Independent Operators

Itching for licensing reform

13-Feb-2012 By Peter Coulson

We are now seven years on from the start of that frantic period of applications for new personal and premises licences, known as ‘transition’. I am beginning to get that Seven Year Itch.

CAMRA reveals National Pub of the Year

10-Feb-2012 By Gurjit Degun

The Bridge End Inn in Ruabon, Wrexham, has been crowned the Campaign for Real Ale’s (CAMRA) National Pub of the Year – the first ever Welsh pub with the title.

Serial conman fleeces licensees

10-Feb-2012 By Gurjit Degun

Licensees offering accommodation are strongly advised to “be on their mettle” about a conman booking rooms under false names and leaving without settling his bill.

GMB calls for guidelines over Brulines

09-Feb-2012 By Michelle Perrett

GMB, the union, has called on the Department for Business, Innovation And Skills (BIS) to issue guidance to local trading standards officers concerning Brulines, the beer-flow monitoring equipment.

Pubs urged not to buy TV cards after ruling

09-Feb-2012 By Adam Pescod

Licensees have been warned not to buy European satellite TV decoder cards until a definitive ruling on copyright has been made.

Licensee's polycarbonate plea

09-Feb-2012 By Gurjit Degun

A Cornwall licensee has called for the Government to introduce legislation forcing all pubs to use only polycarbonate glasses and bottles in their premises.

How to get rid of surplus conditions

08-Feb-2012 By Peter Coulson

Still on the subject of conditions, I continue to see premises licences with a whole string of requirements, many of which appear to have little or no relevance to the current situation of the pub concerned.

A bit of courtesy goes a long way

08-Feb-2012 By Mark Daniels

Last Saturday morning, before the snow came, I was sat in bed sipping a cup of tea and reading one of the nation’s most popular red tops when I came across an article about what makes people happy.

Major operators back Games safety

08-Feb-2012 By Adam Pescod

Major pub operators have signed up to a new information-sharing initiative which aims to improve security across London in the run-up to the Olympic Games.

BBPA: Pubs must capitalise on 'year of celebration'

07-Feb-2012 By Adam Pescod

Britain’s pubs must capitalise on the huge year of celebration in 2012 – without over-zealous councils and regulations getting in the way, said BBPA chief executive Brigid Simmonds today.

Police cutbacks spell trouble

06-Feb-2012 By Peter Coulson

Last week, a number of chief constables complained that due to the stringent cuts imposed by the present Government they were in danger of losing front-line policing.

Fuller’s acquires £22.9m ETI package

03-Feb-2012 By Mark Wingett, M&C Report

Fuller’s, the London brewer and pub operator, has agreed to pay £22.9m to acquire 15 freehold tenanted pubs from Enterprise Inns.

Licensee in warning to trade over water charges

03-Feb-2012 By Adam Pescod

A Stoke-on-Trent licensee has warned fellow publicans to check their water bills after finding he had been overcharged £522 per year since August 2005.

IPPR: 'policymakers must recognise pubs’ social value'

02-Feb-2012 By Adam Pescod

The social value of pubs is often overlooked by policymakers because official statistics only capture their financial benefits, according to the Institute of Public Policy Research (IPPR).

Tangled web of licensing law

01-Feb-2012 By Peter Coulson

The tangled web of modern licensing law has reached a new level recently, if the consultation document on early morning restriction orders and the late-night levy is anything to go by.

Pubs get a chance to call for energy reform

01-Feb-2012 By Adam Pescod

Pubs are being urged to write to Ofgem, the electricity and gas regulator, calling for reform of the energy market.

Walkabout refurb costs may hit £9m

01-Feb-2012 By John Harrington

Intertain is to spend around £7m to £9m on major refurbishments of 15-20 Walkabout bars, the PMA can reveal.

PICAS panel chairman appointed

31-Jan-2012 By Michelle Perrett

The newly-formed Pub Independent Conciliation Advisory Service (PICAS) has elected Rodger Vickers as chairman of the panel that will review disputes between pubcos and tenants.

Free Root Canal with Every Pint

31-Jan-2012 By Mark Daniels

There is nowhere I would rather be on a dreary Saturday afternoon in January than sat in the back of a mobile dental surgery… actually, strike that.

Getting a picture of police heavies

30-Jan-2012 By Peter Coulson

I have great sympathy for Michael Kheng (Operator in CCTV dispute, the PMA 19 January) in his dispute with police in Lincolnshire, who asked for footage in connection with a burglary that he refused to hand over without more specific information.

Former Tchenguiz directors' pubs deal

30-Jan-2012 By John Harrington

Former associates of Robert Tchenguiz have bought 32 pubs previously part of the Iranian property tycoon’s R&L Properties pub empire, the PMA understands.

More small-scale pubcos use EIS

30-Jan-2012 By John Harrington

Increasing numbers of small-scale pub operators are setting up new companies via funding from the Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS).

Tennents announces price rises

26-Jan-2012

Tennent Caledonian is set to increase the price of its lager by £9.98 per barrel, and £9.99 on Magners Golden Draught – equivalent to a 2.2% rise.

Licensee hit by sales penalty for failing test purchase operations

26-Jan-2012

A publican has had to suspend alcohol sales for 28 days after failing two test-purchase operations last year, as part of a crackdown by police in the area.

Licensee in £46k energy dispute with British Gas

26-Jan-2012 By Adam Pescod

British Gas is working to resolve a dispute with a licensee in Cumbria about a £46,000 bill after intervention by the PMA.

Protecting the pubs’ interests

25-Jan-2012 By Peter Coulson

Trade protection has a very different meaning these days from the time when licensed victuallers associations (LVAs) were a dominant force in the industry. Now it tends to mean preserving the pub from extinction by outside forces.

CAMRA: 'Government failing community pubs'

24-Jan-2012 By Adam Pescod

The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) has called for urgent Government action to save Britain’s historic pub culture in light of new research showing how 16 pubs on average now close across the country on a weekly basis.

Convivial reports trading turnaround

24-Jan-2012 By John Harrington

Convivial London Pubs, the eight-strong London estate that was previously run as Capital Pubs II, has reported a turnaround in trading performance in the year to 1 October 2011, with pre-tax profits up 32.3% to £474k.

Don't forget pubs are social networks too

23-Jan-2012 By Mark Daniels

Brazilian. Nightclub. Facebook. Three words that don’t sound like they should be together in a sentence pre-watershed, but the story behind them is fascinating.

Bang the drum for live music

20-Jan-2012 By Peter Coulson

Today sees the Commons Report Stage of Lord Clement-Jones’ Live Music Bill, which has progressed more smoothly recently and had a very amiable time of it during the MPs’ committee in December, with much inter-party back-slapping and a general view that...

Publican swaps jobs with his local MP

20-Jan-2012 By Gurjit Degun

A licensee has taken the MPs-behind-the-bar scheme further by initiating a job swap with his local MP.

Operator in CCTV dispute with police

20-Jan-2012 By Gurjit Degun

An operator is facing a licence review after refusing to hand over CCTV footage from his pub to the police.

BISC: A round-up of the pubco-tenant debate

19-Jan-2012 By Michelle Perrett

The Government’s response to the BISC came under scrutiny in a Commons debate last week. Here are some of the MPs’ comments

Licensees fear trade impact from HS2 rail link

19-Jan-2012 By Adam Pescod

Pubs across middle England have voiced their opposition to the national High Speed 2 (HS2) rail network, which was backed by the Government last week.

Milton: "we do not want to be killjoys"

18-Jan-2012 By Michelle Perrett

The Government does not want to be “killjoys” but has to act against excessive alcohol consumption, claims health minister Anne Milton.

The challenge of vetting under-18s

17-Jan-2012 By Peter Coulson

The recent comment from an independent test-purchasing firm that pubs rely on doorstaff to vet under-18s is perhaps understandable for clubs and other entertainment venues with a strict ‘no-minors’ policy on entry.

BISC: Pubcos 'drinking in last chance saloon'

16-Jan-2012 By Michelle Perrett

Pubcos are “drinking in the last chance saloon” but regulation will not solve the pubco-tenant relationship, Burton MP Andrew Griffiths told MPs last week.

Trade confronts tough times

13-Jan-2012 By Peter Coulson

The mature readers among you will remember the Frankie Howerd comedy vehicle Up Pompeii, in which a diminutive lady would come on crying: “Woe, woe and thrice woe!”

Admiral MD Georgel joins Dartmoor Brewery

13-Jan-2012 By Mark Wingett

Kevin Georgel, managing director of tenanted pub group Admiral Taverns, has joined the board of Dartmoor Brewery, as it prepares for the next phase in its expansion.

Stratford hosts concerned by Westfield late-night plans

13-Jan-2012 By Adam Pescod

Licensees in Stratford have voiced concerns over proposals to turn the roof of the nearby Westfield Shopping Centre into temporary corporate hospitality.

Sky issues copyright warning to licensees

12-Jan-2012 By Adam Pescod

Sky has sent a letter to non-subscribing licensees warning them the use of European decoder cards to air live Premier League football in their pubs may fall foul of copyright laws.

Arkell's decline in profit and turnover continues

12-Jan-2012 By John Harrington

Arkell’s, the Wiltshire-based pub operator and brewer, saw its decline in profits and turnover continue in the year to 31 March 2011, and warned that it’s harder than ever to return to growth.

Pub operators 'cautiously optimistic' for 2012

11-Jan-2012 By Michelle Perrett

Pub and bar operators are “cautiously optimistic” for 2012, a survey of members of the Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers has found.

Pure Leisure enters administration

11-Jan-2012

Pure Leisure, the Newcastle-based nightclub and bar group, has been placed into administration.

Stein helps launch fourth Pub is the Hub community scheme

10-Jan-2012 By Michelle Perrett

Pub is the Hub is to launch its fourth local community services champions initiative for Cornwall this month.

Ireland pubs face more closures

09-Jan-2012 By Michelle Perrett

Almost 1,000 pubs have closed in Ireland since 2006 and Irish publicans are warning that a further 5,000 jobs will be lost during 2012.

Licensees "want answers" over pubco-tenant relationship

06-Jan-2012

Campaign group Justice for Licensees (JfL) has sent an open letter to the Government asking it to explain the decision to maintain the tied model.

Minimum Pricing Could Go Horribly Wrong For Pubs

04-Jan-2012 By Mark Daniels

So that was Christmas. Another year over, a new one just begun. And all that jazz. What with the collapse of capitalism and the Mayan prophecy of doom, 2012 is stacking up to be a good year.

People who work in pubs have families too

23-Dec-2011

A couple of Christmas Eves ago a family came in to our pub for lunch. The young lad was an ambulance driver enjoying a Christmas meal with his girlfriend and parents before embarking on a long shift rescuing families from turkey-related incidents, and...

Investigation: Stratford pubs feel the pinch from Westfield opening

20-Dec-2011 By Adam Pescod

Pubs in Stratford are feeling the pinch since the opening of the new Westfield shopping centre in September, with some licensees reporting a downturn of up to 70%.