Pub chain McMullen’s has warned of the strain of tax and regulatory burdens facing the hospitality industry after it reported a surge in labour costs.
The Hertfordshire-based brewery and pub chain, which runs several iconic pubs in central London including the Old Bank of England in Fleet Street and Traitors Gate in Tower Hill, said it had seen an eye-watering 78% increase in labour costs since 2016 amid a string of successive tax rises and double-digit percentage minimum wage hikes. The firm, which has over 1400 staff in London and the East of England, added its employer taxes in managed pubs have gone up by nearly 50% since 2019, while business rates had risen 17% with a further 6.7% increase expected in 2024.
