Food prices, energy costs, coffee, SBUX UK, JDW, Lidl & other:

A DAY IN THE LIFE:

I’m trying not to get annoyed by the persistent misuse of the word ‘decimate’ which, as we all know, means to reduce by a tenth.

Not ‘destroy’ or ‘obliterate’ though, at a pinch, it might mean ‘degrade’ (but only by a bit).

And saying ‘reduce a tad’ or ‘take the edge off’ simply doesn’t have the snap that you might want and there’s no room for subtlety in tweets.

Or accuracy, it would appear. Nor honesty but still, as the person making most of the above statements annoys me all the time anyway, I’m going to struggle if the aim is to keep my blood pressure down.

And, just in case he reads this, it’s ‘which’, not witch and there’s a ‘g’ at the end of the F-word.

Anyway, it’s the end of a short one. The weather’s variable but have a good weekend and let’s move on to the news:

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PUBS & RESTAURANTS:

Food prices:

NIQ and Prestige Purchasing have produced their latest Foodservice Price Index saying that ‘food and drink prices in the foodservice sector recorded a minor month-on-month decline of 0.2% in February.’ The report suggests that ‘the slight easing builds on a stabilisation of prices in January, bringing respite to hospitality after inflationary spikes in late 2025….’

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The BBC has also commented on rising costs saying that fresh foods are particularly vulnerable to rising heating costs as production depends on rapid, temperature‑controlled supply chains and, as the price of heating oil has risen, output prices will have to change…

Coffee market:

Starbucks UK comments on the wider coffee market in the UK when it says that ‘the UK economic environment remained challenging during FY25, with subdued GDP growth, persistent inflation and elevated interest rates.’ It says that ‘costs of commodities including coffee, dairy and energy remained high, alongside increased labour costs following changes to minimum wage and Employer National Insurance contributions….

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And elsewhere, Scottish Licensed Trade News reports that coffee roasters and cafe owners north of the border ‘have compared the current lack of Government support for their industry to the dark days of the Covid-19 pandemic….’

Energy costs:

UKH quotes Green Shield Group as saying that energy is a major, unpredictable hospitality cost. Whilst not new news, it goes on to add that ‘kitchens run long hours, rooms always need heating or cooling, and even small price shifts affect the bottom line….’

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Selling prices:

The Guardian reports a number of operators as saying that they will be simply unable to pass on further cost increases to their customers…

COMPANY NEWS:

JD Wetherspoon has reported that an article in The Sun newspaper was misleading when it suggested that the company may stop taking orders via its app. JDW says ‘The Sun story has no basis in fact and has, unfortunately, created anxiety among dedicated app-users. Mr Martin has made it clear that the app is here to stay.’

The MA reports that Diageo is set to increase the price of a number of its products, including Guinness Draught. It says that the price of the latter will rise by 5.2% from 1 April this year….

C&C yesterday announced that, further to its announcement made on 5 February 2026 that Adam Phillips would join the Company as Chief Financial Officer, it is now able to confirm that his appointment to the Board will be effective from 13 April 2026.

Starbucks Coffee Co UK, which is wholly-owned by Starbucks Corporation in the US, has reported results for the 52-week period to 28 September 2025 to Companies’ House. It reports that revenues rose by 5.8% to £556.3m. GP% is up a shade at 25.9% vs 25.7% in the prior year. Admin costs rose by 7.3%, i.e. faster than revenues, to £174.2m and the operating loss has widened slightly to £29.8m from a loss of £27.5m in the prior period….

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The MA reports that Mission Mars, the operator of Albert’s Schloss and Rudy’s Pizza Napoletana, has reported group EBITDA growth of 46% in H1 FY26. It says that half-year revenue was up 12% to £63.9m, with 36-strong Rudy’s contributing £35.1m (FY25 £29m) and Albert’s Schloss contributing £26.4m (FY25 £25.3m).

Sandwich Sandwich has opened a site at London’s Paddington Station saying that ‘it’s an absolute dream come true’ to open at London’s busiest station. Nick Steiner says ‘we’ve built something really special with our Grab & Go range and we can’t wait for commuters to get their hands on it.’

Supermarket chain Lidl is to build its first ever pub on a site in Northern Ireland. The development is as a consequence of it being unable to secure a Northern Ireland off-license for its site in Dundonald in east Belfast, unless it also had an on-license.

Constellation Brands has dropped its financial guidance for the current year as beer sales are holding steady but wine and spirits sales are under considerable downward pressure….

Coffee major Lavazza has reported that revenues rose by 15.7% in the year to end-2025, despite volumes coming under pressure. The company reports EBITDA of €340 million and a net profit of €92 million.

Illycaffè has reported 2025 revenues of €700m. Sales were up by 14% in Italy and by 23% across Europe as a whole. The company reports EBITDA of €90 million and net profit of €20 million…

MEN reports that Manchester competitive socialising bar, Point Blank, which featured a simulated shooting range, has issued a new statement after it’s ‘devastating’ closure announcement earlier this year, saying they did ‘everything possible’ in order to remain open….

HOLIDAYS & LEISURE TRAVEL:

The EU’s delayed Entry-Exit System is finally set to be fully implemented from this Friday. There could be additional waits at airports for some time as the system requires the collection of biometric data, such as facial image scans and fingerprints when travellers arrive at the EU border in one of the 29 Schengen Area countries.

The Daily Mail quotes Stephen Cassidy, Hilton UK senior VP, as saying that plans for a ‘holiday tax’ will hit hospitality and tourism. He says such a move would also dent job opportunities for the young….

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Airlines: Paul Chiambaretto, a professor and aviation expert at the Montpellier Business School, has said that ‘the airline sector is being hit with two simultaneous shocks: the steep rise in fuel prices, which is the biggest or second-biggest expense for a carrier, and a demand shock, with passengers deciding to wait and see….’

CoStar reports that the US hotel industry had a worse week in the seven days to 4 April this year than it did last. Occupancy was down by 5.0% and ADR was some 0.1% lower. REVPAR was down by 5.1%.

OTHER LEISURE:

Playtech plc has said that it ‘notes the statement made today by Evolution AB’ which has ‘requested permission from the Superior Court of New Jersey to add Playtech to its ongoing legal case.’ Playtech says that it ‘considers Evolution’s claims to be baseless and without merit….’

Computer games company Devolver Digital yesterday reported full year numbers to end-December 2025 saying that revenue rose by 3.0% to $107.9 million and Adjusted EBITDA grew by 39.4% to $7.1 million. This was in line with consensus expectations. The company anticipates continued revenue and Adjusted EBITDA growth in 2026, with a robust pipeline of over 30 new titles planned for the next three years….

FINANCE & MARKETS:

IMF MD Kristalina Georgieva has said that the consequences of the war in the Gulf will continue to impact the world economy for some time, even if the current ceasefire holds. The International Monetary Fund is set to cut its global growth forecasts as a result of the Middle East war….

Sterling mixed at $1.3420 and €1.1481. Oil lower at $96.83. UK 10 year bond yield back up by 9 basis points at 4.81%. Markets mixed yesterday after a strong start and London set to open around 23 points better as at 6.30am.

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