'Price of pint to rise by 15p'

The price of a pint could rise by 15p from next month as brewing giant InBev announced plans to increase its wholesale prices. The increased cost is expected to be a blow for pubs battling for survival - The Daily Mirror​

Middlesbrough has beaten quieter towns to be named as the country's most sober town with one pub for every 2,379 people. But a number of other places in the north east have made the top 10 in a survey of the towns with the largest number of pubs in Britain. Scarborough came second to Westminster with one pub per 554 people while York has one pub per 664 residents. Carlisle comes seventh with one pub per 727 residents, with Darlington coming in at number eight with a bar per 762 residents - The Sunday Sun​

The British Beer and Pub Association has revealed the number of pubs closing has risen from 36 a week in the first part of the year to 39 in the second part. The brewing and pub industry is set to launch a scathing attack on the Government today, claiming that its "incomprehensible" policies are responsible for the surge in the rate of pub closures -The Times ​

JD Wetherspoon is due to publish a trading statement tomorrow. Analysts expect margins to remain under pressure as the group moves to protect revenues by turning more aggressive on pricing. The group is also under pressure because of its debt position. Deutsche Bank has said that if the group has to hack into the group cost base to help with the refinancing, it may delay the group's recovery when coming out of the recession - The Independent​

Many Scottish pubs have hit the brink. After the introduction of the smoking ban in March 2006, the Scottish Licensed and Trade Association (SLTA) said 400 pubs had shut in the following 18 months. The Scottish Beer and Pub Association (SBPA) also released figures showing one in five places that could apply for a new premises licence to serve alcohol under new laws hasn't yet. This means 2,500 venues ranging from pubs, clubs, hotels and restaurants that won't be able to serve alcohol from September 1, when the legislation comes into effect - The Herald​