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No-Shows In Hospitality Back Up To Record-High New figures from Zonal’s latest GO Technology report, in partnership with CGA by NIQ, reveals that the number of consumers not showing up for their reservations in pubs, bars and restaurants is back to a record high, with 14% of guests not honouring reservations or informing venues in advance that they need to cancel. The survey of more than 5,000 British adults, highlights that whilst more than two thirds (68%) of consumers who make bookings say they turn up for all of them, 18% cancel in advance and one in seven (14%) admit to failing to turn up without telling their venue. Since the launch of the industry-wide #ShowUpForHospitality campaign in 2021, GO Technology data had measured no-shows as decreasing. However, this latest insight shows they have now returned to the same level as three years ago, highlighting the significant and persistent problem they present. When looking at the reasoning for no-shows, the findings revealed a direct link between the current financial landscape and the rise in no-shows, with 57% saying that they are severely or moderately affected by the cost-of-living crisis, and over a quarter (29%) of those who didn’t follow through on a booking, citing that they decided it would be too expensive, as their number one reason for not showing up. To prevent no-shows and help keep revenue flowing, understanding what would encourage people to show up or cancel a booking in advance and then implementing the necessary tools to achieve this, is key. When asked what would make guests less likely to miss a booking, the following came out on top: - Simple cancellation process (30%) - Rewards and incentives (28%) - Reservation reminders (25%) - Deposits (21%) - Loyalty/Loyalty schemes (17%) Commenting on the findings, Tim Chapman, Chief Commercial Officer at Zonal said: “No-shows are a £17.59bn problem for the hospitality sector and the issue does not seem to be going away – in fact, this research suggests it has been exacerbated recently by the cost-of-living crisis. “The report also reveals that those most likely to no-show are high-spenders and frequent visitors, which makes them very valuable customers to the sector. It is imperative that we get to grips with the problem, putting in measures to help customers keep in touch and working together to educate consumers about the damage not showing up can do to their much-loved local pubs, restaurants and bars.” Karl Chessell, Director - Hospitality Operators and Food, EMEA, CGA by NIQ added: “Our research shows no-shows remain a hugely frustrating issue for restaurants, pubs and bars. Bookings are a double-edged sword for hospitality, helping venues to plan better and fill tables but bringing the risk of substantial missed sales, at a time when margins and growth are under pressure. “Fixing the problem is easier said than done but there are steps that all venues can take to mitigate losses, and technology has a major ro…

Christmas Hospitality Spend To Rise 2.3% Yoy To £12.3bn This year UK consumers are forecast to spend £12.3bn at hospitality venues over the six-week festive period as they celebrate with friends, family, and colleagues. VoucherCodes.co.uk’s Shopping for Christmas Report 2024 reveals hospitality spending is set to rise by 2.3% year-on-year this Christmas season, up from the £12bn spent last year. With the cost of living crisis easing, consumers are more willing and able to mark the festive season with a night out on the town. As a result, from the middle of November through to the end of December over one-third of consumers (34%) or 40.1 million, will visit some kind of hospitality venue. This festive season Christmas markets will be the most popular destination, with 13.1 million visitors, however this is a -4.5% drop YoY. On the other hand, pubs are set to see visitor numbers jump 5.4% to 10.5 million, followed closely by restaurants at 8.6m (-0.4% YoY). Visitor numbers by venue. 2023 actuals, 2024 forecast Whilst consumers cut back last year to prioritise spPubsending for family events, in 2024 the Christmas party is back with one-third of people saying they’ll celebrate with colleagues (31%) - that’s 5% up on last year. Michael Brandy, Senior Commercial Director at VoucherCodes.co.uk, comments: “After the pandemic and two years of a cost of living crisis, the hospitality industry will be thrilled to hear that this year consumers will be heading to their local pubs, bars and restaurants in their droves - and spending. “With consumers making the most of the festive season and celebrating with friends, family, and colleagues, venues can look forward to a healthy bump in sales. Those who provide their customers with great value for money, either by offering deals and discounts, or extras such as live music and entertainment, will do particularly well this Christmas as consumers look to stretch their money as far as possible.”  Read More:

Christmas Hospitality Spend To Rise 2.3% Joy To £12.3bn This year UK consumers are forecast to spend £12.3bn at hospitality venues over the six-week festive period as they celebrate with friends, family, and colleagues. VoucherCodes.co.uk’s Shopping for Christmas Report 2024 reveals hospitality spending is set to rise by 2.3% year-on-year this Christmas season, up from the £12bn spent last year. With the cost of living crisis easing, consumers are more willing and able to mark the festive season with a night out on the town. As a result, from the middle of November through to the end of December over one-third of consumers (34%) or 40.1 million, will visit some kind of hospitality venue. This festive season Christmas markets will be the most popular destination, with 13.1 million visitors, however this is a -4.5% drop YoY. On the other hand, pubs are set to see visitor numbers jump 5.4% to 10.5 million, followed closely by restaurants at 8.6m (-0.4% YoY). Visitor numbers by venue. 2023 actuals, 2024 forecast Whilst consumers cut back last year to prioritise spPubsending for family events, in 2024 the Christmas party is back with one-third of people saying they’ll celebrate with colleagues (31%) - that’s 5% up on last year. Michael Brandy, Senior Commercial Director at VoucherCodes.co.uk, comments: “After the pandemic and two years of a cost of living crisis, the hospitality industry will be thrilled to hear that this year consumers will be heading to their local pubs, bars and restaurants in their droves - and spending. “With consumers making the most of the festive season and celebrating with friends, family, and colleagues, venues can look forward to a healthy bump in sales. Those who provide their customers with great value for money, either by offering deals and discounts, or extras such as live music and entertainment, will do particularly well this Christmas as consumers look to stretch their money as far as possible.”  Read More:

Weather Cools Hospitality Groups Performance Whilst Pubs Win The Euros Britain’s top hospitality groups achieved year-on-year growth of 1.5% in July 2024, down from June’s rate of 2.9%, the latest CGA RSM Hospitality Business Tracker reveals. As July started with the peak of the 2024 Euro’s, including the quarter, semi-final and final games, Britain’s Pubs enjoyed a more positive outcome from the tournament than the England team, experiencing like-for-like growth of 4.9%. The best performing segment in July, and the heart of England’s Euro’s support, Pubs within the M25 performed especially well with 9.9% like-for-like growth. It was a slightly more negative picture for other segments as consumers shifted their spend towards pubs. Restaurant performance saw steep declines, dropping from +4.7% in June, to –2.1%. Bars had another negative month, down by -6.0%. The on-the-go segment saw like-for-like growth of +1.5%. Karl Chessell, director – hospitality operators and food, EMEA at CGA by NIQ, said: “With most positive growth being seen in the pub sector in July, this had a knock-on effect to other hospitality venues as they saw like-for-like drops in performance. For hospitality as a whole, this isn’t necessarily a negative thing. The uplifts seen based on key events within the month show that whilst the cost-of-living pressures are still ongoing, consumers are still making those all-important visits to hospitality venues. As we move into the back end of Summer, with warmer weather, and an upcoming Bank Holiday at the end of the month – we hope to see growth spread more equally across key segments.” Saxon Moseley, head of leisure and hospitality at RSM UK, said: “Much like the Euro 2024 final, there were winners and losers in July’s results. While pubs reaped the benefits of a sports-fuelled July, restaurants and bars saw negative like-for-like sales, with some operators even closing early due to cancelled bookings and reduced demand. With disposable incomes still recovering from the cost-of-living crisis, these results do demonstrate that there is only so much set aside for leisure spending, underscoring the intense competition for customers across different segments of the market. Well run businesses with differentiated offerings and flawless experiences will continue to do well as real wages rise and confidence returns in the second half of the year.” Read More:

Celebrations And Early Easter Boost Growth In March Britain’s top hospitality groups achieved above-inflation like-for-like sales growth of 5.2% in March 2024, the latest CGA RSM Hospitality Business Tracker reveals. Many operators will have enjoyed the boost to trading that events such as Mother’s Day and St Patrick’s Day brought, but the high growth metrics seen in the Tracker have been aided by early Easter Bank Holiday revenues falling into March 2024, while last year Easter trading fell into April 2023. The Tracker—produced by CGA by NIQ in partnership with RSM UK—shows celebrations delivered particularly strong growth for the managed pub sector, where like-for-like sales were up by 7.2% in March. Growth was softer for restaurants at 3.4%, and the On The Go segment has seen 5.2% decline. Whilst bars still recorded a decline of 0.5% in March, this is somewhat of an improvement from the 13.6% and 7.4% declines in January and February respectively, showing the impact the early Bank Holiday weekend celebrations and holidays has had on the hospitality sector this month. For the first month since November, restaurant, pub and bar groups achieved higher growth outside London than within the capital. March sales inside the M25 were 4.0% ahead of last year, but ahead by 5.7% beyond it. Karl Chessell, director – hospitality operators and food, EMEA at CGA by NIQ, said: “These figures are encouraging for hospitality after a slow start to 2024 and show that people remain eager to celebrate holidays and special occasions in restaurants, pubs and bars. While spending remains tight for many consumers, we can be cautiously optimistic that their confidence will continue to increase in 2024 in line with an easing of inflation. Operators still face severe headwinds, and it may be some time before they generate sustained real-terms growth, but March showed the sector is moving in the right direction.” Saxon Moseley, head of leisure and hospitality at RSM UK, said: “An early Easter break and the arrival of Spring weather gave rise to inflation-beating sales growth in March, with pubs the main beneficiaries as friends and family opted to celebrate in their local establishments. After two months of sluggish growth to start the year, operators will be hoping these results represent the green shoots of consumer confidence returning to the market as inflation slows and energy prices fall. The sector has seen several high-profile closures in recent months, with more challenges to follow including minimum wage and rates increases in April and changes to tipping legislation in July. All will be hoping that this sales momentum can continue into the summer months to give businesses some much needed breathing space and help balance the books.” Read More:

If you are interested in keeping up to date with everything Classeq UK and the catering and hospitality sector as a whole, we'd like to invite you over to follow our main Classeq UK LinkedIn page. That is where we share all kinds of: 🔎 product updates – for example, the recent launch of our new Undercounter range; 👉 news and insights – thoughts from us and the industry alike; 👀 some lighthearted posts – as we send celebratory and informative messages around key calendar dates with hints and tips to help the hospitality sector grow. Like the one were posting below. :o) We love supporting the catering and hospitality sectors. So come over to Classeq UK and join the conversation. Don't wait too long as this Classeq Warewashing page will be closed down soon. #ClasseqUK #CateringEquipment #WorkingBetterTogether

SLTA Survey Reveals 6% Of Scottish Licensed Hospital Venues Considering Closure ON the same day that the Chancellor announces plans to kickstart the UK’s floundering economy, the Scottish Licensed Trade Association (SLTA) reveals in its latest Market Insight Report that 80% of survey respondents expect the Scottish economy to decline – with 6% considering closing their premises. The SLTA today releases a snapshot survey of the challenges faced by Scotland’s pubs, bars and hospitality venues in the year 2024, with a deep dive into the festive trading period, and the expectations of the sector in 2025. It reveals that the Scottish licensed hospitality industry ventures into 2025 with concerns over continued pressure from rising costs, staff availability, changes to employers’ national insurance contributions, and low economic confidence. The survey’s responses represent over 400 pubs, bars, restaurants and hotels, covering the full spectrum of licensed hospitality businesses throughout the country, and contain key insights into the continued challenges facing hospitality, driven by a challenging economic environment and visitors with less disposable income. Colin Wilkinson, SLTA managing director, said: “Christmas and New Year was a difficult period for our industry with a universal theme of visitors spending less time in outlets and spending less on food and drink. We did see an upturn in lower-strength products, but this was offset by customers having ‘one course instead of two’. “Over the course of the calendar year, 49% of outlets were down year on year, but over the festive period this increased to a worrying 69% of outlets reporting a decline.’’ Mr Wilkinson added: ‘‘We also continue to face rising costs and staff shortages – 38% of outlets told us that staff availability is impacting upon opening hours, up from 23% in the summer. We are also seeing increased costs from suppliers and government increases in taxes. “Regarding the pending changes to NI contributions, 75% of outlets expect new employers’ NI costs to impact on their staffing levels. This will make it even more difficult for businesses to open their full operating hours, remain competitive and get more people into our venues. “We are also facing the harsh reality that 6% of respondents are seriously considering closure.” The SLTA has been conducting Market Insight Surveys for nearly 10 years with the analysis based on quantitative research from outlets covering the length and breadth of the country. This survey is supported by major food and drink chains, and independent pubs, bars and hotels, across Scotland’s licensed hospitality sector. Commenting on staff availability and how the government can support the sector, Mr Wilkinson added: “One proposal that the SLTA supports is the introduction of a Scottish hospitality workers’ visa, which could help to alleviate staff shortages. “The hospitality industry fulfils a critical role in Scotland’s food, drink and tourism i…

Customer spend at hospitality venues increases https://ift.tt/dSnGIo0 New data from CommBank has confirmed customers increased their spending at hospitality venues last month. The CommBank Household Spending Insights Index report showed an overall rise in spending of 1.8 per cent for the month of August, with 10 of 12 spending categories showing positive growth. Hospitality was the highest growth category in August, increasing by 5.2 per cent compared to July, which saw a small -2.6 per cent decline. The August increase was likely highly affected by Father’s Day, which fell on 1 September this year, meaning spending would have taken place during the month of August. The last time such increases occurred was in August 2019, which saw the hospitality category up by 4.2 per cent. However, a “return to softer hospitality spending would be expected in September”. The largest contributions to spending in the sector were restaurants, pubs, taverns, and bars, fast-food outlets, and food delivery services. But the findings also indicated reduced spending at cafes, breweries and wineries, and caterers. Overall, all states and territories recorded growth in August. The Northern Territory showed the highest rate of household spending growth in August, sitting at 3.2 per cent followed by the Australian Capital Territory (2.5 per cent), Victoria (2 per cent), Tasmania (1.9 percent), Queensland (1.8 per cent), New South Wales (1.6 per cent), Western Australia (1.3 per cent), and South Australia (0.9 per cent). Western Australia, the Northern Territory, and New South Wales are currently all running above the national average of 3.7 per cent. Tasmania and Victoria are running at the national average of 3.7 per cent/year, however Queensland, South Australia, and the ACT are all below the national average. The post Customer spend at hospitality venues increases appeared first on hospitality | Magazine. via hospitality | Magazine https://ift.tt/L1WgFXm September 11, 2024 at 08:47PM

Pretty, Instagrammable, and Modern. Just some 2024 trends that are driving hospitality business to venues. Consumer expectations around what Christmas 'should be' shift every year. As the festive season fast approaches, now is the time for venues to prepare for what is expected to be a busy period – confirming bookings, securing deposits, and ensuring staff and equipment are ready to meet the demand. In what is projected to be a positive festive season in 2024, there’s one trend that continues to move toward visually compelling experiences worthy of social shares. Yes, it’s all about the feed – but this time your social feed, not the culinary type. Tapping into this trend can get venues noticed in the right way, further spreading the love for venues. ✨ Pretty Instagrammable venues… This Christmas, even more will want to experience something 'Instagram-worthy.' According to sources, 2023 searches for "Pretty Christmas Restaurants" increased by 429% from October to December, and "Instagrammable Christmas Restaurant" is also a growing search term. So, venues may want to think about how they upscale their venue decorations with visually appealing lights, creative themes, and stunning festive displays that could be highly viral across their social media platforms. Make sure your venue is visible and stands out amongst your competitors. 👀 🎄 Unique Christmas Experiences… Fewer people are looking for traditional Christmas activities; instead, they’re seeking new experiences that give them the festive ‘feels’. Searches for "Winter-themed pop-ups" and "Christmas experiences" are also on the rise. Could your venue create theme-specific pop-ups or local events you could attach to that create buzz? What about your towns “lights switch on” for example? With 68% of Brits opting to buy experiences over physical gifts, maybe it's time to push your festive packages across tasting menus, gift vouchers, and immersive eating experiences to meet the growing demand. This can also help to build some loyalty going into 2025. 😍 If you can’t be creative at this time of year… when can you! #PrettyChristmasRestaurants #PrepForChristmas #AClasseqChristmas #CateringEquipment ____ At Classeq, we are passionate about the growth and success of the hospitality sector. That’s why we are committed to providing you with content that explores every juncture of the hospitality journey from the distribution of catering equipment right through to the patron’s plate.

✨ Festive Season Tips! ✨ Get ready to sparkle this holiday season 🥂! "Tips to Make the Most of the Festive Season for Restaurants and Hotels," is packed with ideas to boost bookings and create unforgettable experiences for your guests. 👉 https://shorturl.at/54BmE Inside you'll find: Creative marketing ideas to attract holiday crowds Tips for crafting enticing festive menus Strategies for enhancing the guest experience with holiday cheer Tips for managing staff and operations during the busy season Don't miss out on the opportunity to make this holiday season your most successful yet! #FestiveSeason #HospitalityTips #RestaurantMarketing #HotelMarketing #HolidayCheer #BoostBookings