VAT cuts and meal discounts boost larger rural places but are no help for ‘ye olde’ city spots – now left out and often still shut
It has been three weeks since pubs, bars and restaurants in England were allowed to reopen and the hospitality business is – if not exactly booming – taking its first shaky steps on the road to recovery.
Data from chains including Pizza Express and Greene King show that sales in reopened venues had reached 70% of 2019 levels within two weeks of restrictions being lifted. And yet, beneath the improving overall trend, a picture is emerging of a patchy recovery that is leaving some cherished venues behind.
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