MA Leaders Club

Fresh moniker: the name change aims to reflect the company’s strategy to meet the changing needs of the upcoming generation

Charles Wells changes name to Wells & Co

By Nikkie Thatcher

Family-owned operator Charles Wells has revealed it will be changing its name to Wells & Co alongside the construction of its new flagship brewery in Bedford, which is due to reach completion next year.

Big projects: Berkeley Inns has a plan of renovating under performing sites in the Midlands

A look into Berkeley Inns

By Nikkie Thatcher

Derbyshire-based pub group Berkeley Inns has only been running for five years but, with five sites under its belt already, the business looks set to soar with its future plans

Time to think: the key to handling a crisis is to not panic

MA500

Death and drugs: how to manage a PR nightmare

By Nicholas Robinson

A crisis can lead very quickly to bad publicity and could easily break a business if not handled in the right way, according to two public relations bosses.

One for all: Cornerstone Inns founder Damon Horrill on employee ownership

MA500

Employee ownership – good for pubs?

By Nicholas Robinson

Allowing employees to buy into and own the pub they work in can, according to one operator immersed in the movement, help turn around struggling or closing sites.

Operators’ viewpoints: (left to right) panellists Alice Bowyer, Nicola Arrow and Pete Hughes on vegan options

MA500

3 operators on evolving a vegetarian offer

By Nicholas Robinson

The trend towards reduced or no meat intake among consumers is set to continue and even grow, but getting the offer right can be tricky, explained three leading operators with a keen eye on the trend.

Team goals: retaining staff is good for business and offers a career

People power rules at Free Spirit pubco

By Nikkie Sutton

One award-winning licensee reveals his secrets to success after becoming a multiple operator – and they begin with staff who love what they do.

Steady as a rock: the Rockpoint Leisure project aims to regenerate the British high street

The lowdown on Rockpoint Leisure

By Nikkie Sutton

Ahead of Manchester MA500 where he will be speaking about his new venture, Daniel Davies gives a preview of his Rockpoint Leisure project, which aims to regenerate high streets with retail and licensed sites.

In bloom: the NWTC has opened the latest branch of award-winning concept the Florist at Watford’s intu shopping centre

The Florist opens at £180m intu expansion

By Stuart Stone

The New World Trading Company (NWTC) opened the latest branch of its award-winning bar and restaurant concept the Florist at intu Watford on 22 April.

Upcoming event: the next MA500 is on 16 May in Manchester

MA500 study tour for Manchester unveiled

By Nikkie Sutton

Next month, Manchester will play host to the MA500 business club conference and study tour and we can now reveal the vibrant venues included.

Big plans: Tiny Rebel's new site is across the road from its existing one

Tiny Rebel expands into 60,000sq ft site

By Nikkie Sutton

Welsh brewer and operator Tiny Rebel has announced it will be moving part of the business into a new site to accommodate its growing team and equipment.

Coming up: the next MA500 business club meeting is taking place on Thursday 16 May in Manchester

MA500 Manchester line-up revealed

By Nikkie Sutton

The second MA500 event of 2019 is shaping up nicely and we can now announced the stellar line-up for the conference at the Principal hotel in Manchester.

Floating business: Alternative Investment Market (AIM) is the London Stock Exchange’s international market for smaller growing companies

Loungers to join stock market

By Nikkie Sutton

Multiple operator Loungers has announced its plan to float on the London Stock Exchange’s market for smaller, growing companies – Alternative Investment Market (AIM).

Portfolio addition: the King’s Arms in Dorchester was acquired by Stay Original in 2016

Stay Original pumps £5m into historic pub

By Nikkie Sutton

Multiple operator Stay Original has invested £5m into the refurbishment of a pub that is famed for its literary links to novelist Thomas Hardy.

Experienced operator: Victoria Hunt has runs pubs in Norfolk since 2007

Victoria Hunt: my life in the trade

By Victoria Hunt

Multiple operator Victoria Hunt runs two busy pubs in Norfolk – the Lodge Griddle & Grill in North Tuddenham and the Fox at Lyng. She reveals how she got to where she is today.

Beer focus: Manchester has more than 80 breweries in and around the city

Manchester MA500: a city united

By Nikkie Sutton

The next MA500 business club meeting will be taking place in Manchester this spring (Thursday 16 May).

International Women's Day: Business leaders, in association with Plan B

International Women’s Day

The women who lead in the on-trade

By Nicholas Robinson

There are too few women at the top level in business across the world and the UK. While pubs and bars can't escape that fact either, here we tell the stories of nine women at the top in the on-trade.

Looking ahead: some 68% of all business leaders were optimistic about the prospects for 2019

Pub bosses cautiously optimistic about future

By Nikkie Sutton

Confidence levels in hospitality are varied in early 2019, with business leaders in the pub sector showing cautious optimism about what the next 12 months will bring, research has found.

Right or wrong: three operators talk pros and cons of tenanted and leased pubs

Multiple operators spill the beans on tenancies

By Nicholas Robinson

His first experience of a pub tenancy left Mark Robson, co-founder of Red Mist Leisure, “feeling scarred”, having been advised to remain guarded and to keep any sniff of financial success from reaching the site's landlord.

Looking ahead: UKHospitality boss Kate Nicholls says the future is uncertain

MA500

Kate Nicholls: is Brexit worth it?

By Nikkie Sutton

UKHospitality chief executive Kate Nicholls will be revealing where we are at with Brexit and what the pub sector should expect with the various scenarios on the horizon, when she addresses MA500 at Stamford Bridge, west London, this week (13 Feb). Here...

Street talking: the MA500 crowd will hit the pavements of Clapham for the study tour at this month's event

MA500

MA500 London study tour

By Nikkie Sutton

The all-important study tour for the MA500 business club in London this month (February) can now be revealed.

Smooth integration: NewRiver confirmed it had acquired Hawthorn Leisure for £106.8m last year

NewRiver completes Hawthorn Leisure integration

By Nikkie Sutton

Retail estate investment business NewRiver has announced it has finished the integration of the Hawthorn Leisure pub and leisure business, eight months after its acquisition.

In ‘great shape’: City Pub Group announced that turnover increased to £45.6m in 2018

City Pub Group increases annual turnover by 22%

By Stuart Stone

The City Pub Group has revealed total turnover of £45.6m for the 52 week period to 30 December 2018 – a year-on-year increase of approximately 22% – in its latest trading statement.

Tenth site: Red Mist Leisure has announced its newest site in Farnham, Surrey (image: Colin Smith, Geograph)

Tenth site for Red Mist Leisure

By Emily Hawkins

Up and coming pub company Red Mist Leisure has purchased its tenth site, which will open its doors in Farnham, Surrey next month.

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