Thorium scents victory in Yates battle
26-Jul-2004
The Yates Group management team is poised to push through its buyout of the business after raising its offer by 7p a share.Details of the 147p a...
Thorium extends deadline for Yates buyout
23-Jul-2004
Thorium, the bid company behind the planned management buy-out of Yates, has extended the deadline for shareholders to accept its offer for a further...
Thorium stands by Yates offer deadline
21-Jul-2004
Buyout group Thorium has reconfirmed its offer deadline for Yates Group after family members suggested the business has been undervalued.Thorium, led...
Yates family puts MBO in doubt
21-Jul-2004
Members of the Yates family have thrown the planned management buy-out of Yates Group into disarray, saying they believe it undervalues the...
Luminar supports price curbs as sales slip
06-Jul-2004
Late night operator Luminar has backed calls for compulsory minimum pricing after seeing a sales fall across the past month. Luminar chief executive...
Laurel is second bidder stalking Yates
24-Jun-2004
The sale of Yates may turn into an auction after the managed pub group revealed that a second potential bidder, now known to be the Laurel Pub...
Yates directors approve share plan to go private
11-Jun-2004
Independent directors at Yates Group have given the green light for a management buyout of the business, backed by a Californian private equity...
Yates in talks on management buy-out
03-Jun-2004
Pub operator Yates is in talks with a private bidder backing a possible management buy-out of the business.Chief executive Mark Jones is leading the...
Women sweep the board at ALMR awards
25-Mar-2004
In a double scoop for girl power, women claimed both prizes at the coveted Operations Managers Awards, run by the Association of Licensed Multiple...
Animal liberationists target pubcos
04-Mar-2004
Staff and licensees of two pub companies have been targeted by animal liberationists for allowing people from a breeding farm to drink in their...
Luminar sells Camden Palace
01-Mar-2004
Late night operator Luminar has sold London landmark the Camden Palace for just over £40m.Luminar, operator of brands such as Chicago Rock Café and...
McMullen is latest to turn to tenancies
26-Feb-2004
McMullen, the Hertford-based brewer, is to switch 18 pubs from managed to tenancy. It is the latest in a long line of pub players to reduce the...
Prices set to rise says McMullen's
29-Jan-2004
by Claire Hu The boss of McMullen's, the Hertford brewer and pub company, has warned of big rises in retail prices on the back of a vast array of...
Living Ventures eyes stock market debut
19-Jan-2004
Living Ventures, the bar group headed by Tim Bacon, plans to float on the stock market within the next 18 months.Mr Bacon (pictured), chief...
As Wadworth runs a 6X campaign based on visual puns,its head
08-Jan-2004
Two very serious German people are talking. One says to the other: "My dog has no nose." The other replies "How does it smell?" "It cannot smell. It...
Win JW Lees barmaid calendar
17-Dec-2003
In the year of their 175th anniversary, JW Lees has decided to have some fun and produce a glossy calendar that stars real barmaids who were chosen...
McMullen's plans £40m loan for share buy-back
20-Nov-2003
by The PMA Team Hertford brewer McMullen's has negotiated a new £40m loan that will enable it to pay off family members looking to sell their shares...
Luminar diversifies to grow midweek trade
17-Nov-2003
Luminar is banking on everything from boxing bouts to company bashes to drive trade through the week at its town centre bars.Slamming operators who...
Official: Scottish & Newcastle Retail is no more
30-Oct-2003
It's official: Scottish & Newcastle Retail (S&NR) no longer exists.Spirit Group's deal to buy the 1,450 managed pubs was rubber-stamped by...
Raising a glass to Camerons
16-Oct-2003
Camerons brewery in Hartle-pool has had more owners than Tiger Woods has golf clubs, but it has survived and now has to carve out a future in modern...
Low prices here to stay, says Yates
10-Oct-2003
It's official: price discounting on drinks is now normal practice at town centre pubs, according to Yates Group. Putting out a trading update, chief...
Luminar denies targeting rivals
09-Oct-2003
Luminar Leisure has denied accusations that it wants to wipe out late-night pub competition.The High Court this week backed the nightclub operator's...
Yates soars on buy-out gossip
16-Jul-2003
Yates Group has poured cold water on suggestions that it is in talks over a venture capital (VC) funded management buy-out, after City rumours pushed...
McMullen's Brewery saved by restructure
05-Jun-2003
by Tony Halstead Beer production at independent brewer McMullen's of Hertford has been saved, following a boardroom deal which has healed a family...
McMullen's to join microbrewers
05-Jun-2003
Hertford brewer McMullen's is considering joining the ranks of the microbrewers to gain the benefits of progressive beer duty (PBD).The company has...
Living Ventures to debut Prohibition in Leeds
16-May-2003
The founders of the Living Room concept that has proved popular with footballers and soap stars are set to unveil a sister bar brand.Tim Bacon and...
Luminar slammed over free drink offer
08-May-2003
Luminar Leisure, the bar and nightclub operator, has been accused of encouraging speed drinking through some of its recent drinks promotions.The...
Noble House weighs up Beefeater bid
17-Mar-2003
Noble House Pub Company is weighing up a bid for the 45 Beefeater sites put up for sale by Whitbread.A glut of operators are interested in parts of...
The Wells wishers
03-Mar-2003
From championing St George's Day to promoting Banana Bread Beer, Charles Wells is a busy brewer. By Mark Stretton.Charles Wells is not your average...
JW Lees has produced the first brew of its notoriously stron
20-Feb-2003
The reddish brown beer has an abv of 7.5% and a strong malt and fruit aroma. It is generally only available on draught in a limited number of outlets...
CAMRA tells McMullen's to 'keep on brewing'
14-Feb-2003
Real ale consumer group Camra has thrown its weight behind a campaign to keep brewer McMullen's making beer for the foreseeable future.The company,...
Carson quits Noble House to go solo
13-Feb-2003
Tony Carson has parted company with Noble House to pursue other business ventures including the roll out of restaurant brands across North...
McMullen's property estate worth £176m
30-Jan-2003
McMullen's property estate is worth £176m, according to a fresh valuation in a preface to the 2002 accounts out this week. These accounts show the...
Ward named McMullen's star
14-Nov-2002
Robert Ward has been named McMullen Bar Person of the Year. The 32-year-old, who works at the Three Horseshoes in Hooks Cross, Stevenage, beat off...
Luminar down after half-year results
12-Nov-2002
Analysts have revised down full-year expectations following half-year results from late-night operator Luminar where the company said that it would...
Yates Group on the slow road to recovery
06-Nov-2002
The Yates Group, once the darling of the high street, is on the slow road to recovery under the leadership of Mike Hennessy.The managed house...
Lees-Jones to become JW Lees MD
17-Oct-2002
William Lees-Jones has been appointed managing director of JW Lees from 1 January nextyear the 175th anniversary ofthe Manchester-based...
Steak Houses up for sale
14-Oct-2002
A package of prime West End sites is up for grabs after restaurant brands Aberdeen Steak House and Angus Steak House went into administration.A...
Pubcos go head to head in ALMR's Operations Manager Awards
19-Jul-2002
Tenanted pub companies Greene King and Pubmaster will go head to head in the finals of the 2002 Operations Manager Awards, organised by the...
Power and Thorley
18-Jul-2002
Giles Thorley speaks to Mark Stretton on the beer tie, licensing reform, flotation, and life in the executive chair at Punch.Giles Thorley wants the...
Turnaround in fortunes for Yates Group
13-Jun-2002
Yates Group, the owner of the Yates' and Ha! Ha! Bar & Canteen chains, claims to have turned the corner following its disappointing first half...
ALMR searches for Top of the Ops
22-May-2002
UK pub operators have just over two weeks to nominate individuals for the Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers Operations Managers Awards.The...
The Batman of Broadstairs - Philip Thorley gives a tour of his pubs
30-Apr-2002
Taking a pub tour with Philip Thorley can be humbling, writes Mark Stretton.As the car door opened a thousand camera bulbs flashed. People stopped in...
Noble House to raise £50m from disposals
12-Dec-2001
Noble House Leisure, the pub and restaurant group headed by entrepreneur Robert Breare (pictured) is to raise £50m from the sale of half the 214...
G1 Group acquires Big Beat portfolio
15-Nov-2001
Glasgow-based G1 Group has emerged as the buyer for Big Beat's portfolio of pubs and restaurants.Big Beat, founded by Ron McCulloch, collapsed in...
Luminar lifts profits 123 per cent
14-Nov-2001
Luminar, the late-night club and bar operator, has seen its profits soar 123 per cent in the past six months.The group, which owns the Chicago Rock...
Noble House to buy Whitbread pubs
24-Oct-2001
Noble House Leisure, the private pub group run by Robert Breare (pictured), has confirmed it will buy 44 pub-restaurants from Whitbread. The deal,...
Noble House Leisure "in talks" to buy Old English Inns
16-Aug-2001
Pub entrepreneur Robert Breare is believed to be in talks to buy Old English Inns.Mr Breare, who heads Noble House Leisure, is pressing on with his...
Fuller's and Yates put pub packages on the market
16-Aug-2001
London brewer Fuller's and bar operator Yates Group are shaking up their pub estates by putting packages on the market.Fuller's has put its six...
Luminar buys up the rights to Life
20-Jul-2001
Luminar, the UK's biggest club and bar operator, has now bought the rights to Life.It has bought two late-night venues called Life (Liverpool's Life...
