub Association, said: “With over 3,000 pubs and 120 breweries, Wales is a vital hub for our sector. In recognition of this, we are proud to launch the Welsh Beer & Pub Association – a body solely aimed at promoting Welsh brewers and pub operators and given them a muchheard voice with both the Wales Government and UK Government.

“Given that today is St David’s Day, it could not be a better day to launch this important new trade association. I urge pubs and brewers who feel they need a voice to get in touch to find out how we can help them.”

Mark Davies, CEO of Hawthorn, who own 26 community pubs in Wales and Chairman of the Welsh Beer and Pub Association: “Pubs and the brewing industry have been at the heart of Welsh communities for centuries. As a Welshman born and bred, I’m proud to stand alongside my industry colleagues as part of the WBPA, to promote the beer and pub sector in Wales. The people of Wales are proud of their heritage and pubs are part of the social fabric that makes Wales such a great

place to live and work.”

Minister for Culture, Sport and Tourism, Lord Elis-Thomas, said: “The brewing and pub sector is a vital contributor to Welsh communities as well as for the Welsh economy. The last 12 months have been uniquely challenging for hospitality and their supply chains and for that reason I have valued the positive working relationship that has been developed with the industry. I look forward building on the constructive discussions we have had over the course of the pandemic, and to working with the Welsh Beer and Pub Association as the sector begins its journey along the road to recovery.”

Jack Sergeant MS, Chair of the Cross-Party Group on Beer and Pubs, said: “I know the huge role the brewing and pubs sector plays in our communities and its importance to the Welsh economy. The launch of the Association is brilliant news and I look forward to working closely with them to secure a bright future for pubs across Wales as we look to rebuild post-Covid.”

If You Deferred Your Vat Due To COVID-19, You Need To Start Planning!

Henry Ejdelbaum is MD of AIMS Accountants for Business (www.aims.co.uk), who have 200 local accountants based all across the UK and specialise in helping small business owners with their tax affairs.

Last year, to help businesses who were suffering with cashflow difficulties due to Covid-19, the Government announced that they would defer VAT payments for 12 months.

AIMS MD Henry Ejdelbaum said of the changes “Clearly these are welcomed changes to ease financial pressure, especially on businesses which have been forced to close for yet another lockdown. However, the requirements are specific and need to be followed properly for businesses to qualify – it’s easy for businesses to get it wrong without meaning to.”

Now, nearly 12 months later, businesses who did defer their VAT payments need to start planning, as these payments will be due by 31st March 2021. However, businesses don’t need to worry about being hit with one massive VAT bill. They are able to spread the payments over the year by paying it in 11 interest free instalments.

Businesses must opt into the instalment plan to participate and will be able to do so until 21 June 2021.

Clearly, as the instalment payments start from 19 March, the sooner that a business opts in the smaller each instalment payment will be: i.e. spread over 11 months if you opt in immediately but only 8 months if you don’t opt in until June. Each business will need to think about what works best for them.

If you want to pay by instalments, you need to meet the following criteria: • Have deferred VAT to pay • Be up to date with VAT returns

• Opt-in before 1 March 2021 (this is not currently open, but will be soon!)

• Pay the first instalment before the end of March 2021 • Be able to pay the deferred VAT by direct debit It is worth remembering to register for VAT at the appropriate time.

Additionally, an online service opened on 23 February 2021 and closes on 21 June 2021.

Some more positive news - Many businesses probably have applied for a Bounce Back Loan (BBL). For those that did, there is now a six-month delay for repayments, and loans are now able to be extended from six to ten years to reduce monthly repayments by nearly 50% - Payments can be tailored to individual circumstances.

UK Removes EU Cap on Covid Grants for Struggling Businesses The government has tripled the size limit of Covid19 grants accessible to businesses after being criticized for complying with EU state aid regulations months after the end of the Brexit transition period.

The UK was still applying temporary EU measures and was locked out of the £ 4.6 billion emergency coronavirus grant announced in January.

Last year, subject to the Brexit transition period, which expired at the end of December, the UK government signed the European Commission’s “Temporary Framework for State Assistance”, with individual companies each granting more than € 4 million. I restricted the receipt. Covid-19 in crisis.

The state aid cap on government grants has now been raised to £10.9m, meaning larger hospitality groups will be able to gain access to more support.

Business minster Paul Scully, whose responsibility includes restaurants and pubs, announced the move saying: "We continue to back businesses of all sizes through the pandemic and I'm delighted to see the cap on Covid-19 support grants raised to £10.9m.

"Extending our support will help retail and hospitality chains and the thousands of staff they employ.

Commenting on the increase, Kate Nicholls, CEO, UKHospitality today said: “The increase in the value of subsidies permitted to

businesses is a positive move by Government and will allow more businesses to access the grants that they so desperately need. While this cut-off means that some businesses will continue to miss out on parts of the funding that Government has announced, it is a big step forward and provides certainty for business.

This increase must be communicated to local authorities urgently to ensure that funds are paid out.

Government could go further and explore uncapped grants in respect to Covid-19 in line with EU subsidy rules.

“The Business Secretary has rightly recognised that these companies are significant employers and that 230,000 people’s jobs were potentially at risk if this emergency funding has not been provided.

“Government must now look urgently at the arbitrary £2 million cap imposed on business rates relief in Wednesday’s Budget. This will see many mid-sized businesses facing full rates bills in July, just days after reopening. This limit on support for hard-pressed hospitality businesses is deeply damaging and could threaten the survival of jobs and businesses in the sector, as mid-sized companies are forced to prioritise paying tax over paying wages. We urge Government to take the same pragmatic and sensible approach to rates relief as with subsidies and review their approach on business rates support.”

UKHospitality to Break Down What the Spring Budget Means for Hospitality Businesses Kate Nicholls, Chief Executive of UKHospitality, will be discussing the ramifications of the 3 March budget announcement for the British hospitality industry in a dedicated webinar on 9 March.

The event, organised in partnership with Hotel Restaurant & Catering, will examine the support available for hospitality professionals and businesses and will begin to map out the path to reopening.

The webinar will include an expansive Q&A session where attendees will be invited to ask questions pertinent to their businesses.

In the budget announcement Chancellor Rishi Sunak laid out his plans for the coming months, which included extending the furlough scheme, SEISS and reduced VAT rate to September, a freeze on alcohol duty and grants for retail, hospitality and leisure businesses. While many in the food, drink and hospitality sector welcomed further support, questions remain around navigating the process of reopening.

Kate Nicholls, CEO of UKHospitality, commented: “There are positives to take from the Chancellor’s Spring Budget, as well as some challenges to ensure

that the Government’s intents are deliverable equitably across the sector. Now it is vital that the Government sticks to its date of 21 June for a full reopening of hospitality. We are hugely looking forward to exploring the details of the Budget and the ramifications for the hospitality industry at the event on 9 March.”

Ronda Annesley, Event Manager for Hotel, Restaurant & Catering, added: “Kate and her colleagues at UKHospitality have been a leading light for the food, drink and hospitality industry throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.

“They’ve provided vital advice, analysis, support and advocacy over the past 12 months and we’re pleased to be able to offer this opportunity to deep-dive into yesterday’s announcement and take a closer look at the potential impact on our sector.”

The ‘Hospitality Industry Re-opening, Government Support Update & Live Q&A with UKHospitality Chief Executive Kate Nicholls’ webinar will take place at 14:30 on 9 March. Register to attend at www.crowdcast.io/e/ReopenUpdate/register

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Issue 47

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Budget 2021: Will Sunak’s Breather for Hospitality Sector Boost the Business 8

CLH Digital

Issue 47

By Kunal Sawhney, CEO of Kalkine (www.kalkine.co.uk)

The latest budget allocation for the hospitality and leisure sector has come as a fresh lease of life for most businesses after British Finance Minister Rishi Sunak read out the government’s public spending plans for the year 2021 on Wednesday, 3 March.

In his opening remarks, Sunak assured the parliament that he and his government would do “whatever it takes” during the pandemic and that he has done and will continue to do so to help the economy recover at the fastest pace.

The hospitality sector, which is a crucial part of the UK economy, has run into major losses due to the pandemic and subsequent lockdowns. The sector found prominent mentions in the budget speech, where Sunak highlighted that around 150,000 hospitality and tourism businesses employ 2.4 million people.

Sunak’s budget announcements came as a fresh breather for the sector, which was long awaited and demanded by the businesses and operators. Sunak said the total direct cash support to businesses in the sector had reached £25 billion. A look at the latest sops announced during the budget: 1.

VAT: The VAT rate has been retained at 5% for the next six months to 30th September. This would help: • Restaurants, cafes, and pubs • Hotels, inns, boarding houses, and similar establishments.

• Holiday and caravan parks and other holiday accommodation businesses.

• Shows, Theatres, Circuses, Cinemas, Concerts • Fairs and Amusement parks • Museums • Zoos • Exhibitions and similar cultural events and facilities The Value-added tax is paid by businesses and services to HMRC on the items they sell or provide to customers. Last year in July, Sunak had first slashed the VAT rate to 5% from 20% for food, drink, and holiday businesses.

2. Business rates: The 100% business rate holiday has been extended from 1 April to 30 June.

3. Besides, the businesses can benefit from the 66 per cent discounted business rate from 1 July 2021 to 31 March 2022 with a cap of £2 million per business.

4. The universal credit allowance was also extended for another 6 months, along with one-off payment of £500 payment for eligible.

5. A restart grant worth up to up to £18,000 per premises for hospitality, accommodation, leisure businesses, providing them with the base they need to replan and restart in the coming months.

6. The Recovery Loan Scheme, which will be implemented from 6 April, is open to all businesses and would provide lenders with a guarantee of 80% on eligible loans between £25,000 and £10 million.

7. Small Business Rates Relief: Around 750,000 retail, hospitality and leisure properties in England will pay no business rates for 3 months from 1 April.

8. Regional grants: The Boris Johnson government earmarked an additional £425 million of discretionary business grant funding, along with £1.6 billion.

9. Furlough job support: To help people survive the next stage of the pandemic crisis, Sunak extended the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme till the end of September 2021, which means eligible people will get 80% of their salary for hours lost due to pandemic and lockdowns. As the economy reopens and businesses get back on track, the employer contribution will increase to 10% in July, 20% in August and 20% in September.

10. Alcohol duty: The duty rates on beer, cider, wine and spirits was frozen till next years in a bid to support the hospitality business and suppliers. According to experts, the frozen rates would save £7.3 billion for the customers, equating to 2p on a pint of beer, 1p on pint of cider, 8p on a 75cl bottle of wine, and 30p on a 70cl bottle of Scotch.

11. Additional support: The government is providing grants of £150m in a bid to save struggling community pubs.

A fund of £126 million is being offered by the government for high quality work placements and training for young people. Those employers who will train these new entrants will receive £1,000 per trainee.

Employers and owners will get paid a sum of £3,000 for hiring a new apprentice between April and September.

An additional £7-million fund will be provided from July to help employers set up and expand portable apprenticeships.

Trade Credit Reinsurance scheme: Under the scheme the government is providing a cover up to £190 billion on around half a million businesses.

The budget allocation received mixed reactions from businesses and experts. While some welcomed Sunak’s attempt to rearrange the ailing sector, some business owners have said it is too little citing the pressing concerns like rising rent bills, cutting beer duty, among others.

Since the pandemic outbreak, the sector has reported 660,000 job losses, as per the estimates by trade body UK Hospitality, while the revenue was down 40 per cent as compared to 2019.

Though Sunak has set the roadmap for the sector recovery, it is to be seen how well the plan is implemented and once thriving sector regains its glory, not full but at least to some extent.

Scottish Tenants And Landlords United In Disappointment At Parliamentary Bill Pub tenants and landlords have united to express disappointment and frustration that the Tied Pubs (Scotland) Bill has passed Stage 2 in the Scottish Parliament this week. This is despite the Economy, Energy and Fair Work Committee’s Stage 1 report concluding that the Bill was not necessary and after a joint letter has been sent from over 150 Scottish pub tenants affected by the Bill to the First Minister appealing for her to dismiss it.

The members’ Bill by Neil Bibby MSP proposes a Statutory Pubs Code for Scotland which would materially impact the relationship between pub tenants and their pub owning landlords. The Bill seeks to interfere with existing commercial arrangements and has been dismissed by both pub tenants and pub owning businesses alike as unnecessary and damaging.

Emma McClarkin, CEO of Scottish Beer and Pub Association said, “This is a sad day for the leased and tenanted pub sector in Scotland.

Despite efforts from tenants and pub owning businesses alike, our parliamentarians are simply not listening to them and seem determined to push through a Bill which will have a long-term detrimental effect on the fabric of Scottish pub sector. The Bill affects nearly a fifth of Scotland’s pubs and is neither required, nor is drafted in such a way as

to benefit either tenants or our member companies. In just 24 hours tenants running 155 pubs across the country rallied together to write to the First Minister to express their dire concerns about it. At a time when pubs in Scotland are fighting for their very survival, they need their Parliamentarians to support them, not do anything to hinder their recovery. Parliamentarians should be focusing on the reopening and recovery plan. Of course, we will work constructively with the Scottish Parliament and Mr Bibby to agree a workable solution if the Bill does pass into legislation, but we do so with a heavy heart knowing the real threat Scottish pubs face as a result of it.”

The leased and tenanted tied pub model operates as a partnership between the pub owning company and the pub tenant. The business model which has operated successfully for generations, seeks to share the financial risk and reward of running a pub business in partnership.

The pub tenant benefits from taking on a highly invested pub at the expense of the landlord and a reduced rent, in return for long term shared success of the business. For many pub tenants this route to running their own business is the preferred way, giving them the peace of mind of expert guidance and advice from a partnership, as well as financial security. The average start-up costs for a tenanted pub are £30,000 compared with a staggering £300,000 for one which is inde-

pendent, whilst pub owning companies have supported tenants to the tune of £6million through rent cancellations and reductions during the Covid-19 pandemic. But pub owning businesses have regrettably been given no choice but to largely pause investment for now whilst so much uncertainty surrounds the sector, as a result of the Bill.

One of the biggest disputes in the Bill centres around the Market Rent Only provision which would allow tenants to break leases part way through, with no notice and having already received financial investment from the landlord, thereby introduced security of tenure by the backdoor and impacting not just on pubs but all commercial property in Scotland.

Speaking about the Bill Simon McLeod, who operates multiple leased pubs including Tannahills and Tea Gardens Tavern in Paisley, said: “This just isn’t the right time to be considering legislation that is only going to stifle our recovery. The focus now from MSPs should be on revitalising the industry and the timing of this Bill is really not good. I think it’s unwise and we should be concentrating on the economy.”

With so much uncertainty as a result of the Bill, pub owning businesses have largely paused investment into the Scottish pub sector. Pub tenant Struan Robertson who operates Balavoulin in Aviemore said “It’s not even Covid that’s brought this investment to a halt, it’s the Tied Pubs Bill.”

Craig McLaughlin who operates 30 pubs across Scotland says of the Bill if it progresses into legislation, “It’s taking a sledgehammer to crack a nut and I could see swathes of my business chopped away from underneath my feet. There may be some sites that should be a market rent only option but that’s a negotiation they should have between two parties, I don’t think it should be legislated for.”

Wetherspoons Announces 394 Pubs Will Reopen To The Public On April 12 Pub group JD Wetherspoon confirmed plans to reopen to the public on April 12.

Beer gardens, rooftop gardens, and patios at 395 of its 750 locations in England will reopen as lockdown restrictions begin to ease.

Test and trace systems will be in operation at all pubs, with hand sanitisers also available.

While each site is only permitted to open its outdoor space for service, customers will be allowed to go through the pub to go to the toilet, or to access the outside area.

The pubs will be open from 9am to 9pm (Sunday to Thursday inclusive) and 9am to 10pm (Friday and

Saturday), however, some sites have restrictions on closing times and in those cases will close earlier, and will offer a slightly reduced menu, to include breakfast, burgers, pizza, deli deals, fish and chips and British classics.

Food will be available from 9am to 8pm seven days a week. Customers will be able to order and pay through the Wetherspoon app, however, Wetherspoon staff will be able to take orders and payment at the table from those who don’t have the app.

The Wetherspoon pubs will not be operating a booking system. Wetherspoon chief executive John Hutson (pictured) said: “We are looking forward to welcoming our customers and staff back to our pubs.”

Furlough Scheme Extended Until Autumn Issue 47

Chancellor Rishi Sunak has announced that the furlough scheme will be extended until the end of September 2021, as part of the government’s latest efforts to support the beleaguered hospitality businesses.

The extension is the same as the current furlough set-up, employees will receive 80% of their wages, but businesses will then have to contribute 10% in July, and 20% in August and September as the scheme is phased out.

Commenting on the news that the furlough scheme will be extended until the end of September, UKHospitality Chief Executive Kate Nicholls said: “Extending the full scheme up to and beyond the point of full reopening of the sector is a welcome move. It will help keep businesses afloat and more jobs secure as they trade their way back to prosperity in the years to come. This means it is more important than ever that the Government sticks to its plan to allow full reopening of venues on the 21st of June.

“Expecting businesses to contribute to the scheme from the end of July is a worry, though. It will place unnecessary pressure on fragile businesses just as they are beginning to get back to their feet. It is also very disappointing not to have employer National Insurance Contributions removed from the scheme. Businesses are burning through their cash reserves and many will have exhausted them before they have a chance to reopen. Not all businesses are going to be out of the traps instantly. It will take time for them to reopen and they will be racking up costs in the meantime.

“It is now more important than ever that the Chancellor delivers a wider package of support in his Budget statement. Extended furlough alone will not be enough to give businesses the support they need to survive the Spring and Summer, particularly if businesses are now incurring additional costs. We must have an extension of the VAT cut and business rates holiday if we expect to see businesses survive and thrive after the cri-

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sis has passed.”

The chancellor’s furlough extension follows an announcement earlier this week hospitality businesses will also be eligible for further grants to help businesses restart their venues this summer, including grants of up to £18,000 An additional £425m has also been added to the Additional Restrictions Grant fund to help those not receiving the grants.

Hannah Strawbridge, founder of Han Law, comments: ‘Businesses and employees within the hospitality sector in particular may be breathing a sigh of relief at the news that the furlough scheme will be extended until September. BUT – does this suggest that the ‘new normal’ is going to emerge later than hoped? And why have businesses and advisers had to revisit this on numerous occasions, with furlough being extended so many times?

The question is whether the additional assistance to employees and businesses is necessary and required given the debt the country will be facing, given that the restriction lifts have been set a few months before September and given that the government has said that most individuals will have been vaccinated before that date. Many self-employed people or business owners without employees may argue that the support to them hasn’t been enough.

There are businesses placing their employees on furlough who will remain on furlough now until September.

However, some of those businesses have known that they will still be made redundant at the end of the period – which arguably was never the intention of the scheme, aptly named ‘Job Retention Scheme’.

The Idle Rocks Wins Best Hotel At Trencherman’s Guide Awards The Idle Rocks, situated harbourside in theCornish town of St Mawes, has been awarded the ‘Best Hotel’ in this year’s covetable Trencherman’s Guide Awards 2021.

Chaired by Michael Caines MBE, The Trencherman’s Guide Awards were established over six years ago with the aim to recognises hospitality excellence across the South West. The awards have become the one of the South West’s most prestigious culinary recognitions where, traditionally, over 10,000 readers have voted for their favourite restaurant, hotel, pub, chef and more.

Karen Richards, Owner & Designer of The Idle Rocks commented: “We are delighted to have been awarded ‘Best Hotel’ in this year’s Trencherman’s Guide Awards. After what has been an exceptionally difficult year for so many in the hospitality industry, this is a much-welcomed boost to morale for our excellent team, without whom, such an award would not have been possible. When my husband David and I bought the building in 2010, our aim was to create a hotel that was

young, fresh and relaxing. We wanted to make it a home from home, eliminating formalities and in this way differentiate ourselves from our more traditional competitors. To be able to veer away from the ‘norm’ and to have the hard work and passion of everyone involved recognised is an honour and we cannot wait to welcome guests back this spring.”

Having navigated the waters of Covid-19, owners Karen and David Richards and their passionate team are thrilled to have been given this special acknowledgement. Demonstrating their commitment to their trade, The Idle Rocks provides an uncompromised home-from-home experience for its guest and they are thrilled to be welcoming them back this summer.

This accolade is also not the first to grace The Idle Rocks having previously won several other awards including Best Restaurant (Trencherman’s Awards 2018), British Seafood Restaurant of the year (2018) and Best Dine & Stay Experience (2019).

Saying ‘I Do’ Rather Than ‘I Don’t’ 10

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Could a managed mass testing and screening service be the answer to a more rapid recovery in the hospitality sector?

By Stuart MacLennan – CEO, Circular1 Health (www.circular1.com) Larry Fink captured the mood in his recent letter to CEOs when he said that the biggest crises ‘…demand an ambitious response.’ His words throw down a challenge to those of us operating in the mass testing ‘space’: how can we be more ambitious? And how can we use mass testing to accelerate the economic recovery?

As part of his roadmap to economic recovery, the Prime Minister pushed forward the idea of mass testing to open up the beleaguered hospitality industry. No doubt this will have been welcomed across the sector but for perhaps one caveat: why not sooner?

also accelerate the Prime Minister’s plans to re-open events including weddings, festivals, sports and other leisure activities, and – crucially – the numbers of people allowed to attend.

To find the answer the hospitality sector could do no better than looking at the example of other industries and whether their learnings could be translated into a hotel and leisure environment. Mass testing, as an end-to-end managed service, has already been used (and continues to be used) to support the mission-critical nuclear and defence sectors, for example, and creating safe bubbles within workforces. It is protecting not only their people, but also their corporate reputations. It is also ensuring – at its most fundamental level – that we still have the electricity we need to boil our kettles and protect our nation from nefarious influences!

The roadmap currently allows for wedding receptions, funerals and wakes to host up to 30 people, but not until the third step (May 17) and even then, that is subject to change. That means hotels and other hospitality venues having to wait at least another three months before they can start recouping any of their losses over the last 12 months, but even then, many may choose to remain closed if the numbers don’t make economic sense. What if a pilot programme proved a wedding or similar event could have 100 or more guests, in a bubble, tested and screened along with the venue staff, to ensure everyone was safe and the event COVID-free? That is a plan that could be implemented now, without delay, and without further unnecessary pain being inflicted on the hospitality sector.

The same ambitious response to these industries is now needed in hospitality. The ‘Test to Operate’ (T2O) model – an active combination of rapid testing and screening – can readily be adapted to create safe bubbles of passengers and staff to re-invigorate the Cruise sector, or reopen residential holiday and activity centres for example. But it could

Given the UK tourism industry is estimated to be valued at £106 billion and support some 3.8 million jobs, the economic and financial imperative is clear for all to see. It just needs someone with ambition, to paraphrase Larry Fink’s words, to demonstrate what can really be achieved if we set our minds to it.

Wagamama and Nando’s to Lead Branded Outlet Expansion 2021

New research using Lumina Intelligence’s Operator Data Index indicates that the branded restaurant segment of the UK eating out market is set to experience outlet decline of -0.5% in 2021, following a catastrophic 2020, which saw outlet numbers decline by -17.1%.

The top 10 branded restaurants in the UK saw outlets decline at the slower pace versus the total branded restaurant segment, at -12.9% in 2020. This equates to a net loss of 280 sites in 2020.

see outlet decline accelerate in 2021. Pizza Hut Restaurants is set to exit 29 sites in 2021 with its CVA being approved in late 2020. The brand is rationalising its estate to safeguard the majority of sites as it looks to move further into delivery. Prezzo is to close 22 sites permanently following the company’s acquisition by a new company owned investment firm Cain International.

Katherine Prowse, Insight Manager at Lumina Intelligence says, “After an incredibly challenging year, we expect to see outlet numbers stabilise in 2021, with the branded restaurant segment emerging as a leaner but stronger channel with estates rationalised and strategies in place to evolve, aligned with post coronavirus consumer needs.”

In contrast, the top 10 branded restaurants are expected to see outlet decline outpace the overall segment in 2021. The top 10 are forecast to decline by -2.2% in 2021 compared to the total segments forecasted -0.5% decline.

Expected to grow by +7 and +5 sites in 2021 respectively, Wagamama and Nando’s are continuing to add to estates with propositions that meet consumer needs well. Furthermore, a high volume of empty properties as a result of the 2020 losses is set to provide opportunities for stronger operators to take on attractive sites for more affordable prices.

“The growth of Nando’s and Wagamama highlights the opportunities available for branded restaurants that adapt and meet the needs of consumers.

The growth of delivery will continue to put pressure on operators to rationalise estates, as well as business strategies, but as consumer confidence grows and restrictions ease, we expect to see demand for dine-in solutions return swiftly.”

The Future of the Gig Economy and What It Means For Your Workers At the other end of the scale, Pizza Hut Restaurants and Prezzo are set to

© Copyright N Chadwick

By Katie Ash, Head of Employment Law at Banner Jones solicitors (www.bannerjones.co.uk)

Many hospitality businesses have turned to freelance restaurant deliverers through the pandemic with takeaways the only option. Meanwhile, individuals who have found themselves out of normal front-of-house work turned to flexible jobs as their only source of income.

But where do you stand when taking on casual workers and what do you need to be aware of?

A recent case involving ride-hailing firm, Uber, highlights the need for businesses to treat certain workers as full employees.

In this article, Katie Ash from Banner Jones solicitors explains the significance of its outcome for business owners connected to the gig economy.

On the 20th February 2021, the Supreme Court handed down its Judgment in the long-awaited Uber case (Uber BV and Others v Aslam and Others). All six Judges unanimously ruled that the Uber drivers were workers, not self-employed contractors and as a result were entitled to basic employment rights like National Minimum Wage, holiday pay and sick pay.

WHY IS THIS CASE IMPORTANT FOR THE GIG ECONOMY? In 2019, it was estimated by the TUC that over 5 million people were employed in the Gig Economy and it would be fair to assume that this figure has risen because of the pandemic and the increased reliance on delivery drivers for example. This illustrates the potential number of workers who will be looking at the Uber case and questioning their own employment status. For any employers relying on casual contracts it could mean an increased risk of expensive claims where the employment relationship is not clear.

In the UK there are currently three different types of employment status:

1.Employees – they have the most employment rights and are afforded the most protection by employment law.

Whilst employees have more labour security, the employer has more control over when, where and how the work is carried out.

2.Workers –they have more flexibility over how they work and some basic employment rights and protection, such as the right to be paid the National Minimum Wage, holiday pay and sick pay.

3.Self-Employed/ Contractors –they have very little employment law protection but should, in theory, have full control over the terms upon which they carry out their services (and the most symptomatic of the Gig Economy).

Simply labelling someone as a self-employed contractor does not make them self-employed if, in reality, they are being treated as a worker or an employee with little self-control of how they carry out their services.

Uber has found this out to its detriment and, no doubt, at a huge cost when the Employment Tribunal determines how much compensation the Uber drivers should now be awarded.

The Uber Judgment comes at a key time following the recent review of the Gig Economy, in the Government commissioned Taylor Review. This review resulted in the Good Work Plan that came into force in April 2020. The aim of the Good Work plan is to secure a better balance between flexibility and employment rights. Part of this protection is to ensure that all workers are given a statement by their employer on the first day of their relationship, confirming what their status is and what their terms and conditions for undertaking work will be.

Following the Uber Judgment and in line with Taylor’s Good Work Plan employers in all industries, not just the Gig Economy should be ensuring that their contracts are up to date and that the right ‘label’ has been correctly applied to the relationship. Employers need to ensure that the contract terms are provided on day 1, as this is now mandatory in all cases, and could lead to claims for failure to provide them.

Many employers have understandably been preoccupied with the pandemic since the Good Work Plan came into force last April, so it may now be a good time for employers in all sectors to review their employment contracts.

Whether you have short-term delivery drivers or casual support from your team, the Banner Jones employment law team can help make sure your firm is fulfilling its duties as an employer.

Jodie Kidd Welcomes Freeze In Beer Duty Issue 47

Jodie Kidd and Long Live The Local have welcomed the freeze in Beer Duty announced in this week's Budget, alongside other measures intended to support the Beer and Pub industry.

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“However, The Chancellor has only partially listened to the 500,000 campaign supporters who signed the petition calling for a cut in beer duty. Our Government must recognise the vital role that local pubs and brewers can play in the much needed social, cultural and economic recovery this country needs. I urge them at the earliest opportunity to address the unfairly high rate of beer duty in the UK which is 11 times higher than other countries such as Germany and Spain”

The UK pays £3.6 billion in Beer Duty each year[1], which is the highest across Europe. The Chancellor’s decision to freeze beer duty today puts pubs and brewers in a better position than had he announced an increase he had planned.

Jodie Kidd – Publican of The Half Moon pub in Kirdford, West Sussex, and Long Live The Local Campaigner said

David Cunningham, Programme Director of Long Live The Local, commented, “The Government has paid attention to all those who want to see a cut in Beer Duty to help local pubs and brewers.

Whilst not a cut, by freezing Beer Duty, the Chancellor has recognised the value of local pubs and Britain’s brewers. However, we Government to go further and cut Beer Duty to allow Britain’s pub and brewers to thrive long into the future”

“A freeze in beer duty is a welcome relief to pubs like mine and clearly better than the planned increase. This is the third consecutive freeze in Beer Duty since our campaign began so I would like to thank everyone who supported the campaign – our collective voice is making a difference”

Brits Rally Behind Pubs Left Adrift For A Further 3 Months This week saw the relaunch of the next phase of the #PubsMatter campaign, with thousands of Brits taking to social media to call on the Chancellor, Rishi Sunak to rescue our fragile pubs with an emergency package of support.

“Whilst the roadmap from the Prime Minister gives us all hope for a return to more normal life in the summer, our pubs and the supply chain of businesses that support them cannot hold on until then without a further urgent package of support.

Thousands of Brits have taken to social media to urge Government to further support pubs thousands of social media posts and emails flooding MPs inboxes describing how integral the local pub is to their communities.

“Our sector will be one of the first to bounce back, making it a key part of the economic recovery of our nation and will support employment for the thousands of people who have lost their jobs over the course of the last 12 months.

In December 2020, the #PubsMatter campaign was launched by a coalition of industry partners including the British Institute of Innkeeping (BII), the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA), the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA), the Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA), the Independent Family Brewers of Britain (IFBB) and UKHospitality (UKH), to remind politicians just how important pubs are to local communities across the UK.

“We have also proven that as an industry, we can keep the public safe, with huge amounts of time and money invested in making our pubs Covid-secure. Last summer, 60 million visits a week to hospitality venues without a discernible rise in infection rates showed not only just how safe it was to visit the pub, but how the Great British Pub is at the heart of our communities up and down the UK.

The government's roadmap for reopening leaves our nation’s pubs closed for a further 3 months, and sees small businesses across the country teetering on the edge of collapse with no customers and for the majority, no way to open their doors again until at least 17th May. When friends and family can finally come together once more to

reconnect and celebrate the end of lockdown, without further support, our much-loved pubs may not have survived to welcome them back.

A spokesperson for the campaign said: “Pubs and breweries across the UK have been amongst the hardest hit businesses in the pandemic, but we also know that they will be the most needed, with the public desperate to get back to those places that allow them to celebrate, commiserate and reconnect with each other once restrictions are lifted.

“The Chancellor holds the fate of the nation’s pubs in his hands as we face a critical turning point. The package of measures must support all businesses, including our traditional wet-led pubs, otherwise a large part of the UK’s heritage will be lost forever.”

To find out more and see some highlights from the campaign, visit https://whypubsmatter.org.uk/

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Investment in Health and Safety Rather Than EOTHO 2.0 is 'the Answer for Hospitality' 12

CLH Digital

Issue 47

By Marcos Fernandez MD of Iberica Restaurants (www.ibericarestaurants.com) and Arros QD (www.arrosqd.com) The resources that should have been allocated to providing a long term solution to the industry, where used in only benefiting some and in a very short term: that cash is long gone. The best way to remain open is to invest in the health & safety and ventilation of the restaurants so that they can gradually and safely open. You will find many already comply.

Bank/Financial costs. This is why businesses won’t survive.

When we reopened in the summer, the lack of those fixed costs being addressed by the government, such as huge rental costs in city centres, created an urgency to help produce revenues, So, EOTHO was born.

However, this is a subsidy and a short term solution to what was clearly a mid to long term problem. A virus that acted like flu, but was more contagious and much more deadly, no one forecasting was thinking that this would be over in one wave and a short-term problem, but a long year followed by existential changes to the business in the long run, changes that will particularly affect the health and safety operation of the business.

When you close the doors of a business, and don’t want it to fail, you need to also freeze everything connected to it that might cost money.

Employees were taken care of through Furlough, However, many of the fixed costs where not taken care of, especially Landlord and

This is very much the case of Iberica and ArrosQD. Our sites are ample with high ceilings, we already have over 1m between tables, extended to 2m since January 2020. Our ventilation systems do not only heat or cool the air, they replace all the air in our restaurants between 10 to 21 times an hour, (UCL established 4 as the necessary to reduce COVID spread, meaning our systems perform 5x more efficiently than the recommended). Most importantly we have adapted our operational procedures and training tools to increase cross contamination containment strategies both in Front of house and the kitchen and behind the scenes. We started with hand sanitisers, again in Feb 2020 right at the beginning of the whispers of the pandemic, and have used masks at all times from March 2020 onwards. We have made it our mission to become and communicate that we are a especially safe restaurant to ensure and comfort diners and importantly, our staff.

The Help out to Eat Out subsidy, intended to benefit the whole industry failed, because the world had already changed. Those companies in the centre of towns that where to survive, continued working on making their restaurants safer within other strategies towards viability. Those in the residential areas would probably not, they were too concentrated on taking care of an artificial demand that in some cases produced way above average earnings, in packed restaurants with ever increasing capacities (2m to 1m).

Hospitality Action launches ‘To Hell and Back’ Fundraising Challenge Hospitality Action has launched the ‘To Hell and Back’ challenge to help raise money for vulnerable hospitality workers.

Hospitality Action is asking people to run, cycle or walk as many miles as they can between 10-18 June 2021.

In total participants are aiming to cover 30,693 miles to virtually visit four actual hells on earth: towns called Hell in California, Michigan and Norway; and Hell Creek in Montana.

Hospitality Action was launched in 1837 and it aims to offer financial, physical or psychological support services to help people from hospitality get back on their feet.

Participants are also encouraged to post snaps of their route and their endeavours to share across social media tagging friends using #HellandBack, @hospaction.

To find out more, visit: https://umbali.org/challenge/30-000-miles-to-hell-and-back.

How To Ensure Your Mental Wellbeing Policy Genuinely Works For Your Employees Naomi Thompson, Head of Organisational Development at Benenden Health (www.benenden.co.uk), discusses the best ways to effectively implement a mental wellbeing policy in the workplace.

If you asked employees what makes them stay in a job and what attracts them to a new opportunity, you could be forgiven for thinking that the usual answers of a good salary, free breakfast and a new laptop would top the list. However, it has been found that one of the principal reasons employees are attracted to jobs is the provision of a strong mental wellbeing policy.

With work negatively impacting on the mental wellbeing of more than half of all employees, recent research from Benenden Health found that as many as 42% of businesses have seen an employee leave the business due to their wellbeing not being supported well enough by their employer.

Given that 57% of employees state that a supportive mental wellbeing policy would increase their likelihood of joining a business and 54% of employees indicated that a lack of support for mental wellbeing would lead to them seeking alternative employment – ensuring you have an appropriate and effective policy in place is vital to recruiting and retaining the best talent whilst keeping productivity levels high within the business.

So how can employers ensure that their employees not only have mental wellbeing support, but that it is built to be most effective for them?

INTRODUCE A MENTAL WELLBEING STRATEGY

THAT WORKS FOR YOUR BUSINESS The measures you choose to implement should be seen as the building blocks of your mental wellbeing strategy; but the glue that holds these blocks together is you, your management team and the tone you set – as any initiative you do is futile if the relationship between managers and their team is poor with little or no trust. Every strategic decision made on this score needs to consider the culture of the organisation and any micro cultures that some managers could be fostering.

If mental wellbeing days are discussed in this process, your team needs to know that it’s OK to tell you they are taking sick leave because of their mental health, rather than physical health. How you deliver this message needs to be consistent and repeated.

ENSURE YOUR POLICY IS PERSONALISED It’s also important to tailor your policy to meet the needs of your employees. A personalised approach to building your strategy will need to be adopted to tend to the needs of employees’ different life circumstances. For example, ensure that the right support is available for all different age groups within your organisation – younger employees may value support and advice around their finances, whereas older workers may find measures that alleviate loneliness a real benefit to them.

The most successful wellbeing programmes are those that recognise the workforce is ever-changing and diverse. Failure to do this can negatively impact engagement and productivity.

DON’T FORGET ABOUT RECOGNITION Your strategy shouldn’t solely focus on the things you need in place to help if and when your employees are having problems with mental wellbeing. Thinking about what you can do to positively encourage mental wellbeing in a proactive way pays dividends, too. In fact, it can be the support that makes the difference between happiness and unhappiness.

Wholeheartedly encouraging shout-outs between colleagues and from managers to their team members makes a lot of difference. Recent research tells us that 80% of employees feel happiest at work if they feel appreciated. You may choose to formalise your thank-yous into a month-

ly rewards and recognition scheme, or the roll-out could look a lot simpler: how about a Monday motivation thank you in your weekly planning huddle?

DELIVERING CHANGE FOR THE BETTER To deliver an effective mental wellbeing policy, the change that must be made is attitudinal. It would appear that many employees have invested time and infrastructure into a variety of measures designed to promote better mental wellbeing. Our research revealed that UK businesses are already thinking about how to foster positive mental wellbeing in the workplace, with a number already having actions in place: • • • • • • • •

42% offer help and support from management 41% regularly review workload to ensure it’s manageable 32% changed the working environment such as lighting, equipment 31% offer free counselling 28% have mental wellbeing days in place 24% lay on exercise and activity classes 24% have a confidential helpline; and 21% have Mental Health First Aiders Even with programmes in place, without clear communication, even the best intentions can fail. Ensure employees are encouraged to use any wellbeing programme to benefit their needs.

ENCOURAGE A CONVERSATION ABOUT MENTAL WELLBEING Putting structures in place to remind you and everyone to communicate is a great way to prompt positive change. This could take shape by committing to a monthly internal roundup or newsletter, so that you have the space and time to signpost that support that is on offer for everyone within the team or by asking team members to block out an hour of their time each month to work on their own wellness plan.

Working together, we can help eradicate the stigma that comes with talking about mental health and make the workplace a positive environment for all.

Test and Trace ‘Barely Used' to Check Pub and Restaurant Data

Check-in data from of millions of people who visited pubs, restaurants and hairdressers before lockdown was barely used by the governments Test and Trace system, according to a confidential report obtained

by Sky News.

The “Test and Trace” system was launched in May 2020 and from September it became a legal requirement for venues to have a system in place to record contact details of their customers, visitors and staff.

The report reveals that not only were thousands of people not warned that they could be at risk of infection, but hospitality businesses were encouraged to contact customers directly, a breach of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and leaving them possibly facing legal action.

Kate Nicholls, chief executive of UKHospitality, commented: “It is incredibly frustrating. Our teams worked really hard to capture that data on the understanding it was going to be used should there be

“To hear it wasn’t used, and in fact we had further restrictions without really any clear evidence that there was a problem with hospitality, is a major cause for concern.”

In October 2020, pub and hospitality trade bodies UKHospitality, the British Photograph by Number 10 Institute of Innkeeping and the British Beer & Pub Association revealed that just 1% of hospitality venues across the UK have been linked to NHS Test and Trace incidences.

The finding, from a survey of members of all three trade associations conducted by hospitality market research company CGA, showed respondents operating over 22,500 outlets across the UK collectively only reported 275 NHS Test and Trace contact incidences – the equivalent to 1% of all outlets surveyed.

A duty cut will offer some rare support to the UK’s spirit businesses, protect future income to the Treasury, and support a quick and sustainable recovery for the UK’s hospitality sector – in which wine and spirits supply chain businesses will play a key role.

The latest data shows that the number of UK distilleries grew by 124, up 28% on 2019, doubling the number of UK distilleries in four years.

Remarkably the number of distilleries in England has almost tripled since 2016, which was the same year that the gin boom helped the number of English distilleries overtake Scotland for the first time.

England’s distillery numbers have topped 300 for the first time, with 311 registered distilleries in 2020. Scotland has increased its number of distilleries to 214, and Wales and Northern Ireland saw distillery numbers grow too.

The total number of distilleries registered in the UK in 2020 grew to over 560 (at least 563)*, up from over 440 (at least 441)* in 2019.

Despite record growth, 2020 has been the hardest year for so many of the UK’s distillers, the majority of whom are small, independently owned businesses.

The Wine and Spirit Trade Association is urging the Government to back the brave army of distillers, who are taking a risk and ploughing their cash and efforts into businesses at a time of such uncertainty, and to ensure that the UK remains the world’s biggest spirit producer.

The WSTA is calling on the Chancellor to contin-

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Public Health England data published also showed that hospitality was linked to just 2.7% of COVID-19 cases.

ue to nurture the distillery boom by cutting duty and extending the hospitality VAT cut, so as to include alcoholic drinks, at the upcoming Budget on 3 March.

Bold investors have chosen to take the plunge and launch new spirit businesses across the country, despite the restrictions of the pandemic and closure of the hospitality sector.

CLH Digital

problems.

Covid-19 Failed To Put The Brakes On The UK’s Distillery Boom

New HMRC figures show a record number of distilleries were registered in the UK in 2020 – growing by over 100 in 12 months – for the first time.

Issue 47

Much of 2020 saw pubs and bars across the country operating with restrictions or shut completely as measures to curb the spread of Covid-19 were introduced.

Pubs and bars operate as the shop window for many distillers’ products and the UK’s growing number of distilleries stand ready to play a vital role in the hospitality sector’s recovery in 2021.

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For this reason, the WSTA is also asking the Chancellor to extend the current VAT reduction across hospitality venues, until at least March 2022, and to broaden the scheme to include alcoholic drinks.

Chief Executive of the Wine and Spirit Trade Association Miles Beale said: “It’s heart warming to find a positive story from the gloom of 2020 – and our bold and growing band of distillers have delivered once again. The record number of new distilleries opening across the UK is great news and helps provide jobs and a real boost to local economies.

“With such a difficult 2020 behind us and a daunting challenge to recover in 2021, our distillers need the support of the Chancellor at the upcoming Budget. A freeze at the last Budget certainly helped distillers to invest and grow, but we need the Chancellor to go further this time, with both a duty cut and an extension of the VAT reduction in hospitality venues, until at least March 2022 – and including alcoholic drinks.

“Distillers across the UK will play a vital role in 2021 and beyond as hospitality begins to open up again, and by showing his support for distillers at the Budget the Chancellor can also promote the hospitality industry as it rebounds from Covid-19 restrictions.”

FOR MORE DETAILS CALL 01202 875280 OR EMAIL

trade@sct-sct.com

13

A Reckless Policy; Mandatory Vaccination 14

CLH Digital

Issue 47

By Helen Jamieson, Founder and MD at Jaluch HR & Training (www.jaluch.co.uk)

COVID-19 vaccination is an essential tool to help stop the pandemic and businesses have already been encouraging employees to take up the offer as soon as the opportunity arises. Some have even gone a step further. For example Barchester Healthcare has announced a ‘No Jab, No Job’ policy for new hires. Others are considering across-the-board mandatory vaccinations for all staff.

The intention of such policies is clear; to protect employees and clients. However the issue of ‘forced’ vaccination is a legal minefield. For care leaders, this is an especially pertinent dilemma. If any sector should adopt a mandatory vaccination policy, surely it should be that which supports our most vulnerable?

A RECKLESS POLICY In my view, as an HR adviser for some 30+years, it would be a brave, even reckless business that employs a ‘no jab, ‘no job’ policy. Existing legislation, and recent government statements have made it clear that vaccination is not mandatory.

While vaccinations have been administered to millions of individuals, there are many who are refusing, including many who work with the most vulnerable such as in care homes. Whether for religious or spiritual reasons, health concerns, fear of needles and mistrust of vaccinations, there are many reasons why an employee might decline a vaccination.

For health and social care employers this causes a myriad of issues. Bear in mind that under RIDDOR and the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, employers have a duty to take all reasonable steps to ensure the health and safety of staff and clients. That means that where an employee refuses vaccination, the employer has to revisit and reconsider how it can operate, given this duty of care.

So let’s take a look at this issue in more detail...

ENCOURAGEMENT FIRST For employees whose hesitancy of vaccination is borne of fear, mistrust or misinformation, as an employer the best place to start is with a mission to inform and encourage. This means taking a proactive approach to communicating the benefits of vaccination to staff - carrot rather than stick.

The CIPD (Chartered Institute of Personnel & Development) suggests running an awareness campaign based on NHS information. It also suggests employers: - Offer employees consistent, accessible and factual safety data which promotes the genuine achievement of science in producing an effective vaccine.

- Consider counteracting misinformation and conspiracy theory spread through social media. read up about COVID-19 vaccinations via official and reliable sources Staff should feel able to raise anxieties about vaccination to their managers. Finding out the reasons why they are hesitant means you’re able to point them towards the right information, from trusted sources.

Encouraging employees to make the choice to receive the vaccination without force or coercion will always deliver a better outcome.

A REASONABLE REQUEST Given the nature of health and social care clientele, it may be considered a reasonable request to ask your staff to have a vaccine as a condition of their employment. Failure to adhere to a reasonable request can, in theory, lead to grounds for disciplinary action and ultimately dismissal. But be very careful.

Disciplinary action and dismissal in normal circumstances can be fraught, with all the checks, balances, procedures and legislation we have in place to ensure fairness. COVID-19 is no different, other than the fact that with no tribunal cases having been brought yet, there is no precedent and therefore no direction on the possible outcome. Do you want to be the test case? And how will your stance of requiring vaccination for Covid stack up when considering fairness when you do not require vaccinations for flu or shingles, etc?

Rather than rush to disciplinary action, first and foremost make sure you understand the reasons why they are objecting. Are they allergic, or have a medical condition that prevents them? Under Equality and Discrimination law they could be protected from any such action - even a fear of needles coud be covered

under this. Where this is the case, you could consider redeployment from ‘front line’ duties or take other steps to ensure Covid-secure health and safety - additional PPE, for example.

WHAT ABOUT SO-CALLED ‘ANTI-VAXXERS’?

There is some debate about whether the refusal of a vaccine can be considered a protected philosophical belief under the Equality Act 2010. It is possible that if it came to tribunal, an employer could successfully argue that an ‘anti-vax’ opinion does not constitute a philosophical belief. With no case law to draw from in this area, is it a risk worth taking?

Again, conversation, communication and information should be the preferred strategy in any such circumstance. If that fails to shift views you may need to consider not allowing unvaccinated employees to work and ultimately, consider a dismissal. Any employers considering this should always seek professional advice.

CHANGING EMPLOYMENT CONTRACTS For existing employees any unilateral change to the contract by the employer could lead to resignations and claims of constructive dismissal. It is possible for employers to ask for agreement to vary to include a mandatory vaccination clause.

Whether or not agreement is given, practically speaking there’s still no way for the employer to legally force employees to have a vaccination. This would be akin to criminal assault!

Some employers have taken the approach that only new starters will have a mandatory vaccine clause in their contract. This avoids issues around changing the terms of employment of existing workers but only half solves the problem.

DATA PROTECTION AND PRIVACY As care providers it may be reasonable for you to ask employees about their vaccination status. However, bear in mind that the vilification of those working in the NHS who have refused the flu jab for years has, by and large, driven the non-vaccination group underground and they are therefore likely to strongly refute it is reasonable for you to ask for such sensitive data.

If you do get the data, all such information must be treated sensitively and inline with data protection measures. Proof of course, is another matter - will you take their word for it? With the government naysaying vaccination passports, what proof can you ask for and what proof will be reliable? Already there are fake vaccination certificates springing up on the internet for travellers who are looking for a work around to airline requirements. At present there is no real ‘proof’ you can ask for other than making a specific application to a GP for confirmation, which may or may not be given, depending on each GP surgery’s approach to providing access to such information.

If employees refuse to answer, we return to the issue of whether they are refusing to comply with a reasonable request - again a minefield given the lack of case law on this issue.

Remember, health related data is subject to strict data protection regulations; GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018. You will need to consider your current data protection and privacy policies and amend accordingly, bearing in mind that sensitivity and classification of medical data under these rules.

AND FINALLY...

The subject of the COVID-19 vaccination programme can be contentious and lead to the expression of strong opinions. However, employees must remain responsible and respectful when communicating with their colleagues about COVID-19 vaccinations. Any employee who is offended by, or concerned about, a colleague's behaviour in this regard should feel able to raise the matter with management and/or raise a formal complaint via a clear grievance procedure. Calm, responsible leadership will be key here to minimising time-consuming and costly complaints as well as maintaining good employee relations and trust.

As you’re beginning to see, the issue of ‘mandatory’ COVID-19 vaccination is multi-faceted. In determining your approach, other considerations include dealing with time off for vaccination appointments, self isolation following vaccinations and interpersonal issues between staff. The list goes on...

Health and social care vaccinations are pushing ahead at speed. With so many concerns, and potential conflicts arising from this, it is vital that you have a clear and comprehensive COVID-19 vaccination policy in place as soon as possible. Support, advice and help to determine this policy is available at www.jaluch.co.uk/hr-services. Don’t wait for conflict to rear its head, get informed and be prepared!

If You Want Increase Spend, You Must Retain Cards The hospitality industry has taken a colossal hit during the COVID pandemic. The damage to restaurant, café, pub and bar owners is undisputed, yet those who come through to the other side will still face substantial losses that they will want to recoup. However, there is a silver lining, and soon customers will be flocking when the world gets back to some kind of 'normal'.

CardsSafe is also remarkably affordable at just under £10 per month rental per unit, meaning that up to 10 cards can be stored at once, and multiple units can be added to suit. It not only pays for itself, it helps increase profit levels in the hospitality industry.

Furthermore, the CardsSafe system safeguards customers against credit card fraud and identity theft because no one, bar the staff, can access their cards whilst they are stored in the units.

What can business owners and managers do to maximise profit, increase spending, and reduce losses when they welcome their customers again?

Major brands trust CardsSafe in the leisure and hospitality industries, including Young's pubs, Hilton Hotels, dozens of golf courses across the UK and art galleries. Protecting their assets as well as their customers, it is an important asset to these industries.

There will no doubt be numerous incentives to get diners and revellers out again. There are many nifty ways to reclaim and even increase postCOVID profits from improving footfall to up-selling to offers. Customers will be back in their droves, competing for customers service, the latest dishes and libations, and business will recover in the long term.

There is one, innovative and cost-effective on-site solution, that can help immediately.

sorely missed by customers.

Phil Dixon, a previous advisor to the BII, was adamant that "If you want to increase spend, you must retain cards." A simple solution, and one that could be a quick and easy win, even in light of the pandemic.

Paul Eagles, previous Head of Risk Policy and Strategy at VISA confirmed this by his statement, "When using cards, people spend at least 35% more."

The solution is CardsSafe. A system specifically designed to securely retain customer payment cards while the cardholder runs a tab or trials a product or service. The 'behind the bar' technology contains bank cards that enable customers to run a tab—allowing them to freely spend more, in the knowledge that the venue is treating the system like any other part of the venue by complying with strict guidelines.

If cash is out of favour, and with contactless seemingly the safest option, how can retaining payment cards be safe?

Other benefits of CardsSafe include the ability to eliminate 'dine & dash' effectively. In a time of financial downturn, these walkouts could become even more disastrous. If the payment card is requested on taking an order and is safely retained in the CardsSafe units, there is no chance for such a risk.

Contactless may seem like the ideal solution, but it doesn't suit the dine-in experience. It's great on the fly and handy on the run, but it prevents leisurely and enjoyable hospitality experience. One that is

Food and Beverage Operations Manager, Grant Rumbelow from The London Golf Club explains, “CardsSafe has been a welcome addition to the London Golf Club. We utilise the system in our Golf Shop and Spike Bar, and on-course with our Drinks Buggy. With CardsSafe we can safely store customers’ cards whilst they enjoy their round of golf.”

Over a period of market research and trial, data has shown that card spend went up 25% on average as customers spent at least 30% more when using the CardsSafe system. The bottom line is when you can welcome customers again, if you want to increase spend and eliminate 'dine & dash', you must retain cards and the best place to store these is in a CardsSafe® unit.

For more information on how CardsSafe can help your business, please visit www.cardssafe.com or contact the sales team on 0845 500 1040 or sales@cardssafe.com

Food Trends That Will Shape 2021 16

CLH Digital

Issue 47

Predictions come from research compiled by Futurist, Tracey Follows, on behalf of takepayments (www.takepayments.com) Futurist and search experts identify Vegan, Easter, Tipsy Tapas and Pumpkin trends that are expected to go big this year and beyond With 40,000 Google searches made every second in the UK, totalling 3.5 billion a day, it’s no surprise that if you explore what people search on the World’s most visited site, and when, it can help Wholesalers tap into the mind of consumers and customers.

On top of that, Futurists systematically research industry predictions*and forthcoming possibilities to explore what is likely to emerge from the present.

Put these two together – as they have been in ‘Moments in Marketing 2021’ - and Wholesalers can stay ahead of the curve to plan, procure, and market their offerings.

Here’s just some of food and beverage insights and dates you need to know for 2021 from search experts and renowned Futurist, Tracey Follows.

THE BIGGEST TRENDS FOR WHOLESALERS TO WATCH IN 2021 Vegan and plant-based flourishes The most popular foods for 2021 that Vegans want an alternative for are Burgers, Lasagne, Shepherd’s Pie and Chilli. As well as dairy alternatives for recipes such as Vegan Mac and Cheese.

With Veganism fast becoming one of the UK’s most popular dietary initiatives, people are specifically wanting inspiration for Vegan meal plans, shopping lists and everyday Vegan meal recipes, whilst interest in milk, cheese, ice-cream, butter and chocolate alternatives is high.

When looking at alternatives to meat and dairy products, both Jackfruit and tempeh (a traditional Indonesian soy product that is made from fermented soybeans) are two of the most searched for products as people explore new cooking ingredients.

We’re particularly interested too in what the biggest supermarkets and

food chains are planning for Veganuary, with searches such as ‘Pizza Hut Veganuary', 'Sainsburys Veganuary', 'McDonalds Veganuary' and 'Pizza Express Veganuary' also on the up.

We are also interested in the environmental impact of certain plantbased milk alternatives. 'Is almond milk bad for the environment?' is the most popularly searched query of its kind but there are similar searches for the likes of oat milk and soya milk too.

which is going nowhere in 2021.

An ongoing decline in searches over the last five years however suggests ‘all you can eat’ buffet offerings are not something we’re looking for.

If we fast forward to end of 2021, it’s not until mid-December that searched for “Vegan Christmas Dinner” peaks, which in 2020 reached its peak on 14th December.

Unsurprisingly, there is an increasing appetite for vegan restaurants with 2020 searches for outlets being even higher than they have been the previous five years and expected to rise further in 2021. Searches for vegan restaurants have now surpassed searches for vegetarian restaurants.

Lab grown meat will take off in 2021 Futurist Tracey Follows has identified a trend for lab grown meat which may also even spark some new areas of hospitality. She said: “As reported by Trendwatching, 'The Chicken' in Tel Aviv is the world's first lab-grown meat restaurant offering a cultured chicken burger. If this testing ground proves popular, we could see lab grown meat restaurants start up all around the world.”

Easter Extravaganza for Simnel Cake and Tsoureki Searches for Easter gifts start from the third week of February and peak the week prior to Easter which is on Sunday 4th April this year.

The most searched for gifts are hampers and baskets followed by flowers and personalised gifts. Food-wise, we look mostly for baking recipes and products such as brownies and cupcakes using popular Easter product like mini eggs and crème eggs. There are also searches for Easter ham and lamb recipes and increased interest in 2021 for traditional Easter foods such as Simnel cake, Tsoureki and Jamaican buns and cheese.

Tipsy Tapas and Gin Gardens but the end of the bottomless buffet An evening alternative potentially to Bottomless Brunch, there is an emerging trend for ‘Tipsy Tapas’ so we can make up for lost time in 2021 and gather with friends over some small plates. Another similar trend on the horizon for hospitality (and acronyms) are Gin Gardens. A potential alternative for bars to a beer garden that utilizes the Gin craze

Pumpkin Power Pumpkin Spiced Lattes will continue to grow in popularity so much so that it becomes a year-round flavour that is a staple item on coffee shop menus, according to the futurist research. Currently searches for Pumpkin Spiced Latte currently peak on 28th October.

Pumpkin flavour overall isn’t going anywhere either as we’re seeing people more interested in pumpkin food recipes too, namely Pumpkin Pie and Pumpkin Soup. So, expect more of the edible, sweet pumpkins to be planted already by farmers for 2021.

National Cheese Lover’s Day Having taken place in the UK on 20th January 2021, the most searched for cheese currently is Halloumi. Vegan cheese also sits in the top 10 most searched for cheeses suggesting it’s not one to ignore. Mac and Cheese is also a search term that far outweighs most others.

To discover all of Tracey’s Futurist trends and predictions by month in 2021 and Google search trends data head to the takepayments Moments in Marketing at www.takepayments.com/marketing-calendar-2021/

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The Budget and Pubs - NPD Group Release Covid Analysis "Will the measures the Chancellor announced this afternoon prevent further pub closures between now and the 12th April when we can go back to dining and drinking al fresco? That’s six weeks away, meaning another 200-300 permanent pub closures could occur. To save the Great British Pub we needed something extraordinary, and the lack of measures to help pubs specifically will be disappointing news for many struggling landlords. The levelling up fund where communities can raise match funding to save beleaguered pubs works where there’s an active, motivated community but it won’t stem the sharp losses.

Industry sector analysists the NPD Group have released its the very latest NPD Group research on the pandemic’s impact on the hospitality sector in 2020 In particular, its data on pubs: Pubs – the worst hit sector in the commercial eating out market in 2020

VISITOR NUMBERS AND SPEND 2020 VS 2019 There was a -51% decline in visits during 2020 and a -50% decline in spend.

Total pub visits in 2019 were 1,251m (1.3bn) vs 609m visits in 2020.

Total pub spend in 2019 was £10,741m (£10.7bn) versus £5,330m (£5.3bn) in 2020.

The average trips per buyer fell by -32.3% in 2020 vs. 2019, from 21.0 to 14.2.

2020. The majority were independents.

LOCKDOWN STATS Pub visits and spend declined by -79% during two lockdowns and tiering in Q4.

-79% decline in visits during lockdown #1 (Mar-May 2020), and a -79% decline in spend.

-89% decline in visits during lockdown #2 (Nov 2020), and an -87% decline in spend.

The total number of pub customers decreased by -22.8% in 2020 vs.

2019, from 20.6m to 15.9m.

CLOSURES The NPD Group estimates that 2,500 pubs shut permanently during

PUBS AND EAT OUT TO HELP OUT (EOTHO) 2020’s EOTHO scheme helped increase pub visits by 61m between July and August last year. Over 35m of this increase (58% of total increase) was from visits on a deal (most likely EOTHO).

During EOTHO in August, pubs saw a 7% increase in average spend per eater vs. August 2019.

Visits on a deal (where a promotion or voucher was used) accounted for almost half (48%) of all pub visits, compared to just 20% in August 2019.

Dominic Allport, Insights Director (Foodservice), The NPD Group on Pubs commented;

"So, what can pubs do to help themselves between now and 12th April? They can maximise the use of delivery which has been so vital for other parts of the foodservice industry. Last year only 3% of pub visits were delivery compared to 16% across the total market. One advantage many (not all) pubs have – if they can hang on to 12th April – is outside space. Now is the time for landlords to think creatively about ways to serve as many punters as possible in gardens, courtyards, car parks and pavements. Apply for pavement licences now using the fast-tracked Business and Planning Act. With takeaway alcohol back on the menu, and a welcome freeze on duty, it’s crucial to make the maximum use of these short-term measures too.

"Pubs are part of the fabric of Britain, of our local communities – not to mention they are a tourist attraction. Many have stood for hundreds of years. I hope everyone in the UK will make a point of visiting their local boozer as soon as they can to show support – let’s not let this pandemic call time on The Crown, The Coach and Horses, The Bricklayers Arms, The Three Tuns or The Queen’s Head. As we come out of this crisis, we’re going to need our local pubs more than ever. We look forward to the days when the pumps are pumping, fryers frying and the juke boxes playing."

CAMRA Releases A New Season Of The Popular Podcast Pubs. Pints. People.

The Campaign for Real Ale has released a third season of its popular podcast Pubs. Pints. People. - which is available to download on Apple Podcast and Spotify.

Returning to the airwaves on 2 March, season three features fresh interviews with beer, cider and brewing experts, and archive dives into the campaign’s history.

Hosts Clare Phillips, Matt Bundy and Ant Fiorillo will be sitting down with leading figures in the industry such as Pete Brown, James Finch, Kate Mathers and more.

The podcast forms part of the organisation’s flourishing Learn & Discover offering, helping beer lovers and pub goers learn more about their favourite drinks and stay connected to the industry they love. It is free to access for members and non-members alike and has proved incredibly popular since its launch in April 2020.

The podcast released 27 episodes in its first two seasons, on topics ranging from eco-brewing to 50 years of CAMRA campaigning history and pubs and mental health.

Coming up this season includes: • 2 March – Innovation in the face of Covid, featuring Fyne Ale’s Iain Smith and and Rob Scahill of the Orange Tree in Baldock (now live) • 16 March – a spotlight on London as a beer city, featuring Small Beer and Truman’s Brewery • 30 March – the renaissance of cider, featuring Kate Mathers and Dave Matthews, author of the Good Cider

Guide • 13 April – Community-owned pubs, featuring CAMRA’s Paul Ainsworth and Matt Garrard of the Tollerton Flying Club • 27 April – Real Ale abroad, featuring insights from brewers and real ale lovers in Argentina and Denmark • 11 May – a dive into Small Brewers’ Relief and an exploration of a recent viral petition, featuring Jack Hobday of Anspach & Hobday brewery and Neil Walker from the Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA) • 25 May – Cider – the apple, the orchard, the land, featuring an interview with Tom Oliver and chat between James Finch and Adam Wells.

• 8 June – Beer design and labels, featuring Pete Brown (author of Beer by Design from CAMRA Books) and The Epicurian Beer People • 15 June – Home-producing for Dummies! – a look into how to start home-producing, featuring James Finch and Jem Jones from the Henley Mile Brewery CAMRA National Chairman Nik Antona says: “We have been delighted with the response to our podcast since its launch last year and can’t wait to share all new episodes and guests with our audience.

“Pubs. Pints. People. has helped us stay connected with our members and beer lovers, particularly during this difficult past year of limited interaction. We couldn’t put it together without the time and expertise of our wonderful team of volunteers and their support interviewing, editing and hosting!

“There is a huge range of subjects and interesting material to discuss within the beer, pubs and brewing industry, and we are excited to share nine new episodes over the next few months, with many wonderful guests. Particularly as we are in CAMRA’s 50th anniversary year, it is an exciting time to be discussing new, innovative facets of the industry, the popularity of real ale in different countries, and looking back over our campaign successes and highlights.”

To find out more, visit https://camra.org.uk/podcast

Government Roadmap Could See UK Restaurant Market Grow +32% To £11.7bn In 2021

According to its new UK Restaurant Market Report 2020/21, Lumina Intelligence forecasts the UK restaurant market will grow +32.1% to £11.7bn in 2021, following a catastrophic 2020, which saw the market contract -53.1% to £8.9bn. This prediction is based on the roadmap to recovery recently set out by the government, with all restrictions on social contact being removed on 21 June 2021.

The report also offers two alternative scenarios for market recovery in 2021. The second scenario, which may be more likely based on historical events, assumes a slight delay to the government’s proposed timeline, with hospitality remaining closed for indoor dining until late May and all restrictions being relaxed from August. Lumina Intelligence predict that this scenario would result in market growth being stifled slightly to +24%, with the market reaching a value of £11bn.

The third scenario offers a worst-case picture where restrictions only ease fully by October and the possibility of some restrictions being reintroduced towards the end of the year (for example in the case of a new strain of coronavirus). This scenario would see the UK restaurant market grow by just +6.2% in 2021 to a value of £9.4bn.

Technology key to reassuring consumers, with many eager to return The report highlights that 52% of consumers are very/extremely likely to dine-in at restaurants before June and consumer confidence is slow-

ing improving. However, technology will play a key role in reassuring consumers and maximising footfall once restrictions ease.

40% of consumers either ‘agree’ or ‘strongly agree’ that they feel confident eating out regardless of contactless ordering and payment technology. However, this number rises to 56% of consumers if a restaurant has implemented technologies such as apps and QR codes that limit contact with staff and menus.

Events offer an opportunity to attract consumers According to the report, 26% of consumers would be strongly encouraged to dine out in restaurants once lockdown is lifted if restaurants offered live music events. 23% would be strongly encouraged to dine out in restaurants once lockdown is lifted if a bottomless brunch was available and 17% if a restaurant hosted quiz nights. This reiterates the importance of restaurants offering experiences that cannot easily be replicated at home.

Customisable dishes on menus grow 83% Customisable dishes on restaurant menus have grown by +83% in the total market and by +60% on chain restaurant menus compared to last year. Over a fifth of dishes on restaurant menus are now customisable.

The top three customisable dishes on restaurant menus are burgers, piz-

zas and burritos/wraps.

Katherine Prowse, Insight Manager at Lumina Intelligence said, “The roadmap recently announced by the government outlines when the current restrictions will be eased. With a series of dates to work towards, operators can start to build a clear plan for the reopening of the hospitality sector.”

“Despite pent up demand from consumers for returning to the channel, operators will need to work hard to reassure consumers of the safety measures in place. Technology will play a key role in doing this.

Nearly two-thirds of consumers say they would be more confident in visiting a restaurant if contact with staff and menus is restricted through the use of apps and QR codes.”

“Focusing on the experiential side of dining out will be key to driving footfall. Over a quarter of consumers would be more likely to dine in at a restaurant that offered live music. With unemployment at its highest since 2016 and the threat of increased inflation, we have to recognise that restaurant visits are likely to be an infrequent treat. Experiences and events – as well as tech innovation – should encourage visits whilst discretionary income is under greater scrutiny.”

Find out more about Lumina Intelligence’s UK Restaurant Market Report 2020/21 at https://tinyurl.com/msh49h54

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Post Covid Closedown… Light at the End of the Tunnel FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS

Last time we talked about the more Operational aspects of re-opening.

In this second part of this article we will take a different look at re-opening. Here, I would like to touch briefly on a number of FINANCIAL aspects, and I just need to repeat that these are my opinions, and I may be generalising, but there is no other way to write this article.

REMEMBER … DO GIVE IT SOME TIME …

Do not expect to bounce back into Profit straight away. The considered opinion is that it will take months or maybe even years, to get back to where we were before the Covid-19 outbreak.

WELL DONE for still being here at all … having got this far.

There are hundreds of Hospitality businesses that will NOT have survived at all.

GRANTS If you had any Grants during the lockdowns, from Local or Central Government, those should not need paying back.

This includes any help received in terms of relief from Commercial Rates bills. That help will not need repaying. So far so good.

GOVERNMENT FURLOUGH SCHEME The Government’s sponsoring of Wages through the Furlough Scheme

By David Hunter of The Bowden Group has been excellent, and hopefully that will continue in some way. It is understandable however, that the Government will be very keen to move quickly towards a situation where people are back at work and earning their wages from work.

cautious about thinking that you can simply make up any shortfalls later in the year, or even over the next year or two. This is just like borrowing money … it must be paid back at some stage.

LOANS

When you reopen, there will likely be a spike in utilities usage, but that will settle back to previous consumption levels. There will also be a cost to having all the equipment checked over to make sure that it is all working fine. My personal experience is that equipment does not really like being turned off for a long period and you can expect some operational hiccups when you turn it all on again.

If you HAVE benefitted from one of these Government-backed Bank Loans, then you have been fortunate. No, there was no interest to pay initially, but that interest might be very close now (a year later) to kicking in, albeit at a very reasonable rate of interest.

HOWEVER, lets us be under no illusion … these WERE loans. You may be able to negotiate an extension to the pay back period, but any monies borrowed do need to be paid back.

That means that in your Budgeting and Financial Planning you will have to make allowance for that INTEREST outgoing when that starts - and you will have to put the capital repayments into your cash flow forecasts.

This is NOT going to be easy … but it may well be do-able given the preferential interest rates and the longer payback periods.

RENTS There is no ‘’right’’ formula here, and no Government guidance in place. Private Landlords will behave differently, and city landlords can be notorious for their inflexibility.

This is STILL the time for talking with, and negotiating with, your landlords and asking them to help out with rent-free or reduced-rent periods … so that you can get the business going again and thus preserve their rental income for the future.

Whatever you do, do not just store up problems for later, so be very

UTILITIES

SUMMARY In summary, when we have taken all of the above into consideration, we (you) can decide when to reopen, how to reopen, and what changes you may need to make to the business, to be able to reopen and become a Profitable business again.

Several Foodservice businesses have already declared changes in their operating styles … to fit in with ‘’the new now’’.

It is NOT going to be easy.

It will be VERY challenging, and you will need to be confident, very positive, and VERY STRONG to make it work.

The planning that you do NOW will play a huge part in the outcome … whether it is going to work or not.

If you want to talk through any aspects of this article or discuss how it affects you and your business, just call me: David Hunter of The Bowden Group, on 07831 407984.

You can call me any time, but preferably 09.00 am – 09.00 pm on any day, weekends included. Or just send me a text message asking me to call you.

VAT Deferral New Payment Scheme – Online Service Opens Over half a million businesses who deferred VAT payments last year can now join the new online VAT Deferral New Payment Scheme to pay it in smaller monthly instalments, HMRC has announced today (23 February).

In order to take advantage of the new payment scheme businesses will need to have deferred VAT payments between March and June 2020, under the VAT Payment Deferral Scheme. They will now be given the option to pay their deferred VAT in equal consecutive monthly instalments from March 2021.

Businesses will need to opt-in to the VAT Deferral New Payment Scheme. They can do this via the online service that opens on 23 February and closes on 21 June 2021.

Jesse Norman, Financial Secretary to the Treasury, said: “The Government has provided a package of support worth over £280bn during the pandemic to help protect millions of jobs and businesses.”

“This now includes the VAT Deferral New Payment Scheme, which will help provide

businesses with the breathing space they may need to manage their cashflows in the weeks and months ahead.”

The new payment scheme is part of a wider government package of support, worth more than £280bn, which is helping to protect millions of jobs and businesses. So far around £34bn has been injected into the UK economy following the half a million businesses who deferred their VAT payment last year. The new payment scheme will continue to help the economy recover by enabling businesses, impacted by the pandemic, to manage their business cash flow at a critical time.

Payments can easily be set up via the new payment scheme portal. Businesses can spread their payments with two to 11 equal monthly instalments, interest free.

Payments can start from March 2021 and the earlier businesses opt-in the more instalments are available to help spread the cost and provide further support.

Eligible businesses that are unable to use our online services can ring the HMRC Coronavirus Helpline on 0800 024 1222 to join the scheme until 30 June 2021.

Delaying the Restart of International Travel Will Cost the UK Economy Almost £27 Billion The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) has warned that nearly £27 billion will be lost from the UK economy if the government delays restarting international travel until May 17.

These measures should render unhelpful and counterproductive blanket quarantines completely unnecessary and remove the need for haphazard and confusing air corridors, which further saps the confidence to travel.

The date was set by Prime Minister Boris Johnson when he unveiled the highly anticipated roadmap out of lockdown earlier this week.

Gloria Guevara, WTTC President and CEO, said: “While the UK government’s announcement that international travel could resume on May 17 gives us grounds for optimism, it will come as cold comfort to struggling SMEs and Travel & Tourism businesses up and down the country.

According to the government’s roadmap, two households will be able to mix outdoors from March 29 and WTTC believes this should signal the restart of safe international travel.

Resuming international travel by just seven weeks earlier, to coincide the Easter holiday break, could save struggling Travel & Tourism businesses up and down the country and provide a much-needed economic boost to the economy.

WTTC, which represents the global Travel & Tourism private sector, fears delaying the revival of international travel for another seven weeks, will hasten the further slide into collapse of a sector which contributes £200 billion annually to the UK economy, and is responsible for almost four million jobs.

The loss of almost £27 billion represents a damaging daily drain to the UK economy of more than £550 million, which can be counted in lost jobs and failed businesses up and down the country.

“Our economic modelling shows the brutal impact the £27 billion loss could have, caused by delaying the restart of international travel by just seven weeks.

“It would be far less economically damaging to invest in testing and biometric technology which could safely reopen the doors to travel and save the millions of jobs at risk.

“In the same way widespread community testing is being provided through rapid test kits twice a week to pupils and anyone in their household or support bubbles, so extensive testing will also permit the safe restart of international travel.

While WTTC applauds the government’s highly successful vaccine rollout, the global tourism body has called upon the Prime Minister to give greater clarity about what May 17 will look like, so that Travel & Tourism businesses can prepare for the restart and consumers book with confidence.

“But every day we delay will see many more cash-strapped businesses join the growing list of companies which have already disappeared due to the demise of international travel. Nor should we forget the human cost and the terrible suffering of so many people whose very livelihoods have been left in ruins due to the sector’s virtual collapse.

WTTC has consistently argued that international travel can safely resume with a comprehensive, coordinated international regime for testing upon departure and arrival for travellers.

“We have to guard against vaccines as a requirement to travel which would discriminate against less advanced countries and younger travellers, or those who simply can’t or choose not to be vaccinated.

Testing should be in place alongside the global vaccine rollout, enhanced health and hygiene protocols, and mostly importantly, mandatory mask wearing, which experts say can cut down transmission of the virus by more than 80%, to safely revive international travel. Additionally, the introduction of digital health passes or certificates will support the recovery.

“Furthermore, mask wearing should not be a choice; it has been proven to provide the highest level of protection against transmission of the virus. This, combined with a comprehensive testing regime, enhanced health and hygiene protocols, digital passes and the global rollout of vaccines will allow the safe restart of international travel.”

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Online Defamation - A Growing Risk For Businesses?

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By Jennifer Rhind, Solicitor in the Commercial Litigation Team at Wright Hassall Solicitors (www.wrighthassall.co.uk) HOW A BUSINESS SHOULD REACT Of course, it isn’t particularly nice for any business to have to sit and read through negative online reviews or comments on Facebook and Twitter, but that doesn’t always mean they are defamatory.

Due to the pandemic, the last 12 months have been difficult for everyone and this may have caused some people to post harsh statements online. Despite the pressures of the pandemic, defamatory publications remain unacceptable.

Many people believe they can express any opinions they want about a business and in fact, one of the defences to a claim in defamation is honest opinion.

An individual seeking to use this defence would need to establish the words complained of were a statement of opinion which indicated as such and which an honest person could have held.

At what point does a negative review cross the line and become defamatory? The recent headline news of a law firm’s previous client having to pay them £25,000 in libel damages for a negative online review shows just how serious a bad review can be.

Contained within the Defamation Act 2013, the law states that for a statement to be considered defamatory, the publication must have caused, or be likely to cause, serious reputational harm.

To be regarded as ‘serious harm’, it is the responsibility of the business to prove that the statement is likely to cause serious financial loss, as their reputation has been significantly damaged.

However, there is a very fine line between statement of fact and statement of opinion, and if the statement is deemed to be fact, then this defence would be unsuccessful.

If your business is in the process of reviewing online comments, it’s important to consider what meanings the words are capable of bearing.

Just because the words are not defamatory in their natural meaning, does not mean they are clear through innuendo.

Although the author of an opinion might not have intended their words to be defamatory, there are various factors that should be considered to determine whether the author has over-elaborated the position and what the reader would consider it to mean.

they are simply repeating something that someone else told them unless they can prove the subject matter of the comment is true.

Repeating someone else’s defamatory statement is just as bad as if you had made the defamatory statement yourself.

If you have any concerns or suspect a review contains exaggerated opinions, or ones that cannot be justified, with the sole intention of causing your business harm, it might be time to take legal advice.

SOCIAL MEDIA AND REVIEW SITES POSE A RISK The case in the introduction references the law firm Summerfield Browne who sought damages against a client who left a defamatory review on Trustpilot: “A total waste of money, another scam solicitor”.

Although the Defendant sought to argue this was his honest opinion, the Court awarded Summerfield Browne damages of £25,000 and costs, plus an injunction banning the Defendant from repeating his allegations.

The Court also ordered that Trustpilot should remove the review from its website, although this is likely to be challenged by Trustpilot as they were not involved in the proceedings.

KEEP AN EYE ON ONLINE COMMENTS Whilst all businesses must adapt to the digitally connected world and welcome honest customer feedback, both negative and positive, it’s still important to protect your hard earned reputation, taking the appropriate action if comments cross the line and become defamatory.

If someone, even anonymously, has commented on your business and made a statement that you consider to be defamatory, then it’s important to seek legal advice from a specialist, who will help you determine the best course of action to take based on the merits of the case.

Britain’s Licensed Premises Closing At More Than One An Hour As a general rule an individual will not escape liability just by claiming

Nearly 12,000 licensed premises have closed in Britain since December 2019, the new edition of the Market Recovery Monitor from CGA and AlixPartners reveals—an average of around 30 a day and the highest rate on record.

The figures indicate the full toll of COVID-19 and lockdowns on hospitality. While 4,170 new sites have been recorded since December 2019, the loss of 11,894 venues means there have been nearly three closures for every fresh opening—leading to a net loss of 7,724 licensed premises.

The number of permanent closures is expected to rise sharply, as the effects of trading restrictions—including a catastrophic drop in trade over the key month of December—take their toll.

While the sector now has a roadmap to reopening, research for the Monitor suggests that the freedom to trade outside from mid-April will be of limited benefit. Well under half (43.2%) of England’s pubs, bars and restaurants have an outdoor area of some kind, and while the number is higher among food pubs (78.4%) and community pubs (71.0%), it is far lower on high streets (25.6%) and among casual dining restaurants (11.4%).

These numbers set out the full, devastating impact of the pandemic on Britain’s licensed premises,” said Karl Chessell, CGA’s business unit director for hospitality operators and food, EMEA. “The wipeout of Christmas trade was clearly the final blow for many businesses, and the long wait that others now face to open their doors sadly means closures will mount even higher.”

The new Market Recovery Monitor from CGA and AlixPartners also reveals that the food-led sector has been hit harder by COVID-19 than the drink-led market, losing 7.6% and 5.5% of total sites respectively. The casual dining sector has contracted by 15.8%—equivalent to more than 1,000 casual dining restaurants, or nearly one in six of the total, shutting their doors since December 2019.

But the report also points to resilience in some areas of the market, including bars and cafes. Many city cen-

tres have also proved more durable than expected, with central Sheffield, Liverpool, Edinburgh and Nottingham all losing fewer than 3% of their licensed premises since December 2019, and the London market trimmed by a below-average 6.3%. It provides optimism that major cities may rebound quickly when the hospitality sector is able to trade again.

There is huge pent-up demand for hospitality among consumers, and it is encouraging to see signs of resilience in the sector,” said Karl Chessell.

“Pubs have proved more durable than restaurants in recent months, and outside service will give many of them a useful kickstart if the sun shines. Amid all the closures, it’s also encouraging to see a steady flow of new entrants to the market. We remain very confident about the longterm future of the sector, but unfortunately there is more pain to come first.”

AlixPartners managing director Graeme Smith said: “While the Prime Minister says the country is on a one-way road to freedom, the hospitality sector still faces months of subjugation. Businesses have spent almost an entire year closed or operating under the most severe restrictions, and the Government’s roadmap to reopening does very little to ease their pain in the near-term. While permitting businesses to trade outdoors from mid-April will clearly benefit some segments of the market, a significant proportion of operators, even some of those with outdoor space, will not find it a viable option. For many businesses, it will not be until mid-June, when restrictions are more fully lifted, that they will be able to trade on a profitable basis.

“The rapid acceleration in site closures since the start of the year demonstrates just how brutal the situation is. Businesses are burning through cash at an alarming rate as costs stack up, and within the sector there is despair as to why hospitality is at the back of the queue when it comes to reopening. The Budget is absolutely crucial to the future survival of thousands of sector businesses; a substantial package of financial support is needed to prevent greater numbers of closures across this year and beyond.”

FSA Encourages Young People To ‘Speak Up For Allergies’ The Food Standards Agency has launched a campaign advising young adults to speak up about their food allergies every time they order a takeaway.

Research shows that children and young people are at a higher risk of experiencing food allergy reactions. And while many are confident about managing their food allergy in general, they are less likely to tell a café or restaurant about their allergy, particularly if they have eaten a meal from the same place before.

Rebecca Sudworth, Director of Policy at the Food Standards Agency said: ‘Our research has revealed that young people are eating takeaways more often than before lockdown. With eating-in being the new eating out, it is vital that young people with food allergies and their friends remember to speak to the restaurant every time they make an order. Even if it’s a meal they’ve eaten before, because ingredients, recipes and staff can change.

‘If you, or your friends or family have a food allergy, it’s important to never be complacent. That’s why we’re reminding people to be allergy aware and remember to ask, even when ordering the usual.’

The FSA is also advising young people not to only rely on allergen information provided online or through in-app messaging services. Instead, they should call the food business directly to make sure their food allergy is fully understood by the person taking the order.

The FSA is working with influencers across Instagram and TikTok who will promote #SpeakUpForAllergies to their followers. The campaign also has support from delivery platforms such as Just Eat and Uber Eats.

There is more information on Speak Up For Allergies and advice for teenagers and young adults with a food allergy on the FSA website.

Cleaning, Hygiene and Infection Control Issue 47

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Give Patrons Peace of Mind with an Air Purifier A new YouGov survey has revealed that customers would be more confident visiting hospitality venues that use air purifiers. Leading global air purifier experts Blueair, make units using unique HepaSilent technology that removes 99.97% of airborne pollutants It may be shocking to learn that indoor air can be up to five times more polluted than outdoor air . A new YouGov survey, commissioned by Swedish global air purification experts Blueair, has recently revealed the UK’s thoughts on visiting hospitality venues during this unprecedented time, and the results demon-

strate a clear trend for increased confidence in hospitality venues such as hotels and restaurants with an air purifier. The results showed: • Two in five adults (41%) said they would be more likely to visit a restaurant with an air purifier installed.

• 40% of people would be more likely to head to a café while 39% would stay in a hotel that offered purified air to its guests.

• 36% are more likely toa visit to a pub if an air purifier is in use There’s no doubt that purifying indoor air will give

consumers more confidence about heading out to their favourite hospitality venue. As well as removing bacteria and viruses , an air purifier can help with allergies, asthma, and other respiratory problems.

Thanks to its HEPASilent™ technology, Blueair air purifiers remove at least 99.97% of dust and harmful particulate matter as small as 0.1 microns in size, to create a safer environment for all those visiting and working in the venue.

Contact Blueair to discuss air purifiers for your hospitality venue: michael.westin@blueair.se

Sundeala SD Safety Screens and Sundeala Safe Push Door Plates Sundeala have been manufacturing in the UK since 1898 and we are now proud to offer a wide range of products to help you create physical partitions and keep environments hygienic and safe.

Our Sundeala FR Safe Push Door Plates are 100% coronavirus free in 5 minutes and are designed to be attached to doors with no-screw fixings making them easy to remove after use. Safe Push Door Plates require no cleaning and are fantastic for reducing the spread of viruses from high touch door surfaces.

Available in 7 subtle shades, we can create bespoke sizes to fit any door and supply each pack of Door Plates with adhesive tabs to ensure easy installation.

Our Sundeala SD Safety Screen is an environmentally friendly safety screen, perfect for encouraging social distancing in high foot fall environments to help prevent viral spread via droplets or aerosolisation.

Sundeala SD Safety Screens are made from 100% recycled paper fibres and are highly porous as well as being extremely durable and robust. They are a practical, environmentally friendly way to assist with social distancing and can be pinned with informational and/or decorative

posters, signs and paper.

Many products in our Covid Compliance range including Safe Push Door Panels and SD Safety Screens are made using our Sundeala FR Board.

After undergoing ISO 17025 compliant laboratory testing we are delighted to reveal that our Sundeala FR Board (used extensively in circulation spaces, corridors and other high-footfall areas) is shown to be 100% safe from viral transmission from contact with the surface and 100% coronavirus free throughout after 5 minutes of infection, making it completely safe to touch, cut, sand and recycle.

Sundeala FR Board is manufactured in the UK from UK waste materials. There are no imported carbon emissions and our process is zero waste with any 'seconds' or offcuts going directly back into the machine. We do not use any VOCs during the manufacturing process so there are no harmful chemicals that might leech into the air. Sundeala notice boards protect the environment outside while improving the environment inside.

Along with being 100% recycled and 100% recyclable in the UK, our FR board is fire rated to BS EN 1350101 Class B meaning it is inherently fire retardant, unbeatably durable and proudly British.

For any more information or to find out how we can safeguard your spaces, contact our sales team on 01453 708689 / enquiries@sundeala.co.uk

High performing air purifiers The Blueair Blue Pure 411 is the air purifier of choice for the Page 8 Hotel in London. It is a Which? Best Buy as well as Good Housekeeping Institute and Quiet Mark approved. With HEPASilent™ technology that removes at least 99.97% of all airborne particles as small as 0.1 micron in size, including pollen, smoke, dust, mould, spores, virus, bacteria, pet allergens and micro-plastics, alongside app connectivity, it couldn’t be easier to improve the air quality in your hospitality facility with Blueair.

Asthma & Allergy Nordic certified.

Learn more at www.blueair.com

✶ ★★★★★

Winner BEST CLEANING PRODUCT

UK

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02 ROVED 2

0

Cleaning, Hygiene and Infection Control Issue 47

Hand Sanitising at Work Occupational dermatitis has been steadily on the rise in the UK for the past few years, with cooks and chefs being the third highest occupation that is at risk (HSE).

Frequent use of hand sanitising gels, which contain alcohol, will only exacerbate the problem, as alcohol destroys the natural oils that protect our skin. There is an army of lawyers out there eager to represent victims’ claims against their employer.

What can you do to help avoid this problem? Firstly ensure that a member of the management team is trained to spot the hazards that cause different kinds of dermatitis in the workplace and build it into your health & Safety policy, and then you

are not at fault for ignoring the dangers.

Secondly, you can replace alcoholbased sanitising gels with alcohol-free alternatives. They are kinder to your skin, and in many cases provide longer lasting protection than alcohol-based gel. Physicool supplies eXtremeProtect organic hand sanitising balm, containing a natural biocide that kills 99.999% of germs, fungi and viruses.

This can be supplied in 100ml bottles, or in bulk to fill hand pump dispenser stations.

Both new products are available at www.physicool.co.uk, and selected stockists. Or by calling 020 7101 1977 to speak to the sales team.

CLH Digital

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Sanozone. The Easy Way To Sanitise Your Indoor Spaces SANOZONE, which delivers the most efficient sanitisation performance in indoor spaces, is now available from Barbel.

Manufactured by Vitaeco S.r.l., the world famous manufacturer of the highly regarded HotmixPro thermal blender range, SANOZONE sanitises rooms of many sizes in enclosed HRC sites, hotels, restaurants, bars, conference rooms and similar establishments where totally reliable and regular sanitisation is needed.

SANOZONE is particularly suitable for hospitals and care home areas, where absolute cleanliness is mandatory, and in areas where it is difficult or impossible to deliver effective sanitisation throughout.

The SANOZONE range of

machines use Ozone (O3) technology, a gaseous form of Ozone that fills the room, reaching every corner of the space, santising surfaces and critical hard-to-reach corners homogenously, consistently and safely.

The SANOZONE range of sanitisation machines are all equipped with the latest technology and customised disinfection programmes to suit your specific requirements.

The running costs are considerably lower than any traditional disinfecting programmes and most importantly, there is no manual labour involved.

For further information about the SANOZONE range, please contact Barbel on 01629 705110, email info@barbel.net, or visit the website at www.barbel.net

Please mention

CLH DIGITAL when responding to adverts

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CLH Digital

Cleaning, Hygiene and Infection Control Issue 47

Jangro Launches Digital Cleaning Wall Charts British Company Launches Product Range That Reduces the Spread of Viruses By Touch

As bars, restaurants, and cafes reopen, independent janitorial and cleaning distributor extends digital wall chart collection to include the hospitality sector.

As lockdown restrictions continue to loosen and hospitality outlets emerge from their enforced hibernation, they must be extra vigilant when it comes to cleaning and hygiene. To assist with this enhanced focus on infection control, Jangro, the largest network of independent janitorial and cleaning distributors in the UK and Ireland, has extended its award-winning, innovative range of digital wall charts. These cleaning guides now include colour coded plans for the hospitality sector, ensuring a safe and hygienic working environment is maintained.

Jangro’s digital wall chart creator has been updated to enable customers in the hospitality industry to create their own bespoke colour coded plans, featuring the products of their choice for each surface and work space within bar and catering areas. Customers can also upload their own logo, to personalise it to

their specific business.

Once the chart has been created, it can be printed or downloaded for reference. The technology has also been enhanced so that the customer now also receives a QR code, enabling it to be downloaded to a mobile device quickly and easily.

As well as their bespoke copy, the customer will automatically receive a full health and safety compliance pack. This comprises of the relevant safety data sheets, product user guides, and Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) risk assessments of the products that feature on their chart. Essentially, this streamlines all of the health and safety documentation, making it easier for bar, café or restaurant businesses to stay compliant.

Jangro is a dynamic force in the cleaning supply industry and is the largest network of independent janitorial distributors in the UK and Ireland. For more information go to https://wallchartcreator.jangro.net/ or call 01204 795 955.

London based Veraco has designed and manufactured a range of Antimicrobial adhesive pads and wraps to be used on frequently touched surfaces, such as door handles, shopping trolleys and handrails. They use 'Silver Ions' technology which works by breaking down the biological make-up of micro organisms, in order to stop the spread and reproduction of dangerous pathogens.

The products kill up to 99.99% of common bacteria as well as being effective against Coronavirus.

Antimicrobial silver technology is not new and has been used in paints and coatings for hospitals, but until now no one has produced a versatile range of solutions that can easily be installed anywhere.

for our trade customers. In the future, there is no reason why any frequently touched surface wouldn’t be protected” Veraco is a London based specialist in antimicrobial technology. We design and manufacture infection control products for hygiene-critical touchpoints.

We develop solutions that help reduce the risk and spread of dangerous pathogens to create a much safer, cleaner environment for hygiene critical ‘zones’.

Any frequently-touched surface has a huge risk of cross-contamination and it’s often unavoidable.

We use antimicrobial technologies that actively kills germs on touch. The antimicrobial technology has undergone testing in accordance with BS ISO 22196 and BS ISO 21702:2019

Co-Founder Charles Churchman said, “We knew the technology worked but we wanted to also create products that looked good and were really easy to use. We have a range of different shapes and sizes, and we can also produce customised designs

Visit www.thesafepad.co.uk for details.

MAG Launches Ozone Generator Proven To Kill Covid–19 Make Your Premises Safe for the Environment, Are your rooms 100% free of germs and smells? Clean, fresh air has never been more important and ozone is being used in hotels across the world as a new safety standard for infection control.

The MAG Ozone Generator emits ozone through the air to sanitise surfaces and kill bacteria and viruses including Covid–19. Proven to eliminate SARS coronavirus, norovirus, E.coli, salmonella and more than 99% of harmful bacteria and viruses, ozone is recognised as the strongest and fastest method of destroying microorganisms.

With cycle times as quick as 15 minutes the MAG Ozone Generator is the quick

& easy way to sanitise any indoor environment including hotel rooms, offices, toilets, canteens, storage areas and more. Ozone is also extremely effective at removing unwanted smells from rooms. Rather than masking unpleasant odours with air fresheners and chemicals you can permanently remove smells with the MAG Ozone Generator.

Available for less than £5.00 per day MAG Ozone Generators can be purchased outright or paid for monthly via lease or rental. Likewise MAG Equipment Ltd supplies and services all leading brands of commercial washing machines, tumble dryers and ironers should you require any assistance.

Get in touch for your free demo or trial on 01422 244733.

Staff and Customers

LineClenze have the ultimate solution to make any hospitality and licensed on trade environment safe for staff, customers and at the same time protecting the environment.

Our innovative decontamination process involves distributing superfine droplets of disinfectant into the atmosphere, to kill the bacteria and viruses in the air and, when the droplets land on any surface, it also kills the bacteria and viruses on that surface.

DEW Disinfects only active ingredient is the same as our body produces when fighting an infection, so it presents no danger to humans, animals, plants or the environment.

There is no need to evacuate an area being fogged, or to wear PPE. DEW Disinfect is highly effective at killing bacteria,

viruses and fungi, without damaging the environment and it is entirely human-compatible, it can be used almost everywhere where disinfection or sanitisation is required.

DEW Disinfect leaves NO residue, in fact, it destroys biofilm and hormonal residues, then simply evaporates.

We offer a number of different dispense mechanisms to enable DEW Disinfect to be used throughout your venue. These include:

• Fogging Machine for large areas • Room Mister • Vehicle Mister • Handheld Spray for localised use • Wall dispensers and small spray bottles for hand sanitisation For further details visit www.lineclenze.com

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www.lineclenze.com

Cleaning, Hygiene and Infection Control Issue 47

Physicool UK Physicool UK is helping employers in the Catering sector to address two issues that have emerged as a direct consequence of Covid-19.

If a member of staff wearing traditional paper or cloth facemasks has served you recently, you’ll know that the

customer service experience is strange, faceless and nothing like it normally is. Hospitality groups have recognised the importance of ‘service with a smile’ for decades, and it is a great loss in current times.

One solution for employers that may help to address this problem is to use clear plastic masks. You don’t se them around much, as they have only started to become available recently. Physicool supplies a comfortable lightweight clear plastic face mask (more practical than the full face clear visors) that rests gently on the wearer’s chin, allowing staff to engage with customers fully again.

CATERING PACKS – SPECIAL PRICES https://www.physicool.co.uk/collections/facemasks 10 x clear plastic masks: £2.50 ea. = £25.00 + VAT 25 x clear plastic masks £2.35: ea. = £58.75 + VAT 50 x clear plastic masks: £2.20 ea. = £110 + VAT

CLH Digital

Digital Contact Data Registration The German company Heidler GmbH has developed the app "CoReady" to allow customers to visit restaurants, hairdressing salons and all other companies, which are legally required to take customers’ personal details due to Corona. Visitors can register online and only store the data required by law. The app is free for all guests and customers.

The app offers the following advantages: • Saving time in service, less effort and full focus on the guests

Catering packs are available now at www.physicool.co.uk, and selected stockists.

Or by calling 020 7101 1977 to speak to the sales team.

• Simple logistics through digital accessibility

Digital Contact Data Registration:

• Drastic reduction of the bureaucratic effort

German Company Launches App For Registering Visitor Data In Compliance With Data Protection Laws The German company Heidler GmbH has developed the app "CoReady" to allow customers to visit restaurants, hairdressing salons and all other companies, which are legally required to take customers’ personal details due to Corona. Visitors can register online and only store the data required by law. The app is free for all guests and customers.

The one-time registration ensures a quick data collection in all participating companies. The data is automatically encrypted and stored in a database in compliance with GDPR. Upon entering the restaurant or shop the issued QR code has to be scanned by the respective guest. Additionally, menus, price lists and the shop's website can be stored in the app. The fast dispatch of the data to the health authorities in case of a corona infection is guaranteed. After the minimum

retention period has expired, the data is automatically deleted.

The app offers the following advantages: -

Saving time in service, less effort and full focus on the guests Simple logistics through digital accessibility Drastic reduction of the bureaucratic effort - Increase of customer satisfaction More information and footage here: www.coready.de Contact: Lukas Zobel Phone: +49 6128 - 21054 - 35 E-Mail: l.zobel@heidler.de Heidler GmbH General phone: +49 6128 - 21054 - 0

Germgard from Fireco James Wheeler, Chief Commercial Officer at Fireco says, “Our customers require visual, physical products as evidence in promoting their return to work strategy to their workforce.

Germgard meets those requirements, ensuring best practice, encouraging occupants to self-police when moving around the building.”

Germgard helps businesses reopen safely As lockdown restrictions started lifting in July, businesses had to plan their back to work strategy in line with the Government’s Health & Safety Executive COVID-19 Risk Assessment guidelines.

With the outbreak of COVID-19, good hygiene practice has become more important than ever before.

Fireco has recently released its newest innovation, Germgard, a smart sanitiser combined with digital signage. Germgard has been designed to promote awareness of the importance of hand sanitisation to all building users. It can also be tailored to suit individual business needs, helping as a building management tool.

Some examples of potential messaging includes instructing users to follow your one-way system or putting on a mask before entering.

Germgard is a smart sanitising station which monitors people passing through your chosen doorways. A PIR sensor will detect someone approaching and a screen will show your personalised message.

Germgard can also be combined with a range of door systems so that the use of hand sanitiser is a requirement before gaining entry. Integration options include electronic door locks, automatic doors, and access control systems.

Staff and members are detected when entering the building, they are presented with a digital display asking them to sanitise their hands. Castle Snooker & Sports Bar chose to connect their Germgard system with their electronic door lock, meaning that the door will only unlock for people who have used the sanitiser unit. This reduces the possibility of human error when controlling the transfer of germs.

“Germgard has played a vital role in making our COVID Secure Strategy strikingly obvious to our customers. We wanted to ease anxiety and make sure our members feel safe when returning to the new normal.”

“I would recommend Fireco. They have helped us to reopen our business safely.”

Fireco manufactures wireless fire door closers and retainers, notification systems, disability aid products and hygiene equipment, all designed to provide simple solutions to a range of needs: fire safety, compliance, access, ventilation and hygiene.

For more information about Germgard or how Fireco solutions can assist with COVID-secure strategies, visit www.fireco.uk or call the Fireco team today 01273 320650.

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• Increase of customer satisfaction The one-time registration ensures a quick data collection in all participating companies. The data is automatically encrypted and stored in a database in compliance with GDPR. Upon entering the restaurant or shop the issued QR code has to be scanned by the respective guest.

Additionally, menus, price lists and the shop's website can be stored in the app. The fast dispatch of the data to the health authorities in case of a corona infection is guaranteed. After the minimum retention period has expired, the data is automatically deleted.

Heidler GmbH

www.heidler.de +49 6128 - 21054 - 0

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

26

CLH Digital

Cleaning, Hygiene and Infection Control Issue 47

Could This Be The Solution To Hand Sanitiser Pump Stations?

Has supplying your diners with gallons of hand sanitiser left you with the endless task of checking for empty plastic containers or cleaning puddles of sticky gel on the floor?

The people at Super Clean Hands may have found the perfect solution. They are convinced that offering complimentary 'Super Clean Hands' sachets to your guests is a more stylish, efficient, and a cost-effective way to boost customer confidence in your business and shows your concern for their safety.

As a plus, Super Clean Hands is made from premium ingredients including aloe vera, which leave hands feeling thoroughly cleansed and soft without residual stickiness or odour. Additionally, the sachets are available in gel format or in infused wipes.

Placed at the bar, on the table, or with the self-service cutlery, or handed out with the bill will provide your customers the opportunity to sanitise their hands at the point of consuming food, rather than at the entrance of your establishment. Super Clean Hands want to deliver safety at the point of consumption and exposure.

Also popping a sachet in with takeaway food is a nice touch for the customers purchasing food for later and an important way to signify your hygiene values to your customers.

And best of all Super Clean Hands will donate 10% of their profits to the National Emergencies Trust who have done such wonderful work helping those worst effected by the pandemic.

Available through distributors, Super Clean Hands come in bulk cartons of 1,000, with an option of shelfready dispensers for bars and counter-tops - think pack of tag and envelope teabags!

For more information call 07831 747282 or email angela@supercleanhands.uk

JLA’s Ozone Washing System Proven To Remove All Traces of Coronavirus in University Study of Infected Laundry

Treating coronavirus-infected laundry with a professional ozone washing system could have major implications for the future of infection control in the hospitality industry, according to new research.

The in-depth study carried out at De Montfort University in Leicester found that the OTEX washing system, which uses ozone to kill bacteria even at low temperatures, completely removes all traces of coronavirus (OC43), a model virus for SARS-CoV-2.

The system, created by JLA (the UK’s leading supplier of commercial laundry equipment) was tested by a research team overseen by Dr Katie Laird, Reader in Microbiology and Head of the Infectious Disease Research Group, and expert virologist Dr Maitreyi

Shivkumar, Lecturer in Molecular Biology. The research found that cleaning with the OTEX technology completely removed the coronavirus, even in large washing loads. Additional testing also proved that the virus was not transferred to other textiles in the wash.

Believed to be one of the first studies of its kind, the research proves that coronavirus-infected laundry can be cleaned even at low temperatures, allowing heat sensitive items such as personal clothing, hospital mattress covers, emergency rescue wear and microfibre items to be cleaned effectively.

Dr Laird and her team are now completing the next stage of their research, looking at the rate at which the virus is inactivated in the cleaning process to give more data on the length of time and quantities of ozone required for the virus to be eliminated.

Dr Laird comments, “A key element of tackling the spread of COVID-19 is to understand how effective infection control can be implemented in real world settings. There are a variety of situations in which textiles potentially carrying the virus need to be cleaned, such as care homes, hospitals and hotels.

“Until now we have had little data about how the virus responded to different types of cleaning. These initial results demonstrate that cleaning with ozone, as in the OTEX system, completely removes the model coronavirus.

“This held true even when treating larger loads of

washing, as is likely to be the case in a real laundry setting. This result can give reassurance that such cleaning is effective .”

Helen Ashton, CEO from JLA commented “I am really excited about the results of these tests as here at JLA we play our part in eradicating this terrible virus. We have been developing and refining the OTEX laundry system for over fifteen years and its benefits to our customers are clear - full eradication of disease, including coronavirus, even at low temperatures and a significant reduction in operational cost coupled with a meaningful benefit to the environment.

“The system has been designed to be easy to use with real time verification of the disinfection process on every wash which provides a unique audit trail of full compliance to regulatory standards.”

This is the latest accolade for JLA’s innovative OTEX system, having been previously recognised by the NHS Rapid Review Panel in 2009 set up by the government to fast track new technology to address hospital acquired infections, achieving the highest grade (level 1) for infection control products. More recently, assessment of compliance with current Public Health England HTM01-04 guidelines for the decontamination of healthcare linen.

The OTEX ozone system is also fully supported in line with the EU Biocidal Products Regulation.

For more information about OTEX by JLA, please visit: https://jla.com/otex

Ground-Breaking New Technology Helping Stop The Spread Of Coronaviruses Ground-breaking new technology helping stop the spread of Coronaviruses whilst protecting staff and customers with continual airborne sanitisation.

The COVID-19 pandemic raises particular challenges for the hospitality industry.

With no end in sight and millions of pounds being spent every day on cleaning and sanitisation methods that are costly and labour intensive. SOH Group has a revolutionary new product ‘SOH Pure’ that is already helping thousands of people and

businesses by continuously sanitising their premises.

The SOH Pure systems work in a similar way to that of a fogger but is an ‘always on’ solution that continually sanitises an area of up to 80m2. Achieved by cold air diffusion technology liquid is turned into a vapour the is lighter than air. This vapour cleans and sanitises the air whilst airborne and then sanitises all surfaces when it falls creating a unique dual action air and surface approach.

Using SOH Pure system will help reduce the amount of time that is required cleaning and will help continually sanitise kitchens, restaurant & high traffic areas, such as staff gathering hot spots, building entrances and more.

Let us help you re-open safely providing a continuously santised environment for that extra piece of mind!

02037276400, info@sunglobalsupplies.com or www.sunglobalavf.com

Hospitality Technology & Software

Issue 47

CLH Digital

How Throwing Out Old Rules and Trying New Tech is a Recipe for Re-opening Success USE YOUR VENUE AS A MOUTHPIECE FOR SAFETY Make your venue work hard for you on the safety front so that your staff aren’t the only mouthpiece for compliance. Reduce opportunities for negative interactions by using the space to your advantage, adding physical enhancements that make it easy for patrons to do the right thing.

Dan Joyce, General Manager EMEA of SafetyCulture, explains how upending a longstanding cornerstone of hospitality can help the industry get safely back to business.

After being in limbo for the last few months, businesses finally have a roadmap to reopening. In seven weeks, the hospitality industry will partially reopen and welcome back customers. But business as usual will not be an option — unlike lockdowns, risk doesn’t have an expiry date.

New research has revealed that making pubs and bars COVID-safe is very difficult to do effectively, and despite the UK’s successful rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine, it’s evident that hospitality businesses need to keep safety their number one priority.

Doing so involves upending a longstanding cornerstone of hospitality — in this new world, the customer is not always right.

One of the biggest challenges for businesses right now is the steep rise in complacency, from both customers and weary staff. Customer reluctance to comply with pandemic protocols like mask-wearing and social distancing compound the difficulties businesses already face with a series of evolving government guidelines.

As the eyes and ears on the ground, staff members are best placed to implement such safety practices. But it also increases their exposure to potentially negative interactions and high-pressure situations with customers.

Building positive customer rapport is a new ballgame.

Now is the time to consider what new training your staff need to do their best work. As guidelines continue to shift retraining staff will become a key part of business. Consider introducing new safety training methods that lean into ways people are consuming media, such as mobile-first platforms that feature smaller chunks of information. When repeated often, these micro-lessons can help ingrain practices in memory.

Technology can go a long way towards improving employees and customers' experience. The right tools can act as a buffer and a boon for employees — making sure every detail and element of risk is accounted for in business operations while easing daily stressors and empowering them to speak up.

Details like displaying real-time safety checks, signage, sanitiser stations, and easily navigable layouts, allow your venue to become a safety signal. This frees up staff to focus on elevating the consumer experience in other ways — rather than their first interaction with customers being purely instructive.

However, multiple lockdowns and COVID-19 strains later, we can expect customers to be even more weary and hesitant when businesses reopen this spring.

FIGHT PROCESS FATIGUE BY MAKING PROCESSES FRICTIONLESS Fight process fatigue by making ways of working simple when it comes to COVID-safe protocols. This means eliminating unnecessary red tape and breaking down information into manageable chunks that people can act on. Simple checklists, repeated often, can be the most effective method for keeping on top of evolving compliance measures.

Having easy-to-use technology that empowers staff can go a long way towards improving their effectiveness in carrying out safety protocols. By equipping staff with the tools and autonomy to drive in-store initiatives forward, can help make COVID-safe practices easier to follow and maintain. Tech can do some of the heavy lifting for hospitality workers. Consider platforms which have functions to collect on the ground data and report issues to help bolster your venue's immunity to risk.

It’s time to stop thinking of safety as simply a box to tick internally. In this new world, there are new rules.

‘The customer is always right’ takes a backseat and safety has right of way as a value proposition.

Hospitality businesses that are transparent and consistent in their hygiene measures will gain the loyalty and trust of their customers. Now is the time to kick into high gear and tap into technology that shapes a culture where everyone — from staff members to diners — is empowered to act.

For more on how to reopen safely this spring, view SafetyCulture's COVID-19 Resource Hub with free digitised COVID-19 guidance from governments and leading industry bodies. SafetyCulture partners with a number of hospitality trade bodies including the Brewing, Food and Beverage Industry Association (BFBI) and British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) to deliver tailored industry-approved guidance for their members. *Methodology: All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 2065 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 1st - 2nd July 2020. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all GB adults (aged 18+).

ConnectSmart from QSR

Future-Proof Y Future-Proof Your our Oper ations with an Operations In tegrated Pla tform Integrated Platform

®

QSR Automations, the leading provider of kitchen automation, guest management, off-premise technology, and predictive analytics, announced the launch of the ConnectSmart Platform. This move strengthens and simplifies company and product offerings.

GUEST M MANAGEMENT ANAGEMENT OFF-PREMISE TECHNOL TECHNOLOGY OGY PREDIC TIVE ANALYTICS ANAL LYTICS PREDICTIVE

The platform effectively combines QSR Automations’ software suite into a single platform: • ConnectSmart Kitchen, industry-leading kitchen display system • ConnectSmart Go, an off-premise order management system • ConnectSmart Host (formerly DineTime), a guest experience, reservation and table management solution • ConnectSmart Insights, a business intelligence tool • ConnectSmart ControlPoint, hardware management software • ConnectSmart Recipes (formerly TeamAssist), a kitchen-integrated recipe viewer By connecting the back end and integrating these solutions into one operational platform, operators can work with a solution that shares data from all its components and make holistic restaurant decisions in realtime. Flexible APIs and robust integrations allow operators to tailor the platform to their specific needs and focus on what’s most important — the guest

KITCHEN KITCHEN AUT AUTOMATION OMATION

experience.

“Removing the barriers between products on the back end to create the ConnectSmart Platform architecture demonstrates how our software has advanced from individual product offerings to a connected operational platform. This move is a logical progression based on an industry that’s progressing just as rapidly.

The pandemic accelerated what we already knew, connectivity and operational data are paramount for operational success. The platform will allow providers to make strategic, data-driven decisions that will ultimately deliver tailored guest experiences for their diners,” said QSR Automations Founder and CEO Lee Leet.

Restaurant owners and operators can learn more about the ConnectSmart Platform at www.qsrautomations.com

What can the ConnectSmar ConnectSmartt® platform your restaurant? do for your Learn more more at:

www www.qsrautomations.com/overview .qsrautomations.com/overview

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CLH Digital

Hospitality Technology and Software

Issue 47

Invest in the Right POS Solutions to Get You Through Reopening and Beyond The COVID-19 pandemic has seen hospitality ventures in particular desperately searching for simple solutions easy to implement with the impending time crunch to address a set of stringent guidelines introduced by the Government. Keen to abide by social distancing rules, business owners are looking for ways to give their customers the peace of mind to continue purchase from their stores in-person and out with many turning to new tech to keep their businesses afloat.

Adopting a bespoke point-of-sale system (POS) is becoming an increasingly popular choice in light of their offering; features to boost performance through faster transactions, expansive data collection and live stock count – an especially useful component to address and respond to unexpected spikes and drops in demand during an unpredictable climate.

Opting for a click & collect service like Goodeats offered by Goodtill has been the per-

fect example of innovation in the hospitality industry as an answer to COVID-security and beyond with its pivoting feature enabling table ordering solutions when dining-in becomes an option once again. Today, a POS system integrated with a click & collect service has become an essential and is no longer limited to giant retailers but accessible to smaller ventures to help diversify revenue streams. Access to these kinds of value-add services promotes customer loyalty even in trying times.

Many of these systems were initially deemed as temporary solutions to stay in business during the COVID-crises, but the staggering uptake in interest and usage of POS solutions are altering the hospitality sector from the ground up. We now see such software playing a key role within the service industry, providing establishments a stronger offering over their competitors. Businesses that have acquired a click & collect service are wellplaced to satisfy potential future restrictions when partnered with contactless payment and pickup alongside a dedicated POS software introducing affordable automation to business operations.

See the advert on the facing page for details.

The Welsh Fintech Aiming To Save The Hospitality Sector £8bn A Year 2020 has been a pivotal year for Cardiff based Fintech Yoello.

Since launching their mobile order and pay solution in June, the company has gone from strength to strength growing rapidly whilst supporting thousands of hospitality businesses across the UK during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Yoello aims to disrupt the current payment networks which are outdated and expensive. By processing payments themselves, utilising open banking regulations, they want to bring operators and customers closer together with cheaper and instantaneous transactions.

The platform is currently focused on the hospitality industry, from small cafes and traditional pubs to luxury hotels and large theatres. Yoello’s mobile order and pay

technology also has the capability to expand into sectors such as retail and tourism.

The company’s aim is to improve efficiency, increase revenues and improve the customer experience through mobile technology, in particular in the current climate with businesses currently operating with reduced staff numbers and customer capacity. As we head towards a cashless society and a new technology led, post-Covid, future of service – Yoello’s tech will play a vital role for most businesses to survive.

Yoello’s mobile ordering solution allows customers to access digital menus simply by scanning a QR code or typing in a URL using any smartphone or web device, without needing to download an app. Customers can access table service, click & collect and delivery services all through one platform. From a merchant’s point of view, it’s very easy to set up and manage contactless order and pay either alongside an existing system or through POS integration.

Find out more visit www.yoello.com or speak to the sales team: sales@yoello.com / 07764 86 4840

Introducing Toggle Introducing Toggle, a powerful gift card platform bursting with features to help you make the most of earning pre-visit revenue during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Toggle offers high customisation with the freedom to sell not just gift cards, but experiences, special offers, products like at-home kits and more. Toggle handles everything to do with your gifting; offering digital gift cards as well as beautifully designed physical ones that we can send on your behalf through our fulfillment service.

Our expert customer success team is on hand to help you set up with lightning speed, introduce you to the platform’s features and ensure that you’re maximising on its tools by releasing new feature updates and campaign ideas.

Toggle seamlessly integrates with Zonal, Access, Comtrex, Datasym and a host of other platforms. Sign up today and be selling tomorrow.

Visit ww.usetoggle.com

Smart Ordering with Hop Software Hop Software recently launched a new addition to its ever-growing hospitality focused products; Hop Shop, an online click and collect delivery platform is helping hospitality and restaurateurs through lockdown.

Hop Shop can be accessed from the business website via Hop PMS allowing hospitality businesses to set-up a collection or delivery service. Hop Shop also is available through our newly launched app.

The Smart Order Time feature ensures ultimate safety for both staff and customers, allowing customers to choose a convenient and safe time for collection or delivery.

Now more than ever, guests are opting for a con-

tactless service from restaurants and hotels. Hop Shop has already helped many hospitality businesses find additional revenue streams.

Richard Drummond owner of McKays Hotel, Bar & Restaurant, Pitlochry says; “Hop Shop has been a great addition to our operations. Guests continue to use the app and enjoy ordering food via their mobile, directly to their rooms and homes. As the current situation develops, Hop Shop has diversified our business and opened a new revenue stream.”

For a demo of Hop PMS and Hop Shop, please email: SharonSmith@hopsoftware.com or see the advert on the facing page.

Sun. Shade.

Shelter.

OUTDOOR LIVING PODTM - CONDUIT CLUB - MAYFAIR |

ALL WEA WEATHER ATHER A THER | TERRACE COVERINGS Waterproof fabric or aluminium louver ed rroofs oofs Waterproof louvered Effortless control Ef fortless motorised rremote emote contr ol operation force)* Wind rresistant esistant upto Beaufort 12 (hurricane for ce)* infra-red Optional LED lighting & infra-r ed heating 5 year guarantee for peace of mind Make the most of your outdoor space with our innovative retractable retractable awnings and aluminium pergolas that provide shelter,, provide flexible shade and shelter alfresco experience come sun, wind, rain allowing your clients to enjoy the alfresco snow. or even snow.

t 0344 800 1947 e info@cbsolarshading.co.uk w cbsolarshading.co.uk/commer cbsolarshading.co.uk/commercial cial *Wind resistance resistance based on our louver louvered ed rroof oof Outdoor Living PodsTM

CUBA PATIO AWNING - THE OAKSMERE - SUFFOLK |

Outdoor Spaces

Issue 47

CLH Digital

Seating with Wider Appeal from ILF Hospitality has now got the Green light last to re-open outdoors from the 12th April. Will you be ready and able to cope with the rush? Will your Café, Restaurant, bar have the right outdoor ambience and comfort to stand out from the rest and make your customers want to come back?

Never fear, ILF Ltd. have the solution with a comprehensive selection of outdoor chairs and tables in many finishes and colours which we are able to supply quickly from either our UK location or our European location.

We have selections of seating in aluminium, resin, plastic, polycarbonate, teak and imitation rattan plus, there are also tables and barstools for exterior use.

Whatever your outdoor furniture needs might be we at ILF are here to help.

Why not contact us on 01293 783783 or send an email to:- terry.kirk@ilfchairs.com

Broadview Help Dorset Restaurant Create Al-fresco Dining Area

A new Dorset restaurant has been given a continental-style appearance with the addition of a new al-fresco dining area thanks to Poole-based company Broadview Shading Solutions.

To increase covers and offer social distancing during the current climate, Whittles Restaurant & Bar

approached Broadview to advise them on the best way to create a sheltered outside dining space that could be used in all weathers.

Broadview advised on three new awnings, manufactured by Brustor, and a branded Uhlmann umbrella with its very own lighting system. Remote control operation means the awnings can be quickly and easily extended or tucked neatly away depending on the weather.

Whittles is just one hospitality business that Broadview has created exceptional outside dining spaces for. Others include Rick Stein in Barnes, The NED in London and The Sandbanks Hotel in Poole.

If you would like more information about how Broadview can help your hospitality business extend covers and create an al-fresco dining experience, please contact 01202 679012 or visit their website: www.broadview.co.uk

Making the most of your outdoor areas with Tempus solutions The Manhat tan P ergola fr om T empuss is a simple and cost effective ay of Manhattan Pergola from Tempus effective w way e xtending the comf or t of your your indoor spaces int o yyour our outdoor patios extending comfort into patios..

from as little as

£1,40 0

• A vailable with or without rretractable etractable sides ffor or wind shielding Available • Quic k and eas y tto o use louv ered rroof oof kkeeps eeps out the rrain ain and lets in the sunshine Quick easy louvered • Lighting and heating pac ks mak e the shelt ered spaces usab le all yyear ear rround ound – what ever the w eather packs make sheltered usable whatever weather • F ull ffitting itting ser vice a vailable thr ough pr oduct tr ained Contract Contract F urniture Gr oup installation eam Full service available through product trained Furniture Group installation tteam A wide range of complementar y outdoor heating, lighting and fur niture is available to view on our website. complementary furniture

Never knowingly beaten on price!

Contract tract House, Little T ennis eet South, Nottingham NG2 4EU Tennis e Str Street

FOLLOW FOLL OW W US

0115 965 9030 info@contractfurniture.co.uk 0115 info@contractfurniturre.co.uk www.contractfurniture.co.uk www .contractfurniture.co.uk

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

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CLH Digital

Issue 47

Outdoor Spaces

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.

made menu holders, waiter stations and planters all to you requirement. If we can help you do drop a line to sales@cafeculture.biz

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

CambridgeStyle Canopies Our product range includes:

CambridgeStyle Canopies have an enviable reputation in the hospitality sector for providing shade and shelter solutions for pubs, hotels and restaurants across the UK. We specialise in offering the right covering solutions to maximise your useable outdoor space with our range of made-to-measure aluminium outdoor canopy systems.

• Wall mounted non-fragile or glass roof canopies with up to 6m projection and unlimited length • Free standing canopies with up to 12m projection and unlimited length • Solisysteme Bio Climatic Pergolas with the latest Somfy technology and up to 7.1m post span • Zip Screens and Sliding Glass doors • Heating and lighting upgrades for all canopy systems Contact us to discuss your needs and arrange a site survey so we can help identify the right solution for your business. We have all the necessary accreditations within the construction sector and provide a no quibble 10-year guarantee on all products to give you peace of mind. Together we can help get business going again!

Emails office@cambridgestyle.org or visit www.cambridgestylecanopies.co.uk

CambridgeStyle Canopies have an enviable reputation in the hospitality sector for providing shade and shelter solutions for pubs, hotels and restaurants across the UK. We specialise in offering the right covering solutions to maximise your useable outdoor space with our range of madeto-measure aluminium outdoor canopy systems.

Our product range includes:

• Wall mounted non-fragile or glass roof canopies with up to 6m projection and unlimited length • Free standing canopies with up to 12m projection and unlimited length • SoliSySteme Bio Climatic Pergolas with the latest Somfy technology and up to 7.1m post span • Zip Screens and Sliding Glass doors • Heating and lighting upgrades for all canopy systems

Contact us to discuss your needs and arrange a site survey so we can help identify the right solution for your business. We have all the necessary accreditations within the construction sector and provide a no quibble 10-year guarantee on all products to give you peace of mind. Together we can help get business going again!

CambridgeStyle Canopies Ltd 01353 699009 | office@cambridgestyle.org | www.cambridgestylecanopies.co.uk “WE’VE GOT IT COVERED - NOBODY DOES IT BETTER”

Previous Clients Include:

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How Hotels Can Really Profit From Sustainability Hotels are continually fighting with their competition to offer the most affordable rates, the best amenities, and the most outstanding guest services — all while making a profit. Now more than ever green, or sustainable tourism is becoming a deciding factor when choosing a holiday. For the hotel industry this means achieving a sustainable business model that can offer considerable marketing advantage. But what if we took this activity and reclaimed valuable indoor space to provide for additional or larger rooms, or extend dining space?

And what if you could also improve building services and reduce operational costs?

From boutique to national chains,

Adveco specialises in creating bespoke hot water and heating applications for the hotel industry that leverages all the advantages of renewable technologies, from air source heat pumps, and solar thermal to heat recovery.

We can also smartly combine these with existing gasfired systems or new all electric appliances to drive sustainability and greater efficiency to support improved guest amenities while reducing both CO emissions and operational costs. This can all be brought together in prefabricated structures that relocate heating and hot water plant to ‘dead spaces’ such as yards, alleys and in particular roof tops to maximise space and profit. https://systems.adveco.co/

Mayfair Contract Furniture

can also competitively fulfil a wide range of bespoke orders to suit your personal requirements.

Not just a supplier; We understand that from time to We supply contract grade commercial furniture to the time hospitality and leisure establishments like to give hospitality & leisure industries. With over forty years of themselves a fresh new look. That's why not only do we experience in the hospitality industry, we are passionate supply contract furniture, but when it's time for your about supplying the finest quality products. We establishment to go through a refurbishment deliver to all areas of the United Kingdom, we also offer a complete clearance service.

Ireland and Europe and export our products We'll organise everything from a suitable worldwide. time and date, professional clearance staff We keep in stock a huge variety of New to remove contract furniture whether fitcontract furniture including tables & chairs, ted or unfitted, and logistics. lounge / lobby furniture, & hotel bedroom Contact 01733 310 115, email: furniture ready for immediate dispatch. sales@mayfairfurniture.co.uk or visit In addition to this as a direct importer we www.mayfairfurniture.co.uk

Cemco (The Catering Equipment Maintenance Company) Cemco (The Catering Equipment Maintenance Company) first opened for business in 1990, and have been serving Dorset, Wiltshire, Somerset, Bath, and the rest of the South and Southwest, ever since.

We offer a full range of services, including servicing and repairs for all commercial catering appliances, ranging from small local projects to major national work, and everything in between. Specialising in commercial Glasswasher and Dishwasher repairs sales and service our reputation is second to none.

We can offer you a no obligation quote now, so contact us for more information.

CEMCO also carry out repairs to commercial catering equipment Dishwashers, Glasswashers, Ovens Grills Bournemouth, Poole, Dorset and The Southwest. We

undertake repairs and servicing to ALL, types, makes and models of commercial catering equipment.

A repair is often far cheaper then a replacement! 30 Years in this Industry gives us the edge over our competitors, with time served Commercial Catering Equipment Engineers our clients have found we save them the cost of purchasing new equipment time after time…why buy new when a guaranteed repair is often all your Catering Equipment requires…

We are based in Bournemouth & Poole, covering the whole of Dorset, as well as Somerset, Hampshire and Wiltshire.

Call 01202 377205 now, to arrange a site visit www.cemcoltd.co.uk

Please mention the Caterer, Licensee & Hotelier News when replying to advertising Specialists in Servicing, Repairs and Maintenance of all Commercial Catering Equipment

Cemco undertake Service and Repairs to ALL Commercial Dishwasher and Glasswasher Manufacturers Including Hobart, Electrolux, Meiko, Winterhalter to name a few.

CEMCO carry out repairs, servicing and routine maintenance to all makes and models of commercial catering equipment, including dishwashers and glasswashers.

We can also supply you with a new or used dishwasher …simply Contact Us for details of available Used Stock

We are based in Bournemouth & Poole and cover the whole of Dorset, along with the neighbouring counties of Somerset, Devon, Hampshire and Wiltshire.

Trust CEMCO for commercial catering dishwasher servicing!

Call us now, on 01202 377205 for a free quote to repair your dishwasher

www.cemcoltd.co.uk

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Design and Refit

Wine Storage Solutions

TEMPERATURE CONTROLLED WINE STORAGE & DISPLAY WITH LED LIGHTING

We always had reliability in mind as we had all replaced our own coolers in the past, often much earlier than we would have liked or hoped.

excellent longevity.

We are proud of our product ranges and passionate about wine storage at home and in the restaurant. We would encourage you to pay us a visit to see all these models in our showroom in Chipping Norton. Our customers are always saying they look so much better ‘in the flesh’.

If you cannot visit, we are always happy to answer any questions you may have regarding your wine storage requirements and we look forward to hearing from you.

Visit www.winess.co.uk or see the advert on this page.

Ambimedia Audiovisual Solutions

We are specialists in the supply and installation of temperature-controlled wine display cabinets which can be placed in any part of a building and require no plumbing or drainage. Our stunning and unique range includes contemporary & traditional styles with beautiful LED lighting, self-contained, temperaturecontrolled walk-in wine rooms for 990-4000+ bottles and wine display cabinets with 4 glass walls and LED lighting in all four Visit our corners to create a stunning visual effect which you showroom, can walk around 360 degrees. call us or view online.

Wine Storage Solutions Ltd

Essex House, Cromwell Business Park, Banbury Road, Chipping Norton OX7 SSR

www.winess.co.uk

The brief was simple – quality, reliability and style.

The development of the Vin Garde range’s single-weld refrigeration system has gone a long way to ensuring top performance and

NO PLUMBING OR DRAINAGE REQUIRED, COMPLETELY SELF-CONTAINED

Tel: 01608 645083

Wine Storage Solutions Ltd was established in March 2005, to find and develop the perfect temperature and humidity-controlled wine coolers and fridges for my friends’ and my own wine collections.

Email: info@winess.co.uk

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

Ambimedia Ltd are working hard to provide our clients with audiovisual solutions which allows them to adapt to future needs, in the wake of the recent pandemic. Our Certified Technology Specialists have been working closely with manufactures to develop our product range in order to meet changing demands.

providing digital signage displays within the hand sanitiser stations allowing venues to provide information to customers in addition to product advertising.

ENHANCING OUTDOOR SPACES

Our award winning digital menuboard solution allows customers to instantly manage content on their screens from a PC or tablet. Choose from over 700 menuboard templates and over 3000 images or upload your own and publish the content to your TV’s. Visit www.signmenu.co.uk and signup for a free account. We also have a full digital signage package available where we can manage the content on your behalf – please contact us for further information.

In order to enhance outdoor areas in pubs and restaurants, we have provided solutions including outdoor high brightness TV’s, outdoor sound systems and extended WIFI and CCTV networks.

HAND SANITISERS WITH BUILT IN DIGITAL SIGNAGE DISPLAYS Most venues which you visit these days have hand sanitiser stations as you enter the building and we have gone one step further,

DIGITAL MENUBOARDS & DIGITAL SIGNAGE

T: 01246 906958 E: info@ambimedia.org W: www.ambimedia.org

Design and Refit

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CLH Digital

Perfect Refrigeration Performance, Outstanding Energy Efficiency German engineered appliances from Liebherr provide exceptional refrigeration and freezing performance for your business.

Ergonomically designed with efficiency in mind, our spacious refrigerators and freezers allow you to store fresh food and ready-to-serve dishes in a well-arranged, easily accessible manner.

Manufactured in Europe using robust, high-quality materials to meet the demands of a busy commercial catering environment.

The fronts, compartments, and containers are all conveniently designed for easy cleaning making Liebherr appliances ideal for bars, bistros, and restaurants.

Liebherr's under-worktop

appliances for the food industry offer generous storage space while taking up little room. They can easily be integrated below a worktop as a space-saving option and provide a highly appealing presentation platform for drinks etc. The interior lighting, with its own on/off function, further enhances the display of your products for optimal effect.

The beverage industry also requires perfect refrigeration performance. Drinks are deliciously chilled and ready for sale even after a short storage period.

The combination of modern refrigeration components, powerful and climate-friendly coolants, and precise control systems ensure low-cost energy efficiency.

To find out more information please see that advert on this page.

Compact Comfort with Tub Chairs and Small Sofas When creating a convivial space for people to eat, drink and be merry in your bar or café, comfort is key.

However, making the most of the floorspace available is also an important consideration, particularly when social distancing rules still need to be adhered to. Tub chairs and small sofas are the perfect solution as they are stylish and comfortable but won’t overwhelm your space.

Trent Furniture supply a wide variety of tub chairs cleverly designed to provide the comfort of a traditional armchair, whilst taking up significantly less room. The Portobello Tub Chair in

brown faux leather or chic Autumn or Cappuccino upholstery is a perennially popular choice.

Alternatively, the Geneva Tub Chair and Kansas Tub Chair draw on vintage design for a cool and contemporary look.

Trent’s durable and versatile small sofas pair beautifully with our great range of tub chairs. The Cuban Brown Faux Leather Two Seater Sofa delivers in the style stakes and is perfectly in proportion with our chic tub chairs.

To find out more about Trent Furniture’s great-value range of compact furniture including tub chairs starting at just £64.90, please visit www.trentfurniture.co.uk or call 0116 2864 911.

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

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Issue 47

Design and Refit

GLOBAL ART For Your Refurbishment

With over 35 years of experience, Global Art Gallery offers artworks by a number of diverse artists and pieces from selected private collections from around the world.

p

p

You won't find lots of prints in expensive frames at Global just lots of original art at realistic prices.

Further information is available from James Hartey on 07894 555107 or www.globalartinternational.co.uk

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

Add High Quality Art to Your Business with Global

When considering the refurbishment or presentation of your venue it may be a wise move to look at some pieces of quality art to give a feeling of class and prestige to your business image.

Hotels, offices, restaurants and pubs can benefit aesthetically and financially from investing in quality original art which is both unique and profitable.

GLOBAL ART Acquisitions and Investments Ltd are based above the Antiques centre at the Bridge House Longham BH22 9AN. We have an extensive selection of unique art available for the discerning client with prestigious premises and customers.

GLOBAL ART is also the home of

the world’s number 1 reformed art forger BILLY MUMFORD’S collection. Billy put £6 Million pounds worth of forgeries through the major auction houses of the world before spending 2 years at her Majesty’s pleasure in Brixton and Ford prisons.

Art is now the number 1 financial asset and retains it’s value better than other asset classes so that you can appreciate your art as your art appreciates.

Take time to come over and visit us Thursday to Sunday 10 till 4 and see what a fantastic selection of works we can offer, you won’t be disappointed or Telephone James Hartey on 07894555107 or visit www.globalartinternational.co.uk

Square One Interiors

Starting out in his garden shed, Jamie never thought that his new range of reclaimed furniture would become as successful as it has over the past 2 years.

Having had a history in design and furniture design, an idea was born and he decided to run with it. He loved the idea of a rustic looking, industrial range which was

also eco friendly and sustainable. He soon found that a modern twist was also achievable, by using bright colours on the steel frames, as well as several different wood finishes which would compliment the overall design.

Making furniture from scratch also had its benefits, as Jamie soon found that businesses would approach him with specific needs and requirements, meaning that he was able to provide a fully bespoke service, as well as offering design and advice.

Since his humble beginnings in the garden shed, Jamie and the company have now work with hospitality operators, pubs, bars and hotels, as well as some large contract furniture companies and high street names. Our portfolio and workforce are growing and we are very excited to be working on some fantastic projects moving forwards, so watch this space!

For more information visit www.squareoneinteriors.co.uk

Design and Refit AMEREX Kitchen Protection ®

The AMEREX® Kitchen Protection (KP) fire suppression system is already a staple in commercial kitchens around the world. Amerex innovations make it an easy choice to meet code requirements, keep people and property safe with a dependable system, and give restaurant owners and operators unparalleled ease of use and maintenance for years to come. Plus, Amerex’s KP system meets the rigorous UL 300 standard for fire testing of fire extinguishing systems for protection of commercial cooking equipment required by NFPA guidelines.

From fine dining to fast food chains, the Amerex KP system fire has the components to meet your clients’ needs.

KP offers two appliance protection configurations — Appliance Specific, where the appliance location is fixed, and Zone Defense, an overlapping protection configuration that allows kitchen appliances to be moved or replaced without having to move system discharge nozzles. Zone Defense future-proofs the kitchen design and allows restaurants to adapt to changing consumer tastes or business conditions without repiping the fire system.

KP offers three different fire detection methods — standard thermal link detection or one of two linear heat detection options, pneumatic heat sensitive tubing or electrical linear heat detection.

Contact Amerex at www.amerexfire.eu

Zone Defense means we’ve got you covered.

CardsSafe - Protecting Assets ®

The CardsSafe® system is specifically designed to securely retain customer credit, debit and ID cards while the cardholder runs a tab or uses a service.

CardsSafe® has revolutionised the way hospitality and leisure businesses manage their assets. It protects against theft and walkouts, streamlines services and reduces losses, which means it pays for itself!

There are numerous benefits of using CardsSafe® for your business and over 5000 outlets in the UK agree!

• CardsSafe® reduce costs and losses, makes card fraud is virtually impossible and ensures that equipment is returned • CardsSafe® is affordable and pays for itself! From just £9.95 (net) per unit per

month + a one off admin charge.

• CardsSafe® ensures peace of mind and protects against fraud and theft • CardsSafe® increases staff trust and improves the work environment • CardsSafe® is easy to use with minimal training and quick to install • CardsSafe® is PCI & GDPR Compliant to standards 9.6, 9.9, 12.2 and 12.6 and protects card data from identity fraud and theft Please visit our website and create your own account quickly and securely. Or for more information, please contact the CardsSafe Customer Service Team.

WEB: www.cardssafe.com, Phone: 0845 500 1040 Email: sales@cardssafe.com

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

Issue 47

CLH Digital

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Design and Refit

Drakes Bar Furniture - UK Bar Furniture Supplier

We pride ourselves in providing the best quality items at great prices with fantastic customer service and can supply bespoke tailored made furniture such as booths, tables, seating or ‘off the peg’ items.

Drakes Bar Furniture not only sell chairs, stools, tables we also design build and install all types of fixed seating, pews and booth seating for pubs, clubs, bars, restaurants and clubs.

When fitting out a premise the seating is almost paramount for a successful space. Fixed seating, booth seating or banquette seating as its also called can come in variety of colours, finishes, types and styles. Below are just a few examples showing what we have done in the past.

With clever planning, seating generates a great flow for customers and

staff around a pub, restaurant, cafe or club. It can be used to divide areas, create new spaces in a room and offer intimacy allowing for the perfect social meet up.

The beauty of bespoke fixed seating is that we can make the most of and take advantage of your space and features. We can come to your venue and measure up, give you advice and show you examples of our past work, finishes, types and styles.

We have a wide range of Bar Furniture, including tables, stools, chairs, outdoor beer garden, fixed seating and banqueting furniture.

If you require a bespoke quote either call us on 01422 839 690 or you can send us an email.

See the advert below for details.

Sims - The First Port Of Call For Banquette Seating

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

We are a family run business with 3 generations of commercial furniture manufacturing experience. Unlike other suppliers we manufacture all our seating inhouse, no importing, no subcontracting. We have full control over every aspect from design to installation to ensure every product leaves our workshops punctually and to our reputable high quality.

Proudly offering 2 versions of Banquette Seating, firstly our “Premium Made to Measure” Banquette Seating which is built to your exact design, shape and size, then installed by our professional installation team. You can have anything from floor to ceiling designs to seating that perfectly follows the walls in a period setting.

Secondly our “Modular Banquette Seating” which is freestanding, set size units for you to mix and match to best fit your space. Manufactured and delivered to your doorstep ready for you to layout. Made to the same high standards as our premium range without setup costs, site visits and installation fees. Saving you up to 50% on competitors seating.

Also, we offer a range of furnishings – tables, chair and bedroom furniture. To request a brochure or to discuss your requirement further please contact our sales team on 01945 450957 email Sales@simscf.com Web www.simscf.com

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Contract Furniture Group to Continue Service During Lockdown at the moment, Contract Furniture Group encourage you to seize this opportunity to update, repair or replace décor while you can’t trade; and to support this they are looking at putting finance packages together to spread the investment.

Contract Furniture Group have stated that will still be at the service of customers throughout the current lockdown.Their sales, manufacturing and logistics teams will all be taking every precaution necessary to reduce and eliminate any risk or spreading Covid, but at the same time they will be working hard to provide their customers with the same high quality service you’ve come to expect from them.

Despite the frustration our whole industry is feeling

If you do have any questions or queries about Contract Furniture Group's products or services, stock availability or lead times, terms or available finance options, please don’t hesitate to call.

Most importantly, Contract Furniture Group say they hope you and your loved ones stay safe and well during these unprecedented times.

For further information visit www.contractfurniture.co.uk

Euroservice Trolley Manufacturers Celebrating 40 years of experience in the sale and manufacture of wooden trolleys for the catering trade, Euroservice trolley manufacturers have now acquired a worldwide reputation and still offer an extensive /comprehensive range of top quality wooden trolleys manufactured in the UK. Top quality is a priority in the production of all of our products and Euroservice are specialists in the manufacture of sturdy and beautiful looking trolleys which will grace any environment from the small privately owned restaurant to the splendid 3 to 5 star hotels, resorts and Residential homes.

Euroservice’s excellence in the manufacture of wooden trolleys is backed by a personal, efficient and friendly service second to none. We are always busy researching the needs of the market and launch new ranges according to market demands. Whatever your needs you can be assured that Euroservice can cater for them and we look forward to your call.

Freephone: 0800 917 7943 www.euroservice-uk.com

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

sales@euroservice-uk.com

Freephone: 0800 917 7943 www.euroservice-uk.com sales@euroservice-uk.com

Manufactured in the UK

B351N

CHC01

CHC01CD

CHC08PC

CHM01L

CHM06

CELEBRATING 40 YEARS IN THE TROLLEY WORLD 10% discount with the code 40TC

CHM06L

Q6

Q6C

W2CD2

www.euroservice-uk.com

W2PAT

W2RT

Products and Services Hoshizaki Launches Mobile, Herald Adds More To The Mix 42

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Issue 47

Self-Serve ‘Beer Station’

FOOD SERVICES SUPPLIER INTRODUCES DISPOSABLE SOUP CUPS, CHICKEN BOXES AND SMOOTHIE CUPS Quality disposables manufacturer and supplier, Herald has launched three new packaging products to meet increased demand from the catering and food to go sectors as the market for take outs increases.

to connect directly to a standard keg kept at room temperature, so even businesses with limited facilities are able to add freshly poured, chilled pints to their menus. Lockable casters make the Beer Station easy to move and secure once it is in position.

Hoshizaki, the world’s leading refrigeration and ice machine manufacturer, is delighted to announce the launch of a mobile, self-serve ‘Beer Station’ which has been developed in conjunction with Victor Manufacturing. The innovative ‘Beer Station’ incorporates Hoshizaki’s new automatic beer dispenser - the BeerMatic Dual Tap DBF-AS65WE – which automatically pours the perfect pint at the push of a button, after payment has been made through an inbuilt system. The unit also includes storage space for a beer keg, CO cylinder and glasses, all in one secure, self-contained mobile unit.

Constructed from durable 430 grade stainless steel, the powder coated Beer Station is clad with inset stainless steel panels which can have either a vinyl wrap on the outer face or a magnetic wrap which will allow for the branding or theme to be changed periodically.

Lockable hinged doors allow access for servicing of the BeerMatic Dual Tap at the rear of the unit, and for changing empty beer kegs at the lower front of the ‘Beer Station’. As the BeerMatic Dual Tap beer dispenser has an internal chilling system you simply have

As Simon Frost, Director UK & Ireland, Hoshizaki UK explains: “We have already received significant interest in the mobile, self-serve ‘Beer Station’ from a wide variety of operators including professional sports clubs and leisure venues who recognise the convenience and staff cost savings this innovative solution offers.

“The ‘Beer Station’ can incorporate a variety of payment systems including Contactless, ApplePay or Credit Cards and couldn’t be easier for customers to use – they simply pay for their drink, place their glass in the holder and press a button. Then a perfectly poured pint or half pint is ready in just 15 seconds.”

Reflecting on the project to develop the Beer Station with Hoshizaki, Steven McGarvie, UK Sales & Marketing Director, Victor Manufacturing said: “Our industry has had to adapt to changes over the past year. One of the positive things I have seen develop is the unity and willingness of likeminded manufactures to work together on projects where both companies strengths can be fully utilised. With a little team work, we quickly realised that wonderful things can be achieved through collaboration, as is the case with our partnership with Hoshizaki on the Beer Station concept.”

For more information on the Beer Station or the BeerMatic Dual Tap, please see www.hoshizaki-europe.com or call 01322 616 900.

Simpleas Mince: The UK’s First Retail Meat Substitute Made From 100% Peas also responded positively to the single ingredient labelling (100% peas) and the long shelf-life - a bonus for consumers in these times of retail stock uncertainty. Simpleas Mince has a RRP of £3.99 for a 150g pack. It is also available in bulk direct from Novo Farina Ltd. Please email Vicki.Myhill@novofarina.com for more information and pricing.

At a time of growing consumer demand for nonsoya, sustainable meat substitutes, Norfolk company Novo Farina Ltd is launching Simpleas Mince, the UK’s first retail meat substitute made entirely from peas.

The product ticks all the “good” boxes: vegan, glutenfree, high in fibre, high in protein, non-GMO, soy-free.

In trials, consumers have been excited by the great texture and endless recipe possibilities: Simpleas Mince can be used in family meal favourites including Bolognese sauce, chilli, lasagne and cottage pie. They

Dr Chris Harrison, Managing Director, commented “Our mission is to elevate the humble pea to help consumers enjoy delicious meat-free foods as part of a healthy diet. Peas are widely used by the food industry as a key protein source but as an additive rather than the star of the show. We are working hard to change that!”

A predicted 1 million people are planning to take part in Veganuary 2021 and 20% of consumers are reported to be choosing a flexitarian diet as part of a healthy lifestyle and are increasingly looking for UK-produced, sustainable products that can be easily incorporated into their current eating habits. Simpleas Mince is perfectly positioned to be just such a product. www.simpleasplantbased.co.uk

Jestic Launches New High Output Soft Ice Cream Machine Jestic Foodservice Solutions has extended its popular range of Malibu soft ice cream machines with the launch of a new easy to use, high performance model, the Icetro CT 211, which is capable of producing 20 consecutive cones and an output of 27kg of luxurious soft ice cream an hour.

At just 380mm wide, the new Malibu - Icetro CT 211 with rear ventilation is a high output soft ice cream machine that can pack a serious punch in a compact space. A direct drive motor ensures quiet operation whilst the built in self pasteurising function reduces the need for cleaning and so saves on labour costs.

The generous 12.5 litre mix hopper saves time as

less refills are required and an agitator circulates the ice cream mix maintaining an even temperature and improved product consistency. An easy to use control system can be accessed on the front facing LCD panel, whilst features including standby mode, low level mix alert will keep you in control.

As Steve Morris, Sales Director at Jestic explains: “Malibu - Icetro soft ice cream machines have been a popular choice with a wide variety of foodservice and retail businesses for over 35 years. The new Icetro CT 211 is an ideal choice for high volume sites including leisure venues, take-away outlets, coffee shops or ice cream vans looking to maximise soft ice cream sales as it offers generous profit margins and is incredibly easy to use, easy to clean and to maintain.”

Purchasing an Malibu - Icetro soft serve ice cream machine also comes with the benefit of a comprehensive two year warranty on all major parts and the support of Jestic’s experienced team every step of the way – from delivery, set up, through to product training.

For further information visit www.jestic.co.uk

is expecting sales to increase going into 2021.

Other new products include a wider selection of single, double and triple wall cups and a choice of eco sip lids made from CPLA, a renewable material created from plants. These lids complement Herald’s 8 oz, 12 oz and 16 oz hot paper cups, which have long been a market favourite based on quality and price.

For further information on Herald and its products, log on to www.heraldplastic.com or call 0208 507 7900 to order a copy of the new catalogue.

The products consist of 8 oz, 12 oz and 16 oz kraft and white, lined, paper soup cups with lids; small, medium and large paper, recyclable chicken boxes; and 8 oz, 10 oz, 12 oz, 16 oz and 20 oz PET smoothie cups with flat, domed or domed with hole for a straw lids.

Competitively priced, all three lines have already earned themselves a loyal customer base and Herald

The Infusion Solution Hospitality and catering companies looking to provide the most cost-effective service for tea and other infusions can try out the double-patented TEAPY T-4-1 free. Check out TEAPY Ltd’s claims of at least 40% reduction in labour cost and 70% reduction in storage space by obtaining a free trial set from with guidance on how to compare with your existing service(s) for tagged or untagged bags or loose leaf tea, fruit, herbal or other infusions.

tional teapot but with better, visible brew control, then flips and “docks” snugly to the mug as a disposal “tidy”.

A complete TEAPY T-4-1 tea service with TEAPY, mug, teaspoon, milk jug and optional loose leaf infuser can be carried in one hand, or with more sets on a single tray, more safely, than any comparable service. Operators can build their own sets, by matching their own mugs and spoons to the right TEAPY.

With over 3 years proven performance and success in four industry awards, many have called it the biggest invention, or rather two inventions, since the tea bag.

It can also be used with hot chocolate (try mini-marshmallows served in the jug), mulled wine and coffee bags, for example from Taylor’s of York, in fact TEAPY T-4-1 is so good they patented it twice!

The TEAPY mug lid keeps the infusion hot, providing the brewing conditions of a conven-

Proper By SCT

Proper By SCT is now it its 3rd year supplying the trade/wholesale sectors for shop, camp site, touring sites, bar, hotels, butchers, farm shop and everything else in between.

We now tick more boxes than anyone else in our field.

Proper Pork Crackling: ALLERGEN FREE & KETO Delectable Nuts, Peanuts: VEGAN, GLUTEN FREE & KETO Delectable Nuts, Cashews: VEGAN & GLUTEN FREE

JURA - Speciality Coffee

Visit www,teapy.co.uk or see the advert on page 17.

Fabulous Fudge: GLUTEN FREE We not only supply are products pre packed but loose with a free 3L display jar, supplied in a large clip seal bucket for the perfectly free taste every time. which give you an even greater margin.

All orders received before 2pm each day are sent out with FEDEX for next day delivery anywhere in the UK with European deliveries on a 3 day service.

Our Proper Pork Crackling has a 6 months BB, Fabulous Fudge 6 Months and our Delectable Nuts 12 months.

Our full range is available to see on our retail website so please call 01202875280 or email trade@sct-sct.com for a trade price list.

The GIGA X3c / X3 G2 allows JURA to impressively demonstrate Swiss innovation For lovers of speciality coffee, the updated WE8 auto- and professionalism matic coffee machine is now even more perfect. The down to the very last WE8 now prepares twelve different specialities at the detail. Anywhere where touch of a button. It now offers macchiato, espresso a capacity of up to 150 doppio, special coffees and hot water for green tea at cups is the order of the touch of a button. The new fine foam frother is business, the machine made from the highest impresses users with its quality materials and has a quality, functionality and stunning look and feel. reliability. Coupled with Specially designed for the top performance in every respect, this results in a high preparation of speciality tech automatic coffee machine that is ideally tailored to coffees with milk foam, it the requirements of hotel breakfasts, restaurants, bars makes cappuccino and and seminar / conference venues. Recommended maxiother beverages with the mum daily output 150 cups per day. very best fine textured Photos WE8 in chrome, GIGA X3 in aluminium. foam every time.

Recommended maximum Visit uk.jura.com or email sales.uk@jura.com for furdaily output 40 cups per ther information.. day.

Property and Professional

Issue 47

CLH Digital

43

Seek Professional Guidance When Drafting Heads of Terms

By Karen Mason, a highly experienced commercial property lawyer and co-founder of Newmanor Law (www.newmanor.com) a specialist real estate law firm.

With businesses set to return to workplaces in the coming months, many occupiers will be looking to renegotiate lease terms or agree new leases to redefine their situation, with remote working forming part of the working week.

Whilst space utilisation may lead some to downsize, others may be looking to acquire bigger offices to space their people apart or split the workforce across different locations.

Ultimately, this will mean new arrangements, requiring Heads of Terms to tie down what is being agreed, with the need to secure a good longterm deal critical for businesses in the post-pandemic era.

Providing a written record of the main terms of a deal, Heads of Terms have traditionally been resolved before involving solicitors, which can cause delays later on. Heads of Terms should provide the framework for the deal and determine how it should be executed.

EARLY ADVICE WILL SAVE PROBLEMS LATER When Heads of Terms are drafted without advice from an experienced real estate lawyer, lack of detail may result in a long list of questions to answer before a deal is agreed. This, unfortunately, can lead to significant time wasted during negotiations.

Heads of Terms usually include points such as the price of the deal, identities of the parties involved, purpose of the contract, terms of the contract/transition, confidentiality agreements and any protection for the

parties should the transaction be cancelled.

Vitally, these Heads of Terms must be drafted in a way that is not legally binding, as the detailed provisions will be included in the contract documentation.

The phrase ‘subject to contract’ will help ensure this is the case, but usually, the actions of the parties after the Heads of Terms are drawn up, will have as much impact on whether they are legally binding than the words themselves.

If, for example, the parties start to deliver the obligations set out in the Heads of Terms before a legally binding contract has been finalised, then the very act of doing so may be taken as an indication that these obligations are accepted as being legally binding.

For a lease agreement, these provisions might include: • Details of the property itself, the address, whether it’s freehold or leasehold and whether the transaction deals with lease of the whole or part of the property.

• The details of any professional advisers working for the parties, such as solicitors, accountants, agents etc.

• The parties involved in the transaction, including any guarantor required, with names, contact details and whether the property is being let to a limited company or an individual.

• The length of any proposed lease term.

• The level of any security of tenure being proposed, particularly whether any lease will be covered by the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954.

• Whether any lease will include a Break Clause and, if so, whether there will be conditions to trigger it.

• If rent is being paid, the Heads of Terms will itemise the amount, the frequency and method of payment.

• The frequency of any rent reviews, and the method of review.

• The length of any rent- free period while the tenant is fitting out the property prior to formal occupation, • The amount (if any) of any other incentives to take the lease • Whether a rent deposit is payable and if so, how much and when it will be reimbursed.

• Who is responsible for paying building insurance and if it is included as part of the rent.

• What purpose the property can be used for and whether the tenant can change that use in future.

• Whether the tenant is allowed to sublet the property or assign the lease to a third-party.

• Whether each party is responsible for their own costs, or if one has agreed to meet the costs of all parties.

• Whether the tenant is permitted to carry out alterations.

• A timescale detailing how long the transaction is expected to take.

• Adding a target completion date may also help to stop further negotiations becoming protracted.

NOT BINDING BUT AN INVALUABLE GUIDE Once agreed, the Heads of Terms will act as a guide and benchmark for progress measurement. As details of the negotiation emerge, they can be changed accordingly, but these should be reflected in the documentation itself.

Heads of Terms will become increasingly important in commercial property deals, as they provide the framework for efficient and successful deal execution.

It is important to understand the benefits of engaging specialist legal advisers at the outset, who recognise Heads of Terms should be all about preparing for efficient deal execution and success.

Weekly Figures Analysis & Reporting Service from David Hunter

David Hunter has been in the business for over 30 years, and with his vast amount of experience has become an expert in ensuring that businesses reach their full financial potential.

For years he’s provided a bespoke Mentoring & Consultancy service to a select few, and he has always provided with that, free-of-charge weekly figures analysis and reporting … yes, weekly.

David has now come up with a way of making his amazing Mentoring & Consultancy service more accessible to the wider market, and for a lower monthly fee.

Instead of being charged for monthly consultancy, you can now access David’s knowledge and expertise via his already-established and very well-used weekly figures reporting system. He will send you weekly reports on how your business is doing and will throw

in FOR NO EXTRA CHARGE AT ALL, four half-day on site Mentoring & Consultancy visits per year (or two full days, depending on location). He will also always be at the end of a phone for you, or email, if you needed him, and he also has access to legal experts as well as a ‘’tried and trusted’’ Bowden Group Alliance colleague who can advise you … again FREE OF CHARGE … on how to save money on your utility bills.

If you have a Pub, Restaurant or Hotel business which is facing financial or operational challenges … why not let David have a look, and help you maximise your full potential. There is no cost to David having a look at your figures, and letting you know what COULD be achieved.

Call David Hunter confidentially on 07831 407984 or on 01628 487613.

Meet Tia, from Waitress to Care Team Leader in Just 6 months!

I joined Care UK four years ago after looking for a change from my waitressing job. I started as a Care Assistant and was new to care. I was provided with numerous training courses before I even started working on the floor, which helped me to gain an understanding of what working in care involved and the high standards expected. I felt confident in my role after my induction and really enjoyed spending time with the residents and the person centred approach Care UK have adapted.

I was promoted to Team leader six months after starting with Care UK. I was provided with all the training and guidance i required to climb up the career ladder and I am now a Unit Manager. I feel the opportunities for career progression within Care UK are head and shoulders above other care companies and the support from the management teams within the homes is invaluable.

The most enjoyable part of my role is adapting new person centred approaches to care, finding out what approach works best for individual residents allowing all residents to feel safe and comfortable within our home.

Working in care certainly has its challenges; we build strong bonds with our residents and relatives which revolve around trust and when they are no longer with us, it can often be a difficult time for us too. I feel well supported in my role and the whole home approach brings the team together during difficult times.

Tia’s story is just one of hundreds of examples of people who have found their calling in care over the last few months.

Search our vacancies and find out more about Care UK at careers.careuk.com or email rcs.recruitment@careuk.com

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