Langton Capital – 2026-02-19 – Visitor levies, hospitality costs, disposable incomes, Molson & other:
Visitor levies, hospitality costs, disposable incomes, Molson & other:A DAY IN THE LIFE: Verbal space-fillers can be quite useful. They give you a second to think and, if you say, ‘well, that’s a good question and I’ve thought about it for some time’ then you will indeed have thought about it for some time before you have to say anything substantive. And it’s useful overseas, too. But a well-practised phrase might give the impression that you can understand the language and, if you get a relieved stream of ten-to-the-dozen babble back, then you only have yourself to blame. Indeed, stock-phrases, fashionable words and the like can also be trotted out without conscious thought but, when everyone is ‘leaning into’ something rather than doing it, or ‘unpacking’ something rather than analysing or explaining it, it does get a bit wearisome. And everything’s a ‘journey’ these days. Even the toddler’s potty training is a journey and explanations have to be preceded by ‘let me be crystal clear’ or even the vaguely insulting ‘well look, let me be crystal clear – blah, blah, blah – for the British people’ etc. But if you can’t beat them, join them so let’s commence our journey and lean into the day’s 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: Visitor levies: UKH has ‘raised serious concerns about the timing and impact’ of the government’s existing plans. It says that ‘the sector is already facing sharp increases in employment costs and business rates following the 2026 revaluation, with some accommodation businesses seeing rateable values nearly double, leaving little scope to absorb new charges without damaging growth and investment….’ • 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. Hospitality costs: The ONS has reported that, whilst headline CPI fell to 3.0% in the year to January 2026, food and restaurant inflation moved in the opposite direction, climbing from 3.8% to 4.1%… • 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: Cornwall Insight has reported that the average energy bill will drop by £117 (or 7%) from April due to changes in wholesale prices and changes in the way in which the government passes on certain costs… Youth employment: Given the impact that closing the pay-gap between younger and more mature workers has had, ministers are reported to be considering slowing down plans to close the gap further. The pay rises set to take effect from April remain in place… • 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. Insolvencies: The Buchler Phillips Hospitality Index suggests that hospitality insolvencies fell slightly in 2025 but they remain high by historic standards. Some 3,353 accommodation and food service businesses, including pubs, restaurants and hotels, entered insolvency in the 12 months to December 2025, down 3.2% on the total for 2024… • 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. Sector environment: Serial entrepreneur Luke Johnson has told the BBC that the mood of UK employers is the ‘darkest’ he has ever seen. He says it is ‘more expensive and more risky to employ people’ and says ‘no one in this Cabinet has ever been in a business, none of them have ever created any jobs, and I’m afraid to say there is a bigger disconnect between this Government and the business people I know than any government I’ve ever come across…’ Other news: World Cup opening hours. Pubs in the UK will be able to stay open late for any home nation knockout match during this summer’s World Cup. Operators will be able to remain open until 1am or 2am.. British Pie Week this year will run from Monday 2 to Sunday 8 March. COMPANY NEWS: Molson Coors has reported Q4 numbers saying that it has been impacted by higher aluminium tariffs and some consumer weakness. The group’s shares slipped by around 6% in after-hours trading… • 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. DoorDash has reported Q4 and full year 2025 numbers saying that ‘in 2025, we accelerated growth in our U.S. restaurant category.’ The company reports that Q4 Total Orders increased 32% year-over-year to 903 million and revenue rose by 38% Y/Y to $4.0 billion. The company reports that ‘GAAP net income attributable to DoorDash, Inc. common stockholders increased 51% Y/Y to $213 million’ and adjusted EBITDA increased 38% Y/Y to $780 million…. • 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. JD Wetherspoon is to open a new pub, the Sir Ronald Wates, in May 2026 as a franchise unit at the University of Surrey in Guildford…. Wingstop in the US yesterday reported Q4 numbers saying that it opened a net 493 new sites in 2025, implying 19.2% Unit Growth. The company reported 12.1% system-wide sales growth for fiscal year 2025… HOLIDAYS & LEISURE TRAVEL: Hot Stats reports that ‘European hotels continue to record revenue growth, but profit outcomes remain uneven across regions.’ It says ‘Eastern Europe continues to lead’ and ‘Southern Europe also maintains positive momentum’ but ‘further west and north, the picture changes….’ • 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. The head of Spain’s tourism industry in the UK, Manuel Butler, has said that the country has ’work to do’ if it is to be successful in persuading UK visitors to stay for longer. Some tourism hotspots, such as the Balearic Islands (down 0.5%) and Madrid (down 3.9%), registered a drop in UK visitors last year… OTHER LEISURE: Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg has denied that his company’s apps target children. He says that Meta, which operates Facebook and Instagram, does not allow children under 13 on its platforms… • 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. The BBC has argued that US president Donald Trump has failed to show the broadcaster defamed him in its edit of his Jan 6 speech. It is calling for his lawsuit to be thrown out. FINANCE & MARKETS: The Institute for Fiscal Studies has suggested that chancellor Rachel Reeves’ approach to debt ‘needs a rethink’. It says that the chancellor is ‘fixated’ on borrowing rules which may no longer be appropriate to the UK economy. Sterling weaker at $1.3483 and €1.1442. Oil higher at $70.51. UK 10 year gilt yield unchanged at 4.38%. World markets better yesterday & London set to open around 23 points better 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. |
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