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Highlights
- Global fast-food chain McDonald’s opened a net-zero restaurant in Market Drayton, Shropshire, UK.
- As per the UKGBC’s net-zero-carbon buildings framework, McDonald’s restaurant is going to be the UK’s first to be certified as net-zero emissions for construction.
Global fast-food chain McDonald’s opened a net-zero restaurant in Market Drayton, Shropshire. As per the net zero-carbon buildings framework of the UK Green Building Council’s (UKGBC’s), the restaurant is likely to be the first in the UK, set to be certified as net-zero emissions for construction.
Renewable energy generated from 2 wind turbines and 92 square metres of solar panels will be powering the new restaurant. It will have walls insulated with British sheep wool.
McDonald’s said it plans to use this site’s blueprint in order to make all of its 1,400 restaurants and offices become net zero by 2030.
Let us take a look at 2 FTSE listed stocks in the hospitality sector, which have made net zero commitments, and their investment prospects:
- Whitbread PLC (LON: WTB)
Whitbread is a multinational British hotel and restaurant business and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 index.
The group recently committed to becoming net-zero by 2040, bringing ahead its target by 10 years from its earlier goal of being net-zero by 2050.
The group’s H1 2022 statutory revenue stood at £661.6 million, from £250.8 million in H1 2021. However, it fell by 39 per cent when compared to H1 2020’s statutory revenue of £1,084 million due to covid related restrictions during this period
It’s H1 2022 earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, amortisation and restructuring or rent costs (EBITDAR) was at £178.3 million, compared to a negative EBITDAR of £153.7 million in H1 2021. Comparatively, the H1 2020 EBITDAR had stood at £426.7 million.
Image source: EODHD/Others
Whitbread’s shares were trading at GBX 2,916.00, down by 0.72 per cent on 10 December 10:39 AM BST. The FTSE 100 index was at 7,313.23, down by 0.11 per cent.
The company’s market cap stands at £5,932.70 million as of Friday.
- JD Wetherspoon PLC (LON: JDW)
JD Wetherspoon is a UK pub chain and a part of the FTSE 250 index. It is a member of the non-profit group, the Zero Carbon Forum, aimed at supporting the hospitality industry sector’s transition towards net-zero carbon emissions.
The group has laid out several green measures, such as all electricity supplied to Wetherspoon UK pubs will be from renewables from October 2022, amongst others.
According to the group’s latest trading update, the like-for-like sales in Q1 for the 15 weeks to 7 November 2021 was down by 8.9 per cent from the comparable period in 2019.
The group said this is better than the sales reported earlier (in the 10 weeks to 25 July 2021), which was down by 17.8 per cent. During this period, pubs had reopened inside, although restrictions still applied for a majority of the trading period.
Image source: EODHD/Others
Wetherspoon’s shares were trading at GBX 874.50, down by 0.57 per cent on 10 December at 11:10 AM BST. The FTSE 250 index was at 23,068.17, down by 0.35 per cent.
The company’s market cap stands at £ 1,132.36 million as of Friday.
Tags: JD Wetherspoon, Whitbread, hospitality stocks, net zero,
