Coronavirus update – the latest news from Yorkshire businesses

A Yorkshire restaurant operator is safeguarding jobs and looking to the future with the support of a six-figure Bounce Back Loan Scheme (BBLS) loan from Lloyds Bank.

Jinnah Group runs eight restaurants across North and West Yorkshire, seven under the group name and also The Viceroy of India in York.

It also owns one retail outlet – United Cash & Carry. The company closed its doors in accordance with Government guidelines back in March, operating only a takeaway service from its restaurants at weekends and for limited hours at its retail store.

With these reduced earnings not enough to cover staff costs and fixed payments such as rent and utilities, the business looked to Lloyds Bank for support.

The money is enabling the Jinnah Group to continue to meet fixed payments and navigate the ongoing disruption, enabling it to plan for its future post lockdown.

Jinnah Group employs over 100 full-time staff across the eight restaurants, 95% of whom have been placed on furlough, and a further 65 under its retail arm, of whom around half have been furloughed.

Jinnah Group started off as just a small corner shop in Bradford in 1983, before becoming predominantly a restaurant group in 1991.

Saleem Akhtar, CEO of Jinnah Group, said: “When we had to close our restaurants, it was the lack of clarity that was the most worrying thing – not knowing what was coming next.

“There is still uncertainty, of course, but Lloyds Bank has helped to put us in a position where we can sit tight and wait and see, without constantly fearing for our future.

“It simplified the process and made things easy to understand and navigate. The Bounce Back Loan means we are not worrying about the here and now and we can now begin to plan for later down the line, whatever that looks like.”

Lee Rycraft, relationship director at Lloyds Bank, added: “Jinnah Group is well-known and loved within the Yorkshire community and, like for so many restaurants, Saleem and the team are facing an unprecedented and extremely challenging time.

“We’ve been by the side of the business for over three decades and will continue to support it through this disruption, as we’ll look to do for affected businesses across the UK.”

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Staff from independent insurance broker, Romero, are back in their office in Leeds.

As with employees from many businesses, most of Romero Insurance Brokers staff were asked to work from home from March due to the pandemic.

Now Romero’s risk management team has declared the situation to be safe enough for most employees to return to work at Romero House.

The company explains that it has brought in social distancing within the office and hand sanitising stations on every floor, amongst many other changes.

Simon Mabb, managing director of Romero Insurance Brokers, says: “From a business perspective, we want to be ready and waiting to help our clients as industries get up-and-running again.

“Being back in our physical offices, immersed in our new internal branding and surrounded by our colleagues is important to our employees too.

“We’ve worked hard to create a positive workplace culture where our people thrive, and it’s fantastic for us to be able to welcome everyone back.

“Of course, the safety of our people has always been our priority. We’re fortunate to have our own risk management team who have worked tirelessly to ensure our office environment is as safe as possible.

“So far, we have all adjusted well to the new safety procedures and social distancing measures, but this hasn’t stopped us all from enjoying a great working environment.”

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A specialist cleaning company is on standby to help an East Yorkshire restaurant get back to business as usual after the lockdown.

Michele and Matthew Barker, the twins who run The Westwood in Beverley, are waiting for Government guidance on when they will be able to reopen their restaurant in the Grade II listed former Crown Court building.

Michele Barker said: “We’re in the same position as every other business in our sector.

“We want to welcome diners back and we’ve had calls from people who want to book but above all we have to make sure that everybody is safe.

“We will do whatever we need to do to ensure we operate safely. At the moment we don’t know what those requirements will be but we do know when the time is right we will have a deep clean of the restaurant by a specialist team.”

The Fox Group, based at Hessle, will carry out the complete fogging and touch-point treatment which it added to its range of services soon after the start of the lockdown on 23 March.

Andrew Fox, managing director of Fox Group, said his teams have been busy in offices, factories and NHS sites conducting deep cleans to help businesses prepare for reopening and providing reactive services after cases of COVID-19 have been reported.

He said: “You can only go so far with wiping down surfaces and what we’re using is a disinfectant fogging machine which will treat every surface from floor to ceiling, reaching every corner with a chemical which is certified as effective against Covid-19.

“At the Westwood our operatives will also wipe all the touch surfaces including door handles, light switches, lift buttons, anything that someone uses as a touch point. We are ready to move in as soon as Michele and Matthew are able to open.”