£100m bonanza for C&C shareholders
09-May-2007 By Hamish Champ
Magners producer C&C Group plans to return up to £102m of its surplus cash to investors by way of a share buyback programme.The Irish drinks...
Publican Party defeated in Scottish elections
09-May-2007
The Publican Party (PP) is blaming a fatal shortage of cash for its crushing defeat in the chaotic and controversial May 3 Scottish Parliament...
08-May-2007 By Iain O'Neil
Licensees may be forced to clean up cigarette butts dropped anywhere in a 100-metre area outside their pubs
08-May-2007 By Iain O'Neil
The British Beer and Pub Association has rejected calls for bar staff to wear earplugs to protect them from loud music. The call comes from the Royal...
What the Sunday papers said
06-May-2007
Mitchells & Butlers (M&B) is set to disappoint Robert Tchenguiz, the activist shareholder in the group who wants it to convert to a real...
Chris Maclean: the new snake oil salesmen of the 21st century
04-May-2007 By Chris Maclean
The chefs are being pestered by a company keen to get the restaurant advertised on the internet.These appear to be the new snake oil salesmen of the...
MasterChef judge John Torode takes on Cornwall pub
03-May-2007 By The Morning Advertiser
MasterChef judge and TV presenter John Torode is to run a pub in Cornwall.
Project update 3: A whole new world
03-May-2007
A picturesque pub in the beautiful Yorkshire Dales, deep in the heart of walkers' country, was always bound to find the winter months hard.This was...
Licensee leaves pub over safety fears
03-May-2007 By Gareth Iacobucci
A licensee is being forced to leave his pub after locals threatened to burn down the premises.Jason Wicks, manager of the Royal Hart in Ashford,...
Fears over future of new Admiral tenants
03-May-2007 By James Wilmore
Fears have been raised over the future of licensees affected by the sale of 869 pubs from Punch to Admiral Taverns.Punch sold the tenanted and...
Scamsters besiege pubs
03-May-2007 By James Wilmore
Pubs are being besieged by bogus calls over advertising space as scamsters use increasingly sneaky techniques to catch publicans out. Since launching...
Don't let them take you in
03-May-2007
A man walks into a pub - okay it's the same old line - but some of those people are out to get money from the licensee by using a scam. This man or...
03-May-2007 By Barry Gillham
Change is always tough but we should be confident of the post-ban future, says Barry Gillham Everywhere I go at present I am asked, "How is the...
MA rescues licensee from high charges
03-May-2007 By John Harrington john.harrington@william-reed.co.u
Under-fire electricity sup-plier Opus Energy has allowed a licensee to leave his three-year contract early after the MA intervened. Opus has...
THE AGENTS
03-May-2007
Louise Hooper Senior sales negotiator, Stonesmith With the smoking ban set to start on 1 July in England, there is considerable speculation within...
MyNewPub
03-May-2007
Ship Inn, Noss Mayo, South Devon Agent: Colliers Robert Barry Lisa and Charlie Bullock have just taken over the Ship Inn, Noss Mayo, South Devon....
THE GUV'NOR
03-May-2007
Mike Bell The licensee of Portobello Gold in Notting Hill, west London, bemoans the trade's penchant for a 2pm food curfew Times are tough - if we...
Perfect pairing
03-May-2007
At the Windsor Castle in Lye, West Midlands, matching beer and food is a fine art. Susan Nowak reports In Belgium you find breweries with "brew...
Blair's red-tape pub trade legacy
03-May-2007
As Prime Minister Tony Blair prepares to step down after a decade at the top, Nigel Huddleston talks to the trade about his time in office Tony...
BarTalk
03-May-2007
Should Prince Harry go to Basra? Nigel Oxford Three Compasses Hornsey London I think he should, if he wants to - it's what he's been trained for,...
Unequal games of chance
03-May-2007
Long-standing rivalry between pubs and clubs still continues, even though clubs seem to have come off worst in the general licensing reforms....
NewsDigest
03-May-2007
WH Brakspear, the pubco based in Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, is to part company with its operations director David Queen as part of a...
LETTERs
03-May-2007
High cost of freedom As the smoking ban draws nearer, the discussions around my bar go on. I don't think the Government has thought about the...
Farm shop for Geronimo pub
03-May-2007 By Tamara Sender tamara.sender@william-reed.co.uk
Geronimo Inns, the food-led pub group, is set to have a farm shop in its latest acquisition outside of Greater London. The company has not confirmed...
ALMR slams police approach to trade
03-May-2007 By Ewan Turney ewan.turney@william-reed.co.uk
Police condemned for turning away from dialogue, opposing extended hours and seeking to close pubs Trade chief Alex Salussolia has taken a huge swipe...
02-May-2007 By Iain O'Neil
Study finds 73% will visit less or completely stop visiting pubs which serve in plastic.
02-May-2007 By Iain O'Neil
More than £8,656 was raised for the Licensed Trade Charity (LTC) at the BII's 26th Annual Luncheon yesterday.
Project update 3: Changing hands
02-May-2007
In an industry where as many as one in four pubs changes hands every year, our community pub the Forester Arms has hit reality checkpoint.A string of...
Project update 3: Shaping up on the high street
02-May-2007
Rookie licensee Richard Podesta's steep learning curve is continuing apace at high street venue Barcena in Burgess Hill, West Sussex. Advice from our...
02-May-2007 By John Harrington
Mitchells & Butlers head of security says new doorstaff licensing scheme led to a shortage of experienced
01-May-2007 By Iain O'Neil
BII to launch an alcohol awareness qualification for 13 to 16-year-olds to teach youngsters about drink.
Sharing States secrets
01-May-2007
You've got to hand it to those pesky Americans. They have a great ability to take a concept or product from another part of the world, refashion it...
Social responsibility" next challenge for trade
01-May-2007
The next big challenge for the pub industry is "social responsibility in all its forms", a trade chief has claimed. Speaking at the BII's annual...
BII rewards industry's finest
01-May-2007 By James Wilmore
Ten BII members have been awarded the body's highest accolade for their contribution to the industry at a ceremony in London today. Award-winning...
01-May-2007 By Tamara Sender of M&C Report
Novus Leisure, the late-night bar operator, plans to launch a new bar concept across 30 sites over the next three years. The new contemporary bar,...
News digest
01-May-2007
A round-up of the month's pub food news Coping with changing habits Pubs will have to be more innovative with their offer to impress the next...
Good month bad month
01-May-2007
Good month for Pubs in Wales: First results suggest pubs have been busier after the smoking ban was introduced there last month. Operator SA Brains...
Testing the waters
01-May-2007
With sales constantly on the rise, Lucy Britner urges licensees to take their water offering as seriously as their wine Water sales are on the up and...
Back to basics
01-May-2007
Mark Taylor talks to Stephen Terry about his Michelin-rated pub near Abergavenny Stephen Terry took over the Hardwick in Abergavenny in 2005 and...
Pleasure principles
01-May-2007
Stephen Bull, former owner of the Lough Pool Inn and partner of the Hole in the Wall in Little Wilbraham, Cambridgeshire, offers his ideas on writing...
Openings
01-May-2007
Old Mill Berkhamsted, Herts, 01442 879590 theoldmillberkhamsted.co.uk Who: This is Peach Pub Company's seventh offering. It's a joint venture with...
Diary dates...
01-May-2007
What's going on in May May Day bank holiday 7 May Think extra staff and extra stock for this traditionally busy weekend. You could even have a...
Another group gets the pub bug. Apparently.
30-Apr-2007 By Hamish Champ
Alternative Asset Investment Management - a bit of a mouthful, that one - is apparently in exclusive talks to buy the near-300 boozers Marston's...
Chris Maclean: privacy in a public house
30-Apr-2007 By Chris Maclean
Friday evening two men came in, ordered a beer and asked if Justin had been in. I was immediately suspicious and asked "Justin who?" They said he...
What the Sunday papers said
29-Apr-2007 By Hamish Champ
The celebrity property fund that is backed by Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson and music mogul Simon Cowell is set to snap up nearly 300...
Plain sailing - the rise of Admiral Taverns
27-Apr-2007
Punch Taverns' much-anticipated sale of 869 pubs to Admiral Taverns for £326m has reinforced the latter's position as the country's third largest...
What the papers say - April 27, 2007
27-Apr-2007 By James Wilmore
Parents who give alcohol to children under the age of 15 - even with a meal at home - should face prosecution, Alcohol Concern has said - The Daily...
Scottish & Newcastle sees "encouraging" start to year
27-Apr-2007 By Hamish Champ
Scottish & Newcastle (S&N) has described the start to its current financial year as "encouraging", with its core UK beer brands outperforming...
Glendola aims to double in five years
26-Apr-2007 By The PMA Team
Glendola Leisure, the managed operator of bars, clubs and restaurants, would like to double its £24m-per-year turnover within five years. The...
Time's up for likely rogues
26-Apr-2007
The Publican is launching ScamWatch month in May, warning licensees about rogues targeting the pub trade.As cash businesses, pubs are prime targets...
