Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Scots’ Covid policy criticised in latest results from bars group Revolution

Customers at Revolucion de Cuba on Belmont Street, Aberdeen, on the first day of cafes reopening after the last Scottish lockdown.

Revolution Bars Group hit out at Covid policy-making in Scotland as it announced an “exciting return to normal trade” following investment in its venues.

The FTSE-listed firm, whose portfolio includes Revolution bar-restaurants in Aberdeen and Inverness, and one of its Revolucion de Cuba hospitality spots in the Granite City, said today (November 16) it was picking up where it left off prior to Covid-19.

But in annual results and a trading update ahead of First Minister Nicola Sturgeon confirming no new restrictions for businesses north of the border, chief executive Rob Pitcher said different Covid rules in devolved nations of the UK were unhelpful.

The introduction of vaccine passports in Scotland and Wales is extremely disappointing.”

Rob Pitcher, chief executive, Revolution Bars Group.

Mr Pitcher added: “The second half of the year began with a 14-week third lockdown, lasting until outdoor trading was allowed in England from April 12 2021 when we were pleased to open 20 bars.

“This followed with indoor trading, still under restrictions, from May 17 2021 when we had 63 bars from our portfolio open and trading.

“After this, the group looked forward to a return to normal trading on June 21 2021 and was disappointed to learn of the delay to ‘freedom day’ (in England) until July 19 2021.

“The challenges faced, and trading levels seen, with varying rules and restrictions has been exacerbated by the differing home nation rules.”

The Revolution bar in Inverness.

He continued: “We are particularly disappointed with the approach taken with Scotland and Northern Ireland, which has maintained significant restrictions far longer than England and Wales.

“The introduction of vaccine passports in Scotland and Wales is extremely disappointing and is this year’s version of ‘needing to eat a scotch egg to drink a pint in a pub’.

“However, restrictions on foreign travel have been beneficial to us with most people staying in the UK for a ‘staycation’.

“We offer a fun environment where people can enjoy a brunch with friends, a lunch with colleagues, a family dinner, or a full night out and because of this all-day offering we’ve benefitted from people staying in the UK for their holidays.”

Revolution, whose shares were down nearly 7.5% at 24.7p by the market close, reported a narrowing of pre-tax losses to £26.3 million during the  53 weeks to July 3.

This was compared with losses of £31.7m a year ago.

Total sales slumped to £39.4m in the latest period, from £110.1m previously, as the group and wider hospitality industry suffered the impact of lockdown closures.

At the end of the reporting period, Revolution operated 67 “premium” bars with a strong presence throughout the UK for its two retail brands: Revolution (48 bars), focused on young adults; and Revolucion de Cuba (18 bars), which attracts a broader age range.

Most of the group’s sales are derived from drink and food, with some late-night admission receipts driven by entertainment completing the sales mix.

The Revolucion de Cuba bar-restaurant in Aberdeen.

Mr Pitcher said: “We are very excited to be back trading and doing what we do best.

“As we had hoped and expected, our young guest base was ready to return to our bars and we continue to be pleased with our level of trade, reflecting the fun and memorable experiences our teams create for our guests.

“Our strategy, and the investment in our brands and people, is showing real results.

There will be good opportunities for our brands to expand their estates.”

“Whilst the disruption caused by Covid has set back our timescales for expansion, we believe that post-Covid, our marketplace and the competitive landscape will be fundamentally different.

“There will be good opportunities for our brands to expand their estates at a much lower level of investment.”

Revolution said its recent investment included an accelerated refurbishment programme and a “progressive approach to moving away from being a national minimum wage employer”.


North-east businesses face ‘catastrophic’ financial consequences if Scottish Government extends Covid restrictions – poll