All MCA Insight articles in April 2025 – Page 10
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Analysis & InsightAlexander Geffert (1940–2025): a leisure industry legend remembered
The former Whitbread managing director and Luminar executive chairman had a career spanning over six decades, and was described as a visionary publican, entrepreneur, and mentor
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NewsLeaders call to reinstate tax-free shopping amid tourist slowdown
The “tourist tax” continues to be a point of concern for operators ahead of what some are calling a potential “summer of discontent”
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NewsKate Nicholls: NIC hike adds ‘disproportionate impact’ to already pressured sector
The UKHospitality leader describes the reduction in the earnings threshold for employer NICs and the rise in the main rate to 15% as “the most aggressive” tax change she has seen
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Weekend PressBidding war for Deliveroo? There could be appetite
The US firm DoorDash’s £2.7 billion swoop for the delivery company late on Friday may prompt Amazon, Prosus and Meituan to consider rival bids, The Times reports
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Weekend PressMeet SpudBros, the Preston pair turning jacket potatoes into a global brand
What started as a food stall in Lancashire has become a hit, drawing huge queues in London with customers eager to try the spuds topped with their secret ‘tram sauce’, The Times reports
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Weekend PressCheap, ethical and delicious: it’s mince’s moment to shine
The French, though, don’t have a single word for mince. They call it “boeuf haché”. The Americans call it “ground beef”. Adjective, noun. It does what it says on the tin, Tim Hayward writes in the FT
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Weekend PressKate Nicholls: ‘Hospitality just can’t absorb these cost increases’
The chief executive of the UKHospitality trade body once helped to save prawn cocktail crisps but she fears what higher employment taxes could do to her sector, she tells The Times
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Weekend PressMohsin Issa to step down as chief executive at UK petrol station chain
Private equity-backed EG Group continues to explore potential New York listing, the FT reports
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Weekend PressOne in three hospitality workers want to start their own business in the sector
Limited access to funding and lack of training and mentorship cited as biggest barriers, The Standard reports
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OpinionUnderstanding the power of going out
Customers may be tempted by the food and drink, but it’s the experience – the value of human interaction – that’s arguably what prompts them to think ‘let’s go out’, suggests Peter Martin, MCA contributing editor
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NewsDeliveroo minded to accept DoorDash offer
The prospective takeover by a larger American rival would be worth £2.7bn, valuing the company at 180 pence per share
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NewsThe Ivy Collection grows sales despite headwinds
The Richard Caring-backed group made £314m from 50 sites across UK & Ireland, which means restaurants across the estate made an average of £6.25m a year
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NewsWatchHouse drives expansion in London and New York
The modern coffee house group reported full year revenues for 2024 of £15.4m, up 62% year-on-year, which it described as an “extremely satisfying” performance
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InterviewsWhich Wich eyes travel hubs and multi-channel growth
The brand is preparing to open a second UK site in Fleet Street this June – a dual-floor location designed to support dine-in, delivery, and catering operations
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NewsExecs vie to take chair role at Whitbread
Sky News reports Christine Hodgson, who chairs water company Severn Trent, and Andrew Martin, chair of the testing and inspection group Intertek, are the leading contenders for the Whitbread job
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NewsPrezzo teases new name ahead of strong Q1
CMO Mark McCulloch revealed the plans in a LinkedIn post, teasing: “An Italian icon is about to have a makeover…New name, same passion”
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InterviewsVelvet Taco to open at Broadgate Circle, targets 10 UK sites by 2030
The fast-casual taco brand’s first UK site is to open in July, followed by a Soho opening and two sites each year over the next five years
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InterviewsWagamama surpasses 1m loyalty members as omnichannel grows
CEO Thomas Heier tells MCA the programme is already driving “positive movements to member visit frequency” since launching in 2024, with further functionality and features in the pipeline
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EventsFuture trends, AI, robotics and loyalty at Hostech 2025
Leading hospitality brands reveal the strategies, technologies and investment priorities shaping the future of guest experience next month
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NewsCosta pushes for further growth across formats
The coffee chain has renewed its focus on the high street, shopping centres, drive-thrus, and retail parks, while extending its partnership with real estate advisor Savills