Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

UK inflation decline prompts interest rate uncertainty

Published: 18 April, 2024

UK inflation slowed less than expected last month, despite the rate of price increases falling below that of the US for the first time in two years.

Hospitality leaders hold on to optimism as inflation slows

Published: 20 September, 2023

Confidence is rising slightly among hospitality owners, new data suggest, despite inflation slowing at a ‘glacial’ pace and economic pressures in the offing, which could potentially leave the sector with a ‘billion-pound bill’.

Vacancies fall while prices rise for hospitality

Published: 16 August, 2023

The rate of overall UK inflation experienced a sharp fall to 6.8% in July – the same month which marked the fourth consecutive reduction in vacancies for hospitality. However, the sector is still facing numerous challenges.

Inflation puts the boot in World Cup boost

Published: 15 December, 2022

The UK hospitality trade rode a wave of World Cup fever in November, when sales were above a still somewhat Covid-dampened environment at the end of 2021. However, with inflation biting hard and more disruption on the way over Christmas 2023, operators could be set for a challenging end-of-year run.

Consumers and on-trade at a stand-off over costs

Published: 22 August, 2022

As inflation takes hold of consumers and businesses alike, the hospitality industry remains in a deadlock, with businesses planning for more challenging times ahead.

Hospitality business leaders react to staffing crisis

Published: 17 August, 2022

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

Calls for action on business rates as inflation reaches 40-year high

Published: 20 July, 2022

Mounting pressure is being placed on the government to ease the ‘financial fragility’ of the hospitality sector during its upcoming review of business rates, as businesses continue to suffer rising supply chain costs and runaway inflation.

‘Critical’ staff shortages costs hospitality £21bn in trade

Published: 23 June, 2022

Staff shortages in the hospitality industry are reaching critical levels and causing nearly half (45%) of operators to cut trading hours or capacity in order to cope, a new survey has said.

'Chronic' staff crisis continues as vacancy gap widens

Published: 14 June, 2022

New figures have shown how the hospitality sector’s staffing crisis is worsening under growing stagnancy in the job market, as the gap between new job creation and people willing to enter the workforce is widening.

Latest labour market stats underline urgent need for hospitality recruitment

Published: 16 February, 2022

Using the latest ONS labour market statistics published today, UKHospitality has produced data showing that current vacancies in hospitality are more than 100% higher than the corresponding pre-Covid period.

Consumer caution hits Christmas drinks sales

Published: 20 January, 2022

On-trade drinks sales fell by a quarter in the run-up to Christmas as wary consumers avoided pubs, bars and restaurants ahead of socialising on the big day, as Andrew Catchpole reports.

Tough Christmas prompts new calls for extended relief for hospitality

Published: 04 January, 2022

New figures from UKHospitality show that pubs, bars and restaurants lost £10,335 on average in the week leading up to Christmas, due to fears over the new Covid-19 variant.

Hospitality sector experiencing 'unprecedented' rise in job vacancies

Published: 27 September, 2021

The UK's hospitality industry is facing an escalating staffing crisis, with a 69% increase in job listings, according to a recent report.

Hospitality sector remains in ‘fragile state’

Published: 15 September, 2021

Following the UK government's unveiling of its strategy for managing Covid-19 during the autumn and winter months, UK Hospitality (UKH) chief executive Kate Nicholls has issued a stark warning about the importance of allowing businesses to remain open.

Inflexible hospitality sector faces continued labour crisis, as job vacancies surge past one million

Published: 14 September, 2021

The UK’s hospitality industry must embrace more flexible working patterns if it intends to survive, a leading commentator has claimed.

Game on 2021: Hospitality needs to come out fighting fit

Published: 14 January, 2021

The new edition of Harpers, out today, will reach readers hot on the heels of a parliamentary debate on the need for the creation of a minister for hospitality role in UK government. Resulting from the success of the Seat at the Table petition launched by hotelier Robin Hutson, of The Pig group and (formerly) Hotel du Vin fame, the proposal gained “an overwhelmingly positive response from all corners”, as reported by Harpers.

Shopping boost for England falls short of 2019 figures

Published: 07 December, 2020

Lockdown fatigue has led to a boost in retail numbers as shoppers flocked back to the high street, though footfall has failed to deliver pre-pandemic levels.

Nicholls: 'ONS employment stats reinforce urgent need for targeted support’

Published: 10 November, 2020

UK Hospitality (UKH) has reiterated the need for additional support for the hospitality industry as ONS stats released today revealed that the UK unemployment rate has reached a four-year high.

Profile: John Timothy, The Portman Group

Published: 14 October, 2020

Health rose to the top of the agenda at the beginning of 2020 in a way we’ve never seen before. Jo Gilbert speaks to the face of alcohol responsibility in the UK about meeting this challenge

EOHO helps pull down inflation but sector still at risk of 'bloodbath'

Published: 16 September, 2020

The success of the government’s Eat Out to Help Out scheme in August helped push the UK inflation rate to a five-year low, according to data from the ONS.