A round-up of the weekend's news affecting the hospitality industry...
Accor buys into French tour operator
Accor, the French hotels group, has agreed to buy a near 30% stake in Club Méditerranée, the French tour operator, for £166m from Italy’s Agnelli family and the French state-owned bank the Caisse des Depots et Consignations. – The Times, 12 June
School fruit scheme turns sour
A quarter of the fresh fruit offered to Scottish schoolchildren by school caterers under a healthy eating scheme is either refused or thrown away. Research has found that almost one in five left their free fruit uneaten or threw it away after a few token bites. A further 7% refused it in the first place, causing £500,000 of food waste. – Scotland on Sunday, 13 June
Article continues below
Noble House gets £4.5m lifeline
Robert Breare is to receive £4.5m from HBOS, the Scottish bank, in a rescue refinancing of his Noble House Pub Company. The deal comes after another of his backers, Hermes, the influential pension fund, refused to invest any more money in the business. It is believed to have lost more than £15m. – Sunday Times, 13 June
Irish pubs open smoking gardens
The ban on smoking in pubs in Ireland has led to a surge in buying Calor gas patio heaters as city-based pubs clean up their back yards, turning them into comfortable smoking gardens complete with gas heaters. – Sunday Times (Irish edition), 13 June
Whitbread director given £750,000 golden goodbye
Bill Shannon, the restaurant division chief who missed out on the top job at Whitbread, has walked away with a £750,000 pay-off. Shannon quit Whitbread after losing to hotels boss Alan Parker in the race to succeed David Thomas as chief executive. – Mail on Sunday, 13 June
Buy this week's Caterer magazine for more industry news and analysis
