Hospitality leaders ramp up pressure on Labour to slash VAT Hospitality Leaders of top hospitality firms have ramped up pressure on Labour to slash VAT, which they warn is leading to hundreds of thousands of job losses. Pub chains JD Wetherspoon, Fuller’s and Greene King, as well as hotel giant Hilton and Mexican restaurant chain Wahaca, have thrown their weight behind a campaign to cut Value [...]
Admiral pubs boss: business rates will ‘kill off the high street’ Hospitality The boss of a northern-based pubs company has claimed business rates will “kill off” the high street as well as pubs unless the levy is fundamentally reformed. Chris Jowsey, chief executive of Admiral Taverns, told Morning Wire the government must deliver on its pledge to overhaul the business rates system, which he said “penalises bricks [...]
American Psycho musical at the Almeida review: Bloody brilliant Life&Style American Psycho at the Almeida | ★★★★★ A lot has happened over the years Rupert Goold has been artistic director of the Almeida. In 2013 he opened his tenure at the Islington theatre with this wickedly amoral musical: six British Prime Ministers and one pandemic later, he completes the oroborus with the same riotous show. [...]
A Ghost in Your Ear is the scariest show in London January 9, 2026 A Ghost in Your Ear | ★★★★★ | Hampstead Theatre Theatre has evolved remarkably little over the centuries – plonk Shakespeare in the front row at the Almeida and he’d immediately recognise what’s going on. One area that feels ripe for exploration is the use of audience headphones to introduce another dimension to productions. The [...]
Are super clubs dead? October 21, 2025 With young people now opting for smaller, cheaper and more intimate venues, the days of the super club look numbered, writes Sacha Lord.
Losses widen at owner of scandal-hit The Groucho Club September 26, 2025 Losses have widened at the owner of The Groucho Club in London despite its turnover rising during its latest financial year. The Groucho Club is one of London’s most famous private members’ clubs and has been going since 1985. The Soho venue was founded a a more relaxed alternative to traditional gentlemen’s clubs and has [...]
Heston Blumenthal calls for VAT cut to ‘save British pubs’ September 2, 2025 Celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal has called on the government and licensees to take urgent action to halt the closure of thousands of UK pubs. The chef, who owns owner of the Michelin-starred gastropub The Hinds Head, is campaigning for a reduction to the UK’s VAT rate, which is one of the highest in Europe. He [...]
Greene King landlords plea for Rachel Reeves to cut bills September 1, 2025 More than 600 Greene King landlords have called on Chancellor Rachel Reeves to lower taxes for pubs ahead of the Autumn Budget as the sector grapples with ever-rising costs. The hospitality industry has been vocal about the cost pressures it has been facing since the Covid-19 pandemic began in 2020, with businesses facing surging energy, [...]
London pub scene ‘showing real resilience’ despite soaring costs August 7, 2025 The number of pubs in London has barely budged in the last decade despite heavy pressure on the capital’s hospitality scene. There are 3,523 pubs in the capital, only 10 fewer than in 2023 and just under the 3,530 venues recorded in 2017, according to data from the ONS. “The data shows it’s far from [...]
Here’s why the Simmons bar was never going to last August 6, 2025 It should have worked. On every level. Millennial pink neon art, reliably late opening hours, chugging cheap cocktails to disco playlists. Who doesn’t like disco playlists? And yet, after taking the “tough decision” to close four bars, Simmons has gone into administration, owing millions to the bank and tax collectors. When Simmons launched in 2013, [...]