On 22nd February, Boris Johnson announced a four stage roadmap detailing how the Government intends to ease lock-down restrictions and “return to normal”.
The dates he gave were caveated with the “no sooner than” comment but clearly the Government is focused upon allowing businesses to reopen as soon as it is safe to do so.
This is especially important for the hospitality sector: apart from takeaway food and deliveries, for a good portion of last year and since Christmas restaurants and pubs have been shut, hotels empty and the supply chain seriously impacted.
Now, with a chink of light visible at the end of what has been a very long tunnel, operators are faced with some difficult questions: is it worth re-opening on 12th April for outside service only or should they delay until restrictions around indoor hospitality are reduced (17th May); when should they bring back customer facing staff, currently on furlough, and what about back office roles and should they look to reopen with a skeleton staff and plan to build up to previous staffing levels later in the year?
Once up and running again, paying suppliers in a timely manner with reduced back office staff may well quickly become a problem, leading to difficulties obtaining and maintaining appropriate levels of stock across the business.
Here at Liberata we can help you with this. “Back on Track Services” by Liberata can support you as you return to normal for 17th May. By working with your team we can help manage any backlog of invoices; process credit notes and manage relationships with your suppliers for you. Alternatively, Liberata can run your entire accounts payable / accounts receivable function for a short period.
Liberata is very experienced, with over 40 years’ experience in helping private and public sector organisations with finance & accounting services and can provide essential cover while you decide how to manage this transitional period and get back on your feet.
