Set to serve up a treat
5 things we learned yesterday
1 A leading North East restaurateur is poised to unveil the results of huge investment at his flagship restaurant, where disused sections have been given a new lease of life.
Andy Hook, owner of Blackfriars Restaurant for 16 years, has devoted several years to an ambitious scheme to renovate several empty areas of the 13th-century medieval friary in the heart of Newcastle.
Plans include bringing the friary’s parlour and library rooms back into use, and Mr Hook – who also recently opened Dobson & Parnell on Newcastle Quayside – commissioned local craftsmen to painstakingly refurbish the dining room, which served as the friary’s refectory, resulting in additional seating and an open kitchen.
The parlour, which is next to the restaurant, was originally the waiting room for visitors to the friary. For many years it was a gift shop, but it has been refurbished by traditional craftsmen to create a unique setting where guests can enjoy a drink before or after their meal. 2 The new boss at department store chain John Lewis has laid bare the difficulties she faces as she warned over a “turbulent and challenging” high street amid cost pressures from the pound and a dramatic shift in consumer spending.
Paula Nickolds – who in January became the first female managing director in the chain’s 152-year history – said the group was facing “significant” input cost hikes from the Brexit-hit pound, with around 70% of its products imported, but said it “remained to be seen” how much of this would be passed on to the consumer.
She cautioned this was compounding already difficult trading conditions, as consumers are switching spending away from clothes towards eating out and holidays. She said: “I’m taking over at a turbulent and challenging time. This is a tough environment and there will be casualties – we can’t be under any illusion on that.” 3 A Washington firm that specialises in making cables used to record live football matches has boosted its turnover to £15.3m.
Canford Audio Plc, which specialises in the manufacturing and sale of professional audio equipment, saw its revenue grow by 5.8%, from £14.5m to £15.3m.
Canford managed to reduce costs by relocating part of its manufacturing facilities from a rented property to the company’s headquarters in Crowther Road, Washington. The move was made possible after the firm added mezzanine flooring to the factory.
The facility has allowed Canford to expand its production of specialist equipment used by television companies to record events such as live football matches. 4 A plan by one of the North East’s largest companies to build a new town in Scotland is under way after planning approval for the first phase was granted.
Hargreaves Services, the Durham-based mining and bulk material logistics firm, announced plans in January 2015 which would breathe new life into a former opencast mine, creating a major development comprising more than 3,000 homes, a school, community facilities and commercial units in East Lothian.
Hargreaves acquired the Blindwells site in July 2013 from the liquidators of collapsed Scottish Coal, in a portfolio of some 30,000 acres of land. 5 Around 2.3m workers will receive a pay rise when minimum wage rates increase tomorrow, but this will create pressures for employers, a report finds.
A study by the Low Pay Commission revealed that in some areas of the UK, more than a fifth of workers will have a wage increase, while in others, just 1% will benefit.
The Government’s National Living Wage, paid to people over 24, goes up by 30p an hour to £7.50.