How to claim the Coronavirus Job Retention Bonus
Unveiled as part of Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s £30bn relief package to help the UK economy recover from the Covid-19 pandemic, the Job Retention Bonus is a one-off £1,000 payment to employers for every employee for whom they previously claimed for under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) but who remains continuously employed until 31 January 2021.
Sunak rejected calls to extend the furlough scheme beyond October, saying it would give people "false hope" that they will have a job to return to.
It’s been reported that the Job Retention Bonus could cost the Government as much as £9.4bn if every furloughed worker is brought back.
Employees must earn at least £520 (the national insurance lower earnings limit) a month on average between the beginning of November and the end of January 2021.
Those who were furloughed and had a claim submitted for them after 10 June (when the CJRS closed to new entrants) because they were returning from paternal leave will also be eligible for the bonus as long as they meet the other eligibility criteria.
Find out more here.
Pernod Ricard UK announces four senior appointments
The company behind Absolut vodka and Jameson Irish whiskey has made four additions to its marketing department as the business plots a digital reboot.
Estelle Martin has been promoted to the newly created position of head of experiential and consumer activation and will have responsibility for all aspects of Pernod Ricard UK’s brand experience and execution of brand activation programmes with trade partners.
In addition, Marnie Corrigan has joined Pernod Ricard UK as brand director and will oversee the growth of brands such as Absolut, Malibu, Kahlua, Havana Club, as well as the drinks conglomerate’s Scotch and champagne portfolio. Previously Pernod Ricard USA’s director of consumer engagement, Corrigan has been with Pernod Ricard since 2017.
Also joining are Laura Stephen, who will become the brand director responsible for Pernod Ricard UK’s gin, Irish whiskey and no/low portfolio, and new director of digital and ecommerce Matthew Buttery.
“I am delighted to welcome Estelle, Marnie, Laura and Matthew into their new roles,” Raja Banerji, Pernod Ricard UK marketing director, said of the appointments.
“Their collective industry experience will help us accelerate our brand experiences through multiple channels as we continue to deliver our premium portfolio of brands to consumers.”
Former Ei boss becomes Bedlam Brewery chairman
Sussex-based craft brewer Bedlam Brewery has appointed former Ei Group managing director Kim Francis as its new chairman in place of incumbent Nick Cooper, who will remain as a non-executive director.
Francis joined Bedlam’s board in November after 35 years in beer, first with Courage, before spells with Scottish & Newcastle and Heineken and a seven-year stint as managing director operations for Ei.
“The fact Bedlam is now able to attract the likes of Kim to work alongside Bob Emms, our chief executive; Danny Hoskins, our sales director; and Dominic Worrall, one of my fellow directors, all highly regarded in their areas of the industry, is more than we ever dared hope for,” Cooper said of the appointment.
Francis added: “I am thrilled my fellow directors have asked me to take on this role as chairman as Bedlam continues to grow.
“I am particularly enjoying the diversity of input around the board table at Bedlam combining significant industry experience with a high regard for good corporate governance, as well as an entrepreneurial ‘can-do’ attitude, all of which bode well for the future.”
From bombs to beer – AB InBev’s new UK head of on-trade talks pubs
Budweiser Brewing Group’s recently appointed on-trade sales director for the UK and Ireland Ryan Fritsch has an extensive background in bomb defusal, a skill he’s hopefully unlikely to need while in his current job.
“It’s a very natural transition, even though it might seem a little obscure to outsiders," Fritsch told The Morning Advertiser’s (MA) managing editor, Nicholas Robinson.
MA spoke to Fritsch about his background in beer, how Budweiser supported the on-trade during lockdown and how sales of Corona were affected by the outbreak of a namesake pandemic.
Read the full interview here.
Star’s seven-figure Scottish investment to create 30 pub jobs
A £1.04m investment in pubs in Scotland’s West Central Belt by Heineken-owned Star Pubs & Bars is expected to create 30 new jobs.
Of Star Pubs & Bars’s predominantly tenanted estate of around 2,500 pubs, 240 are in Scotland with more than 50 found in the Glasgow area alone.
Work will start on a £325,000 makeover of the Princess in Riddrie on 10 August before a planned October reopening, while the Drum in Shettleston reopened on 3 August following a £210,000 refit.
“We’re firm believers in the future of community locals,” Lawson Mountstevens, managing director of Star Pubs & Bars, said. “In challenging times such as these, they’re even more important to the residents they serve.
“This investment also underlines the benefits of the tied pubs model for licensees. It comes at a time when the lower risk and higher support of the tied model in Scotland is in danger of being jeopardised by The Tied Pubs Bill now being considered by the Scottish Parliament.”
Michelin-starred chef takes plunge at Lake District pub
Michelin star chef Kevin Tickle has taken on the 17th century Crown Inn in High Newton, Cumbria, with his wife Nicola – a move that is expected to trigger significant investment in the site.
“The Crown is a great opportunity for us and I’m excited to take what we’ve learned over the past 20 years and create our own dining destination,” Tickle said. “I’m passionate about the ingredients we have literally on our doorstep and can’t wait to get behind the stoves to create something interesting.”
Tickle, who spent nine years working alongside Michelin-starred chef Simon Rogan in the Cumbrian village of Cartmel before becoming head chef at the Forest Side in Grasmere – also in Cumbria – where he gained a Michelin star within eight months of opening followed by four AA rosettes.
“There’s a lot of work to do before we open but we look forward to building a great team to make a real success of the Crown.”
Multi-million-pound investment creates 40 new roles
Award-winning pub operator the Inn Collection Group has reopened the 42-bed Coniston Inn under husband and wife team John and Anita Dodsworth after a multi-million-pound refurb which is expected to create 40 new jobs.
Following an 18-month revamp, the venue in the Furness region of Cumbria, in the southern part of the Lake District National Park, opened on Saturday August 1 after the Inn Collection Group gave the traditional slate building – which has been a hotel for over a century – an extensive refit.
