Independent Operators

Armed pair steal safe

15-Jan-2004

The manager of a Nottingham pub was tied up for more than three hours while his premises was raided. Two men, one armed with a gun and the other with...

Playing safe

15-Jan-2004

Adam Withrington finds that the Manchester City Centre Safe scheme is having a positive impact, due in no small part to the spirit of partnership.It...

Pubs to blame for 'thuggery'

15-Jan-2004

Leading police officers are calling for a curb on numbers of pubs and a ban on drinks promotions to stem the rise of drink-related violence.The calls...

Pub entrepreneurs score in rich list

15-Jan-2004

Pub and bar entrepreneurs have featured heavily in a list of the rich and famous from the hotel and restaurant sector.Michael Cannon (pictured) was...

Row between Cains and the IFBB worsens

15-Jan-2004

Anthony Fuller, chairman of the Independent Family Brewers of Britain (IFBB), has launched a scathing attack on beer writer Roger Protz after he...

Why sloth-like Steve had to make a move

15-Jan-2004

Time has been called on Britain's laziest man, Steve Mould. For, after almost five years of bedding down in the bar of his favourite pub, Steve had...

CAMRA sees support for National Pubs Week grow

14-Jan-2004

The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) has beaten last year's figure on pubs pledging support for National Pubs Week.CAMRA estimates that over 8,000 pubs...

What the Sunday papers say

11-Jan-2004

The Sunday ExpressThe price of beer is set to rise by as much as 10p a pint. Brewing giant Coors, which produces Carling, Grolsch and Worthington,...

OFT threat after IFBB leaves Cains out in the cold

09-Jan-2004

The Dusanj brothers, the entrepreneurs who rescued Liverpool brewer Cains, have been snubbed by the Independent Family Brewers of Britain (IFBB). The...

Great expectations of uncertainty

08-Jan-2004

It was the most uncertain of times. It was the most certain of times. The nod to Charles Dickens, Morning Advertiser's most famous contributor, is...

Man shot dead in pub

08-Jan-2004

A man was shot dead in a suspected targeted attack in a Liverpool pub as he celebrated the New Year. Danny McDonald, 20, was shot several times while...

Drink-drive limit cut fear for rural pubs

08-Jan-2004

Rural pubs are facing another blow to business after a leading police officer called for drink-drive limits to be reduced.Chief Constable Richard...

What the Sunday papers say

05-Jan-2004

The Sunday TimesSpirit Group's £2.51bn acquisition of Scottish & Newcastle's managed pub business was the UK's second biggest private equity...

What the Sunday papers say

28-Dec-2003

The Independent on SundayScientists have discovered the world's oldest wine - a vintage produced by Stone Age people 8,000 years ago. The find pushes...

Americans force out Local Hero pub host

18-Dec-2003

by Claire Hu The owner of one of Scotland's most famous pubs, featured in the 1983 film Local Hero, has been ordered to paint the building white...

What the punters say

18-Dec-2003

Jane Radley, below left, and Virginia Bernard, right, work as administrators in Tower 42 and were enthusiastic about having a smoke-free pub nearby...

Ten steps forward,

18-Dec-2003

none back At the British Guild of Beer Writers' recent annual dinner, its chairman Morning Advertiser editor Andrew Pring presented a 10-strong list...

Oldham licensees join Street Safe scheme

18-Dec-2003

Oldham licensees are urging customers to keep themselves safe over the Christmas period.Pubs have joined with the Safe Street campaign to push the...

Acid' burns 24 punters

18-Dec-2003

A substance believed to be acid was thrown into a Bristol pub, causing burns to 24 customers. An "unidentified corrosive substance" was thrown into...

What the Sunday papers say

15-Dec-2003

The Sunday TelegraphBudweiser is to test a new computerised beer tap that will pour a pint in two seconds. The new Ultimate Draft System is now...

Market forces?

12-Dec-2003

We ask which companies will be winners in 2004.As former Aussie rugby union ace David Campese can testify, trying to pick winners is a sport littered...

Crowned

11-Dec-2003

with loyalty In this tale of two co-ops, the villagers of Hesket Newmarket in Cumbria unitedas one to save the last pub in town the Old Crown ...

Festival of fun

11-Dec-2003

by Adrian Tierney-Jones St Austell doesn't spring to mind as a prime destination in the dark days of winter. However, for the last four years,...

Eldridge Pope looks to reverse declines

11-Dec-2003

by The PMA Team Business at Eldridge Pope's Toad brand and its other high-street bars in October and November was 9.3% lower than the year before....

Who are they? Prince Charles was snapped holding a "Willy"

11-Dec-2003

JW Lees is truly a family business. It began when retired cotton manufacturer John Lees began brewing on the present Middleton Junction site in 1828....

Since the day family-owned St Austell brewed its first ale,

11-Dec-2003

There are few breweries around the country that reflect the true colour and heritage of their own region quite likeSt Austell in Cornwall....

Meacher resigns from SIA's chair

11-Dec-2003

by John Harrington Molly Meacher, chairwoman of the Security Industry Authority (SIA), who caused confusion last month when she misleadingly said...

Red Lion voted king of Fuller's

11-Dec-2003

Jonathan and Victoria Lee of the Red Lion, Ealing, have won Fuller's Griffin Trophy, which is awarded to the company's best pub. The Griffin Trophy...

What the Sunday papers said

08-Dec-2003

The ObserverPremier League officials will travel to Brussels this week for a series of meetings with European Commission officials investigating the...

Profits fall after 'disappointing' year at Eldridge Pope

05-Dec-2003

Eldridge Pope (EP), the embattled Dorset-based pub operator has unveiled full-year results showing profits had almost halved from £6.4m to £3.5m.As...

National Pubs Week: Make winter work for you

05-Dec-2003

There are plenty of ways to boost your trade in the lean months of January and February - all it takes is imagination and a little effort...

Pub arson man killed accomplice

04-Dec-2003

by MA Reporter A pub owner has been convicted of killing his accomplice when he set fire to the premises in a bid to clear large debts. Last...

Pubs' jukebox revolution

04-Dec-2003

by Steve Hemsley Two new digital music systems, which their suppliers claim will revolutionise music in pubs and increase turnover, are being...

Are employee share plans the way ahead for pubcos to improve

04-Dec-2003

Staff retention is an in-creasingly major issue for breweries and lei-sure operators throughout the UK, with recent research suggesting that...

Reaching for the stars

03-Dec-2003

From 450 entries, Charles Wells is now on a five-strong shortlist for the CBI/Real Business Growing Business Awards 2003. Paul Wells tells Mark...

Q&A: Al Murray, Pub Landlord

03-Dec-2003

Al Murray, Pub Landlord, took time out from his UK tour to talk exclusively to The Publican about Blair, beer and balls.The Prime Minister, Tony...

What the Sunday papers said

30-Nov-2003

The Mail on SundayPubs 'n' Bars has signed a deal to take over half the sites of the failed Balaclava Pub Company, it will announce tomorrow.The...

A fish eat fish world

28-Nov-2003

Barracuda has bucked the high street trend with annual sales of £83m. Mark Stretton reports.There are still some good high street stories out there...

A kind of hush

27-Nov-2003

A new dating trend is proving popular in north London.Max Gosney gets to the heart of the matter For years, pubs have played the part of Cupid in the...

Who are they? You might just have heard of this lot. Accordi

27-Nov-2003

Britvic might be among the biggest, but it's also one of the oldest. The name is an abbreviation of the British Vitamin Products Company, set up in...

Pub pair's terror ordeal

27-Nov-2003

Two pub workers were beaten and locked in a cellar after three men wearing balaclavas and wielding baseball bats raided a Berkshire pub in what's...

Crunch time

27-Nov-2003

The nation's insatiable appetite for snacks has food manufacturers competing for a bigger cut of the action. But are hosts beingbombarded by too much...

Nobody's perfect

27-Nov-2003

New MA wine columnist Fiona Sims takes a look at the Nobody Inn's superb offer Somebody asked me the other day which pubI thought had the best wine...

Revolution's in retreat

27-Nov-2003

Another "drinks revolution" is feeling the pinch. Old timers will remember the infamous red revolution Watney Mann's desperate attempt to remain a...

Hitting the jackpot?

26-Nov-2003

Despite public demand for more fruit machines, licensees face a challenge to benefit from the Gambling Bill. Phil Mellows examines the debate.While...

Ubevco to drive Birra Moretti into UK pubs and bars

26-Nov-2003

Heineken has teamed up with beer specialist Ubevco to drive Italy's No.2 beer into bars, pubs and hotels across the UK.Following on from the release...

Up, up and away

25-Nov-2003

Pub values have risen again this year, with the biggest increases in freehouse prices coming in the Midlands and the North, according to Fleurets'...

Glasgow pubs face ban on displaying team colours

25-Nov-2003

Glasgow pubs could face a ban on displaying the colours of Rangers or Celtic under plans set out by the City's Licensing Board. The board has...

What the Sunday papers said

24-Nov-2003

The Sunday TimesMore than three-quarters of people are worried about binge drinking but most do not know the safe drinking limit, according to a...

The Publican Conference

21-Nov-2003

A round-up of opinion from the major industry players who spoke at last week's Publican Conference 2003.Dennis Turner: the economyThe biggest risk to...