'Greene King boss sees merit in minimum pricing proposals'

"Rooney Anand, chief executive of pubs giant Greene King, admitted he had some sympathy for minimum alcohol pricing proposed by the Scottish Government as his business posted double-digit profit gains north of the border. Anand told The Herald: 'It is a tricky issue. You can argue from a health point of view that it is good, and from a choice and free market perspective it is yet more state intervention. I would like to see how that debate pans out before Belhaven issues a view or a policy. Genuinely I can see merits on both sides." - The Herald​

"Regional brewer Marston's has succeeded in winding up some of its shareholders with plans for a £165m rights issue to fund expansion. On balance, the City believes it will get the green light at a shareholder meeting tomorrow (Monday). And amid all the brouhaha over the rights issue, talk of a takeover bid by its great rival Greene King has been getting louder. Yet, however compelling the maths, the two companies can barely disguise their contempt for one another. No doubt Greene King covets some of Marston's estate, but selling off surplus pubs would be impossible in such a difficult investment climate. For now, it would seem that Marston's isn't drinking in the last-chance saloon." - Sunday Times ​

"Scottish & Newcastle's (S&N) struggling tenanted pub company has reacted to the falling British beer market by putting a swathe of pubs on the market. The move is part of a wider strategy for the group to focus on the outlets it manages for Royal Bank of Scotland and Globe Pub Company. The sale of 20 pubs comes barely three months after Scottish & Newcastle Pub Enterprises (S&NPE) placed 32 public houses on the market. S&N operates more than 2,000 pubs through its S&NPE division but the sector has been decimated by the decline in UK beers sales." - Scotland on Sunday​

"Celebrity chef Antony Worrall Thompson is to re-open one of his pubs - six months after it was shut by administrators. The recession-hit star, forced to close four of his six restaurants earlier this year, has struck a deal to buy back the Greyhound, South Oxon. It reopens on July 14, with a more affordable menu, and a pledge from the 58-yearold TV cook to spend more time in the kitchen. He said: 'I have taken on board what people have said about the Greyhound and it will be a different pub now.'" - The Mirror​