Independent Operators

MA500

Don’t rum before you can walk – lessons from gin boom can boost rum sales

14-Feb-2020 By Stuart Stone

Bacardi UK’s marketing manager Marie Peyto told operators at MA500 London how mastering rum basics can help them make the most of gin’s nearest challenger.

MA500

Choosing the wrong sites is a big mistake operators make

13-Feb-2020 By Nikkie Thatcher

Operators looking to expand their business need to ensure they have done enough research into areas and venues, delegates at today’s (13 February) MA500 conference heard.

MA500

How to be a pub peacemaker

13-Feb-2020 By Stuart Stone

CPL Online director of learning and education Martin Hilton shared how publicans can turn their staff into an effective peacekeeping force and steer customers off the warpath with a handful of conflict resolution tips.

MA500

‘Selling one more coffee per day can add £800 to your annual revenue’

13-Feb-2020 By Stuart Stone

UCC Coffee UK & Ireland’s head of coffee excellence Gareth Davies’s hot take is that operators should beware of ‘cool baristas speaking in riddles’ and focus on nailing the basics.

Big interview

On-trade sustainability has got to be about more than just plastic straws and vegan dishes

11-Feb-2020 By Stuart Stone

The Morning Advertiser stopped by No.35 Mackenzie Walk in London’s Canary Wharf for a cup of tea, glass of wonky cucumber water, and a chat about the evolution of Darwin & Wallace with managing director Mel Marriott

Blind Tiger expands leased estate to 18 sites

11-Feb-2020 By Emily Hawkins

Multi-site operator Blind Tiger Inns has taken on the leases of three additional pubs, bringing its total number of sites to 18.

The birth and progression of Blind Tiger Inns

10-Feb-2020 By Nikkie Thatcher

Three years ago, Chris Tulloch took the opportunity to inject passion, love and enthusiasm into a small batch of pubs. Here, he tells us more about Blind Tiger Inns

Award-winning venues on the MA500 London study tour

07-Feb-2020 By Nikkie Thatcher

The MA500 crowd will be seeing the sights of the capital this month (13 February) after hearing from inspiring operators and experts in London

'Our aim is to open at least 15 to 20 new sites over the next three years'

05-Feb-2020 By Nikkie Thatcher

Expansion is never far from the minds of the team at Brasserie Bar Co – and it will be looking to move past its current total of 20 UK sites soon.

Liberation Group year sales up

04-Feb-2020 By Emily Hawkins

Jersey-based pub company the Liberation Group has reported like-for-like growth of 3.6% for the full year across its managed pubs estate.

Tenanted estate remains Robinsons’ ‘bedrock’ despite managed business growth

29-Jan-2020 By Stuart Stone

Notwithstanding a recent acquisition boosting its managed estate by almost 50%, William Robinson, managing director of the pubs division at Robinsons, stresses that the operator is pursuing a ‘twin-track approach’.

Wells & Co turnover increases to £53m amid ‘ongoing investment’

29-Jan-2020 By Stuart Stone

Fifth-generation family brewer and pub operator Wells & Co has revealed a £10m year-on-year increase in turnover from the £43m recorded in 2018.

‘Food was playing a bigger part in pubs - I don’t think the large companies got it’

24-Jan-2020 By Noella Pio Kivlehan

The Black Dog Pub Company’s owner and founder Paul Graham sees good-quality food not only as the future of his business, but the industry as a whole.

Hawthorn Leisure to integrate Bravo Inns portfolio by 1 April

22-Jan-2020 By Stuart Stone

Discussing the financial performance of NewRiver REIT’s pub arm, Hawthorn Leisure, over the nine months to 31 December, CEO Mark Davies revealed plans to retain and invest in the Bravo Inns brand.

City Pub Group subdued results down to ‘political uncertainty’

13-Jan-2020 By Emily Hawkins

The City Pub Group has warned its profits have been hit by a cocktail of external factors, including consumer uncertainty about politics and bad weather at the tail end of the year.

Fugitive Motel goes dry

10-Jan-2020 By Nikkie Thatcher

London’s Fugitive Motel is celebrating low and no-alcohol by going dry for one night only this month (Saturday 18 January).

Sales rise for Urban Village

10-Jan-2020 By Nikkie Thatcher

South-east-based Urban Village Pub Company has reported like-for-like sales growth of 13.1% for the five-week festive period in December.

MA500

MA500 in 2019: a year of insights and networking

09-Jan-2020 By Nikkie Thatcher

We take a look back at what 2019 has brought for the exclusive MA500 crowd – a collection of multiple site operators, hungry for advice and inspiration from peers.

Roxy Leisure seeks nationwide expansion after £7.5m investment

09-Jan-2020 By Stuart Stone

The operator behind the Roxy Ball Room and Roxy Lanes concepts has secured £7.5m worth of investment from infrastructure and private equity investment firm Foresight Group.

Arc Inspirations ‘smashes all records’ with Christmas sales

06-Jan-2020 By Emily Hawkins

Premium bar operator Arc Inspirations has announced a record festive sales performance, hitting its best-performing individual sales day and week.

Big interview

The prospect of Loungers becoming a really big business is 'terrifying'

03-Jan-2020 By Stuart Stone

The Loungers group is no slouch when it comes to opening new Lounge and Cosy Club sites. Chief executive Nick Collins talks staff ownership, his career and the group’s future.

What were the biggest deals in the pub sector in 2019?

20-Dec-2019 By Stuart Stone

With a number of the sector’s biggest players making moves in 2019, we look back at some of the most significant mergers and acquisitions from the pub sector in the last 12 months.

Fuller’s reveals £164.5m profit from beer business sale

12-Dec-2019 By Stuart Stone

Pub operator Fuller, Smith & Turner has revealed that it made a £164.5m profit from the £250m sale of Fuller’s Beer Business to Asahi in April.

Thornbridge to open Leeds and Birmingham venues

06-Dec-2019 By Nikkie Thatcher

Multiple operator Thornbridge & Co is set to open its Leeds and Birmingham sites this month (December).

The secrets behind Barworks' success

06-Dec-2019 By Nikkie Thatcher

The trio of businessmen behind Barworks unveiled their first site more than 20 years ago but the ethos is still to make places look great and offer great value for great food.

Robinsons Brewery acquires Individual Inns

05-Dec-2019 By Nikkie Thatcher

Cheshire-based Robinsons Brewery has announced the acquisition of Individual Inns, which comprises six sites.

‘Having a specific, very niche offer and keeping on-trend can be dangerous’

04-Dec-2019 By Nikkie Thatcher

When private funding came in for The Inn Collection Group in 2013, its expansion was fast.

Hawthorn Leisure plans £3m investment in pub estate

22-Nov-2019 By Stuart Stone

NewRiver REIT’s pub arm, Hawthorn Leisure, is poised to ramp up investment in its pub portfolio to the tune of “at least £3m” in the next six to 12 months, according to CEO Mark Davies.

NewRiver income from pubs rises by 27%

21-Nov-2019 By Stuart Stone

Hawthorn Leisure, the community pub operating arm of NewRiver REIT, has revealed a 5.5% increase in like-for-like income per pub in its latest half-year results.

Fuller’s hit by extra costs following Asahi deal

15-Nov-2019 By Stuart Stone

Fuller, Smith and Turner has warned the cost of a ‘complex separation period’ after selling its beer business to Asahi were higher than expected.

Camerons Brewery grows managed estate with Bar Soba acquisition

12-Nov-2019 By Stuart Stone

North-east-based brewer and pub operator Camerons Brewery has announced the acquisition of five-venue Bar Soba group for an undisclosed sum.

Old Spot Pub Company increases portfolio to 10 sites

11-Nov-2019 By Nikkie Thatcher

Ei Managed Investments joint venture the Old Spot Pub Company has taken on a new site in Uxbridge, increasing its portfolio of pubs to 10 venues.

‘We are called a cult for good reason’

11-Nov-2019 By Nikkie Thatcher

Peach Pubs’ Hamish Stoddart has lofty ambitions for the business and is eager to take a bigger bite

Big interview

'Time capsule' concepts can help bring the pub into the 21st century

11-Nov-2019 By Stuart Stone

Known for its stylish and innovative venues, Inception Group has 11 sites, with more planned. Here, co-founder Charlie Gilkes tell us how the operation began, where the ideas come from and what to expect in the future

Appetite for expansion: Harrogate-based pubco aiming at 10-site target

07-Nov-2019 By Nikkie Thatcher

Business is really taking off at Appetite for Life as the group eyes further growth.

The Inn Collection Group to add 40-bed pub to portfolio

05-Nov-2019 By Nikkie Thatcher

Award-winning multiple operator The Inn Collection Group has been given the go-ahead for a 40-bedroom site on the seafront.

Five lessons from Stonegate’s success

18-Oct-2019 By Simon Longbottom

Five years and 12 major acquisitions after chief executive Simon Longbottom joined the business, Stonegate Pub Company is on the cusp of becoming the UK’s largest pub operator. Here he reveals five lessons underpinning the company’s growth.

Mosaic Pub & Dining: a picture of health

17-Oct-2019 By Georgi Gyton

Having reached close to 30 sites over the past four years, MCA Insight’s Georgi Gyton met with the joint chief executives of Mosaic Pub & Dining to find out more about the pub operators’ growth so far and what the future holds.

Loungers revenue increases by 22%

16-Oct-2019 By Stuart Stone

Loungers’ ‘broad, value-for-money proposition across multiple occasions’ has yielded year-on-year increases in both revenue and like-for-like sales according to its latest trading update.

Big interview

'Please judge us on our track record' says Stonegate boss

11-Oct-2019 By Ed Bedington

It’s been a tumultuous year in the pub trade on the acquisition front but the news that Stonegate was bidding for the much larger Ei Group still caught many by surprise. One of the leading architects of the deal Simon Longbottom reveals all.

Oakman Inns reveals 5.1% like-for-like sales boost

10-Oct-2019 By Stuart Stone

Multiple operator Oakman Inns has revealed total sales of £10.9m for the 13 weeks to 29 September in its latest financial results.

Arc Inspirations profits climb to £3.7m

09-Oct-2019 By Stuart Stone

Premium bar operator Arc Inspirations recorded increased profits and like-for-like sales in what its chief executive has described as the ‘most successful year in the company’s history’.

New Flight Club site success could unlock more high street locations

08-Oct-2019 By Stuart Stone

Flight Club co-founder Steve Moore explains that hitting the mark in a new site in north London could help the concept branch out onto high streets in smaller towns and cities.

Seafood Pub Company sees losses increase

07-Oct-2019 By Georgi Gyton

Seafood Pub Company has reported a group loss after tax of £2.73m for the full-year to 31 December 2018, compared to a loss of £1.15m the previous year, after higher administrative expenses and cost of sales impacted profits.

Adjusted profits and like-for-like sales fall at Revolution Bars Group

01-Oct-2019 By Stuart Stone

Despite a drop in adjusted profits and like-for-like sales over the past 12 months, Revolution Bars Group remains ‘stable’ according to its latest results statement.

Big interview

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