(Bloomberg) -- Britain’s job market shows signs of cooling. Meanwhile, one of the country's major pub chains warns about the impact of possible Covid restrictions as we enter the cold weather period. Here’s the key business news from London-listed companies this morning:

J D Wetherspoon Plc: The pub chain reported a decline in full-year sales of 4.3% when compared to 2019 and it is looking to sell 32 pubs. The company also said it’s hard to make firm predictions about business prospects as labour and energy costs are rising. 

  • However, the biggest threat to the hospitality industry may be the “possibility of further lockdowns and restrictions,’’ Chairman Tim Martin said 
  • Wetherspoon has fixed its interest rates at low levels until 2031, Martin also said 

FirstGroup Plc: The UK Department for Transport has placed FirstGroup’s Avanti West Coast on a short-term contract and challenged it to deliver the urgent increase in services required. 

  • The government said Avanti must roll out its recovery plan and deliver long-overdue reliability for passengers

Superdry Plc: The clothing retailer reported adjusted pretax profit for the full year that beat analysts’ expectations. 

  • The company added that its positioning as a “premium, affordable” brand should be beneficial as customers “think more carefully” about their purchases

Outside The City

Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng is set to address restless Tory MPs next week as he and Liz Truss attempt to regain the trust of their party. 

“For all its electoral successes since 2010, the UK Conservative Party has been rotting from within,” writes Bloomberg Opinion’s Adrian Wooldridge. He argues the party must be willing to make broader structural reforms. 

In Case You Missed It 

The UK labour market is showing signs of cooling as workers and businesses prepare for a possible recession. 

Food inflation has hit 15% for pubs and restaurants as the cost of buying ingredients keeps rising.

Meanwhile, pension funds are selling billions of pounds worth of assets to rebuild their cash buffers before the Bank of England removes critical market support next week that it introduced to prevent the collapse of the UK’s government bond market.

Looking Ahead

Unemployment data due Tuesday will be closely watched for any further signs of a cooling labour market and a possible slowdown in wage growth. 

Low-cost airline EasyJet Plc is due to report results next week, as is and Ladbrokes-owner Entain Plc. 

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