Thu 29th Oct 2015 - Paul adopts National Living Wage early Paul adopts National Living Wage early: In advance of the introduction of the mandatory National Living Wage next April, the 34-strong French bakery and café brand Paul has announced it will increase the starting hourly rate to £7.20 per hour as of 1 November. Team members can earn up to £8.90 per hour reaching £9.60 per hour for supervisors. Jean Michel Orieux, chief executive of Paul UK said: “We see the introduction of this increase as extremely positive and are pleased to be one of the first companies in the UK to adopt it. Anything that encourages people to take up a career in the hospitality industry can only be a good thing. By paying the April rate ahead of many other hospitality businesses, we are showing our commitment to our existing employees and are confident this will attract new people to the business.” Paul recently announced record financial results for the year ended 31 December 2014. Highlights included revenue up 13.7% on a like-for-like basis, and group turnover was £24.6m, up 3.6% on 2013’s figure of £23.8m. This year saw Paul open its second restaurant at Tower 42 in the City and four bakeries at London’s Three Quays and Marble Arch as well as in Birmingham and Newbury. The group plans to open a further seven bakeries over the next 12 months including a second site in Birmingham at New Street station in November. Greene King wins apprenticeship award: Greene King has been named Macro Employer of the Year at the East of England Apprenticeship Awards. The company was recognised for its business excellence in growing its own apprentice talent at the event, which was organised by the National Apprenticeship Service. It will now progress to the next stage of the competition to compete for the title of National Employer of the Year, which will be announced in January. Greene King chief executive Rooney Anand said: “It is a real accolade to be recognised by the National Apprenticeship Service for our commitment and development of apprentices. We know the importance of nurturing our people and supporting their career paths and our apprenticeship scheme helps us to do this. We are now looking forward to championing our home region in the finals.” Greene King, which manages 1,900 pubs, hotels and restaurants across the UK, recruited its 1,000th apprentice earlier this year as part of its pledge to recruit 2,000 apprentices in the year to March 2016. Since 2011, Greene King has helped support over 7,400 apprentices and offers bespoke qualifications that support a range of job roles tailored to each of its brands.