Barclaycard spend data, DP Poland, Punch Pubs, LVMH, jobs & other:

A DAY IN THE LIFE:

I wouldn’t say that I was much of a twitcher.

That’s a bird-watcher, to the uninitiated. Not some kind of closet weirdo though, to be honest, it does tend to refer to a specific sub-set of the genre, that is to say a mad-keen, a.k.a. obsessed bird watcher.

But anyway, I digress. I may struggle to tell a budgie from a blackbird but I couldn’t help notice when a Greater Spotted Woodpecker attached itself to our hanging bird-feeder and commenced hammering the hell out of it.

It was hard to ignore but, as there are upward of a quarter of a million of the blighters in the UK, it wouldn’t raise eyebrows.

But a red-kite, and we see quite a lot of them up here, floating around in the air above the A64, I thought was a little bit more special.

And, to an extent, it is. Despite the population having increased by 2,000% since 1993 and the UK being home to nearly a fifth of the world’s population, there are only around 10,000 of the things in the country.

And very nice they look too. Unless you’re a small mammal by the edge of a motorway, that is. On to the news:

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BARCLAYCARD – CONSUMER SPENDING – MARCH 2026:

Barclaycard has produced spending data for March saying that ‘consumer card spending increased 0.9% year-on-year in March, down from February’ when growth, in nominal terms at least, was 1.0%. This is clearly well below the rate of inflation and it is broadly in line with the 1.0% registered in February and 0.8% in January….’

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PUBS & RESTAURANTS:

Trading

Commenting on March trading data, The Oxford Partnership reveals that the UK On Trade showed ‘clear signs of recovery’ in the month ‘with stronger demand, longer visits, and record spend per head.’ It adds, however, that ‘despite this positive momentum, overall volumes remain below last year, highlighting a continued gap between consumer engagement and actual consumption….’

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Jobs market: The Recruitment and Employment Confederation and KPMG report that businesses continued to cut jobs in March. The latest report notes that ‘recruitment consultancies across the UK signalled only a mild reduction in hiring activity at the end of the first quarter.’ It says that ‘permanent staff appointments declined only marginally for the second month in a row, while temp billings decreased modestly. The downturn in demand for staff also eased, with overall vacancies falling at the softest pace since last May….’

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Other news:

SIBA maintains that ‘against the backdrop of record pub and brewery closures, the UK’s small and independent breweries have shown how acting nimbly and capitalising on local roots can win over consumers.’ It says that ‘breweries have expanded their local offering and are now selling more beer directly to drinkers….’

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In the US, research from Maison Louis Jadot has found that 56% of Americans say rising costs have reduced how often they go on dates.

From next month, Russia is set to raise duties on imported alcohol from what it deems to be ‘unfriendly’ countries to around €5 per litre.

COMPANY NEWS:

Punch Pubs has announced that ‘Matt Ward, most recently CFO at Village Hotels, will join Punch Pubs & Co as Chief Financial Officer on 11 May 2026.’ It says that ‘Matt has extensive experience across the hospitality, retail and leisure sectors, having previously held roles including Finance Director (Partnership & Ventures) and Group M&A Director at Greene King, as well as CFO at Hawthorn. Prior to that, he held a number of senior finance and leadership roles at the Co-op across a range of customer-facing businesses….’

JW Lees reports that it has bought the Royal Oak in Glossop, a historic pub built in 1818, 10 years before JW Lees was founded. It says that ‘with 90 internal covers and 40 external covers the pub has been closed for a number of years but JW Lees will be making a £500k+ investment to transform the site into a modern fit-for-purpose family dining pub which will sit within JW Lees’s Pub Partner trading division.  The pub is planned to re-open later in the summer once the refurbishment has been completed….’

LVMH Moët Hennessy yesterday reported Q1 revenues saying that total group revenue was €19.1 billion in the first quarter of 2026, down 6% in reported currencies but up 1% in organic terms. Its Wines & Spirits division reported sales of €1.273bn, down 2% in reported terms but up 5% organically…

Sodexo has announced that subsidiary Entegra Procurement Services, a ‘global leader in procurement and performance improvement for hospitality businesses’, has acquired Prestige Purchasing, the leading UK-based procurement specialist supporting hospitality businesses, primarily restaurants and leisure operators….

MTY Food Group, which owns Papa Murphy’s and a number of other brands, has reported Q1 sales saying that system sales were $1.3 billion for the quarter, compared to $1.36 billion in Q1 2025.

DP POLAND – Q1 TRADING UPDATE:

DPP says that trading in Q1 has been in line with management expectations. It adds that total system sales were up to 78.4 PLN, an increase of 18.2%. In Poland, the group’s largest market, LFL system sales were up by 8.9%. The company reports that, on a LFL basis, non-delivery sales were some 5.0% lower and delivery sales were up by 14.2%. In Croatia, total system sales were up by 28.8% with LFL system sales up by 9.5%. Outlook: DPP says ‘we are pleased with the performance of the Group in Q1 2026 and anticipate double‑digit system sales growth to continue in 2026, supported by the Pizzeria 105 conversion program, continued store rollout and ongoing like‑for‑like growth.’

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HOLIDAYS & LEISURE TRAVEL:

An EasyJet flight left Milan yesterday, bound for the UK, without over 100 of its passengers as they queued for three hours or so to clear the European Union’s new entry-exit system. EasyJet says that the problems were ‘outside of our control.’ It sys ‘we continue to urge border authorities to ensure they make full and effective use of the permitted flexibilities for as long as needed while EES is implemented, to avoid these unacceptable border delays for our customers.’

TTG reports that ‘travel is heading into an ‘uncertain’ summer owing to irregular passenger demand due to the war in the Middle East plus the rollout of the EU’s new biometric border rules.’ It says that ‘already, the regime [i.e. the EES] is showing signs of strain, according to the trade bodies representing Europe’s airports and airlines….’

TTG reports that cruise company Celestyal is likely to cut jobs as it has started a consultation process affecting ‘a limited number of roles.’

OTHER LEISURE:

Allwyn, which operates the UK’s National Lottery, is reported by Sky to be considering introducing £1bn jackpots ‘after the National Lottery operator struck a deal to join Powerball, the world’s richest regular lottery prize draw.’

FINANCE & MARKETS:

Sterling higher at $1.3518 and €1.1492. Oil down on peace hopes at $97.99. UK 10 year gilt yield up 5 basis points t 4.87%. World markets mostly better yesterday and London set to open around 4 points better as at 6.30am.

RETAIL WITH NICK BUBB:

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