Independent Operators

Milk vending machine a great hit at pub

19-Aug-2011 By Adam Pescod

A licensee in Staffordshire has installed a vending machine outside his pub after the local council refused him permission to open a shop on the...

Licensee to pay £14,509 electricity bill

19-Aug-2011 By Adam Pescod

A licensee in Cornwall has reached an out-of-court settlement with energy company Opus to pay electricity bills worth over £14,000. Gary...

Charles Wells vows to boost support

18-Aug-2011 By John Harrington, M&C Report

Charles Wells Pub Company has promised to improve its support network for licensees, including increasing the ratio of RDMs.

Host gets apology from British Gas

18-Aug-2011 By Gurjit Degun

British Gas has apologised for charging a licensee £20,000 after telling him that his pub "looked like it used a lot of electricity".

Pub sales suffer in wake of riots

18-Aug-2011 By The PMA Team

The rioting that took place across the UK last week led to an unwelcome dent in trade for pubs in affected areas, with some sites reporting sales falls of up to 40%. That's according to the Publican's Morning Advertiser survey of pubco bosses.

Correction: there's been a few mistakes

18-Aug-2011 By The PMA Team

It is almost exactly a decade since the publication of the finest novel, for my money, of the past 25 years — Jonathan Franzen's The Corrections....

Non-execs unveiled by Redcomb

18-Aug-2011 By The PMA Team

Redcomb Pubs, the company founded by former M&B marketing executive Dan Shotton, has appointed two senior non-executive directors.

Fresh help for riot-hit London firms

18-Aug-2011 By John Harrington, M&C Report

Riot-hit pubs in Croydon and Tottenham could be entitled to extra business rates relief under the new £20m London Enterprise Fund.

Riot hit pubs: get your rates appeal in now

17-Aug-2011 By Gurjit Degun

Pubs that have been affected during the riots are being urged to lodge appeals with their local Valuation Office for a reduction in business rates.

BII pub apprenticeship call

17-Aug-2011 By Adam Pescod

A new government-funded apprenticeship scheme launched by BII and People 1st yesterday has been lauded as "the answer" to establishing the pub industry as a viable career path for young people.

Livebookings takes on Groupon

17-Aug-2011 By Ewan Turney

Online table reservation company Livebookings has launched a new daily deals website in a bid to take on Groupon in the restaurant and pub sector....

SBPA hits out at Dundee bottle scheme

16-Aug-2011 By Michelle Perrett

The SBPA has called for the City of Dundee Licensing Board not to proceed a bottle marking scheme for licensed premises.

Jim Walsh passes away

16-Aug-2011 By Ewan Turney

Renowned and highly respected pub operator and industry figure Jim Walsh has passed away following a long illness. Walsh founded the Commer Group in...

Pub sales: the right to restrict

15-Aug-2011 By Peter Coulson

It is no surprise to me that certain breweries and other owners are continuing to reserve their right to impose a restrictive covenant when pubs are sold, writes Peter Coulson.

Liverpool licensee's 'lucky escape' during riots

15-Aug-2011 By Adam Pescod

A licensee in Liverpool admitted she had an "incredibly lucky escape" after a Tesco store 50 metres from her pub was set alight by rioters.

Managed houses fit for future success

12-Aug-2011 By Dave Daly

It seems that a lot of managed houses are running a lot stronger than they were 10 to 15 years ago, including a few wet-led town centre pubs, writes Dave Daly.

BII to undergo radical shakeup

11-Aug-2011 By Ewan Turney

The BII (British Institute of Innkeeping) is to carry out a radical restructuring to create a more transparent, democratic organisation.

5,000 freeholds for sale as pubcos shrink

11-Aug-2011 By The PMA Team

The formal demerger of Punch Taverns into managed and leased companies at the start of this month was a symbolic moment, writes The PMA Team.

Tuppen in plea to pubcos

11-Aug-2011 By John Harrington and Michelle Perrett

Enterprise chief Ted Tuppen has promised to "push even harder" to encourage other pubcos to insist that anyone signing a lease or tenancy has taken...

Walkabout operator Intertain's £29m loss

11-Aug-2011 By John Harrington, M&C Report

Walkabout operator Intertain has reduced its debts from £65m to £35m after agreeing a £29.9m debt-for-equity swap with its banking group. The...

Fire safety warning follows host's jailing

10-Aug-2011 By Gurjit Degun

Licensees are being warned to follow fire safety regulations after a court case saw a hotel owner and consultant jailed for eight months each.

New Jam House for No Saints

10-Aug-2011 By Mark Wingett, M&C Report

Steve Thomas, the Luminar founder who now heads the No Saints cabaret bar/restaurant group, has secured approval to open a site in Cambridge under...

Rioting continues outside London

10-Aug-2011 By Michelle Perrett

Pubs outside the capital were the latest to come under siege in the rioting that has hit the country. Many pubs in the capital shut early — during peak trading hours — on police advice and to ensure staff could get home safely.

Riots: Publicans on the front line

09-Aug-2011 By MA reporter

With the country still recovering from the latest round of riots, stories from publicans about their experiences of the disturbances are pouring in.

G&J Greenall under new ownership

09-Aug-2011 By John Harrington

G&J Greenall, the premium vodka and gin supplier and bottler, is under new ownership following a management buy-in, buy-out led by current chief executive Christian Rose.

Riots: Licensees urged to contact insurers

09-Aug-2011 By Gurjit Degun

Licensees whose pubs have been hit by the riots are being urged to contact their insurance company for advice as soon as possible. That's the advice...

Riots: Take advice from police and pubwatch

09-Aug-2011 By Michelle Perrett

The British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA) has advised pubs to take advice from police and speak to their local pubwatch when dealing with the escalating rioting.

Riots: Customers come to the rescue of Ealing pub

09-Aug-2011 By Gurjit Degun

Customers drinking in the Red Lion in Ealing, west London, came to the rescue last night, as they fought off rioters looking to vandalise and loot...

Pubs under siege in riots

09-Aug-2011 By PMA Team

Pubs were under siege in parts of London and cities across the country as violence escalated last night. Businesses were looted as far afield as...

Over 100 pubs owned by public sector bodies

09-Aug-2011 By MA reporter

Over 100 pubs and 130 cafes and restaurants are part of 180,000 assets owned by close to 600 public sector bodies, according to new figures from the Communities and Local Government (CLG) department.

Pubs hit by Tottenham riots

08-Aug-2011 By Adam Pescod

A licensee in Tottenham believes he may lose at least £5,000 after a group of youths involved in Saturday's riots vandalised and stole from his pub.

ALMR backs action on copyright collection bodies

08-Aug-2011 By Michelle Perrett

The Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers (ALMR) has welcomed Government plans to tighten up the conduct of copyright collection firms.

Pubs 'not ready' for Olympic challenge

08-Aug-2011 By Gurjit Degun

Pubs and bars near Olympic sites are not prepared for the transport challenges presented by the 2012 games, says TfL.

Pub contests £12K PRS charge

08-Aug-2011 By Adam Pescod

A Buckinghamshire licensee has been drawn into legal proceedings with the Performing Right Society (PRS) over "incredible charges" levied upon him by...

BBPA in call for AWP intervention

08-Aug-2011 By Michelle Perrett

The British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA) has called on pubs minister Bob Neill to intervene over proposed tax changes to fruit machines in pubs.

Robinsons profit falls 23%

05-Aug-2011 By John Harrington, M&C Report

Robinsons, the Stockport-based brewer and pub operator, has reported a 23.7% decline in pre-tax profit in 2010.

Welsh AM: pubcos must give a bit back

05-Aug-2011 By Adam Pescod

A newly-elected Welsh AM has called on pubcos to give "a little bit back" and consider offers from communities for pubs before putting them on the...

Back Thrive on 5 and preserve our pubs

04-Aug-2011 By Ewan Turney

Get behind Thrive on 5, get behind British Pub Week and get behind securing the future of a national institution, says Ewan Turney.

British Pub Week's Thrive on 5 link-up

04-Aug-2011 By Ewan Turney

British Pub Week, which celebrates the very best of British hospitality, is back for another year — and will link up with the campaign to cut VAT...

Unite to maximise the benefits of 2012

03-Aug-2011 By Stephen Crawley

If there is a genuine spillover benefit for the whole UK in 2012, let's ensure all areas outside London are ready to capitalise, writes Stephen Crawley.

CAMRA backing return of traditional pub games

02-Aug-2011 By Adam Pescod

The return of traditional pub games would encourage more young adults to visit pubs, according to new research by CAMRA.

Pub closures at 25 a week, sales declining

02-Aug-2011 By Mark Wingett, M&C Report

A new survey has cast further light on the problems facing the UK pub sector, with 45% of licensees reporting a fall in sales in the last year and 25...

Ex-licensee's £13k bill dispute

01-Aug-2011 By Adam Pescod

A former licensee is locked in a dispute with energy giant E.ON about backdated electricity bills worth £13,693, resulting from a meter-reading...

Turn back the boozing clock

29-Jul-2011 By Ben McFarland

The drinking experience of yesteryear is becoming increasingly popular in the capital's bars. Ben McFarland looks at the reasons for this retailing rewind, and adds some ideas of his own.

Fuller's: 3.2% rise in like-for-like sales

29-Jul-2011 By Mark Wingett, M&C Report

Fuller's has this morning reported a 3.2% rise in like-for-like sales across its managed pubs and hotels division for the 16 weeks to 23 July 2011.

Fox opens Bull as brewpub

29-Jul-2011 By John Harrington

Dan Fox, ex-general manager of Mitchells & Butler's famous pub the White Horse in London's Parsons Green, has secured his first site, set to...

Publican calls for PPL boycott

29-Jul-2011 By Michelle Perrett

A Sheffield licensee has called for a boycott of PPL, following news of the plans to increase music royalty fees by up to 4,000%. Jeff Smith, of the Red House wants publicans to stop playing music from any bands registered with PPL.

CAMRA defends stance on BrewDog

28-Jul-2011 By Michelle Perrett

CAMRA has refuted claims from BrewDog that it acted "unceremoniously" by cancelling the brewer's stand at the Great British Beer Festival (GBBF).

A masterclass in how to be a better boss

28-Jul-2011 By The PMA Team

There is a component of success in the pub trade that's really powerful if it can be harnessed — the relationship between you and your staff, writes The PMA Team.