'Supermarket giant says it is being forced to stay open late to sell booze'

"Supermarket giant Morrisons claims ministers are forcing it to stay open - and sell drink. In a test case, Morrisons has gone to court after being...

"Supermarket giant Morrisons claims ministers are forcing it to stay open - and sell drink. In a test case, Morrisons has gone to court after being told by a licensing board one store has to stay open until 10pm to serve drink. Its store in Banchory, Kincardineshire, closes at 9pm. But because it applied for a licence to sell alcohol until 10pm, local licensing chiefs at Aberdeenshire Council insist it remains open until then. Scottish British Beer & Pub Association chief Patrick Browne said: 'A large part of the legislation focuses on trying to reduce alcohol consumption. So it is strange that a licensing board is insisting on people trading longer than they want to. This has implications for the wider industry.'" - Daily Record

"A pub nuisance has become the first person in Britain to get a drinking banning order. Ryan Kane, 24, who had been barred from entering any Pub Watch premises in Banbury for over three years because of intimidation of staff and customers, breached normal pub bans 40 times so magistrates used new rules which became law on September 1. For the next two years Kane, from Banbury, Oxon, is barred from entering pubs or clubs in the area, buying alcohol from licensed premises, being involved in anti-social behaviour while under the influence of alcohol or having unsealed alcohol containers in a public place." - The Mirror

"Punch Taverns, the pub group, is the latest target of Pirc, the shareholder pressure group, and it is a sign of things to come. Pirc is angry the firm has tinkered with the long-term incentive plan. Punch has dropped a key performance condition based on earnings per share and instead built it round total shareholder return. As remuneration crimes go, this one is quite petty but the ground is being prepared for some lively showdowns at our bigger companies." - Sunday Times

"The four directors ousted last week from Mitchells & Butlers (M&B), the pub giant, threatened to refuse to sign off its annual financial results in a row over the value of the company's property estate. On Tuesday, M&B removed Richard McGuire and Douglas McMahon, board representatives of Joe Lewis, the Bahamas-based billionaire who holds a 23 per cent stake via his Piedmont investment vehicle. The company also ousted Ray MacSharry and Denis Jackson, who are assumed to speak for John Magnier and JP McManus, the Irish horseracing tycoons who between them control 17 per cent of M&B." - Sunday Times

"Simon Laffin, installed as chairman of pub group Mitchells & Butlers (M&B) last week after orchestrating a dramatic boardroom purge, had weeks earlier been passed over for the top board role after a major shareholder voiced concerns about 'behavioural issues'. The revelation from a well-placed source comes days after M&B accused major shareholders, led by billionaire investor Joe Lewis, of attempting to bully the board on key decisions such as selecting a chairman to succeed Drummond Hall. The company has complained to the takeover panel. The feud has cast doubt on the future of remaining directors ahead of the annual shareholder meeting next month. They need to muster unprecedented support from small shareholders to defeat Lewis, who has a 23 per cent stake." - Observer

"A disabled man's campaign for better information on accessibility of pubs could lead to a change in the law. Mark Cooper, who has cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair, launched his "Barred" campaign after he had to leave an Edinburgh pub on a night out with friends after discovering it had no disabled toilet. The city council has already agreed to carry out an audit of disabled access in the capital's licensed premises and Mr Cooper hopes the information will be made available on a website." - Scotsman