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Find out about our latest news and what the media is inviting us to talk about. Discover the latest news, trends and thought leadership.
Rising costs hit margins and menu prices as hospitality’s supply issues continue
Survey from CGA and Fourth highlights business leaders’ efforts to cut carbon footprints as well as costs in the supply chain
Hospitality businesses face a damaging combination of mounting costs and supply problems, CGA and Fourth’s new Business Confidence Survey reveals.
The exclusive survey of industry leaders shows more than two in three (71%) have seen significant increases in energy costs, while six in ten (60%) have experienced significant food and drink price inflation.
Hospitality Headcount Hits Two Year High - but Leaver Rate Remains Major Cause for Concern
1 August 2022 – LONDON – Hospitality staffing numbers are nearing pre-pandemic levels, but a series of factors such as increasing rates of pay, high staff turnover, and the changing make-up of the workforce, are piling pressure on employers.
The latest data from Fourth, the leading industry provider of inventory and workforce management solutions, shows there are now more people working in hospitality than at any time in the last two years.
Hospitality Food Costs Soar Up To 40% As Supply Chain Fragility Hits Hard
18 July 2022 – LONDON – Spiralling costs and major disruption to the supply chain are having a drastic impact on hospitality operators’ food and drinks bills – and profits – according to latest data.A new report from Fourth, the leading global software provider for the hospitality and leisure industries, shines a light on how global events, including the fallout from the pandemic and the war in Ukraine, has created unprecedented supply chain issues.
Holland & Barrett, Robert Dyas, Ryman, and Boux Avenue to use Fourth's workforce management technology
The retail giants will now make full use of Fourth’s umbrella of industry-leading workforce software to evolve employee experience.
10 January 2021 – LONDON – Fourth, the leading global software provider for the retail and hospitality sectors, has today announced partnerships with two of the UK’s leading retail brands in Holland & Barrett and the Theo Paphitis Retail Group (TPRG) – which includes popular high street brands Robert Dyas, Ryman, and Boux Avenue.This partnership will see Fourth’s cutting-edge workforce management technology implemented in over 1,000 stores across the UK for almost 10,000 employees of Holland & Barrett and TPRG. In 2022, Fourth will apply its technology portfolio to help streamline and modernise the businesses including: Fourth Engage, MySchedules, and Fourth’s enhanced productivity tools. This fully integrated system will help both businesses manage the full employee lifecycle from hiring and onboarding, through to scheduling, paying, engaging, and ultimately retaining their employees.
Hospitality Job Losses Remain in Line With Recent Months, With Recruitment at a Standstill
As England goes into a second lockdown, the latest figures from Fourth, the leading global software provider for the hospitality sector, reveal the impact COVID-19 continues to have on jobs, with a fifth fewer sector jobs compared to a year ago.
The latest study indicates that the number of job leavers continues to significantly outweigh the number of new starters, a trend seen throughout August and September, since the industry began re-opening following the first lockdown. The study reveals:
- There have been 500,000 sector job losses since January
- There has been a 21% drop in overall staff headcount compared to October 2019
- There were approximately three leavers for every one starter throughout October
- The total staff headcount across SMEs was down by 23.3% versus October 2019
- This is compared to large scale, national operators where the drop in staff headcount was 16.8% versus October 2019
Fourth data reveals success of the Eat Out to Help Out initiative, driving a 50% increase in sales in the first week
Leading restaurant and hospitality software company bolsters leadership team with two C-suite executive appointments.
LONDON – 17th August 2020 – The latest figures from Fourth, the leading global software provider for the hospitality sector, have revealed the remarkable success of the Eat Out to Help Out scheme in boosting sales, with restaurant companies benefiting the most from the Government-backed initiative, followed by the pub and bar sector, and then QSR.
The data, which has been aggregated from analysis of over 700 companies across the restaurant, pub and bar, and QSR sectors, reveals that sa
Fourth Enterprises Announces New Chief Operating Officer and Chief Revenue Officer
Leading restaurant and hospitality software company bolsters leadership team with two C-suite executive appointments.
LONDON – 7th July 2020 – Fourth Enterprises, parent company of HotSchedules and Fourth, the leading provider of end-to-end, best-in-class technology and services for the restaurant and hospitality industries, today announced the appointment of Paige Newcombe as Chief Operating Officer (COO), and Scott Morgan, Ed.D, SPHR as Chief Revenue Officer (CRO), effective immediately. As COO, Ms. Newcombe will be responsible for the Company’s global operations, and as CRO, Dr. Morgan will head global commercial performance and corporate growth.
Fourth launches new in-app health survey to help the industry safely reopen
Fourth, the leading global software provider for the hospitality sector, has announced the launch of their in-app health survey that enables operators to efficiently track the health of their employees to ensure all measures are taken to safely staff their sites when the industry reopens.
The new feature, which is securely accessible for employees via the Fourth app, asks employees a series of questions on their current health so that operators can establish if they are fit to work ahead of their shift. The questions will be asked daily and are in line with the latest NHS advice and Government guidance on return to work protocol for the hospitality industry.
Industry stepping up plans for a depleted market post-lockdown
The latest CGA Business Confidence Survey reveals that operators remain deeply pessimistic about both market prospects and the future of their own businesses, with a third (32%) of senior executives anticipating the need to permanently close pub, bar and restaurant sites.
Location, Location, Location: Dining Habits of UK Regions Revealed by New Survey
LONDON – 17th October 2019 – Quality, good service and variety have been revealed as the top three criteria for British diners when it comes to choosing a restaurant. The survey, conducted by the UK’s leading software and data provider for the hospitality industry Fourth, took an in-depth look into the nation’s dining habits with interesting results, unearthing information across a number of areas, including diners’ biggest bugbears, tipping and what consumers really look for when choosing a restaurant.
FOURTH TO SPONSOR TEN OPERATORS IN sra food waste bad taste programme
LONDON – 10th September 2019 – Fourth, the leading software provider to the hospitality industry, is seeking ten restaurant operators to take part in the Sustainable Restaurant Association’s six-week Food Waste Bad Taste (FWBT) programme.
Cohort of Fourth-sponsored operators will nominate one or a handful of sites to spend six-weeks on the programme, supporting kitchens measure the real food waste at every stage, and set realistic targets to reduce.
Fourth Joins Forces with HotSchedules to Become Global Leader in End-to-End Restaurant and Hospitality Management Technology Solutions
Fourth Appoints Strategic HR Partner
LONDON – 28th September 2018 – Fourth, the UK’s leading hospitality operations platform, has named Karen Davies as its Strategic HR Partner.
Hospitality Industry Wages Already Outstripping the new NLW Thresholds
99% Of Retail Leaders Say Talent Shortages Are Still A ‘Worry’ For Their Business
18 July 2022 – LONDON – Almost all UK retail leaders (99%) are worried about talent shortages in their business, with larger retailers most likely to have concerns, according to market research by the leading global software provider for the retail and hospitality sectors, Fourth.
Overall, larger retail businesses are more likely to have concerns about talent shortages, with 63% of retailers with 3,000-3,999 employees and 40% of retailers with 4,000-4,999 employees ‘extremely worried’.
The findings, revealed in Fourth’s latest whitepaper Cost of living: Supporting your retail workforce as the crisis deepens, show that retail leaders’ concerns have increased since 2021, where previous Fourth research found that 94% of retail leaders were worried about talent shortages.
Almost half of Hospitality Workers remains on furlough, as the scheme comes to an end this month
The latest figures from Fourth, the leading global software provider for the hospitality sector, and Wireless Social, a leading Wi-Fi solutions provider, have revealed the impact COVID-19 has had, and continues to have, on jobs and footfall.
The latest joint study indicates that many hospitality workers’ jobs hang in the balance, and that nationwide footfall is falling again, despite the momentum generated by August’s Eat Out to Help Out (EOTHO) scheme. The study reveal
- There has been an 18% drop in overall staff headcount compared to September last year
- This equates to 500,000 people (or almost 1 in 5) losing their job in the sector since January
- 43% of the workforce remains on furlough
- UK footfall dropped to 46% below the pre-COVID average on the weekend of 3rd October – a 4 percentage point decrease compared to the previous weekend
Market confidence dips again, but groups are more optimistic than independents
Latest Business Confidence Survey from CGA and Fourth reveals widespread concerns about trading conditions but very cautious confidence among some multi-site operators
Fewer than one in ten leaders are confident about market prospects over the next 12 months, the latest Business Confidence Survey from CGA and Fourth reveals—but restaurant and pub groups are more optimistic than independent operators.
The survey, conducted throughout the first three weeks of September, shows that the number of leaders feeling confident about the general market has dipped to just 9%—half the level in June (16%), and a fraction of the four-year high of 60% at the start of this year.
A cautious return to trading as 84% of hospitality sector leaders indicate uncertain consumer demand is the key concern
New Business Confidence Survey from CGA and Fourth indicates widespread anxiety but signs of guarded confidence as restaurants, pubs and bars welcome back guests
Managed pubs, restaurants and bars are planning a gradual re-opening starting this weekend, although operators are feeling both cautious optimism and anxiety about trading levels, according to the latest Business Confidence Survey from CGA and Fourth.
The findings reveal that 59% of businesses in England plan to reopen some sites this Saturday [4 July], while a further 18% intend to open during the following week. But, on average, operators plan to open only three in five sites during the first week back, and just a quarter (25%) plan to open all their sites initially.
Fourth data reveals hospitality workers’ monthly pay could be down as much as 40% as furlough payments do not factor in Tronc
The latest figures from Fourth, the leading global software provider for the hospitality sector, reveal that Tronc payments make up on average more than 25% of hospitality workers’ basic pay, for the significant cohort that receive it.
Fourth Enterprises Announces New CEO and CFO
AUSTIN, Texas and LONDON – December 10, 2019 -Fourth Enterprises, LLC, parent company of HotSchedules and Fourth, (“the Company”), a leading provider of workforce, inventory and operations management solutions to the global restaurant and hospitality industry, today announced the appointment of Clinton Anderson as its new Chief Executive Officer.
Fourth and HotSchedules Announce Post-Merger Executive Leadership Team to Drive the Next Era of Growth and Innovation
Tampa, Fla. May 15, 2019 – HotSchedules and Fourth, leading providers of the restaurant and hospitality industry’s only integrated workforce, cost control and inventory management solutions, today announced the formation of a new executive leadership team comprising industry experts and technology evangelists from both entities. As a result of the recent merger, Fourth and HotSchedules will unite under the leadership of Ben Hood, chief executive officer; David Cantu, chief customer officer; Simon Bocca, chief growth officer; Matt Leone, chief operating officer and Christian Berthelsen, chief technology officer.
Pubs and Bars More Upbeat as Restaurant Confidence Falters
LONDON, 11th July 2019 – Confidence levels among the leaders of Britain’s pub, bar and restaurant groups remain broadly flat in light of continuing political uncertainty and multiple continuing business challenges, the latest CGA Fourth Business Confidence Survey reveals.
Hospitality Wages Spike After Months of Deflation
Business Optimism Under Pressure Across Eating and Drinking-Out Market
LONDON – 18th December 2018 – Business confidence among leaders of Britain’s eating and drinking-out market remains strained, reveals the latest edition of the CGA Business Confidence Survey, produced in partnership with Fourth.
Fourth Unveils Revolutionary Partner Programme by Integrating Wireless Social Data for Mutual Customers
LONDON – 28th September 2018 – Fourth, the leading software provider to the hospitality industry has unveiled a new partner programme that will see it work in partnership with selected software providers to streamline the ever increasing digital services across the hospitality industry.
New Fourth Partnership with Wagestream Revolutionises Pay for Hospitality Workers
LONDON – 20th June 2018 – Fourth, the leading global software partner for the leisure and hospitality industry, has partnered with Wagestream in a ground-breaking move that will combine their technologies to give hospitality workers complete control over when they get paid.