Restaurants serve up revenue lift - Stuff

DON SCOTT/Fairfax NZ

CHEERS: Pubs, like The Pedal Pusher in Christchurch, are enjoying an 8.5 per cent revenue rise.

The hospitality industry could be turning a corner after an extended rough patch with sales, jobs and restaurant numbers all expected to pick up in the year ahead.

The third annual Hospitality Report found restaurateurs expected sales to grow 3 per cent, the number of jobs to increase by 1 per cent, and 87 new outlets to open in the next 12 months.

That follows on from a solid 2012 year, where sales rose 6.7 per cent, but Restaurant Association chief executive Marisa Bidois said the year-on-year improvement was a sign of a turnaround.

"It's not huge but it is certainly a positive result," she said. "It has been a long, hard couple of years for the industry and we're certainly viewing these results as a positive factor for the industry."

The survey, conducted by the Restaurant Association and Auckland University of Technology, showed four of the five restaurant subcategories expected their revenues to lift in the year ahead.

Catering services led the charge with a 9.2 per cent jump.

That was followed by takeaway outlets at 9.1 per cent; pubs, taverns and bars at 8.5 per cent; and cafes and restaurants at 5.6 per cent. Club earnings, however, are expected to fall 3.3 per cent.

Still, despite the rosier outlook, the industry was not without its challenges. The survey found restaurants are still plagued by slim margins, which are being sapped further by high labour costs.

Lorenzo Bresolin, second-generation restaurateur and a partner in the business behind Duke Carvell's and Scopa in Wellington, said managing talent has always been a challenge for the industry and would remain so.

"It is a transient industry and a lot of New Zealand talent, after cutting their teeth, will search farther afield for work," he said.

"You go to London and most of the people working in bars or restaurants are Kiwi or Aussie, and you came here and you get served by someone from Ireland."

The survey found maintaining sales growth, coping with higher operating costs and higher food prices were among the other challenges the industry expects to face in the year ahead.

But despite this, Bidois said the outlook remained positive.

"With the Christchurch rebuild flow-on effect, increased consumer and business confidence and reported increases in credit card spending, operators are cautiously optimistic."

- ? Fairfax NZ News

Source: http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/8865117/Restaurants-serve-up-revenue-lift

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iPhone 5s Rumors Continue: Sept. 20 Release Date?

Ready? Here we go! More predictions are flying around the Web regarding the rumored next moves by Apple, specifically surrounding the "iPhone 5s" smartphone that numerous pundits and Apple fans are expecting to see come down Apple's pipeline sooner than later.

The International Business Times' Dave Smith is joining the fray with a prediction that the iPhone 5s ? Apple's sixth-generation device ? will hit retail channels this year, accompanied by Apple's rumored low-cost, color-cased iPhone that's designed to appeal to emerging markets and/or those who can't otherwise break the bank for an Apple smartphone.

So, without further ado, the predictions: According to Smith, Apple's going to launch the iPhone 5s on September 20. It'll likely announce said speedier device at an event right around September 10. The low-cost iPhone ? be it the iPhone 6, the iPhone Light, or the iPhone Lil' (our suggestion) ? would have to wait a week or two before its official launch, likely on September 27 or October 4.

Got it? Now, the reasoning: Smith's not just pulling out a crystal ball and picking days at random. Rather, he opines that Apple is likely to use the same timeframe for the official release of iOS 7 as it did for iOS 6 ? 100 days after the operating system was officially unveiled. Since CEO Tim Cook showed off iOS 7 at this year's Worldwide Developers Conference on June 10, flashing forward 100 days puts the (alleged) consumer release date of the operating system on September 18.

"That said, Apple would never release its newest iOS without some new hardware to go with it. This is why we fully expect Apple to release the iPhone 5S just two days after the release date for iOS 7, on Sept. 20," Smith writes.

As for the launch of the to-be-named low-cost iPhone, Smith speculates that Apple would want to delay the release a bit as to not make its retail stores too crowded with simultaneous launches of two big devices.

How well do Smith's predictions track against the rest of the Apple punditry as of late? Pretty well, in fact: AppleInsider recently reported that Avago Technologies, which makes wireless chips found in Apple's iPhones, has teased that one of its larger customers is gearing up for a new product launch. Some analysts see that "larger customer" as Apple, and that "new product launch" as a sign that Apple's gearing up for an iPhone 5s September launch.

However, Citigroup's Glen Yeung has recently taken to the airwaves to comment that iPhone 5s production has likely been delayed anywhere from two to four weeks, based on comments he's heard from manufacturers and suppliers within Apple's supply chain.

"And while this does not preclude a September iPhone 5S launch date, we suspect volumes in September may consequently be challenged," Yeung said.

As for the low-cost iPhone Apple allegedly has in the works, a recent report from the China Times suggests that supplies have already started shipping parts for the device. That bodes well for a fall release date? but when, specifically, is anybody's guess. And expect to see a lot more guessing as we head through the summer months.

Source: http://feeds.ziffdavis.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/breakingnews/~3/eARbWss8t9E/0,2817,2421221,00.asp

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