Arena4finance

19/08/2025

Join us on our open courses coming up this Autumn - visit https://arena4finance.co.uk/events/ for all the details.

17/07/2025

The Budget season is almost here but planning for 2026 can feel very daunting. A good starting point is to gather information about the environment in which the business operates and external bench marking provides the opportunity to understand our closest competitors.

Smart hoteliers outmaneuver the market by using benchmarking as a strategic blueprint, not just forecasting, for profit-focused planning.

09/06/2025

Do you need to boost your hospitality finance skills to manage the current challenges faced by your business? Join us for our online course – Finance for Non Financial Managers in Hospitality. Improve your forecasting skills to optimise revenue, cut costs and improve profitability. https://arena4finance.co.uk/product/finance-for-non-financial-managers-in-hospitality-july-25/

2nd/3rd July Finance for non financial managers in hospitality has been designed specifically for departmental heads working in hotels, restaurants and leisure.

09/06/2025

An in depth review of the current issues facing the hospitality industry impacting on profitability and investment for the future with some wise advice for meeting the challenges:

Pessimism has suffused the industry, with business leaders braced for a challenging year battered by extra costs

22/05/2025

Today the Caterer reports prices for key fresh produce are forecast to increase for hospitality buyers following the UK inflation jump to 3.5% in April, compared to March’s 2.6%.

Meat, poultry, potatoes and dairy product costs all predicted to rise

12/05/2025

Join us to unlock the secrets to successful financial controls with the "Cost Control for Food and Beverage Managers" online course with Debra Adams. Tailored specifically for restaurant supervisors, managers, food and beverage controllers, and chefs, this comprehensive event equips you with essential skills for effective food and beverage cost control.

Dive deep into best practices for ordering and purchasing while mastering the calculation of gross profit. Learn how to manage sales and costs through accurate forecasting, strategic pricing, and minimising waste. Gain a solid understanding of payroll-related expenses, especially in light of the rising costs following the Autumn 2024 Budget.

This course demystifies the figures in your monthly profit and loss account, helping you make informed decisions that drive profitability. Enhance your expertise in food and beverage cost control, and elevate your management capabilities with techniques that are essential for today’s competitive landscape.

This course is ideal for restaurant supervisors and managers, food & beverage controllers and chefs.

Available online via zoom on the 17th and 18th June from 9.00 am to 12.30 pm. - to book click to: https://arena4finance.co.uk/product/cost-control-for-food-and-beverage-managers-june-2025/

The course Cost Control for Food and Beverage Managers focuses on how to optimise revenue and manage the significant costs in the P&L to improve profitability

30/04/2025

Financial knowledge is key in 2025 when the UK hospitality sector faces significant financial challenges, including the risk of insolvency arising from escalating operational costs, and shifting customer buying behaviours. To provide support for hotel general managers navigating these challenges the finance4hospitality academy (powered by arena4finance) is offering the next “Finance for Hotel General Managers” course, online on the 11th and 12th June providing a timely opportunity to improve financial knowledge and strategic decision-making skills.​

This course provides insight into the financial issues impacting the sector with a focus on:​

🔸Understanding the hotel profit and loss statements and departmental reports and optimisation of profitable revenue
🔸Evaluating the balance sheet and developing business finance strategies
🔸Planning for cash requirements, controlling assets, and forecasting working capital
🔸Analyzing key performance indicators (KPIs) for benchmarking
🔸Monitoring flow through to optimise profitable revenues and improve gross operating profit (GOP) and EBITDA

Course Details

Dates: June 11–12, 2025
Format: Online sessions from 9:00 AM to 12:30 PM (BST)
Cost: £390.00 per person (inclusive of VAT)
Tutor: Debra Adams, founder of the finance4hospitality academy powered by arena4finance, successful author, lecturer and management accountant, with over 30 years of experience in hospitality finance training
Extras: One-month subscription to finance4hospitality academy resources and a Certificate of Achievement upon completion​.

For more information click to https://arena4finance.co.uk/2025/04/28/timely-financial-knowledge-training-for-hotel-general-managers/

24/02/2025

Join us for our next online live course hosted by Debra Adams.
‘Cost Control for Food & Beverage Operations’ is delivered over two half days online and is designed to help all those in catering businesses who need to manage food and beverage cost of sales and maximise gross profit. The course includes a complete review of all steps from purchasing through to setting the selling price of products. The sessions have been designed to help participants understand pricing methods and the control of gross profit as well as assisting with the effective ex*****on of daily tasks such as ordering, storage and issuing stock. The course includes time dedicated to exploring how to measure and manage payroll and related costs. The focus will be on the rising cost of payroll following the Autumn 2024 Budget with increases in NIC due to be implemented from April 2025.

This course is ideal for restaurant supervisors and managers, food & beverage controllers and chefs.

Available online via zoom on the 25th and 26th March from 9.00am to 12.30pm

For more information and to book visit

‘Cost Control for Food & Beverage Operations’ is delivered over two half days online and is designed to help all those in catering businesses who need to

27/01/2025

Excellent article from HotStats explaining the essential requirements to gain the most from benchmarking your hotel against the competitor set. External benchmarking confirms how your business performing in comparison to the competition and the progress made in gaining market share.

Discover how tailored comp sets empower hotels with actionable insights, optimizing operations, boosting profitability, and leading in profit intelligence.

17/01/2025

Looking forward to sharing our hints and tips at today's webinar. To sign up go to https://arena4finance.co.uk/product/free-webinar-managing-foodcost/

According to the Financial Times, global food prices are on the rise again with the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation’s food price index rising by 5.5% compared to October last year.

Whilst food costs remain below the level reached in March 2022, this is likely to increase the pressures on food and beverage operators coupled with the impacts on payroll arising from the recent UK Budget.

🗓 Join us on Friday 17th January at 2.00 pm for a free online webinar on hints and tips on how to manage your food costs and maintain profitability in these challenging times:

📄Read article: https://www.ft.com/content/b7ab3948-9941-4bd6-a648-adbb8fed806b

17/01/2025

Great article on the value of GOPPAR for operational benchmarking.

Boost hotel profits with operational benchmarking. Learn how tools like HotStats provide actionable insights to optimize costs, enhance revenue & drive ROI.