Weekend news bulletin for pubs - 2 and 3 May

Further reading:

• JDW ‘hoping to reopen in June’​ - Pub behemoth JD Wetherspoon (JDW) has revealed it is planning for the future and estimates its pubs may be able to reopen in June​.
• What could social distancing in post-pandemic pubs look like?​ - From potential city-wide open-air café bars to limited capacity and table-service only – how are pubs and bars across the globe planning to reopen under social distancing measures?​
• BT Sport suspends billing ‘until further notice’​ - Broadcaster BT Sport has revealed it will not be charging its pub partners for subscriptions until further notice amid the Covid-19 pandemic.​
• Ryan Reynolds to donate 30% of UK gin sales to bar staff during Covid-19​ - Almost a third of Aviation Gin’s online sales will be donated to The Drinks Trust in an effort to support bar staff through the Covid-19 pandemic, actor, producer and the brand’s owner Ryan Reynolds has announced.​
• Pubs need ‘minimum of 3 weeks’ notice to reopen’​ - The pub trade needs notice of at least three weeks, but ideally four, to give sufficient time to reopen, one industry body has said.​
• 1m jobs at risk without reopening plan​ - The hospitality industry could see one million jobs lost due to an extended period of social distancing, unless more measures to protect these businesses are put in place, UKHospitality (UKH) has warned.​
• A #NationalTimeOut can help save our pubs​ - Hospitality is in crisis. On current estimates, more than half of hospitality businesses and as many as 2m jobs will not survive the next few months.​