Footfall, disposable incomes, rates in Scotland, RBI, Airbnb & other:

A DAY IN THE LIFE:

Blink and you’ll miss it but we’re actually promised some sun tomorrow.

Of course we’ll believe it when we see it, but then it’s back to rain for each of the remaining ten days of the couple of forecasts that I’ve seen.

And that’s a pity.

It’s hardly a positive but it’s not so much of a deal for pubs, bars and restaurants at this time of year but there must be some matches cancelled tomorrow and, with the reservoirs euphemistically termed to be in a ‘robust’ condition, there’s nowhere for the water to go.

And good luck The Mighty Hull City who this evening host Chelsea in Hull in the Fourth Round of the FA Cup. We probably won’t have to worry about a Fifth Round and that’s maybe not a bad thing.

Anyway, have a great weekend and let’s move 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:

Footfall:

Meaningful Vision has reported that UK fast food continued to outperform the wider foodservice market in 2025, but it says that ‘traffic trends reveal a more nuanced picture beneath the headline resilience’. Meaningful Vision reports that fast-food visits increased by 0.9% year on year, while restaurants and pubs together recorded a decline of almost 7%….

• 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:

Housing affordability. Labour housing minister Matthew Pennycook has said that the government’s plan to build 1.5 million homes should ‘positively impact affordability’ by flattening house price growth. He estimated that a 1% rise in supply could reduce prices by 2%. He said that prices would not likely move sharply…

• 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.

Other news:

Relief for some hospitality companies as the Scottish government has confirmed plans to increased its rates relief to 40% for licensed hospitality premises. UKH Scotland boss Leon Thompson says ‘this increased relief is positive news and will help soften the blow for many licensed hospitality businesses….’

• 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.

In the US, the National Restaurant Association has released its 2026 State of the Industry report, saying that it sees modest growth and continued cost pressures impacting both consumers and operators.

The Supreme Court in the UK has ruled that Oat milk can no longer be described as milk. Vegan food companies may be obliged to use terms such as ‘oat drink’ or ‘plant-based drink’ and refrain from using the M word.

Tax changes. City AM reports that Angela Rayner and Andy Burnham have criticised the impact of tax changes on the hospitality industry, and particularly on pubs. Ms Rayner said that the government should ‘start relieving’ the sector and Andy Burnham says ‘we need a planning and tax regime that recognises that value added to the UK economy. And I’m including the music industry in this and live venues….’

Payment tech company Dojo has reported that restaurant bookings for Valentine’s Day this year look to be up 30% year-on-year across the UK.

Scotch Whisky exports to the US totalled £5.36bn in 2025, down from £5.40bn the year before reports the SWA. Volumes were down by 4.3%. Volumes exported to the US, Scotch Whisky’s largest export market, were down by 15% following the introduction of a 10% tariff in April 2025. Exports to the US were down by 4% in value terms…

• 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.

London mayor Saddiq Khan has outlined how licensing could change to support economic growth, hospitality, culture, nightlife, and events, in the period 2026–31. Licensing solicitors Poppleston Allen says that ‘the policy aims to make licensing more transparent and consistent across London…’

COMPANY NEWS:

Administrators to failed bar company The Revel Collective plc have released their proposals and given details of the two pre-pack sales that were completed shortly after their appointment…

Restaurant Brands International Inc, which owns Burger King and Jim Horton’s, has reported Q4 and full year numbers saying that consolidated system-wide sales grow 5.8% in the fourth quarter and 5.3% in 2025 as a whole. The company reports that consolidated comparable sales were up 3.1% in Q4, led by 6.1% at INTL, 2.8% at TH Canada and 2.6% at BK US…

The World Coffee Portal reports that French travel concession operator Lagardère Travel Retail is to close Costa Coffee’s only café in Belgium after lower-than-expected sales.

Constellation Brands in the US has announced that its has appointed Nicholas Fink as the company’s next President and Chief Executive Officer, effective April 13, 2026. Fink has been a member of Constellation’s Board of Directors since 2021. He will succeed current President and CEO Bill Newlands.

China has said that it could launch ‘investigations’ into French wines and spirits’ sales into the country or impose ‘reciprocal tariffs’ on EU products if France pushes the EU to impose import duties on Chinese goods.

HOLIDAYS & LEISURE TRAVEL:

HotelHub has reported that US corporate hotel bookings fell by 9.43% in 2025 compared with the previous year. It says that overseas bookings into the US ‘began to shrink from April onwards, after the announcement of the new administration’s changes to foreign trade policy.’

The BBC reports travel agents as saying that gloomy weather has helped drive up February half-term holiday bookings by 9% compared to last year. The Advantage Travel Partnerships blamed the weeks of rain combined with the political environment for creating a ‘powerful psychological need for escape.’ This is perhaps understandable but it does take money out of the country.

Airbnb yesterday reported fourth-quarter results after hours saying that revenue rose 12% to $2.78 billion. Reported revenue was ahead of estimates and, for Q1, Airbnb says it expects to report revenue of $2.59 billion to $2.63 billion. Analysts were expecting $2.53 billion. It expects full year revenue growth ‘of at least low double digits’ against analysts’ estimates of 10.2% growth. Airbnb reported adjusted EBITDA of $786 million during the period.

CoStar reports that the US hotel industry reported positive metrics in the week to 7 Feb. It says that occupancy was up 1.1% and ADR rose by 1.7% leading to a 2.8% increase in overall REVPAR.

OTHER LEISURE:

The BBC is reported set to cut over £500m from its annual budget in a move that will involve job cuts.

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has said that the inquiry into the competition implications of the Daily Mail’s proposed purchase of The Telegraph, was ordered on public interest grounds.

FINANCE & MARKETS:

The CBI has responded to yesterday’s announcement that GDP in the UK rose by 0.1% in Q4 saying that ‘a softer-than-expected end to last year comes as little surprise given the pressures many businesses experienced throughout the year: uneven demand, rising costs and persistent uncertainty that led key hiring and investment decisions to be deferred….’

• 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.

Sterling lower at $1.3600 and €1.1474. Oil down at $67.40. UK 10 year gilt yield down by 9 basis points. World markets lower yesterday but London set to open around 9 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.