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Saturday 31st October 2020
Second lockdown means hospitality needs a lifeline to survive the winter
Second lockdown means hospitality needs a lifeline to survive the winter: The hospitality sector needs a lifeline to survive the winter, a trade body has argued after PM Boris Johnson announced a second national lockdown will start on Thursda … view
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Friday 30th October 2020
Friday Opinion
Subjects: Private contempt and public dissent, what you need to know about the Job Support Scheme, your business can make a difference to the future of the planet, supporting charities when they need it most
Authors: Paul Cha … view
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Friday 30th October 2020
Update: Sector sales drop, Tasty, Shake Shack, Starbucks
UK hospitality sector sales fall by 48% in Third Quarter: The UK’s hospitality sector saw sales plummet by 48% in the third quarter of 2020, the latest Quarterly Tracker from UKHospitality and CGA reveals. It equates to a shortfall of … view
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Friday 30th October 2020
Propel Friday News Briefing
Fuller’s chief executive Simon Emeny writes to PM calling for a review on sector restrictions: Simon Emeny, chief executive of Fuller’s, has written a letter to the prime minister Boris Johnson urging him to review restrictions, inclu … view
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Thursday 29th October 2020
PizzaExpress to cut 1,300 more jobs as it re-shapes teams
PizzaExpress to cut 1,300 more jobs as it re-shapes teams: PizzaExpress has announced a reduction in the size of its UK restaurant teams, which could affect 1,300 roles, as it “adapts to current market conditions” and prepares for 2021 and … view
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Thursday 29th October 2020
Update: JW Lees, Grosvenor, 10pm curfew, Escape Hunt
JW Lees boss William Lees-Jones – ‘businesses are being thrown on the scrapheap’: JW Lees boss William Lees-Jones has told The Daily Mail businesses are being ‘thrown on the scrapheap’ by various trade-restricting measures – a … view
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Thursday 29th October 2020
Propel Thursday News Briefing
UKHospitality demands sector support during ‘debilitating’ firebreak period: UKHospitality Cymru has demanded support for hospitality venues from the Welsh parliament and reiterated the scale of the crisis it faces. The trade body has … view
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Wednesday 28th October 2020
YO! to expand partnership with Co-op to 160 stores nationwide
YO! to expand partnership with Co-op to 160 stores nationwide: YO!, the Richard Hodgson-led global multi-brand, multi-channel Japanese food group, is to expand its partnership with retailer Co-op to supply YO! To Go products in 160 of its … view
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Wednesday 28th October 2020
Propel Wednesday News Briefing
Imbiba – there are once-in-a-generation opportunities out there: Sector investor Imbiba, the backer of Farmer J, Vagabond, Temper and hotel brand House of Gods, has argued that the current covid crisis also presents once-in-a-lifetime o … view
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Tuesday 27th October 2020
Update: Revolution CVA, Whitbread buys German sites, lunch loophole
Revolution launches CVA to exit six sites, sales in last five weeks reduced to 49.5% of last year because of 10pm curfew: Revolution Bars Group, the operator of 73 premium bars trading across the UK under the Revolution and Revolucion de … view
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Tuesday 27th October 2020
Propel Tuesday News Briefing
Trade bodies offer Scottish government workable solution ahead of decisive hospitality debate: Trade bodies in Scotland have written to the first minister and MSPs to propose a workable Strategic Framework ahead of a debate on Tuesday (27 … view
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Monday 26th October 2020
Exclusive – Iberica undergoes CVA as rent levels take toll on business
Exclusive – Iberica undergoes CVA as rent levels take toll on business: Spanish restaurant group Iberica has undergone a company voluntary arrangement (CVA) with rent levels taking their toll on the business, Propel has learned. The pro … view
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Monday 26th October 2020
Propel Monday News Briefing
UKHospitality survey shows low level of transmission in hospitality sector: A survey by UKHospitality of its members has shown there is low level of transmission of covid-19 in the hospitality sector. The survey, which covered 568 busines … view
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Saturday 24th October 2020
New findings ‘proof positive’ sector not a significant factor in the spread of the virus
New findings ‘proof positive’ sector not a significant factor in the spread of the virus: A survey of 568 sector businesses, covering 12,500 venues and 250 million customer visits by UKHospitality, found they had been informed of only … view
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Friday 23rd October 2020
Friday Opinion
Subjects: Sunnier in the suburbs, ideas welcome on a desperate situation, smart staffing is key to Christmas trading
Authors: Glynn Davis, Ann Elliott, Conor Shaw
 

Sunnier in the suburbs By Glynn Davi … view

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Friday 23rd October 2020
Propel Friday News Briefing
London operators warn enhanced support package not enough to prevent ‘slow death of sector’: Operators in London have warned the enhanced support package for businesses will not be enough to prevent the “slow death of the sector” … view
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Thursday 22nd October 2020
Trade bodies begin legal action against Scottish government over sector restrictions
Trade bodies begin legal action against Scottish government over sector restrictions: Five of Scotland’s hospitality industry bodies have begun legal action against restrictions imposed on the sector by the Scottish government. The Scottish … view
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Thursday 22nd October 2020
Chancellor announces further business support that ‘just saved hundreds of thousands of sector jobs’
Chancellor announces further business support that ‘just saved hundreds of thousands of sector jobs’: Chancellor Rishi Sunak has announced further support for businesses in tier two and enhanced the Job Support Scheme – a move that UKHos … view
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Thursday 22nd October 2020
Update: More support, customer ID, Langan’s Brasserie and Chipotle
More support for the sector planned by Sunak: Rishi Sunak is poised to announce extra help for pubs and restaurants struggling to survive in areas under Tier two coronavirus restrictions, The Daily Telegraph has reported. The newspaper st … view
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Thursday 22nd October 2020
Propel Thursday News Briefing
‘Vaccination will not be the immediate route out of this for late-night operators’: Kate Nicholls, chief executive of UKHospitality, has said the government should be looking at other technological advances aside from a vaccine to hel … view
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Wednesday 21st October 2020
Sector sales plummet in high alert areas, Treasury hints at support for tier two businesses
Sector sales plummet in high alert areas: Pubs, bars and restaurants in areas that are in the upper tiers of the government’s new covid alert system have suffered an immediate drop in sales, CGA’s latest data has showed. Businesses in … view
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Wednesday 21st October 2020
Propel Wednesday News Briefing
Jeremy King – business meetings ‘loophole’ gives sector a ‘glimmer of hope’, Delauney reopens to prevent more than 100 redundancies: Jeremy King, co-founder of London restaurant operator Corbin & King, has said the business meet … view
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Tuesday 20th October 2020
Update: Shiva, working lunches, Ireland, Britvic and Escape Hunt
Shiva to open two boutique hotels in central London this month: Shiva Hotels will unveil its new purpose-built boutique hotel and restaurant – The Guardsman – in Buckingham Gate on Friday (23 October) and Covent Garden “lifestyle lu … view
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Tuesday 20th October 2020
Propel Tuesday News Briefing
Hundreds of hospitality workers protest outside parliament as London operators warn they ‘won’t survive winter’ under tier two restrictions: Hundreds of hospitality workers protested outside parliament as operators warned they “wi … view
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Monday 19th October 2020
Abokado sold in pre-pack administration, entire workforce made redundant
Abokado sold in pre-pack administration, entire workforce made redundant: London-based healthy eating chain Abokado has been sold in a pre-pack administration but its entire workforce has been made redundant. Benjamin Wiles and Geoffrey Bouchi … view
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Monday 19th October 2020
Propel Monday News Briefing
Arts bailout fund accused of prioritising major venues as smaller players face closure: Sector bosses have questioned the way grants under the Cultural Recovery Funding (CRF) are determined after some of London’s most prominent independ … view
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Sunday 18th October 2020
More than 750,000 sector jobs lost without urgent government support, trade bodies warn
More than 750,000 sector jobs lost without urgent government support, trade bodies warn: More than 750,000 hospitality jobs will be lost without urgent government support, sector trade bodies have warned. It comes as UKHospitality, the Br … view
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Friday 16th October 2020
Pret set to make 400 more redundancies, Lancashire moves to tier three restrictions
Pret set to make 400 more redundancies and close six further London stores: Pret A Manger is set to make 400 more staff redundant and close six further London stores as the company continues to deal with the impact of coronavirus. It come … view
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Friday 16th October 2020
Friday Opinion
Subjects: More support needed to survive tiers torture, the shifting of tectonic plates, a decade of change in six months, smoothing the path of technology
Authors: Kate Nicholls, Paul Chase, Glynn Davis, Katy Moses
view
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Friday 16th October 2020
200,000 hospitality workers to lose their jobs this weekend amid new London restrictions
200,000 hospitality workers to lose their jobs this weekend amid new London restrictions: London restaurateurs have said they will “struggle to survive” without additional financial support as they see a surge in cancelled bookings amid ne … view
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Friday 16th October 2020
Update: JD Wetherspoon and Loungers trading, Star Pubs & Bars introduces 'tiered' rent concessions
JD Wetherspoon reports like-for-likes down 15% in most recent 11 weeks as Tim Martin warns table service is ‘turning pubs into restaurants’: JD Wetherspoon has reported like-for-likes sales in the in first 11 weeks of the new fin … view
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Friday 16th October 2020
Propel Friday News Briefing
Pub company leaders demand financial support in tier two areas from government: Pub company leaders from Greene King, Fuller’s, Mitchells & Butlers, Stonegate and Young’s have penned an open letter to chancellor Rishi Sunak demanding … view
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Friday 16th October 2020
Pub bosses demand financial support in tier two areas, sector sees sales set-back in September
Pub company leaders demand financial support in tier two areas from government: Pub company leaders from Greene King, Fuller’s, Mitchells & Butlers, Stonegate and Young’s have penned an open letter to chancellor Rishi Sunak demanding … view
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Thursday 15th October 2020
Hospitality bosses warn move to tier two in London will be ‘catastrophic’ for sector
Hospitality bosses warn move to tier two in London will be ‘catastrophic’ for sector: Hospitality bosses in London have said the decision to move the capital to tier two coronavirus restrictions is “catastrophic” for the industry and w … view
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Thursday 15th October 2020
Update: Marston’s, Fulham Shore and Domino’s trading, Star Pubs & Bars gets £2m PCA fine
Marston’s reports like-for-likes at 90% of last year since reopening, additional restrictions see 2,150 pub staff facing redundancy: Marston’s has reported like-for-like sales since reopening are at 90% of last year’s levels since r … view
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Thursday 15th October 2020
Propel Thursday News Briefing
Peter Marks – no nightclub business will survive unless there’s outside financial support: Peter Marks, chief executive of The Deltic Group, has told Propel no nightclub business will survive unless outside financial support “is rec … view
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Wednesday 14th October 2020
Legal Briefing
Restrictions and their unintended consequences by Michelle Hazlewood

We can all appreciate the government is tasked with a complex job in deciding the best course of action regarding the rate of infection. During … view
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Wednesday 14th October 2020
Boparan acquires Gourmet Burger Kitchen, Deltic seeks investment, Northern Ireland lock-down
Boparan acquires Gourmet Burger Kitchen, 26 sites to close: Boparan Restaurant Group (BRG), which earlier this year acquired Carluccio’s out of administration, has acquired the bulk of the Gourmet Burger Kitchen (GBK) business through a … view
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Wednesday 14th October 2020
Update: More sector restrictions and ‘circuit breaker’ possible, Comptoir and Just Eat trading
Government warns further restrictions could be placed on hospitality industry as MPs attack 10pm curfew: Health secretary Matt Hancock has warned further restrictions could be placed on the hospitality sector as MPs went on the attack ove … view
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Wednesday 14th October 2020
Propel Wednesday News Briefing
Whiting & Hammond in administration, three sites rescued: Whiting & Hammond, the gastro-pub operator led by Brian Whiting, has been placed into administration following the impact of covid-19, Propel has learned. Whiting has acquired thre … view
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Tuesday 13th October 2020
Opinion Special: Tiers of a clown

Tiers of a clown by Mark Wingett

“I’m almost glad I don’t have any businesses left because I don’t know how I would deal with what’s going on – all the uncertainty and confusion, the total lack of common sense and strategy. T … view
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Tuesday 13th October 2020
Update: Côte, M&B, sector leaders pause legal lock-down challenge
Côte acquired out of administration for £55m, new report reveals: Côte, the French brasserie chain, was acquired by global private markets investment manager Partners Group in a pre-pack administration for £55m, a new report has revea … view
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Tuesday 13th October 2020
Propel Tuesday News Briefing
Huge swathes of sector ‘face falling by wayside’ under new covid alert system: Huge swathes of the sector face “falling by the wayside” because they will have the “worst of both worlds” under the new covid alert system, sector … view
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Monday 12th October 2020
Government announces new three-tier alert system, wet-led pubs and bars in Liverpool to shut
Government announces new three-tier alert system, wet-led pubs and bars in Liverpool to shut: Prime minister Boris Johnson has announced a new three-tier alert system for England that will see wet-led pubs and bars shut in Liverpool but restau … view
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Monday 12th October 2020
Update: Legal lock-down challenge, satisfaction safety with sector remains high, PizzaExpress
Sector leaders prepare to mount legal challenge against lock-down restrictions in England: Sector leaders are preparing to mount a legal challenge to the government’s lock-down restrictions, which they say have decimated the hospitality … view
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Monday 12th October 2020
Propel Monday News Briefing
Mitchells & Butlers – average order value for delivery up more than 10%: Mitchells & Butlers (M&B) has seen the average order value through its delivery business increase by more than 10% since the impact of covid-19 on the business. Sp … view
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Friday 9th October 2020
Government to subsidise two thirds of wages for workers affected by local lock-downs
Government to subsidise two thirds of wages for workers affected by local lock-downs, grants of up to £3,000 for businesses: The government will subsidise two thirds of the wages of workers in pubs, restaurants and other businesses that … view
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Friday 9th October 2020
Friday Opinion
Subjects: Seeking a roadmap out of the disruption, support must be long term and flexible, extra restrictions kill the swift pint option, eating and drinking out is safe
Authors: Gareth Ogden, James Low, Glynn Davis, Ann Elli … view
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Friday 9th October 2020
Update: Sunak support, Marston’s and Carlsberg JV, Koh Thai
The Times – Sunak support scheme to be unveiled today: The Times has reported that Rishi Sunak will announce a local furlough scheme today in which the government will subsidise two thirds of the wages of workers in pubs, restaurants an … view
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Friday 9th October 2020
Propel Friday News Briefing
Propel Multi Club digital live webinar looking at ‘navigating the new normal’ opens for bookings, two free places for operators: The next Propel Multi Club Conference will take place on Thursday, 5 November and will take the form of a … view
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Thursday 8th October 2020
McDonald’s reports global like-for-likes down 2.2% in third quarter
McDonald’s reports global like-for-likes down 2.2% in third quarter, US returns to growth but UK still in decline: McDonald’s has reported global like-for-like sales fell 2.2% in its third quarter to 30 September 2020 as the business conti … view
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Thursday 8th October 2020
Update: Hospitality set for shut-down in north, late-night levy row, Shepherd Neame and Hawthorn
Pubs and restaurants in north of England set to close from Monday: Pubs and restaurants in the north of England are set to be closed from Monday (12 October) as part of tougher lock-down restrictions as covid numbers soar. Prime minister … view
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Thursday 8th October 2020
Propel Thursday News Briefing
Expect mass redundancies in UK while jobs will be saved in Europe says Beds and Bars’ Murray Roberts: Murray Roberts, managing director of pan-European hostel and bar operator Beds and Bars, has told Propel the UK faces mass redundancie … view
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Wednesday 7th October 2020
Scottish hospitality subject to 6pm indoor curfew and banned from selling alcohol inside from Friday in ‘catastrophic’ move for sector
Scottish hospitality subject to 6pm indoor curfew and banned from selling alcohol inside from Friday in ‘catastrophic’ move for sector: Pubs, restaurants and cafes in Scotland will have to close indoors at 6pm from Friday (9 October) … view
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Wednesday 7th October 2020
Greene King urges government to provide tailored sector support as it announces pub closures and job cuts
Greene King urges government to provide tailored sector support as it announces pub closures and job cuts: Brewer and retailer Greene King has urged the government to step in and provide tailored support to the sector as it prepares to close d … view
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Wednesday 7th October 2020
Scrimgeour to step down as Cote CEO
Scrimgeour to step down as Cote CEO: Alex Scrimgeour is to step down as chief executive of Cote, the circa 95-strong French brasserie chain, after 12 years of leading the business, Propel has learned. Jane Holbrook, who recently joined th … view
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Wednesday 7th October 2020
Propel Wednesday News Briefing
Emma Woods – Wagamama has benefited from staying close to its customers during lock-down: Emma Woods, chief executive of Wagamama, has told Propel the business has benefited from staying close to its customers during lock-down. The busi … view
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Tuesday 6th October 2020
Sector will see ‘far higher’ than 500,000 jobs lost by end of year, UKHospitality boss warns MPs
Sector will see ‘far higher’ than 500,000 jobs lost by end of year, UKHospitality boss warns MPs: Pubs, bars and restaurants will see “far higher” than half a million job losses by the end 2020, UKHospitality chief executive Kate Nicho … view
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Tuesday 6th October 2020
The Restaurant Group reports ‘very encouraging’ trading amid 30% drop in casual dining capacity
The Restaurant Group reports ‘very encouraging’ trading amid 30% drop in casual dining capacity: The Restaurant Group has reported ‘very encouraging’ trading since re-opening amid an estimated 30% reduction in capacity among multi … view
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Tuesday 6th October 2020
Propel Tuesday News Briefing
Sales continue to decline following 10pm curfew, nine in ten businesses warn of redundancies: Sales have continued to decline following the 10pm curfew with like-for-likes down 21.2% compared with the week before it was introduced, accord … view
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Monday 5th October 2020
Legal challenge to 10pm curfew is mounted
Legal challenge to 10pm curfew is mounted: Barristers from Kings Chambers have been instructed by Jeremy Joseph, owner of GAY, to challenge the 10pm curfew. The pre-action protocol for judicial review has been served to challenge the gove … view
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Monday 5th October 2020
Propel Monday News Briefing
Comprehensive package of support needed immediately to avoid ‘catastrophic failure’ of hospitality sector: The government must deliver far more wide-reaching support, tailored specifically to hospitality businesses to avoid a “catas … view
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Friday 2nd October 2020
Friday Opinion
Subjects: Stirrings in the shire, seeking a leaner model, diminishing probability of serendipity, fill your tank with data
Authors: Paul Chase, Graeme Smith, Glynn Davis, Al Henderson
 

Stirrings in th … view

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Friday 2nd October 2020
Propel Friday News Briefing
Greene King permanently closes half of its Loch Fyne estate, announces transatlantic slavery awareness partnership: Brewer and retailer Greene King has permanently closed 11 of its 21 Loch Fyne restaurants, Propel has learned. Greene King … view
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Thursday 1st October 2020
Update: Fuller’s job losses, EOTHO and 100,000 free drinks
Fuller’s considers 500 job losses: Fuller’s has revealed at least 10% of its circa 5,000 staff are facing redundancy. Chief executive Simon Emeny said the government’s decision to encourage people to work from home where possible wi … view
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Thursday 1st October 2020
Propel Thursday News Briefing
City Pub Group will make 25% of workforce redundant without further industry support as chairman warns of sector jobs ‘bloodbath’: City Pub Group executive chairman Clive Watson has told Propel the business will have to make 25% of it … view
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