Belhaven beer volumes up 6%
Scottish brewer Belhaven has reported strong sales growth, with beer volumes up by around 6% since the end of the last financial year on 3 April. At the company's AGM last week, chairman Angus Meldrum said: 'The new financial year has started satisfactorily, with profit growth ahead of internal expectation and comfortably ahead of the previous year. Last year, it posted record pre-tax profits of £17.43m, up 22.5%. Meldrum also reported that flagship brand Belhaven Best 'continues to increase in terms of sales volume, sales value and market share. He said the company was on course to grow its pub estate to around 300 by the end of December.
Salisbury opens new-age concept
Pub entrepreneur Paul Salisbury opened a new high-street bar-cum-deli concept, Morton's Kitchen Bar and Deli, last week. The new £400,000 venue, located in the Dickens Heath development, near Solihull, Birmingham, is described as an anglicised version of the Carluccio Italian deli brand. Salisbury, who is the brains behind Mitchells & Butlers Project Orange gastro-pub concept, said: 'We've been very busy - we had 90 people in for brunch on Sunday morning alone.
JW Lees snaps up first Yorkshire pub
Manchester brewer JW Lees has purchased its first pub in Yorkshire. The Huntsman in Holmfirth was bought for a substantial, undisclosed sum after the previous owner had invested around £1m refurbishing the pub to a high standard. Pub operations director Mark Welch said the Huntsman offered 'an excellent mix of 16 en-suite bedrooms, 120-capacity function room, 75-cover restaurant as well as a large bar and lounge area. It will be run as a managed house and brings the number of pubs in Lees' portfolio to 185.
Hydes ventures into hotel market
Hydes, the Manchester-based brewer/retailer, is expanding into the accommodation market with the opening of the 36-bedroom Wilmslow Lodge. The hotel, which is said to be a multi- million pound investment, has been built alongside the company's Coach & Four pub and is close to Manchester Airport. Marketing director David Safiruddin remarked: 'This is a new business development area for Hydes and we are delighted that it has now come to fruition.
