Independent Operators

Gang jailed for armed raids

25-Nov-2004

An armed gang that used the internet to learn the lay-out of pubs and other businesses, before raiding 30 premises in a nine-month crime spree across...

Bosses air mixed views on proposals

25-Nov-2004

The news of the smoking ban has received a mixed reception from pubco bosses with some generally satisfied, some angry and others simply...

Sorry, another first time buyer!

24-Nov-2004

For quite some time I have been looking at the options available to me to move into the pub business. In order to release the capital necessary I...

How low can they go?

24-Nov-2004

With the off-trade unleashing its crazy Christmas prices, Adam Withrington and Daniel Pearce decided to compare and contrast these with the...

Looking ahead

24-Nov-2004

The Department of Health is working with The Portman Group in a bid to tackle the UK's current binge-drinking issues. Daniel Pearce reports.Licensees...

Pub & Bar and The Publican reveal 2005 show plans

24-Nov-2004

Pub & Bar - the leading exhibition for the licensed trade - is linking up with The Publican in a bigger, better show in 2005.The show, at Olympia...

Licensee loses fight to convert closed pub into housing

24-Nov-2004

A licensee is considering an appeal to the High Court after a local community won its fight to prevent his pub being converted into housing.After...

Tourism and health equal industry wealth

23-Nov-2004

"Bidding for Better" was the strap-line of this year's Business in Sport and Leisure conference which focused in on tourism-related and health-driven...

Finance: Tax concerns

23-Nov-2004

Casual staff are a vital part of running a pub. But are you taxing them properly? Expert Peter Davies answers some common questionsWhy should I...

Pub trade welcomes tube proposals

23-Nov-2004

Proposals to extend the tube so that it runs for an hour later on Friday and Saturday evenings have been welcomed by the pub industry.Mayor of...

Smoking ban proposals may boost corporate deals

22-Nov-2004

The delivery of the White Paper on Public Health outlining the forthcoming smoking ban is likely to intensify the round of corporate bids,...

What the Sunday papers said

22-Nov-2004

Everyone knows smoking kills. But what no one considered was that Government plans to help the quarter of the population who smoke to quit could...

High street saturation affecting rent reviews, say valuers

22-Nov-2004

The slow A3 letting market is making rent reviews difficult, according to Bill Graham and Paul Newby of property agent Fleurets. When conducting a...

Lincoln pub offers fifty ales at festival

19-Nov-2004

A Lincoln pub has boosted sales with its biggest ever annual beer festival, offering almost 50 guest ales.The Strugglers in Lincoln, the current...

Four jailed over licensee's murder

18-Nov-2004

Three men have been jailed for life for beating a licensee to death in his bedroom while they raided the pub's safe to get cash for drugs. Michael...

A bridge too near

18-Nov-2004

What happens when alcohol is much cheaper down the road? The PMA Team went to Malmo in Sweden to find out and argues that there are lessons for the...

Licensees told not to panic over smoke ban

18-Nov-2004

Licensees have been urged not to panic over plans for a smoking ban in the White Paper on Public Health.Broad proposals revealed by health secretary...

Food or fags choice for licensees

18-Nov-2004

Licensees are facing up to a stark choice between food or fags following the announcement of a smoking ban in food pubs.According to The Publican's...

Confused definitions reign in the trade

18-Nov-2004

Herding the styles of imported, speciality and specialty beers into recognised groups is a difficult task; even a poll of brewers reveals some...

Food pubs warm to Scotland's ban

18-Nov-2004

by Max Gosney Pub chefs in Scotland claim their businesses will continue to thrive despite the Scottish Executive's decision to outlaw smoking....

RSVP Bar

18-Nov-2004

Brooker's clean-up crusade Hugh Brooker is a man on a mission. Not content with running one of the 10 best-performing sites in Laurel Pub Company's...

TV chef signs lease at King of Prussia

18-Nov-2004

TV chef Phil Vickery has boosted the profile of pub cuisine after becoming lessee at the 70-cover King of Prussia at Farnham Royal, Berkshire. The...

William Reed scoops top award

18-Nov-2004

Morning Advertiser publisher William Reed, scooped the top award in the Business Success category of the UK Family Business Honours programme....

We salute responsible hosts

18-Nov-2004

Yesterday, believe it or not, a Government minister said something nice about the trade. At least, I trust he did as I write this in advance of...

BBC's new goal

17-Nov-2004

Sky's domination of sport in pubs faces some new competition - from the oldest kid on the block. Tom Sandham reports.Witnessing Garth Crooks barking...

Majestic's bumper off-sales figures a warning for pubcos

17-Nov-2004

Majestic's recently released half year figures make sobering reading for anyone involved in brewing, operating pubs or selling beer.With a 7.4 per...

What the Sunday papers said

15-Nov-2004

Leading investment banks and research houses are cutting their growth forecasts as the outlook darkens for the global economy, research has revealed....

SIA deadline approaches in North West

12-Nov-2004

Fears are growing over the lack of door staff signing up to the Security Industry Authority license in the North West.The deadline is now days away...

It's the Grandaddy

11-Nov-2004

by The PMA Team The Good Beer Guide can lay claim to the title of Guide Grandad. First published in 1972, a year after Camra (Campaign for Real Ale)...

Let's open books'

11-Nov-2004

Peter Linacre, managing director of Massive, argues that the pubco rent review process still brings an implicit penalty for success'. He maintains a...

Turning full circle

11-Nov-2004

Gerry Martin, brother of JD Wetherspoon chairman Tim Martin, has gone back behind the bar as he down-sizes his company, Stone Hill Taverns. The PMA...

Good Pub Guide paves the way

11-Nov-2004

Morning Advertiser news editor The PMA Team gives his opinions on the food guides Autumn sees the publication of the annual pub guides in readiness...

Prem Plus fixtures are just getting worse'

11-Nov-2004

Further to the debate on Sky's pricing ("Reaching for the Sky", Morning Advertiser, 4 November) I have seen my Sky subscription bill rise from...

What it means to pubs

11-Nov-2004

We asked licensees whose pubs feature in leading guides if the experience has been good for business Les Routiers Pubs and Inns Guide 2005: Melanie...

Yates hits high street with two-for-one meal deals

11-Nov-2004

by John Harrington High-street managed company Yates Group has started offering two-for-one meal deals across its Yates's outlets, except for its...

Head above the rest

11-Nov-2004

A 27-year quest to serve the perfect pint gave Blakey's bar in Newcastle-under-Lyme the winning edge in the Stella Artois Quality Award 2004. DIZZANA...

Gang target Cambridgeshire pubs

11-Nov-2004

Licensees in and around Cambridge are urged to be extra vigilant following a spate of break-ins at pubs in the region. Twenty-seven pubs have been...

Bleach accident

11-Nov-2004

A mum of two was left with severe blistering of the throat and mouth after being served bleach instead of mineral water at a Gloucestershire pub. No...

Big John honours our own breath of fresh air

11-Nov-2004

While others were dodging fireworks last Saturday, the man who's been setting them off under people for 25 years was being honoured at a posh and...

Publican Conference: What use will the change be?

10-Nov-2004

Changes to the property class categories could stifle innovation and reduce flexibility in refurbishments delegates were told at this year's Publican...

Pubco slams LA for blocking disabled access plans

10-Nov-2004

A London pub company has slammed its local council for obstructing plans to make one of its sites accessible to disabled customers.Albar Ventures,...

Martin hits back at Richmond licensees

10-Nov-2004

Wetherspoon boss Tim Martin has hit back at claims he is acting irresponsibly by not signing up to a local council's scheme to curb binge drinking.In...

Risk-takers will continue to drive pub trade, says adviser

10-Nov-2004

The risk-taking, bigger players will continue to dominate growth in the pub trade, driving the industry forward at the expense of less innovative...

Landlords vanish from haunted pub

09-Nov-2004

The licensee of a famous pub in Kent has disappeared with his wife leaving thirsty regulars with nowhere to drink.Adam Conti and his wife Hayley who...

New career

08-Nov-2004

I am at present looking for a change of career after haveing been in the IT industry for the past 20 years.I have recently went to view a small local...