In November last year, Caffè Nero told 69 landlords of their worst performing stores not to expect any rent for the next 3 years. This resulted in legal action, including from local authority landlords. Maybe the intention was to get out of the leases but at least with other High Street chains, they've bit the bullet on store closures and are being a bit more honest.
In other food and drink news, Pret emailed me a survey this week asking if loyalty points would cheapen their brand, and if they should offer meal deals.