Views from the bar
16-Dec-2004
We asked hosts from the MA's list of top-20 pubs for this year's most fashionable drinks Rose & Crown, Warwick and the Fleece, Witney Peroni...
Don't let them take the heart of our community'
16-Dec-2004
I write to express my very real concerns over the Government proposals for a smoke ban in pubs that serve food. I wonder what would happen if they...
2004 - what the movers and shakers said
14-Dec-2004
The Publican asked the analysts, corporate financiers and industry players to comment on the issues and trends they believe will be pertinent in...
What the Sunday papers said…
13-Dec-2004
The expansion of casinos planned under the Government's gambling bill is to be scaled back again with a cap set on the number of both large and small...
BBPA speaks out over pay-for-policing
10-Dec-2004
The British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) has reacted angrily to calls from an MP that pubs should pay for policing.In a letter to John Denham,...
HR for independant free houses?
09-Dec-2004
Pubcos/managed pubs are taking the initiative in the pub sector and recognising the importance of meeting and exceeding customer expectations through...
Paper-roll scam firms are still hitting pubs'
09-Dec-2004
Paper-roll scam firms are still hitting pubs'
Gone for a Burtonwood
09-Dec-2004
Wolves & Dudley has snapped up the 460-strong Burtonwood estate in a deal that strengthens the company's position as a super-regional. The PMA...
Landlords must open books for fairer rents'
09-Dec-2004
The rent review process is heavily weighted against the pubco tenant, argues ALEX SALUSSOLIA, chairman of the Association of Licensed Multiple...
Irresponsible promos' ban looms in Scotland
09-Dec-2004
by John Harrington Drinks promotions deemed "irresponsible" will be banned from Scottish pubs early next year, a top minister at the Scottish...
'Tis the season
09-Dec-2004
to trade upwards Enticing customers to buy more expensive wine during the Christmas period can really boost the bottom line. Wine consultant David...
Now's the time to be as snug as a bug
09-Dec-2004
A bit of lateral thinking this week: from snugs to jugs. I received a phone call from BBC Radio 5 Live asking me to adjudicate in a debate about the...
Master
09-Dec-2004
of all he surveys A Kentish licensee's rise from pub manager to tenant, lessee and now freehouse owner, has well prepared Russell Roberts for his...
It's a Field day as life of Brian enters new era
09-Dec-2004
Following his brutal, if not unexpected, departure from Ridley's at the behest of Nicholas Ridley (one wonders who next will be brave and/or foolish...
Hosts to deter drink-drivers
09-Dec-2004
Licensees are doing their bit to stamp out drink-driving this Christmas as part of the Department of Transport's festive campaign. Posters with the...
Host jailed for perversion of justice
09-Dec-2004
The former licensee of a Hull pub who deleted the CCTV footage of an alleged assault outside his venue has been jailed. Sean Walsh, 29, was given a...
Grogan in fresh push for exclusion orders
09-Dec-2004
by John Harrington All Party Parliamentary Beer Group chairman John Grogan has vowed to make "one last bash" in this Parliament to encourage the...
Be on your card
09-Dec-2004
The January deadline for licensees to change their tills to Chip & PIN is looming large over the trade. To guide you through the process,...
Birmingham Broad Street is saturated'
09-Dec-2004
Birmingham has become the latest city to declare a "saturation zone" in a bid to block new pub applications. The city's famous Broad Street, dubbed...
Caddick puts new spin on Springbok
09-Dec-2004
England cricketing ace Andy Caddick is hoping his sporting know-how will prove an asset when the pub he co-owns undergoes a major revamp. Caddick...
What the Sunday papers said…
06-Dec-2004
Wolverhampton & Dudley is on fine predatory form as its offer for the 460 Burtonwood pubs looks set to push its estate to 2,135. This makes it...
Pubs still not doing enough for disabled, says charity
03-Dec-2004
Pubs and bars are beating other food and drink venues for ensuring ease of use for disabled customers. But disability charity Scope says more than...
Boardrooms benefit from churn
03-Dec-2004
Pubcos are making significant capital out of wannabe licensees who invest their own money in new pub businesses but fail to prosper and soon have to...
Where else for Rotch?
02-Dec-2004
With Robert Tchenguiz tipped to have won the auction for Laurel, analysts are trying to predict what his company's next high street acquisition will...
Rogue financial brokers target licensees
02-Dec-2004
Licensees looking for finance are being warned not to pay money upfront to rogue brokers.The warning follows numerous calls to The Publican by...
Pubs ready for under-age tests
02-Dec-2004
Pubs across the country are preparing for another police blitz this Christmas - but licensees are already proving they work within the law.Birmingham...
From B&Q to major makeover
02-Dec-2004
Former DIY superstore managers Pedro Aparicio and Clare Paul have worked wonders on what was once a rundown village pub destined for closure. Mark...
Guilty pleasures
02-Dec-2004
While the smoking ban may be irksome, says Daily Telegraph pubs writer ADAM EDWARDS, it will only sustain smoking's illicit allure In the flurry of...
Licensees: assess smoking risk
02-Dec-2004
A local council has ordered licensees to carry out passive smoking risk assessments in their pubs and threatened to issue improvement notices if they...
Pub workers sprayed in face by robber
02-Dec-2004
Two pub workers were sprayed in the face with a CS gas-type substance then robbed while they were on their way to deposit the pub's takings at a...
Opposing council laws on CCTV traps licensee
02-Dec-2004
by John Harrington Planning authorities could force a Suffolk host to take down his CCTV system despite the fact that fitting security cameras is...
Womble to carry Little a long way
02-Dec-2004
Intrepid licensee Tiny Little is set to swap his bar for a boat as he rows across the Atlantic. The host is setting out on 20 January in a 24ft...
Gaining access
01-Dec-2004
The introduction of the doorstaff licence has so far resulted in problems and prosecutions. Tom Sandham probes Andy Drane of the SIA for answers.The...
Looking back
01-Dec-2004
Adam Withrington casts an eye back over the year's biggest brands stories.So how was 2004 for you? Unless your name is Kelly Holmes or you're a Greek...
Trade Talk: Colin Pedrick
01-Dec-2004
Last week The Publican published an investigation into off-trade pricing, which highlighted the amazing discrepancy between on and off-trade pricing...
BFG accepts reduced offer
01-Dec-2004
Big Food Group has accepted a lower revised offer from Icelandic group Bauger.The offer, of 95p a share, came about after a deal was thrashed out...
Government to call time on pubs for pensions
30-Nov-2004
The Government is soon to restrict the amount of money private individuals can raise for commercial investment against their pension stopping a...
Belhaven buoyant despite smoking ban
29-Nov-2004
Belhaven, Scotland's largest regional brewer, says the country's 2006 smoking ban will have little effect on its own business but will hit others...
Fuller's takes pride
26-Nov-2004
Sound financial results at Fuller's underpin new pub acquisitions.The Chiswick-based brewer has confirmed the acquisition of a further two pubs...
Finance: Making plans
26-Nov-2004
Planning for your financial future can be worrying, especially amid the current talk of a UK pensions crisis. Phil Mellows gives some advice.The...
Consumer spending slowdown in run-up to Christmas
25-Nov-2004
High street operators could be in for a tough ride this Christmas as a cocktail of gloomy economic factors dampens their spirits.With research among...
'Disappeared' couple speak of pubco disagreement
25-Nov-2004
The former tenants of a famous Kent pub are suing Enterprise Inns for £1m for alleged breach of contract.Adam Conti and his wife Hayley took over...
Drink Talking: Alison Smith
25-Nov-2004
The most important factor in delivering good customer service is the person doing it says Alison Smith of Bar One Nine, Keynsham.I had a sorry...
Finance: Wealth help
25-Nov-2004
Be careful when choosing a financial adviser. They must be able to offer you a truly unbiased solution says Phil Mellows.Getting good independent...
No trouble at t'Mill
25-Nov-2004
Providing high-quality food while retaining a distinctive pub atmosphere has been key to the revival of the Shibden Mill Inn. Tony Halstead reports...
Paper roll scam targets pub tenant
25-Nov-2004
The credit card terminal roll scam has struck the pub trade again, with another host almost being conned out of more than £200. The Red Lion Inn at...
Now you see 'em now you don't
25-Nov-2004
A "disappearing act" by a group of councillors during a licensing hearing at Tamworth in Staffordshire has left solicitors bewildered and a local...
Questions on the White Paper
25-Nov-2004
Frequently asked questions about the smoking ban Just what is "prepared" food? Apparently, this will be up to environmental health officers to...
Licensees who are for and against
25-Nov-2004
Danny Davis The Woodman, Chapmore End, Hertfordshire AGAINST "I am not happy with the ban. A month ago we made one of our two bar areas no smoking...
Good behaviour trial at Trust Inns
25-Nov-2004
by John Harrington Manchester-based Trust Inns, the former Pub Estate Company, is making troublemakers sign contracts promising good behaviour, in a...
