Landlords have called time on the original Woolpack from ITV's Emmerdale and it may never open again. Fans of the soap flock to the 177-year-old boozer but landlords Nichola and Richard McGrath say they can't make it pay. Their decision to quit, four years into a 10-year lease, means the Enterprise Inns pub in Esholt, West Yorks, is set to become one of the 40 pubs a week which are closing in Britain - The Mirror
Multi-millionaire beer fan Chris Evans has been forced to shut one of his beloved boozers. The Radio 2 DJ blamed the credit crunch as punters dried up at his 15th century gastropub the Lickfold. The chief of his firm Evans Pubs - which owns three boozers - wrote to locals in Petworth, West Sussex, with the news - The Sun
Punch Taverns, Britain's biggest pub landlord, said profits will beat forecasts after warm weather in June and July pushed sales into growth for the first time this year. Sunny weather and the World Cup brought drinkers back to pubs in the final quarter of Punch's financial year, which ended on August 22. Sales at Punch's managed pubs rose 2.6pc in the last 12 weeks, compared with a 2 per cent fall over the year - The Telegraph
The Guardian is podcasting about whether there is a future for the traditional British pub. Dozens of pubs in Britain are going out of business every month. Squeezed by changing social habits, a crippling recession and fierce competition from supermarkets, some have questioned whether the British pub as we know it could soon be a thing of the past. Journalist Martin Wainwright hears from brewers, publicans, landlords and patrons to hear what people want and expect from their pubs and what the future might hold.
BBC Online has a two minute video from journalist David Sillito taking a look inside a pub in the Yorkshire Dales which has a small library in the bar and asks whether it may be a vision of the future for many communities. New Government figures show that the number of people who visit a library weekly has dropped by 32% in five years. More than 60% of us have not stepped foot in one in the last year.
Cruise ship line Carnival is following in the footsteps of such rivals as Norwegian Cruise Line and Cunard in adding a pub to one of its vessels. The line today announced its next ship, the 3,690-passenger Carnival Magic, will feature an outlet called the RedFrog Pub that will serve a number of regional Caribbean beers as well as a private label option called ThirstyFrog Red.Carnival says the 100-seat venue will have indoor and outdoor seating and a Caribbean vibe - USA Today