Diary Special
08-May-2008
O brother, where art thou? The real news this year from The Sunday Times' much-thumbed annual list of Britain's super rich was not who was in it, but...
Pubcos ride out the downturn
08-May-2008
Shares in publicly-quoted pubcos have had a torrid 12 months, performing poorly compared to the overall market. Caroline Muspratt reports Between the...
Grill House format unveiled
08-May-2008
Spirit Group has launched a new fresh-food format called Grill House Kitchen, with plans for up to 50 sites. Spirit managing director Andrew Knight...
The Future Is At Stake
06-May-2008 By Hamish Champ
A key issue for Cardinal Research's Martin Dinkele is the perception of the licensed trade, one that has been hammered by the government's combative...
Licensee celebrates 55 years at the same pub
06-May-2008
The career of a remarkable licensee who has run the same pub for 55 years was celebrated with a beer festival over the weekend. Hundreds of drinkers...
06-May-2008
Excellent standards in all areas, combined with the ability to surprise and delight, is the only way to gain and retain business in the current...
Hamish Champ: Responsible retailing? You're darn tootin'!
05-May-2008 By Hamish Champ
Not to put too fine a point on it, there's been a lot crap written on the subject of serving pub customers inappropriately-sized measures...
Comment: Blood on the tracks?
02-May-2008
Jeremy Blood, the new managing director of Heineken UK, told The Publican this week that he saw a big and important future for both the Heineken and...
Mark Daniels: A case of mistaken identity
02-May-2008
Paul and Debbie did a great job for us, posing for photographs in the local press and generally mixing with my customers, chatting and doing small...
Pub trade still an attractive career choice
02-May-2008 By Matt Eley Matt
Potential and new licensees flocked to a Marston's roadshow to prove taking on a pub is still a popular career choice. Despite factors hitting the...
SBPA welcomes clarity on Glasgow policy
01-May-2008 By James Wilmore
Licensees in Glasgow will not be forced to be stay on their premises at all times after the issue was resolved in court today. The Scottish Beer...
Join in with the second Proud of Pubs Week
01-May-2008
The countdown to the second Proud of Pubs Week is on!Last July saw more than 100 MPs visit pubs during Proud of Pubs Week, just after the launch of...
01-May-2008 By John Harrington
Fair Pint group aims to reduce pubco power and break the tie
Snifter
01-May-2008
From beerage to peerage Snifter was delighted to bump into the redoubtable Lord Tebbit at a Saint George's Day celebration in London last week, and...
Moves
01-May-2008
Pub People recruits Twells as BDM Pub People has recruited Bill Twells as business development manager (BDM). Twells, who has worked in the licensed...
My pub juke box
01-May-2008
Gary Whitlie, the managing director of Miller Brands UK, chooses his favourite tracks Music plays an integral part in my relaxation and my mood. My...
Bolton hoping for great escape
01-May-2008 By Helen Bendell helen.bendell@william-reed.co.uk
Bolton's chances of starting next season in the Premiership looked slim after recent defeats by Wigan and Aston Villa, but they have managed to...
There's a guy down the local swears he's Elvis
01-May-2008
From Chris Evans to Michael Parkinson, the wave of celebrity interest in buying and running pubs is gaining momentum. Nigel Huddleston reports It's...
That four letter word
01-May-2008
Setting a fair rent is a thorny issue for both licensees and pubcos, but there are ways around the problem, says Clive Williams If licensees were...
Q&A
01-May-2008
Betting on pool games Q. We have had a discussion in the bar about people betting on pool matches here. I have been told that this is legal in pubs,...
Your say
01-May-2008
Pubco support drive? Not at my pub I was intrigued to read your front-page piece on Punch Taverns giving intensive support to its licensees (17...
Survival of the leanest
01-May-2008
Words of encouragement about the resilience of the pub from Punch chief executive Giles Thorley. He was overseeing 800 or so piecemeal disposals...
Doing the right thing
01-May-2008
Rob Jones, profit partnership director at George Bateman & Son, explains how the company has set about creating a deeper relationship of trust...
Greg's drive to save pubs
01-May-2008 By John Harrington john.harrington@william-reed.co.u
Lib Dem MP accuses Darling of 'killing the British pub' with crippling 2% duty rise A Liberal Democrat MP is urging the trade to unite to save the...
Pubwatch in High Court
01-May-2008 By Tony Halstead THals22851@aol.com
Lawyers claim ban infringes human rights A pubwatch group is being taken to the High Court by an individual who claims a banning order has breached...
Pub Business
01-May-2008
Morning Advertiser's Pub Business takes place at the NEC in Birmingham on May 20 and 21. Beer and food expert and TV presenter Richard Fox will be...
Orchid looks to expand successful kids club
01-May-2008
Orchid Group is to extend its Tinies Kids Club concept following a successful trial at two sites. The Porridge Pot in Longbridge, Warwickshire and...
New campaign turns heat on pubco power
01-May-2008 By John Harrington john.harrington@william-reed.co.u
Push for removal of tie from all pubs Calls for Competition Commission probe A new campaign has been launched to reduce the power of pubcos and make...
Canterbury tale
01-May-2008
David Hancock talks to Jim Shave, head chef at the Granville, near Canterbury, about his belief in simple seasonal food Jim Shave could teach you a...
Innside out
01-May-2008
Lucy Britner looks at ideas to make food sales sizzle at your pub this summer The clocks change, the convertibles come out of the garages and,...
The Rock
01-May-2008
22 Broad Carr Lane, Holywell Green, Halifax, West Yorkshire HX4 9BS, 01422 379721 ?therockhotel.biz Local lad Lee Stevens Marshall is capitalising on...
More business building advice from BII roadshows
30-Apr-2008
"It is not necessarily the strongest pubs that will survive, but the ones that are most adaptable to change."BII chief executive John McNamara may...
Churchill Taverns sale imminent?
30-Apr-2008 By Hamish Champ
Churchill Taverns, the Northamptonshire-based group which operates 24 managed pubs across the county, is believed to be close to selling...
The upper crust
30-Apr-2008
The appeal of a high-quality home-made pie can't be overestimated when it comes to driving sales.The survey of the trade carried out for the annual...
Supermarkets let off hook on below-cost selling
30-Apr-2008 By James Wilmore
The Competition Commission will not take action against supermarkets selling alcohol at below-cost, despite a two-year inquiry into the grocery...
Bleak outlook" for NI pubs
30-Apr-2008 By James Wilmore
Northern Ireland's pubs and bars are facing a "bleak outlook" a year on from the smoking ban, a trade chief has warned. Stephen Kelly, chief...
Bar industry's top 100 celebrated
29-Apr-2008
The Top 100 movers and shakers in the bar industry were recognised last night by leading bar trade magazine Theme.More than 150 top operators and...
Licensee fined thousands for spirit "tipping
29-Apr-2008
A licensee has been fined £8,000 for refilling branded spirit bottles with cheaper alternatives.Simon Crathorn of the Blue Cow Inn in South Witham,...
28-Apr-2008 By Ewan Turney
Profits per pub at Whitbread's pub restaurant sites increased by 40%
For the common good
28-Apr-2008 By Hamish Champ
Rightyl or wrongly, stock markets have long been associated more with avarice than environmentally-friendly business practices. But the commercial...
Going green again, lights are goin' out...
28-Apr-2008 By Hamish Champ
The environment is an emotive topic. For every person warning that pumping millions of tonnes of industrial crap into the atmosphere is endangering...
Hamish Champ: Blue is very most definitely the colour
28-Apr-2008 By Hamish Champ
Nothing beats being at a football match 'in the flesh' when something truly great happens. I was at Stamford Bridge two years ago when Chelsea beat...
'Deal to buy Regent Inns "weeks away"'
27-Apr-2008
Sun Capital Partners, the private equity firm which bought the Lee Cooper jeans brand in 2005, is one of two companies in detailed talks to acquire...
Premium Bars & Restaurants heads to Manchester
25-Apr-2008 By Hamish Champ
Premium Bars & Restaurants' (PBR) decision to relocate its head office from Newcastle to Manchester will only affect up to five of the office's...
24-Apr-2008 By Peter Linacre
GlassHouse chief executive Peter Linacre considers how the best pubs instill a feeling of inner warmth
The Guv'nor: Kevin Maidens
24-Apr-2008
Why stop at Alistair? Let's ban the lot of 'em, says the licensee of the Blue Bell, Bolsover, Derbyshire
Wells' long-term boost for Mercury
24-Apr-2008 By The PMA Team
Tamworth-based multiple Mercury Inns has re-opened the Old Coach House in Ashby St Ledgers, Daventry, Northants, in a joint investment with Charles...
Focus Midlands: Middle kingdom
24-Apr-2008
I don't know anyone who calls themselves a Midlander - the region, as a whole, doesn't have that emotive identity. Yet everyone who lives here is...
Focus Midlands: Hobson's Choice
24-Apr-2008
THERE CAN'T be many breweries that had their first successful brew on Easter Sunday (apparently the first attempt on Easter Saturday was a washout)....
Doing their bit
24-Apr-2008 By Hamish Champ
The cost of running a pub, a pub estate, or a brewery is onerous at the best of times. But in today's tough economy operators are more conscious than...
