What the Sunday papers said

The drinks industry is planning a ruthless campaign of economic incentives and psychological tricks to get customers to drink as much as possible when the new licensing laws come into effect next month. Managers of "vertical drinking" pubs are being offered bonuses of up to £20,000 a year if they beat sales targets, as the industry moves to exploit Britain's binge drinking culture. Companies were demanding to know how much their managers planned to sell after 11 o'clock and that bonuses would be given for increased sales, said National Association of Licensed House Managers' head, Dave Daley. - Observer​

Supermarkets will be ordered this week to crack down on under-age drinking or face losing millions of pounds in sales. Stores such as Asda and Tesco will be warned by Home Secretary Charles Clarke at a "booze summit" this Wednesday that anyone caught selling alcohol to people under 18 will be blackmarked - and that three black marks will result in a store's licence being suspended for three months. - Mail On Sunday​

A near total ban on smoking in all public places is expected to be approved by the government tomorrow (Monday). The only consessions are likely to be pubs, clubs and restaurants, who would be given the option of operating dedicated smoking rooms, to be known as "smoking carriages". These will have to be sealed chambers with self-closing doors cut off from public areas with high-quality ventilation. A source close to Health secretary Patricia Hewitt said the aim was to make these rooms "as unpleasant as possible". - Sunday Times​

Sky is expected to win the lion's share of live Premiership football after all. The European Union (EU) was understood to have agreed to a deal in principle which will see the broadcaster buy five of the six packages up for grabs, effectively just over 83 per cent of of the games. The deal covers broadcasting rights in the 2007 to 2010 seasons. - Sunday Telegraph​

Potential bidders for Premier League broadcasting rights have said they will pull out of talks unless the League's plans for its next auction - due to be presented to the EU tomorrow (Monday) - gives them a way to break Sky's hold on pubs and clubs. Pubs and clubs pay around £200m a year to Sky to show live football, while Sky has around five million subscribers who pay between £28 and £42.50 a month to watch its sports channels. - Mail On Sunday​

Robert Tchenguiz, owner of the Laurel Pub Company, has made a confirmed £3bn offer for Spirit Group. Others in the race for the managed pub operation include Australian bank Macquarie, Robin Saunders' Clearbrook Capital Partners, Mitchells & Butlers and Punch Taverns. - The Business​

Sources close to property tycoon Robert Tchenguiz have revealed he is to launch a bid for the whole of Spirit Group in a deal worth more than £3bn. Other interested parties have considered buying chunks of the pub operator, but Tchenguiz is said to be interested in going for the whole company. - Sunday Express​

Whitbread is to announce up to 250 job losses at its head office when it reveals its interim results on Tuesday. The leisure group, which operates Beefeater restaurants and the David Lloyd health centre business, is expected to tell investors it is to cut between 200 and 250 of its 800 HQ posts. Whitbread chief executive Alan Parker will also defiantly tell the City how he plans to keep all his company's businesses under the Whitbread umbrella. - Sunday Times​

Leisure group Whitbread is to axe more than 150 jobs in a bid to fend off corporate predators and beat down costs. The group is to tell shareholders on Tuesday that it believes it exceeded its savings target of £30m a year. - Mail On Sunday​

Intercontinental Hotel's 47.5 per cent stake in Britvic is up for grabs. The group no longer sees the drinks company as a significant part of its business. Front runners for Britvic, which has the UK franchise for 7UP and makes J20, include Carlyle Group and US private equity outfit KKR. - The Business​