A man has been jailed for 16 months for selling systems to pubs that allowed access to Sky Sports without a commercial viewing agreement. Pub and hospitality managers should take note. Michael Gearty, who pleaded guilty to Fraud and other offences in November, was sentenced to 16 months imprisonment by Luton Crown Court on 17th December 2013, whilst co-defendant Steven Ellis … [Read more...]
Jamaica Inn for sale
Jamaica Inn, near Bodmin, Cornwall, nestles in the centre of Bodmin Moor on the A30, is internationally known and was immortalised in Daphne du Maurier’s eponymous best-selling novel. It is now offered for sale by John and Wendy Watts, the owners for the last 40 years, who seek to retire. Cornwall’s most famous 17-bedroom smuggling inn is being sold along with its sister … [Read more...]
UK coffee shop trends for market now £6.2 billion – and growing
The total UK coffee shop market is estimated at 16,501 outlets and continues to show strong sales growth of 6.4% on last year with £6.2 billion total turnover. According to Allegra Strategies definitive report, Project Café13 UK, the branded coffee chain segment recorded £2.6 billion turnover across 5,531 outlets, delivering impressive sales growth of 9.3% and outlet growth of … [Read more...]
Wake-up call to food service industry: only 17% of allergy sufferers trust waiting staff
A wake-up call has been issued to the food service industry which is just starting to get to grips with the new regulations that, from December 2014, will require them to be able to tell any customer who asks about any of the major allergens in their food offer. Research undertaken by the Freefrom Eating Out Awards team at the Allergy and Gluten-free show in Liverpool in … [Read more...]
Christmas trading proves eventful for Whiting & Hammond
Whiting & Hammond reports that they began the festive trading period early by pushing some bookings into the back end of November, helping the month to end up 7% on last year. December Thanks to effective advance management, and despite a very strong performance in 2012, like for likes for the first three weeks were excellent: w/c 2 December up 8%, 9 December up 10%, and … [Read more...]