Independent Operators

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.

Charity

Butchers Arms serves up victory in LTC golf heat

13-Jul-2015 By Mike Berry

The Butchers Arms from King’s Sutton in Banbury were the latest winners of the latest round of the Licensed Trade Charity 2015 Golf Tournament.

Star pubs

Video: Creating a theatrical bar in Edinburgh

10-Jul-2015 By James Evison

Following Star pubs announcement about investment in its estate, check out this video of the refurbishment of the Jolly Botanist in Edinburgh.

Distinctive Inns opens third site in first partnership with Star Pubs & Bars

10-Jul-2015 By Oli Gross

Distinctive Inns has opened its third site in its first partnership with Star Pubs & Bars.

Wear Inns secures £8m refinancing to fund expansion

09-Jul-2015 By M&C Allegra FS

North East and Yorkshire pub operator Wear Inns has secured a new £8m refinancing deal with Natwest as it seeks to make a series of acquisitions across its heartland.

Review into iconic Camden pub's ACV listing

08-Jul-2015 By Emily Sutherland

The owners of Camden’s iconic Black Cap have asked for a review into the council’s decision to list the pub as an asset of community value.

PoundPub to open fifth site in Staffordshire

08-Jul-2015 By James Wallin, M&C Report

PoundPub, the no-frills pub concept, is to open its fifth site in Leek, Staffordshire, M&C understands.

Beer special

'Will BrewDog ever do a Meantime? No.'...Interviewing James Watt

07-Jul-2015 By Adrian Tierney-Jones

The BrewDog empire of beers and bars may well continue to grow at a rapid rate, but co-founder James Watt wants to keep hold of the punk spirit...

FLVA updates members on pubs code

06-Jul-2015 By Martin Caffrey

The Federation of Licensed Victuallers Association (FLVA) held a series of member briefings on the forthcoming pubs code last month. Ops director Martin Caffrey provides an update.

Award for community-run pub that goes 'above and beyond'

06-Jul-2015 By Emily Sutherland

A Derbyshire pub owned by the local community has won the Plunkett Foundation’s pioneer award for ‘going above and beyond’ in its efforts to help other co-operative pubs.

Shepherd Neame

45 years of wonderful customers keeps passion for pubs alive

06-Jul-2015 By Oli Gross

After 45 years in the industry, a licensee puts his enduring love for pubs down to the “wonderful” relationships he has with customers.

Fuller's appoints head of operations

06-Jul-2015 By M&C Report

Fuller’s has announced that Fred Turner will be its new Head of Operations – Tenanted Division.

Locals celebrate as pub closed for almost three years reopens

03-Jul-2015 By Emily Sutherland

Hackney’s the Chesham Arms opened its doors to the public last week for the first time in almost three years after being saved from the brink of redevelopment by locals.

Managed Pub Summit

PoundPubs takes franchising route

02-Jul-2015 By Oli Gross

The owner of no-frills brand PoundPub says he is ready to expand his franchise offer and is targeting underperforming freehold pubs.

Awards

Surrey pub honoured for turnaround following blaze

02-Jul-2015 By Oli Gross

A Surrey pub which was devastated by a fire last year has been crowned Pub of the Year in the annual Shepherd Neame Pub Awards.

Star on track to invest £30m in estate and eyes first managed pub

02-Jul-2015 By Ed Bedington

Dutch brewing giant Heineken has announced plans to invest up to £30m into its Star Pubs and Bars estate and is also on course to open its first managed pub site.

Pub design

CAMRA celebrate pub design excellence

30-Jun-2015 By Mike Berry

The Castle at Edgehill in Oxfordshire has won two awards at the Campaign for Real Ale's Pub Design Awards 2015.

Admiral boosts support for new licensees

29-Jun-2015 By Michelle Perrett

Admiral Taverns is launching a new agreement designed specifically to deliver extra support and help for new licensees or those taking their first Admiral pub. 

Leisure tracker

Drinks sales growth outstrips food again in May

29-Jun-2015 By James Wallin, M&C Allegra

For the second time in three months spend on drinking out grew faster than eating out in May, the latest Greene King tracker shows.

Pub & Bar Careers website launches

25-Jun-2015 By James Wallin, M&C Allegra

Pubandbarcareers.com, a new website showcasing the range of career opportunities in the sector, has been officially launched.

Campaigns

London licensee fights to revitalise high street

24-Jun-2015 By Emily Sutherland

A London licensee has urged other publicans to follow her lead by organising campaigns to help revitalise their local high streets.

NTIA report: Regulation 'unfairly harming' late night venues

23-Jun-2015 By Michelle Perrett

Late night venues are being unfairly harmed by regulation and reduced opening hours, a report by sociologist Professor Frank Furedi on behalf of the Night Time Industries Association (NTIA) has revealed.

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.

How to run a successful seasonal business

22-Jun-2015 By Laurie Macdonald

Seasonal businesses are a difficult task to take on. While the prospect of an almost guaranteed busy on season is attractive, the trails of a slow off season can challenge even experienced publicans. Laurie MacDonald takes an in depth look at how to make...

Charnwood pubco on market for just under £5m

22-Jun-2015 By Mark Wingett, MC Allegra FS

Charnwood Pub Company, the Albion Ventures-backed, seven-strong chain, has been placed on the market with a combined price of just under £5m.

Pub Opening

GBPA winners double up as new pub opens

19-Jun-2015 By Mike Berry

The award-winning duo behind the Great British Pub of the Year the Grafton have opened their second pub, the Gipsy Queen.

Food offer

Sussex licensees open new "steampunk" country pub

18-Jun-2015 By Daniel Woolfson

Tony Leonard and Dom McCartan, owners of the Snowdrop Inn, Lewes, have reopened the Roebuck, in Laughton, Sussex with a new food offer after taking on a private lease for the site and giving it a major refurbishment.

Brakspear recognises top tenants

18-Jun-2015 By James Wallin, M&C Report

Oxfordshire-based pub operator Brakspear has rewarded tenants at five of its pubs in its annual awards.

Opinion

Respect to those that create the proper pub atmosphere

17-Jun-2015 By Jeffrey Bell

My second career ended on 27 May 2015 when I sold my leasehold and business at the Finborough Arms, Kensington, west London.

Iconic Camden pub occupied by squatters

11-Jun-2015 By Emily Sutherland

An iconic Camden pub has been reportedly occupied by squatters following its closure last month.

Residents of hamlet with less than 100 people pledge to buy their local

10-Jun-2015 By Emily Sutherland

Residents of a Kent hamlet, home to less than 100 people, have pledged to raise the £450,000 needed to buy their local pub.

Brewdog unveils four new bar concepts

10-Jun-2015 By Emily Sutherland

Brewdog have announced four new concepts - Shuffle Dog, Dog Eat Dog, Dog House and the Newington Fix-to alongside their craft beer bars.

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.

Brewdog

Brewdog cave in to pressure from Hull residents

05-Jun-2015 By Emily Sutherland

Brewdog are on the hunt for a site in Hull after an overwhelming response from fans in the city.

Fuller's sales up 6.3% in managed and 5% in tenanted

05-Jun-2015 By M&C Allegra FS

Fuller’s recorded like-for-like sales growth of 6.3% in its managed arm for the year to 28 March with like-for-like profits up 5% in its Tenanted Inns division.

Awards

Licensees of the Year 2015 crowned

02-Jun-2015 By Mike Berry

Husband and wife team, Keith and Diane Marsden from the Prince of Wales in Birmingham, have been named as the 2015 Licensees of the Year.

Keith Knowles named Yummy Pub Co. chairman

02-Jun-2015 By Jessica Mason

Beds and Bars CEO Keith Knowles has become the new chairman of Yummy Pub Co.

Charity

LTC golf tournament tees off

28-May-2015 By Mike Berry

An exciting golf tournament for pubs and breweries has teed off, giving breweries, publicans and their customers the chance to play at fantastic courses across the country.

Fruity summer cocktail menu across Stonegate estate

27-May-2015 By Oli Gross

Stonegate's classic estate is introducing a fruit based summer cocktail menu. The menu is available 1 June-1 September at 73 pubs in the estate.

Ye Olde Fighting Cocks keeps name despite animal rights pressure

27-May-2015 By Oli Gross

Britain's oldest pub Ye Olde Fighting Cocks has no intention of changing its name despite pressure from animal rights group PETA, which wants the pub to be renamed Ye Olde Clever Cocks to reflect compassion for animals.

Pub turnover up 23% thanks to young licensees

22-May-2015 By Mark Wingett

There are encouraging signs of growth for the UK pub industry which has seen a rise in turnover and injection of new owners in the past three years, according to new data from Barclays

Protz: Learning from the Antwerp Arms story

21-May-2015 By Roger Protz

Roger Protz reveals the story of a pub that faced closure but was saved when a community group was formed.

Self Regulation

Focus: PICAS and PIRRS publish annual reports

21-May-2015 By Mike Berry

The annual reports of both the Pubs Independent Conciliation & Arbitration Service (PICA-Service) and the Pubs Independent Rent Review Scheme (PIRRS) have been published. Mike Berry picks out the main points.

In pictures: Tattershall Castle takes to the waves

15-May-2015 By Emily Sutherland

Floating bar the Tattershall Castle fought off the rain to reopen last night after a £1.8 million refurbishment.

Pub food

Star pubs goes big on food

13-May-2015 By Mike Berry

Star Pubs & Bars will invest £250,000 in the next six months as part of a new food development programme called Star Food.

Awards

Hook Norton crowns pub winners

08-May-2015 By Helen Gilbert

A Warwickshire pub has triumphed in an annual awards ceremony run by Hook Norton Brewery.

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.

Pub Market Report

Pubs more positive about future as events grow in importance

07-May-2015 By Mike Berry

Publican’s Morning Advertiser readers are experiencing a more positive trading environment with more than half reporting a rise in turnover during the past year and almost six in 10 licensees planning to invest in their pub in the coming 12 months.

Brighton 'blowjob' shot bar has licence revoked

01-May-2015 By Emily Sutherland

Brighton’s Oxygen bar has had its licence revoked following a police review.

Awards

Licensee of the Year finalists speak of joy

01-May-2015 By Helen Gilbert

A number of contenders vying for the prestigious Licensee of the Year title have spoken of their joy at rubbing shoulders with the best in the business.