Since the first lockdown just over 12 months ago, we have seen a major shift in eating habits. The fast forward towards tech-based deliveries, for example, was welcomed and now firmly a part of our lifestyles, despite Deliveroo’s IPO being a disaster. Speaking from personal experience, I welcomed with open arms a well-earned break from home cooking and washing up.
Read MoreWhile the industry’s focus on the role of ‘purpose’ in place making is leading to fresh thinking in some quarters, there is a very human feature of places that is arguably more important, but often overlooked. It is a feature that, in a post-pandemic world in which we need to encourage people to return to our cities, may be more significant than ever.
Read MoreAs firms up and down the country are starting to count the days until they are finally able to reopen, businesses are also starting to count the true cost of the pandemic as they stare at a mountain of debt. While there is hope and elation, there is also a very bitter taste in the mouth as the unfairness of it all becomes increasingly apparent.
Read MoreWith an international property career spanning across the globe, and over 15 years’ experience in real estate, I’ve experienced first-hand how gender equality can impact the business environment in a positive way.
Read MoreThe light at the end of the tunnel is finally getting brighter for some in the hospitality sector. A roadmap is now in place, and while there may be some traffic delays, it is at least looking like the worst of the pandemic is in the rear-view mirror.
Read MoreOnce again, we are standing on a precipice. This time, however, the drop is even greater. While we wait to see what ‘data not dates’ really means, the re-opening roadmap is just one part of what the industry needs. Cash, clarity and confidence are what everyone is calling for, not soundbites, kite flying and misinformation.
Read MoreRight now, most businesses are understandably looking at how to simply get through the coming days, weeks, and months. However, despite being a New Year we are now into another lockdown, and it remains a period of time for both reflection and future-gazing; what have we learned from the past year that will have a meaningful impact not just in the months ahead, but in years to come?
Read More2021 will be a year of revolution not evolution, but we will see it unfold in two stages. With the new lockdown now in place until at least mid-February, the first part of the year will make 2020 look like a walk in the park – in January alone there is a triple whammy of potential pitfalls for businesses to watch out for.
Read MoreDespair and anger. Those words summarise what the majority of the hospitality sector is feeling right now. And it is understandable.
Read MoreThe longer the pandemic goes on, the greater the acceptance in the industry that life has to go on in some way. What is interesting, is the form that is taking. From our perspective, working for both landlords and operators, we are seeing a noticeable shift in the working relationship on both sides.
Read MoreWhen rateable values were last updated in 2017, the apple was the UK’s favourite fruit. It now barely features in the top 10 – a sign that a lot has changed in three years.
Read MoreWe are now at the start of a second lockdown, something very few will have foreseen back in March when Boris Johnson first told the nation to stay at home. The fight against Covid continues, and businesses have shut again.
Read MoreOn the face of it, the amendment to the Town & Country Town Planning Act, Use Classes 2020, is a very positive step by the government. A radical overhaul of an outdated system possibly.
It will group all forms of retail, business and service based premises in one category, seemingly making the system simpler and permitting movement between the use class without needing planning consent.
Read MoreEven before the devasting effects on businesses of the coronavirus, it is fair to say the restaurant and leisure sector had already experienced more than its share of problems over the past few years.
Businesses have had to face significant rental and rates rises, increases in the national living wage, and rising commodity prices due to the pound being devalued as we continue the wrangle over Brexit. As all of these occurred at the same time, returns in the sector were squeezed, leading to what has been referred to widely as the perfect storm. In many instances, the situation created unsustainable business models with failure being inevitable without drastic action being taken. Enter stage left, the CVA.
Read MoreThe reopening of the F&B sector was epitomised by scenes of overcrowded pub and bars. Not unsurprisingly, however, the picture was a little different for restaurants. Far fewer reported a bumper re-opening, with customers having mixed experiences due mainly to the need to be compliant with Covid-19 related regulations.
Read MoreTed Schama, Managing Director of Shelley Sandzer
I have mentioned before that we are very much in the eye of the storm and the biggest challenges still ahead of us are the opening and sustainability phases of the recovery.
Yet as operators plan their re-openings, there seems to be a raft of regional, national and international contradictions…
Read MoreThe proposals from Jonathan Downey and his #timeoutuk campaign are a very positive step that could work for all sides over a period. The upside for the owners and investors being occupied space and basic running costs covered through service charge payments, with potentially a full income stream in 2021. The key to their success, however, is convincing the lenders at the top of the tree.
Read MoreThe Covid-19 lockdown has forced a massive change in working practices for everyone. Whether we like it or not, we have had to make working from home produce results. We have all had to make it work. And with many predicting social distancing measures lasting for 12 months, we are looking at a new way of life for millions of workers across the country.
Read MoreEven before Covid-19 affected us all, rent and rates liabilities were dangerously high for F&B operators and there had already been some casualties. The Living Wage and Minimum Wage were adding further pressure too, so when coronavirus hit like a metaphorical stop button, the impact of these issues accelerated exponentially, creating a perfect storm of pain felt by everyone in the industry.
The hospitality sector is at war with Covid-19, which is fundamentally changing the way the world works. Though closures might only last a matter of weeks, the impact will be lasting, and in times like these, leaders talk about hearts and minds.
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