Independent Operators

Hop Stuff: multiple site operators on how they stand out from the craft beer crowd

02-Nov-2015 By Emily Sutherland

An explosion in the choice of beers has proved to be a double-edged sword for some multiple-site operators.

MA300 Business Club

Nottingham 'up there with Manchester, Sheffield and Leeds' for operators

16-Oct-2015 By Emily Sutherland

Nottingham’s eating and drinking out scene is starting to outshine some of its better-known rivals, building a steady reputation for its vibrant nightlife and diverse range of venues.

‘Stop imported steak culture’ urges supplier

06-Oct-2015 By Nicholas Robinson

Pub chefs must source more British meat and use alternative and more profitable cuts to ensure animal protein does not become an overpriced luxury, a leading supplier has urged.

Events

Dates for the diary

05-Oct-2015 By Emily Sutherland

Time to get your diary out - a number of key events for multiple site operators will take place through October and November. 

MA300: what we learnt

05-Oct-2015 By Emily Sutherland

Opportunities in the north-eastKicking things off, Punch development director David Wigham outlined the trends driving the north-east and the potential it offers for multiple site operators.

The Big Interview: Laine Pub Co's Gavin George

01-Oct-2015 By James Wallin

Listening to Gavin George explain how he runs The Laine Pub Company, you could be forgiven for expecting a formulaic estate of methodically operated pubs.

Brakspear appoints former MD of Geronimo Inns

21-Sep-2015 By James Evison

Pub operator and brewer Brakspear has appointed Ed Turner, formerly managing director of Geronimo Inns, as a non-executive director with a brief to help develop its managed pub division.

Beer and Food

Bath Ales launches craft beer & pizza concept in Oxford

18-Sep-2015 By James Evison

Brewer and operator Bath Ales is refurbishing its Grapes pub in Oxford into a craft beer and pizza venue called Beerd.

Technology

Taking the pain out with Flypay

18-Sep-2015 By James Evison

Following a £7m investment from Time Out, PMA caught up with Tom Weaver, the CEO of UK start-up, Flypay, to discover what the app can do for pubs.

MA300: a sneak peek at the study tour venues

18-Sep-2015 By Emily Sutherland

Ahead of next week’s MA300 event, the Publican’s Morning Advertiser takes a sneak peek at some of the venues featuring on the study tour and chats to bar managers about why they’ve emerged head and shoulders above the rest, as well as some of the challenges...

Faucet Inn's journey from pubs to all-day dining

17-Sep-2015 By James Wallin, MC Allegra FS

After building up a successful chain of pubs across London, Faucet Inn is now focusing growth on two all-day dining concepts, with a strong pipeline both domestically and internationally.

City news

Pug pubs funding to grow to ten sites

17-Sep-2015 By MC Allegra FS

Pug Pubs, the Midlands pub company set up by former M&B director Nigel Pinegar and former openings manager Matthew Crowther, is exploring funding options for expansion from 2016, M&C has learnt.

Craft Beer Co reports 22% turnover uplift

14-Sep-2015 By MC Allegra FS

Craft beer bar operator Craft Beer Co has reported an uplift of 22% in its turnover across its six bars as it prepares to make its debut in the City.

Newcastle’s pub scene has ‘transformed’ – MA300 to discover

10-Sep-2015 By Nicholas Robinson

Newcastle’s pub and bar sector has switched from venues offering cheap and plentiful drink, to one filled with “quirky” and “stylish” pubs serving great food and upmarket drinks, commentators have said ahead of the latest MA300 event.

TripAdvisor tops line-up for this month’s MA300 event in Newcastle

08-Sep-2015 By James Evison

The latest MA300 event takes place on 24 September in Newcastle and features a raft of top speakers designed to provide inspiration for multi-site pub operators.

Training

Find a new leader within your ranks

04-Sep-2015 By Emily Sutherland

Teething problems are part and parcel of adding new sites to a business. But by building a good team at established sites, which is strong enough to drive growth, multiple-site operators can focus their energy on getting new sites off the ground.

MA300

Shine on: Dark Star talks expansion plans

04-Sep-2015 By Emily Sutherland

It’s been an impressive journey for Dark Star, going from a tiny brew plant in the cellar of a Brighton pub to a successful craft brewer on the brink of rolling out 20 pubs.

Events

TripAdvisor expert tops MA300 bill

04-Sep-2015 By Emily Sutherland

The line-up for this month's MA300, held on 24 September in Newcastle, has been revealed, with a raft of top speakers sharing their insights into the trade. 

MA300

Heartstone Inns grows estate

02-Sep-2015 By Mike Berry

Heartstone Inns has taken its estate to 12 with the acquisition of a Monmouthshire pub.

Drinks

New world order

21-Aug-2015 By Emily Sutherland

The New World Trading Company is putting interesting drinks at the forefront of its offer as the nine-strong group marches into the UK’s city centres. Liquor sales account for 66% of the group’s sales, and Botanist’s Newcastle branch has sold a cocktail...

Training

'50 shades of data': Yummy's Ed Harper shares his advice for managing staff costs

20-Aug-2015 By Emily Sutherland

What has been the biggest challenges you've faced when it comes to managing staff costs?

MA300

Hundreds of operators competing as London sites change hands for 'crazy money'

18-Aug-2015 By Emily Sutherland

Operators looking for sites in the booming central London market will be competing with up to 100 rivals according to Inception Group co-founder Charlie Gilkes.

Finance

Poll shows 70% of operators fear living wage rollout

17-Aug-2015 By MC Allegra FS

The planned introduction of a new national living wage (NLW) for the over-25s continues to generate a mixed response across the sector, with more than 70% of operators in the UK’s eating and drinking-out market believing it will have a negative impact...

MA300

Five minutes with…. Chris Hill, New World Trading Company

17-Aug-2015 By MC Allegra FS

M&C takes five minutes with Chris Hill, managing director of New World Trading Company, to talk about future growth, the twin challenges of soaring property prices and wage pressures and who is doing something special in the sector.

Licensing

Lincoln late-night venue wins back 4am licence

11-Aug-2015 By Emily Sutherland

Lincoln-based bar Status has won a battle to serve alcohol to 4am after police previously cut its hours to 3am earlier this year.

Top beer stories

Why I’m banning the C-word

07-Aug-2015 By Tony Leonard

When we re-opened the Snowdrop Inn nearly six years ago, we were one of a tiny handful of pubs and bars specialising in what was termed ’craft beer’.

Glendola Leisure purchases Saltire Taverns

03-Aug-2015 By James Evison

Glendola Leisure have announced the purchase of Saltire Taverns in Edinburgh from local operator Billy Lowe.

Loungers' Nick Collins shares the secrets of a successful all day concept

30-Jul-2015 By Emily Sutherland

It’s a topsy turvy world for multiple site operators. Research from CGA Peach showed there’s a ‘strong appetite’ for coffee shops serving alcoholic drinks, with up to £77m extra revenue up for grabs from serving cocktails alone. June’s Greene King Leisure...

Yummy Pub Co launches 'tea themed' pub in London

30-Jul-2015 By Emily Sutherland

Yummy Pub Co has secured its sixth site and its fourth with Charles Wells for its first high street pub, which will offer 100 types of loose-leaf tea.

Technology

Are multiple operators appy people?

29-Jul-2015 By Emily Sutherland

Do multiple site operators need an app to help promote offers and appeal to those tricky millennials? 

Newcastle

Talk of the Toon in Quayside

29-Jul-2015 By Roger Protz

Roger Protz is delighted to discover Newcastle’s thriving food and drink hub in the formerly derelict docklands area.

MA300

Craft Beer Co secures site near Gherkin

29-Jul-2015 By James Evison

The Craft Beer Co has announced that the group will debut in the City of London, after securing a site in Mitre Street, in the shadow of the insurance district's landmark Gherkin building.

"If you don't offer long-term leases, you won't get who you want to attract" - Interviewing Star Pubs' Chris Jowsey

23-Jul-2015 By Ed Bedington

Failing to become a ‘dot-com millionaire’ launched Chris Jowsey on the path to a fruitful career in the beer trade. Ed Bedington finds out more about the Star Pubs & Bars chief.

Comment

How to get good staff - and keep them

21-Jul-2015 By Chelsea Hankin

It’s no secret that the pub and bar sector has an issue with staff retention.  While staff turnover is falling, a reduction of 10% since 2008 according to the ALMR, the industry is still struggling to retain staff.

Inception Group: 'a good concept is more than just decorating the walls'

21-Jul-2015 By Emily Sutherland

It’s been a busy year so far for the Inception Group, the eight strong company founded by Charlie Gilkes. 

London development is killing pubs

14-Jul-2015 By Jessica Mason

I remember being incredibly sad about leaving London. It was seven years ago and, still, it kind of feels like a little bit of my identity is elsewhere.

Be At One introduces app payment

22-Jun-2015 By Laurie Macdonald

Be At One has added new features to its smartphone app that enable guests to upload credit and speed up payment at the bar.

Pub company loses review into ACV listing

12-Jun-2015 By Emily Sutherland

Pub company Faucet Inn has lost a review into whether to uphold the Dartmouth Arms listing as an asset of community value.

PoundPub franchises by August

10-Jun-2015 By MC Allegra FS

Mike Wardell, the founder of PoundPub, has said the deal with ABInBev to provide “premium products at bargain prices”, has paved the way for the company to launch its franchise offer on 1 August.

Stonegate acquires Maclay Inns portfolio

06-Jun-2015 By M&C Allegra FS

Stonegate Pub Company has announced a re-strengthening of its estate with the acquisition of 15 sites formerly operated by the Maclay Group, the Scotland-based pub, bar and hotel operator, which was placed into administration earlier this year.

Club guide

What is the MA300?

21-May-2015 By PMA

Multi-site operator? Join our MA300 business club - it's free to attend, and costs nothing but your time and attention. And we promise it will be worth it.

city news

Private equity firm backs Alchemist MBO

18-May-2015 By MC Report, Mark Wingett

Palatine Private Equity has backed the MBO of The Alchemist, the four-strong cocktail bar and restaurant concept founded by Living Ventures.

MA300

Whiting & Hammond secures eighth site

07-May-2015 By Michelle Perrett

Whiting and Hammond, the pub and restaurant group, will open its eighth pub site in mid-August at the Blue Ball in Walton on the Hill, Surrey.

Awards

ALMR Operations Managers Awards 2015 launched

30-Apr-2015 By Mike Berry

Entries are now being accepted for the 2015 ALMR Operations Managers Awards, the annual search to find the best area and business development managers in licensed hospitality.

operator news

Norfolk duo unleash Animal

21-Apr-2015 By Daniel Woolfson

The owners of an award-winning Norfolk restaurant have bought independent pub group Animal Inns, taking control of the Wildebeest Arms at Stoke Holy Cross, and the Mad Moose on Warwick Street, Norwich.

MA300

TLC Inns plans Grand Central expansion and ops director appointment

15-Apr-2015 By James Wallin, M&C Report

Steve Haslam, managing director of TLC Inns, has told the Publican's Morning Advertiser's sister title M&C Report that the lack of good quality pub sites on the market has led the company to focus on its Grand Central concept, which could...

Second Enterprise site for Great British Pub of the Year winners

13-Apr-2015 By Mike Berry

The team behind the Great British Pub of the Year, the Grafton, have doubled up and taken on their second pub.

Dark Star Brewery to grow pub company

31-Mar-2015 By Mark Wingett, M&C Report

Dark Star Brewery is to develop its own pub estate – with a target of growing it to 20 sites in the next five years.

BrewDog tops profit tracker list

26-Mar-2015 By Mark Wingett, M&C Report

Scottish brewer and pub operator BrewDog came out on top in this year’s AlixPartners Profit Tracker in association with the Publican's Morning Advertiser's sister title M&C Report.

Walkabout operator turns attention to all-day format

25-Mar-2015 By James Wallin, M&C Report

John Leslie, chief executive of Walkabout operator Intertain, has said that the company’s refurbishment programme will focus on an all-day format.