Budweiser Budvar UK chief executive John Harley, right, has left the company. According to Budvar's UK public relations controller Denis Cox, the decision of the brewery to part company with Harley was an "amicable affair". As an interim measure, financial director Tony Jennings takes over as chief executive. Neville Hall and Jon Whittle continue as on-trade and off-trade sales directors respectively. "In fact, it's very much business as usual," said Cox. Budweiser Budvar sales in the on-trade were up 77% year on year in December.
Mother mounts anti-drink offensive
A mother whose 17-year-old son almost drank himself to death at a Southend nightclub has launched a campaign to warn children against the dangers of excessive drinking. Judy Barton will visit schools in the area to recount how her son, James, almost died following a night out to celebrate a friend's birthday. Barton will also be campaigning in the local media.
Call for police to reveal banned punters
York licensing officer David Boag has urged police forces to produce quarterly magazines that reveals people who've been barred. York police produce the Coppers Tale which is distributed to all licensees and helps them to enforce exclusion orders. Speaking at the conference on Alcohol, Bingeing and Crime, held at the University of Leicester, Boag also stressed the advantages of declaring alcohol-fuelled drunks habitual drunks rather than seeking to gain exclusion orders.
Pub-proof Chip & PIN pad launched
A new "pub proof" PIN pad has been launched by Secure Retail to facilitate the roll out of Chip & PIN in pubs. The unit has a waterproof pin pad with flush fitting keys to aid cleaning. It features drainage holes to ensure any spilt liquid runs away easily and is made of robust metal to improve resistance against physical attack.
Clampdown on St Patrick's Day off-sales
It will be a relatively dry St Patrick's Day in the Irish capital on 17 March, if the Dublin City Business Association has its way. In a bid to curb the disorder that marred last year's event, the association is urging all city off-licences to stay shut until 6pm, and all pubs to ban the sale of carry-outs until after that time. The appeal has been backed by the Gardai, who arrested more than 70 rowdy revellers last St Patrick's Day, amid running battles in which cans and bottles were thrown. Officers dealt with more than 2,500 calls from mid-afternoon until night.