Independent Operators

Pub trade welcomes 24-hour weekend Tube move

21-Nov-2013 By John Harrington; Ellie Bothwell

The pub trade has welcomed news that the London Underground is to open for 24 hours a day on key lines on Friday and Saturday evenings from 2015.

The Big Interview: Richard Brown, RB & AH

21-Nov-2013 By Phil Mellows

Sometimes getting it right means some of the customers have got to go, as pub-restaurant multiple operator Richard Brown explains to Phil Mellows.

Sky offers free merchandise giveaways for licensees

21-Nov-2013 By Michelle Perrett

Sky Sports PreviewLIVE, the website to help Sky Business subscribers promote sport in their venue has announced free merchandise and weekly giveaways in the run up to Christmas.

Derbyshire licensee calls on police and licensing authorities to stop 'criminalising' licensees

21-Nov-2013 By Helen Gilbert

A Derbyshire publican has called on the police and licensing authorities to “stop criminalising hard-working licensees”, after charges were dropped against one of his staff members for failing a test-purchase operation last November.

Hull licensees welcome UK City of Culture boost

20-Nov-2013 By Helen Gilbert

Publicans in Hull have expressed delight at the news that the city will be crowned the UK City of Culture in 2017 and believe the successful bid will help boost trade.

Pub trade welcomes change to alcohol-related hospital admission statistics

20-Nov-2013 By Ellie Bothwell

The pub trade has broadly welcomed a move by Public Health England to alter the way it reports alcohol-related hospital admission statistics.

Pubs cited as solution to adult social care 'crisis'

20-Nov-2013 By Michelle Perrett

Pubs may be the answer for the adult social care crisis, the director for adult wellbeing at Herefordshire Council this week claimed

Surrey licensee urges Tripadvisor to create pub listing

20-Nov-2013 By Helen Gilbert

A Surrey licensee is urging TripAdvisor to create a specific, single pub listing on its website to make it easier for customers to find pubs, leave feedback and avoid confusion.

Brains replaces Costa coffee in pubs with own brand

18-Nov-2013 By Michelle Perrett

SA Brain, the Welsh brewer and pub operator, has taken out Costa coffee in its 95 sites and brought in its own brand named Great Little Coffee Company.

This year predicted as "turning point" for pub sector

15-Nov-2013 By John Harrington

This year will prove to be a “turning point” in the pub market, Sapient Corporate Finance founder Peter Hansen has predicted.

Star Pubs & Bars rewards top licensees

15-Nov-2013 By Michelle Perrett

Star Pubs & Bars celebrated its most successful licensees at a gala awards ceremony in Birmingham last night (14 November).

BBPA Benchmarking Survey: Wet-led pubs’ GP falls below 50%

14-Nov-2013 By Rob Willock

Gross profit (GP) margins have slipped below 50% for community wet-led pubs, as they are unable to take advantage of the higher earnings potential of food sales, according to a new benchmarking report.

Are you a pubco mastermind?

13-Nov-2013 By Robert Sayles

Good evening and welcome to another edition of Mastermind. Tonight we’re coming to you from the magnificent new Library of Birmingham located in Centenary Square on Broad Street. 

GT Pubs in administration

11-Nov-2013 By John Harrington

GT Pubs, the pub management company set up in the wake of the administration of the Publicana business in 2010, has itself been placed into administration.

BII launches search for Licensee of the Year

11-Nov-2013 By Mike Berry

The search has begun to find the UK’s best licensee with the launch of the BII Licensee of the Year Award.

Imbiba to launch third EIS fund

07-Nov-2013 By John Harrington

Imbiba, the investment vehicle led by John Connell, is poised to launch its third London Bar and Restaurant Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS) Fund, after raising £4.5m.

Loungers named operator of the year

07-Nov-2013 By Mark Wingett

Loungers was named operator of the year at the R200 Awards last night at Merchants Tavern in London’s Shoreditch, hosted by the Publican’s Morning Advertiser’s sister title Restaurant magazine.

Cambridgeshire licensees quit trade after business washed away

07-Nov-2013 By Ellie Bothwell

A Cambridgeshire couple have been forced to leave the trade after a burst water main washed away 20 years’ worth of business.

Statutory code: Pubs Governing Body chair Bernard Brindley hits out at licensees 'trying to discredit PICAS'

06-Nov-2013 By Michelle Perrett

Bernard Brindley, chairman of the Pubs Governing Body (PGB), has accused some licensees who have used the Pubs Independent Conciliation and Arbitration Service (PICA-Service) of trying to “discredit” the system.

Statutory code: PICAS licensees tell minister 'self-regulation has failed'

05-Nov-2013 By Michelle Perrett

A group of licensees that have been through the Pubs Independent Conciliation and Arbitration Service (PICA-Service) process met with Business Innovation and Skills minister Jo Swinson yesterday to hand over a dossier claiming self-regulation has failed.

Eclectic buys Pitcher & Piano Manchester for Lola Lo

04-Nov-2013 By Mark Wingett

Eclectic Clubs & Bars has secured the former Pitcher & Piano site in Manchester’s Deansgate for conversion to an evolved version of its Lola Lo brand that will be the first to serve food.

Blackpool Walkabout re-opens after fire

04-Nov-2013 By Ellie Bothwell

The Walkabout bar in Blackpool city-centre has re-opened after it was destroyed by a fire earlier this year.

The Big Interview: Ashley & Kelly McCarthy

01-Nov-2013 By Ellie Bothwell

Ashley and Kelly McCarthy tell Ellie Bothwell how an early setback in their careers allowed them to focus on building business at Ye Old Sun Inn in Colton, North Yorkshire, where success led them to the star prize of BII Licensees of the Year.

Admiral launches social media course for tenants

01-Nov-2013 By Mark Wingett

Admiral Taverns, the tenanted pub operator, has launched a social media course for its licensees, aimed at helping them engage with customers and driving people into pubs.

Petition launched to save the Alma in Newington Green

01-Nov-2013 By Michelle Perrett

A petition has been launched to save the Alma in London’s Newington Green as it is feared the pub “is now under threat of imminent closure”.

Bramwell Pub Company placed into administration

31-Oct-2013 By Mark Wingett

Bramwell Pub Company, the 185-strong managed operator, which was formerly Barracuda, has been placed in administration.

Essex pub still without power after St Jude storm

30-Oct-2013 By Ellie Bothwell

An Essex licensee has lost around £2,000 after his pub has been without power for three days as a result of the St Jude storm.

BBPA writes to minister calling for pubs to be recognised in high street regeneration plans

30-Oct-2013 By Helen Gilbert

The chief executive of the British Beer & Pub Association has penned a letter to the newly appointed high streets minister calling for pubs to be recognised under the government’s high street regeneration plans.

Pub investor funds up for grabs in East Anglia

30-Oct-2013 By Noli Dinkovski

The finance broker behind a new crowd-funding website has appealed for pubs in East Anglia to get in touch after a local businessman declared he would like to invest in the region.

Derbyshire licensee hits out at TripAdvisor posts

30-Oct-2013 By Helen Gilbert

A licensee has claimed that TripAdvisor does not have “robust systems in place” to deal with review mix-ups.

Northampton residents raise £100,000 to save local pub

29-Oct-2013 By Helen Gilbert

A group of Northamptonshire residents bidding to save a 19th century pub from closure have raised more than £100,000 in three weeks.

Pubs experience trade drop after St Jude storm tears across UK

28-Oct-2013 By Ellie Bothwell

Pubs across southern UK experienced a drop in trade after the worst storm in five years battered parts of the country.

Eclectic Bars plans IPO

28-Oct-2013 By Mark Wingett

Eclectic Bars, the Avanti Capital-backed bar and club operator led by Reuben Harley, is preparing a £20m float on the Alternative Investment Market (AIM), which if successful would make it the first pub or bar business to float since Capital Pub Company...

Pubs in Scotland urged to support tourism drive

28-Oct-2013 By Helen Gilbert

Pubs and bars in Scotland are being urged to share the fascinating tales behind their venues as part of a £120,000 major drive to attract tourists to the country.

Suffolk licensee sees profits drop by 75% after series of roadworks

24-Oct-2013 By Ellie Bothwell

A Suffolk licensee who has seen profits drop by nearly 75% after a series of weekend road works has been backed by her local MP Matthew Hancock and BII chief executive Tim Hulme in her fight with the Highways Agency.

Town & Country Pub Company up for sale

23-Oct-2013 By John Harrington

Town & Country Pub Company, the south east-based pub group led by Desmond Jones, has been placed on the market after falling into administration.

Beds & Bars lines up target cities

23-Oct-2013 By John Harrington

Beds & Bars’ new managing director Murray Roberts has identified a number of target cities for new openings and said that he expects to expand via joint ventures or franchises.

Pubcos must stop this beer-price escalator

23-Oct-2013 By Rob Willock

The tenanted pub companies have been putting their houses in order (literally and figuratively) in recent years. None but the most one-eyed of pubco critics can deny that — though I will doubtless, as ever, receive plenty of abusive trolling on social...

Trade associations join forces to launch 'Better Rates for Pubs' campaign

22-Oct-2013 By Michelle Perrett

A range of trade associations have joined together to launch a campaign on business rates called‘Better Rates for Pubs’

Orchid apprentice scheme sees rise in sales

21-Oct-2013 By Michelle Perrett

More than 100 apprentices proved they've got what it takes to run a business when Orchid Group put them in charge of the pub for a night.

Thwaites targets £4m spend

18-Oct-2013 By John Harrington

Thwaites’ director of pub operations Andrew Buchanan has said the Blackburn-based brewer is on course to complete £4m-worth of investment in its estate by the end of the financial year.

Freedom to up brewing capacity

17-Oct-2013

Freedom Brewery, the Staffordshire brewer, is aiming to increase production capacity up to five-fold by the end of next year in order to supply major pubcos with its craft lagers, managing director Tim Massey has told the Publican's Morning Advertiser...

Hackney pub stays as Asset of Community Value after landmark appeal ruling

17-Oct-2013 By Ellie Bothwell

The Chesham Arms in Hackney, east London, will remain listed as an asset of community value (ACV), after winning a landmark tribunal hearing against the owner of the property.

Pub operators urged to keep policies on e-cigarettes under review

17-Oct-2013 By Phil Mellows

Anti-smoking campaigners are urging pub operators to keep their policies on electronic cigarettes under review as controversy grows around the devices – which deliver nicotine without burning tobacco and produce vapour rather than smoke.

Parcel Yard named Fuller's Pub of the Year

17-Oct-2013 By Michelle Perrett

The Parcel Yard, at Kings Cross, London, has been named Fuller’s Pub of the Year.

Pubs most popular venue to charge electronic devices, says new survey

16-Oct-2013 By Ellie Bothwell

Pubs are the most popular destination for consumers looking to charge their devices, new research from E.ON has shown.

First appeal to be made against Asset of Community value pub

15-Oct-2013 By Noli Dinkovski

Campaigners hoping to save a Hackney pub are set to find out the outcome of an appeal against its asset of community value (ACV) status on Thursday (17 October).

Fire Kills campaign rallies support from publicans

15-Oct-2013 By Ellie Bothwell

The Fire Kills campaign and its partners are urging the pub trade to encourage customers to test their smoke alarms when the clocks change on 27 October.

Pubs are 'absolutely key' to Britain's tourism industry, VisitBritain chief executive claims

14-Oct-2013 By Ellie Bothwell

Pubs are “absolutely key” to Britain’s tourism industry, VisitBritain’s chief executive has claimed.

Wellington posts 27.2% profits slide

10-Oct-2013 By John Harrington

Wellington Pub Company, the free-of-tie leased pub operator, has reported a 27.2% fall in pre-tax profits to £6.7m in the year to 31 March 2013.