Companies are to get a £3,000 grant for every 18- to 24-year-old they take on who is on benefits and who has been seeking employment for more than six months.
The government move has been welcomed by the hospitality sector. That age group is typical of those making a start in the industry.
This financial incentive is the equivalent of an employers’ National Insurance contributions holiday and is based on proposals UKHospitality put forward to government.
“Including hospitality in foundation apprenticeships delivers on another of UKHospitality’s key asks, and means there are now several supported pathways into work where employers are financially supported to reduce their costs,” said Kate Nicholls, chair of UKHospitality.
“With employment costs rapidly increasing, engaging with the government to introduce these incentives has been one of our priorities and can genuinely support businesses to reduce the cost of employment.”
• Sunrise Beverages, which owns a portfolio of independent beer brands, has made a £25,000 investment into the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA), securing a two-year partnership.
Sunrise is in a period of growth, having acquired a number of brands over the last few years. It was through one of these brands that the opportunity to invest into the ICA came about.
“The account with the Institute of Contemporary Arts came to us through EFES, which we are the UK licensee for,” said Richard Mather, chief executive of Sunrise Beverages.
The £25,000 investment will be used to refurbish the bar area at the ICA. Managed in partnership with Bistroteque, the bar stocks two Sunrise brands on draft, EFES and Gipsy Hill Hepcat, and packaged beers from the wider portfolio.
• Opportunities for young people in retail risk being narrowed if poor implementation of reforms aimed at strengthening worker security end up reducing the availability of flexible, entry-level roles, the British Retail Consortium (BRC) has warned.
New BRC data shows 70% of Gen Z workers (aged 18 to 29) say flexibility at work is important to them, rising to 73% among those working part-time. Far from being a loophole or poor practice, flexible retail roles are actively chosen by people balancing study and other commitments, caring responsibilities or wanting to gain early work experience.
The warning comes as the Office for Budget Responsibility forecasts unemployment to reach 5.3% this year. With youth unemployment an ‘existential crisis’, according to Alan Milburn, chair of the Independent Review into Youth and Work, at 16.1% among 16- to 24-year-olds – its highest level in more than a decade – entry routes into work matter more than ever, particularly for young people.
“Just over half of the pub sector’s workforce is aged 16 to 24, making our industry one of the most important employers for young people,” said a spokesperson for the British Beer & Pub Association.
“It’s vital that the government continues to work with the beer and pub sector to ensure the Employment Rights Act is implemented fairly and in a way that protects these crucial first steps on the career ladder.
“It is also essential that the government listens to the industry and takes action to mitigate sky-high employment costs, which are forcing many pubs to cut back on their workforce and opening hours.”
• Greene King has partnered with New Futures Network and the Ministry of Justice to host a series of dedicated career events at female prisons across the country to mark International Women’s Day.
Members of Greene King’s senior leadership team, including chief operating officer, Clair Preston-Beer, managing director of Destination Brands, Jodie Tate, and MD of Greene King pubs, Zoe Bowley, hosted events at HMP Drake Hall, in Stafford, and HMP Downview, in Surrey. Further events are scheduled at HMP Styal, HMP Bronzefield, HMP Peterborough, and HMP East Sutton Park later this month.
The two-hour sessions provide female prisoners with the opportunity to learn about the career opportunities and support available to them through Greene King’s Releasing Potential programme, inspiring women to build a career in hospitality after leaving prison.
• Whisky broker VCL Vintners has extended its partnership with The Drinks Trust, the UK drinks industry charity, by deploying a five-figure fund to enable students to undertake distilling education with the Chartered Institute of Brewers and Distillers.
Using funds from the VCL Foundation, the whisky broker will now facilitate the first step in a progressive four-tier training pathway towards Master Distiller qualification for upwards of 15 students every year.
• The MCC has ended a supply contract with BrewDog just 14 moths into a four-year deal. In a letter to members, MCC chief executive, Robert Lawson, said: “I am writing to inform you that the MCC Committee has taken the decision to end its contracts with BrewDog, both as an official partner of MCC and as the official beer supplier at Lord’s.
“Following recent changes to the brewery’s business operations, the club believes this is the right step to ensure certainty and continuity ahead of the 2026 season. A competitive tender process to appoint a new supplier for the coming season and beyond will now begin.
“We are proud that 2025 saw record beer sales at Lord’s, reflecting a strong first year of the partnership. However, our priority is to guarantee the high-quality match-day experience that members and visitors rightly expect; to do this, we need certainty from our suppliers.”
• Stonegate Group, the UK’s largest pub company, has reported major progress across its circular economy and sustainability programme, revealing significant reductions in waste, carbon‑intensive packaging and resource consumption across its 4,000‑site estate.
Stonegate has accelerated its move towards circular, lower‑impact packaging, replacing traditional single‑use formats with reusable and low‑carbon alternatives across its estate. A growing partnership with suppliers, including the successful trial of refillable spirits vessels, has already taken more than 10,000 bottles out of circulation at Slug & Lettuce sites alone.
At the same time, the expansion of Stonegate’s glass re‑use scheme now returns bottles from more than 100 venues, ensuring they are cleaned and reused rather than recycled. This sits alongside a major shift toward sleek can formats, which offer a smaller carbon footprint across production and distribution, and which are now used across several of the group’s most popular drinks.
• Dodo Pub Group has secured £87,891 in energy savings and streamlined management across its portfolio following a review with Fidelity Energy.
Founded in 2009 with a single pub in Oxford, Dodo Pub Group has grown to ten premises. As the business expanded, managing multiple gas and electricity meters across sites (each with different suppliers and contract end dates) became increasingly complex and time-consuming.
Fidelity Energy conducted afull market reviewusing its bespoke pricing portal to source more competitive rates across all 20 of Dodo’s meters. When comparing rates against another broker’s proposal, Fidelity identified inflated pricing that would have cost the group over £18,000 morethan its own quote.
“Multi-site hospitality operators need visibility and control, not fragmented contracts and inconsistent billing,” said John Haw, chief executive of Fidelity Energy. This project shows that transparent procurement and portfolio alignment can deliver immediate savings while reducing administrative burden.”
• Such is its popularity these days, alcohol-free beer is now among the items added to the virtual basket of goods and services used by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) to determine the rate of inflation..
• London-based Craft Metropolis is to open a third taproom, in Sydenham. It already has craft beer taprooms and bottle shops in Penge and Loughborough Junction.
