Nick Varney must have had a busy Christmas. Word is that, in addition to running Madame Tussauds and Legoland as chief executive of Merlin Entertainments, he has been secretly negotiating a possible merger between two of the leisure sector’s biggest trade bodies. The British Hospitality Association, where he is chairman, and the Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers, which looks after the interests of pub and restaurant chains, are understood to be preparing to contact their members to seek their approval for the union. The aim, apparently, is to get the industry speaking with one voice — to government, in particular. According to industry sources, Kate Nicholls, chief executive of the ALMR, is likely to assume the same role in the combined organisation, to be called Hospitality…

Source: The Times January 03, 2018 00:05 UTC