* Sales at Mitchells cross pre-COVID levels
* Fuller's says not immune to labour crunch
* City Pub Group says 'pingdemic' added to staff shortfall
(Adds details, background)
By Muvija M
Sept 23 (Reuters) - British pub operators reported a rebound
in sales on Thursday, as drinkers returned after months of
lockdowns, but flagged a labour crunch that could strain the
industry ahead of a busy holiday season.
The hospitality sector has suffered from prolonged closures
of pubs and hotels over the last 18 months and still faces the
risk of renewed restrictions should any spike in infections
becomes unmanageable.
Since England lifted all restrictions in July, many people
have returned to eateries and pubs to dine out with their
friends and families, although some remain wary.
A bigger challenge could be a shortage of labourers, which
has beset the industry since the reopening and could potentially
limit earnings during usually bustling Christmas season around
the end of the year.
Europeans who left during because of the pandemic, or
because of Britain's departure from the European Union, and a
"pingdemic" that forced people to isolate after being "pinged"
by a government app because they had been in contact with
someone who had tested positive for COVID-19 have contributed to
the staff shortfall.
"Whilst this is very frustrating, we believe that the end of
the furlough scheme in September will increase the pool of
labour," said City Pub Group, which runs 45 pubs.
Phil Urban, who heads Britain's second-largest pub operator
Mitchells & Butlers, has said that uncertainty around
the pandemic caused some workers to give up on the sector.
Mitchells, a more than century old brewer that runs 1,700
pubs and restaurants, said sales over the last eight weeks were
above pre-pandemic levels at 104%.
Year-to-date sales at the owner of Harvester, Toby Carvery
and All Bar One were at 45% of 2019 levels.
BACK TO THE CITY
Fuller Smith & Turner, which has a larger exposure
to London, said like-for-like sales stood at 86% of 2019 levels
in the seven weeks to Sept. 18.
The company, popularly known as Fuller's, said it expects
footfall in the city to increase as people continue to return to
offices. Eateries in cities have taken longer to recover as
companies adapt more to a flexible model, which means more time
working from home.
Its boss Simon Emeny said the company was not immune to the
wider challenges including recruitment, but said its rural pubs
and hotels have benefited from more domestic tourism.
"We are now beginning to see a return of customers to our
Central London pubs, which is a great sign as we head into a
busy trading period," he said.
(Reporting by Muvija M in Bengaluru; Editing by Rashmi Aich and
Barbara Lewis)