Odd, random and interesting facts

Wonderful facts & figures in this week’s breaking news...

London hotels achieved a 5.8% increase in its room rates in February compared to the same period last year, according to monthly figures by PKF Hotel Consultancy Services.With occupancy remaining static at 77.7%, the overall growth in rooms yield saw a rise from £95.92 last year to £101.45 this year.

In the hotel regions, there was a consistent growth with rooms yield rising 2.3% from £49.50 last year to £50.66 this year. This was a result of a 3.1% growth in room rate and a 0.5% drop in room occupancy – from 69.6% in 2007 to 69.1% in 2008.

The retail, catering and leisure sectors have been ranked second out of eleven in a league table of the best jobs for mums returning to work, according to a survey by the Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA).

88% of retail, catering and leisure workers are looking for a more flexible approach to work.

Only 29% of mums working in retail, catering and leisure felt they were 'treated like an equal' on returning to work in the sector.

5% of mums working in retail, catering and leisure felt they had sufficient opportunities to develop their careers.

Three out of four chefs find competition to be the most stressful part of their job and are less worried by recipe development and product deliveries, according to 'The What Matters Chef Pressures Survey' commissioned by KNORR.

While 79% of chefs said competition is the most stressful part of their job, 82% said profit was their main cause of stress, followed by staff quality and footfall (73%).

The bakery sector grew at nearly nine per cent in 2007 on a value basis – ahead of overall grocery, biscuits and even confectionery.

In 2007, France accounted for nearly a third of the 399,408 tonnes of cheese now imported into the UK.

Imports of French cheeses have been steadily rising to close the gap on Irish volumes since 2004. Figures from Eurostat show that during last year, French cheese imports into the UK accounted for 112,085 tonnes compared to Ireland's 89,042 tonnes.