Langton Capital – 2026-08-11 – IHG, BrewDog, Barclaycard spend data, brewery numbers, High St & other:
IHG, BrewDog, Barclaycard spend data, brewery numbers, High St & other:A DAY IN THE LIFE: Walking in the countryside recently has meant that horseflies have shot up my list of ‘most hated insects’. That’s putting to one side those that can kill you instantly which, for better or worse, seem to mostly live in Australia. But horseflies, whilst they’re rarely fatal despite their best efforts, do have the capacity to make life pretty miserable. So here’s to swallows – and bats, of course – which eat the above-mentioned pest though, it has to be said, a swallow’s idea of a particularly tasty horsefly is one that has just taken a chunk out of my leg. Anyway, I doubt the countryside is going to mould itself to my wants and needs any time soon so bug spray it will have to be. Either that or don’t leave the pub. Always an option but, before we spend too long thinking about that, 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 BARCLAYCARD JULY SPENDING DATA: Barclaycard has produced spending data for July saying that ‘card spending grew by 2.0% year-on-year in July, following a 1.9% increase in June.’ However, it points out that this ‘remained below the latest CPIH inflation rate of 2.8%. Barclaycard reports that spending on essentials rose by 2.9% and non-essential spend was up by 1.6%. The card issuer notes that this was with ‘England’s run at the World Cup, the July heatwave and recovering consumer confidence all contributing to the uplift….’ • 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. PUBS & RESTAURANTS: UK brewery numbers: The latest SIBA UK Brewery Tracker has reported that the UK Brewery closure rate has slowed but the industry’s struggles are ‘not over yet’. It reports that ‘for the first six months of 2026, net closures have averaged less than one brewery a week compared to nearly three week in 2025.’ It says that ‘taking into account all brewery openings and closures in the UK the net brewery closure rate from January to June 2026 was -16, compared to a total loss of -137 breweries in 2025….’ • 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: The High Street: The Guardian reports that ‘councils are to be given powers to stop betting and vape shops taking over their high streets under new plans announced by Andy Burnham.’ It says that authorities will be able to reject new betting shops and adult gaming centres, while vape shops will be subject to planning permission under plans Downing Street said could be in place from the start of next year….’ • 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. Value-seeking consumers. Writing in the MCA, Tom Price, Insight Manager at Lumina Intelligence, writes that the ‘humble meal deal is one of the most important lunch occasions.’ He says that ‘the food-to-go space has evolved rapidly over the last few years’ but adds that ‘value remains a major driver of behaviour, even as inflation eases.’ Pubs with rooms: The MA points out that a pub providing accommodation ‘gives customers more reasons to visit and help pubs trade more consistently throughout the week….’ COMPANY NEWS: Tilray Brands owned BrewDog is set to launch a ‘major’ campaign focusing on making ‘Punk IPA synonymous with one of London’s most distinctive summer rituals: enjoying a cold beer in the park.’ Tilray, which has the ambition of making BrewDog into a $1bn brand under its ownership, reports that ‘from Hampstead Heath to Victoria Park, London’s green spaces become outdoor pubs every summer…’ • 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. INTERCONTINENTAL HOTELS GROUP – H1 RESULTS:
The company reports H1 global revenue up 7% at $1.255bn. It reports that operating profit is 10% higher at $665m and that EPS is up 13% at 274.7c. The H1 dividend is up by 10% at 64.5c. IHG says that H1 Global RevPAR1 was up 4.1% ‘with Americas +4.8%, EMEAA +3.0% and Greater China +3.1%.’ It notes that ADR was up +2.5% and occupancy was up +1.0%pts. Re the size of the group’s estate, it says that it grew its system by +6.5% YOY gross with net new additions of +5.0% YOY. The company ‘opened 31.5k rooms (197 hotels), a record level, and up +8% YOY when excluding the Ruby brand acquisition in 2025.’ It now has a global estate of 1,049k rooms (7,109 hotels) and a ‘global pipeline of 348k rooms (2,385 hotels), up +3% YOY, and represents 33% of current system size’. The company says re shareholder returns that it has a $950m share buyback programme in place for 2026. This is 42% completed as • 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. HOLIDAYS & LEISURE TRAVEL: The FT reports that hotel prices in Europe are rising sharply ahead of the near-total solar eclipse due tomorrow evening. The eclipse is reported set to put a strain on Iceland’s infrastructure, for example where there is said to be a huge demand for hotels on the island’s west coast. UKH comments on the staycation industry referencing Christie & Co’s recent hotels review when it says that ‘domestic tourism continues to underpin hotel demand in the UK, although travellers are increasingly favouring shorter, value-led trips and booking closer to their travel dates…’ • 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 reports that a domestic violence victim has told it that she was attacked in her hotel room after Travelodge reception staff gave a key to her abuser. Travelodge reports that while incidents like this were ‘very rare’, customer safety and security was, and remained, a priority with staff undergoing recent training. CoStar updates on its expectations for the US hotel industry this year saying that hoteliers are seeing growth primarily due to increasing average daily rate. It adds that positive momentum is expected through the rest of the year and it is now forecasting a 4.4% full-year increase to revenue per available room. Eurostar challenger FS Italiane Group is reported to have ordered 19 new high-speed trains from Hitachi Rail in a deal worth around €2 billion. The trains will add capacity through the Channel Tunnel between the UK and continental Europe OTHER LEISURE: Trump Media & Technology Group, which owns the Truth Social platform, has reported a Q2 loss of $238m, around 10x larger than the loss reported for the same quarter last year and largely due to a drop in crypto values…. • 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 Business Desk reports that Derby County’s proposed takeover by Lion Sport has collapsed after the prospective buyer pulled out of a deal to acquire a controlling stake in the Championship club. Meta Platforms. CEO Mark Zuckerberg has said that his company is focused on building AI for everyone whilst some of his competitors are attempting to build models that will benefit themselves. Jeff Bezos is reported to be a member of a consortium seeking to buy a circa one third stake in Liverpool Football Club. Sky News reports that ‘the syndicate is led by Amit Bhatia, the son-in-law of steel billionaire Lakshmi Mittal and until recently a shareholder in Championship club Queens Park Rangers.’ FINANCE & MARKETS: Investor sentiment in the Eurozone is reported to have returned to positive territory in August. The measure has crept above zero, to 0.9 points, from its previous level of minus 31.1 recorded in July. Sterling up at €1.1704 and $1.3510. Oil up around $4 at $87.94. UK 10 year gilt yield up 7 basis points (and through 5% again) at 5.01%. World markets mixed yesterday and London set to open down around 7 points 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.a |
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