Red flags, foodservice prices, incomes, Remy, Saga, Costa & other:

A DAY IN THE LIFE:

You know those dips you get on the entrances to fields?

They’re by the gate, where the cows congregate and the ground is squashed up, intolerably muddy and shiny with diluted cow poo and wee and, because it’s slightly lower than elsewhere in the field, they become an impassable swamp before the area around them registers the damp.

Well, our dog likes to drink from those puddles.

And not just a crafty slurp but a real, real drink. So why is it that, if a dog biscuit or a clump of hair or some other non-poisonous debris falls into her otherwise spotless drinking bowl in the house, she won’t touch it?

She has her standards, I suppose. But anyway, time to wish one and all a pleasant weekend and wish The Mighty Hull City all the best vs Blackburn tomorrow. On to the news:

LANGTON EMAIL:

The Free Email is now written in short form. Extended versions of many stories (after the ellipses) are in the Premium Email. Reply to this email if you would like to upgrade.

Prices for the Premium are £395 for one subscription, £695 for multiple, £995 for very large subscribers, all plus VAT. Or sign up for easy in, easy out monthly option per subscriber HERE

https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=87YUG2Z5W7PSN

PUBS & RESTAURANTS:

Corporate distress:

Accountant Begbies reports that thousands of UK businesses are at a ‘critical’ tipping point. It highlights hospitality as particularly badly impacted. It says ‘Zombie’ businesses are now near collapse as its measure of companies in ‘critical financial distress increases and [the] gap between companies thriving or surviving widens’…

• See premium. Reply for sample or to upgrade. Single £395, multiple £695. Limited time offer: PayPal alternative monthly £25 + VAT per sub. Easy in, easy out.

Foodservice input prices:

NIQ and Prestige Purchasing report that food and drink prices in the hospitality sector rose by 1.1% in December. Their latest Foodservice Price Index comments that ‘this sharp upward month-on-month movement marks a significant acceleration in inflation to close the year. It was driven by high demand for many items in the run-up to Christmas, as well as persistent supply-side constraints….’

• See premium. Reply for sample or to upgrade. Single £395, multiple £695. Limited time offer: PayPal alternative monthly £25 + VAT per sub. Easy in, easy out.

Disposable incomes:

Water bills in England and Wales are to rise by an average of £33 per household in April. The above-inflation rise will reduce disposable incomes that could otherwise support hospitality and other non-essential spend.

Jobs market:

Job losses announced in the last couple of weeks at The Revel Collective, Amazon, The Original Factory Shop and ASDA. And Santander is to close another 44 branches with job losses almost inevitable.

Other news:

London. London mayor Sadiq Khan’s Nightlife Taskforce has set out 23 recommendations across 10 areas to help protect, support and grow London’s nightlife, reports licensing solicitor Poppleston Allen…

• See premium. Reply for sample or to upgrade. Single £395, multiple £695. Limited time offer: PayPal alternative monthly £25 + VAT per sub. Easy in, easy out.

Business rates, Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland Finance Minister John O’Dowd has announced a pause in the revaluation process in Northern Ireland. Businesses have spoken of their relief on the news.

COMPANY NEWS:

Temy Cointreau has reported Q3 numbers (to December 2025), saying that sales rose by 2.8% to €245.8 million. The quarter will come as welcome relief after a sales fall of more than 10% in the group’s financial Q2.

The Global Coffee Report suggests that ‘Caffè Nero has been revealed as the stalking horse purchaser for Washington, D.C.-based Compass Coffee….’

Costa will open around 30 stores in Sainsbury’s supermarkets before the summer. Empirical research confirms that one has opened in the York, Monk’s Cross site, earlier this month.

JD Wetherspoon has announced that it will be showing all of the fixtures in the upcoming Six Nations Championship live.

SIBA reports that has taken four gold awards in its North East’s most prestigious beer competition, the Indie Beer Awards. The awards were held at the Brew York Beer Hall in York.

HOLIDAYS & LEISURE TRAVEL:

Saga shares yesterday rose by a further 15% to 500p yesterday as the market looked favourably on the company’s trading update. The shares have quadrupled in the last year.

Hostelworld Group plc has announced that Marieke Bax will join the company as a Non-Executive Director with effect from today’s date and will assume the role of Chair with effect from 31 March 2026….

• See premium. Reply for sample or to upgrade. Single £395, multiple £695. Limited time offer: PayPal alternative monthly £25 + VAT per sub. Easy in, easy out.

Royal Caribbean has reported full year and Q4 results for the period to end-December saying that adjusted EPS came in at $15.64. The company points out that the ‘results were better than the company’s guidance primarily due to more favourable revenue and better performance from joint ventures….’

Aparthotel operator Staycity Group reports that it has ‘completed on a sale, development and leaseback transaction with Bridges Fund Management and Citygrove that will see the development of a new 185-room Wilde Aparthotel in Nine Elms, London.’

CoStar reports that the U.S. hotel industry reported negative year-over-year comparisons in the week to 24 January. Occupancy was down by 0.9%, ADR was down by 1.0% and REVPAR was some 1.8% lower.

The BBC reports that Waymo, the US driverless car firm, said it hopes to be operating a robotaxi service in London as soon as September this year.

OTHER LEISURE:

New gambling rules in the UK now require that all non-remote operators must already adhere to the Gambling Act 2005 and ensure machines available for consumer use are compliant. Licensing Solicitor Poppleston Allen says ‘from 29 July 2026 they must also immediately remove machines if the Commission informs them that the manufacture, supply, installation, adaption, maintenance or repair of the machine was not carried out in reliance on a gaming machine technical operating licence, or did not comply with other standards.’

Apple yesterday reported Q4 sales up 16% vs the prior year to $144bn. Sales in China were strong. CEO Tim Cook said that the company was struggling to meet demand saying ‘we’re currently constrained’ and demand for the iPhone 17 ‘exceeded our expectations, to say the least’.

Microsoft, which is a June year end company, reported Q2 numbers yesterday. The market was disappointed and the shares slid about 10% on the news as the company said that cloud services growth, at 39%, was slightly below Wall Street estimates.

FINANCE & MARKETS:

Having risen very sharply in recent weeks, the price of gold fell by over 5% yesterday to $5,184 in late afternoon trading having hit $5,500 at one point. Silver also fell, in its case to $110 an ounce.

The US dollar yesterday dipped to its lowest level in four years before rallying slightly. Sterling lower at $1.3747 and €1.1539. Oil higher at $69.84. UK 10 year gilt yield down 4 basis points at 4.51%. World markets mixed to lower yesterday but London set to open around 8 points higher as at 6.30am.

RETAIL WITH NICK BUBB:

• See premium. Reply for sample or to upgrade. Single £395, multiple £695. Limited time offer: PayPal alternative monthly £25 + VAT per sub. Easy in, easy out.