NewsDigest

Tony Hughes, aged 59, managing director of Mitchells & Butlers restaurant division, is to retire at the end of the year. Hughes, regarded by many as the godfather of pub-restaurant casual-dining, oversaw creation and development of brands such as All Bar One, Browns, Toby Carvery, Harvester and Vintage Inns. Hughes is to replaced by Adam Fowle, aged 47, a member of the executive board, just below M&B's main board.

The Kelham Island Brewery and adjoining Fat Cat pub in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, were badly damaged when the River Don burst its banks. Staff at the pub tried to bale out water from the pub's cellar after the road outside turned into a river. Scores of pubs in the north of the country have been affected by the severe floods.

l Fat Cat survives - p70

Popular licensed trade photographer Gordon Murch has died suddenly, aged 70, at his home on the Wirral, Merseyside. He spent the best part of 25 years covering trade events for the Morning Advertiser, a host of brewers and licensed trade charities. His funeral will take place tomorrow (Friday) at 11am at Landican Crematorium, near Hoylake. Floral tributes can be made in addition to donations to the British Heart Foundation or the Stroke Association.

Scottish & Newcastle UK marketing director Tim Seager has been appointed as acting managing director. The appointment follows John Dunsmore's move to managing director of the newly created Western Europe division. "Tim has transformed our brands portfolio in the UK," said Dunsmore.

Punch Taverns is holding a Green Week for head-office staff in a bid to create a more environmentally-conscious business. The company's recently established Green Team will lead staff at both sites in Burton-on-Trent, Staffs, in replacing plastic cups with ceramic mugs and substituting waste bins with recycling bins.