Thieving bar manager leaves pub struggling
19-Mar-2009 By Matt Eley Matt
A pub owner has revealed how a thieving bar manager left his business in a perilous position. Tom Helliwell, licensee of the Woodman in Highgate,...
19-Mar-2009 By John Harrington
Marston's beer boss Stephen Oliver says he "regrets" some of his "intemperate" descriptions of certain real ale enthusiasts, who he labelled...
19-Mar-2009 By Rupert Thompson
Rupert Thompson mulls over the departure of Rob Hayward as chief executive of the British Beer and Pub Association.
BBPA 'needs more focus'
19-Mar-2009 By Tony Halstead
A more united and focused approach to government lobbying is vital to ensure the trade infiltrates Westminster's corridors of power. This is the view...
19-Mar-2009 By Gemma McKenna
Many licensees face big hikes in rates bills this year as the Government has abolished gradual rates increases. Instead, final payment is being...
19-Mar-2009 By John Harrington
Tough new laws and regulation schemes have lead to more rigorous enforcement of pubs, says licensing lawyer Graeme Cushion. Enforcement surrounding...
Pete Robinson: Minimum pricing - loading supermarket prices won't bring people back into pubs
18-Mar-2009
One year earlier the Publican's own Hamish Champ was proudly reporting UK pub turnover about to hit a five-year peak, with continued growth predicted...
Licensee under fire over smoking shelter
18-Mar-2009
A licensee is locked in a battle with his local council after it ordered him to remove a smoking shelter from outside his pub.In April last year...
Oz Clarke cuts the ribbon at Fuller's shop
18-Mar-2009
Wine expert Oz Clarke joined staff at Fuller's to officially open the brewer's refurbished shop in Chiswick.Oz cut the ribbon alongside head brewer...
Whitbread pub boss to be grilled at Arena Face 2 Face
18-Mar-2009
The man spearheading the revamp of Whitbread's pub operation is the subject of the annual Arena Face to Face interview.Patrick Dempsey, managing...
17-Mar-2009 By John Harrington
New figures are being used by the British Beer and Pub Association to urge the Government not to raise alcohol taxes or inflict more redtape on the industry.
Best Bar None honours top pubs
17-Mar-2009
Pub, bars and clubs in Sunderland have been celebrating after triumphing in the area's first Best Bar None Awards. Fitzgeralds scooped the gold prize...
ALMR wants below-cost ban, not minimum price
17-Mar-2009 By James Wilmore
A ban on below-cost selling would be more effective than introducing a minimum price, a trade group has argued. The Association of Licensed Multiple...
17-Mar-2009 By John Harrington
Concerns about plans to inflict costly redtape on licensees through the mandatory retailing code were raised by trade chiefs at a meeting with...
Hamish Champ: Whadda load of old Twit!
16-Mar-2009 By Hamish Champ
I sincerely hope it's nothing to do with my age - though I suspect it might be - but I just can't get excited about stuff like 'Twitter'. For those...
'Let off for drink sales to children'
16-Mar-2009
More shopkeepers are escaping prosecution for selling alcohol to children, disturbing new figures show. The number caught breaking the law on serving...
16-Mar-2009 By John Harrington
The West Midlands and Scotland have been hit hardest in the national pub blight that sees six pubs close per day. That's a key finding of CGA's...
Pub disposals: selling the family silver?
14-Mar-2009 By Hamish Champ
In June 2007 the market capitalisation of Mitchells & Butlers was £3.5bn. Last week it was £850m. In June 2007 the value of Enterprise Inns was...
13-Mar-2009 By Stephen Oliver
Marston's Beer Company managing director takes a controversial swipe at Camra members.
13-Mar-2009 By Andrew Pring
The lobbyists may have failed, but instead of a night of the long knives, the answer is surely a restructuring of the trade body landscape, says Andrew Pring.
Pub bitch: The bitch is back!
13-Mar-2009
Damned unitedAn illustration of just how tough times are came last week when Punch Taverns shelved its annual corporate get-together at the...
BBPA plans major shake-up
13-Mar-2009
The British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA) is planning a major shake-up in the way it operates in the wake of chief executive Rob Hayward's shock...
13-Mar-2009 By John Harrington
A senior pubco figure says it's a "racing certainty" the Parliamentary inquiry into pub companies will recommend the Office of Fair Trading...
Scottish licensees back minimum pricing
12-Mar-2009
Controversial proposals to introduce minimum pricing in Scotland have been welcomed by licensees north of the border. Last week Scottish Justice...
12-Mar-2009 By Sir Shannon Alberry
Unfortunately we do not celebrate drinking anymore - the hell raising drinkers don't seem to be about as they did when I first started out in the...
EC agrees to VAT cut on pub meals
11-Mar-2009 By Matt Eley Matt
Pubs could be in line to make savings on meals after the European Commission agreed to allow member states to reduce VAT rates in a range of sectors....
11-Mar-2009 By Andrew Pring
Our appeal for Good News stories has really hit home with many readers contacting us to share their success. • Licensee David Bailey, who runs the...
Tesco denies it is targeting pub sites
10-Mar-2009 By James Wilmore
Supermarket giant Tesco has denied it is deliberately targeting pub sites to convert into stores. A Mail on Sunday story claimed the supermarket...
10-Mar-2009 By Ewan Turney
Director of brewing at the British Beer and Pub Association, David Long, has been appointed as interim chief executive. Rob Hayward left the trade...
09-Mar-2009 By Richard Miles
Insolvency practitioners must play fair says Richard Miles in our second look at the issue
09-Mar-2009 By Sir Shannon Alberry
Sir Shannon Alberry says the pubcos have ripped the heart out of the industry and killed the golden goose.
Regent Inns: a troubled kingdom?
09-Mar-2009 By Hamish Champ
For some observers Regent Inns exemplifies in microcosm the plight facing much of the on-trade sector in the UK today.The three 'legs' of its...
The media gets it; now it's the government's turn
09-Mar-2009 By Hamish Champ
It's been a while coming but the mainstream media appears to be seriously waking up to the issues bedevilling the UK's pub trade. More and more...
09-Mar-2009 By Ewan Turney
Tesco is planing to cash in on pub closures by converting them to small town centre stores. The Mail on Sunday reports that the supermarket giant has...
'Tesco plans to convert dozens of closed pubs into mini-stores'
08-Mar-2009
"Tesco has lodged hundreds of planning applications to cash in on the failure of pubs and rival retailers. Financial Mail has identified ten pubs...
06-Mar-2009 By John Harrington
Local Government minister Sadiq Khan says the Government won't rule out automatic rate relief for small firms "as an option for the future
National Pub Day launched
06-Mar-2009
Justice for Licensees and the Save the Great British Pub campaign has launched a National Pub Day on 4 April to highlight the positive role played by...
Darts champion gives winnings to pub
06-Mar-2009
The champion of the John Smith's People's Darts competition has ploughed his prize money back into his local pub where he plays darts. After...
Careless talk costs pubs
06-Mar-2009 By Roger Protz
So you thought things couldn't get worse for the pub trade at the hands of the present Labour Government. Well, sit down and pour yourself a stiff...
Minor variations could go
06-Mar-2009 By Peter Coulson
Readers of this paper will know me as a mild-mannered chap, along the lines of Clark Kent, not given to histrionics or violent outbursts. But even I...
We are your good news bible
06-Mar-2009 By Andrew Pring
Calling all MA readers, calling all MA readers: is there any good news out there? Or is it really the end of the world and we're all off to hell in a handcart?
06-Mar-2009 By Ewan Turney
The British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) claims it is being blocked in its attempts to obtain key information regarding the KPMG report.
BII signs two new corporate members
05-Mar-2009
BII has signed up two new corporate members, HIT Training and Business In Sport and Leisure (BISL). BISL represents around 100 companies in the...
Call to take part in charitable quiz
05-Mar-2009 By Matt Eley Matt
Christian Aid is calling on pubs to participate in this year's nationwide Quizaid event to raise vital funds for the world's poorest communities. The...
05-Mar-2009 By Tony Halstead
Eighteen sacked pub managers lined up at an employment tribunal yesterday to claim unfair dismissal against North Yorkshire brewer Sam Smith's. The...
05-Mar-2009 By Tony Halstead
Two South Yorkshire trade stalwarts have joined forces to launch a new company aimed at reviving the fortunes of pubs threatened with closure....
04-Mar-2009 By Ewan Turney
A record 2,000 pubs have closed with the loss of 20,000 jobs since the 2008 Budget — BBPA warns the tax rises must stop.
04-Mar-2009 By Ewan Turney
The Restaurant Group has reported a 1.5% uplift in like-for-like sales across its 354 restaurants and pubs for the year ended 28 December.
An age check too far?
04-Mar-2009
The launch of Challenge 25 by the UK retail industry has set off alarm bells for many licensees.The new standard requires retailers to ask people who...
Drink talking: Mark Fuller 'Why I've stopped visiting pubs'
04-Mar-2009
I am a keen live music fan and enjoy going to see bands I've never heard of. As anyone of a similar disposition will tell you, nine out of 10 times...
