Crackdown on drink over Christmas
The Home Office has announced a second blitz on underage and antisocial drinking, which will run from 15 December to 1 January, following the successful police campaign in the summer. This time, police will be armed with new powers to impose on-the-spot £80 penalties on staff caught selling alcohol to youngsters.
Sodexho Rugby World Cup coup
Sodexho Prestige has won a multimillion pound contract to sell 400,000 corporate hospitality and travel packages at the 2007 Rugby World Cup in France. Sodexho expects two-thirds of the packages to be for corporate hospitality, with the remainder made up of sports travel packages. The caterer is among the contenders to provide stadium catering at the championships, which has yet to be decided.
London congestion charge probe
London Mayor Ken Livingstone has commissioned two surveys to examine the impact of the congestion charge on Londoners and on the capital's businesses and visitors. The research, which will cost £3m, will also look at the likely effect of the proposed western extension of the zone. The surveys will run for three to four years, with the first update due from Transport for London next April.
Brahim's grabs gold
The Caterer Group's second Excellence in Food and Drink Awards, which recognises exceptional quality among food service products, was held last Friday (12 November) at the Dorchester hotel in London. All 12 category winners, announced at the event, were nominated for the prestigious gold award, which was won by Brahim's for its Malaysian Nyonya sauce. A full list of winners and pictures will be featured in Caterer next week.