Geronimo Inns set to double in size
30-Nov-2006 By The PMA Team
Private-equity firm Penta Capital has taken a controlling stake in Geronimo Inns, the multiple lessee founded by Rupert and Joanna Clevely that is...
Porters saved from demolition
30-Nov-2006
A MACCLESFIELD licensee who was turned into a virtual computer game hero to save her pub from demolition has been given an extra life after the...
Laurel and hearty
17-Nov-2006 By Hamish Champ
Talking to Paul Symonds about the portfolio of brands under his control - Ha! Ha! Bar & Canteen, Slug & Lettuce, Yates's and Hog's Head -...
Luminar close to selling Entertainment Division
15-Nov-2006 By Hamish Champ
Nightclub operator Luminar says talks to secure the sale of its struggling Entertainment Division are "at an advanced stage".The group, which today...
Camerons snaps up eleven more venues
19-Oct-2006 By Tony Halstead
North east brewer Camerons is set to notch up a half century of pubs after agreeing terms to buy 11 new venues. Completion of the deal later this...
23-May-2006 By Iain O'Neil
Young's and Charles Wells are to merge brewing operations to form a new company called Wells and Young's. The move clears the way for Young's to sell...
Family ties seal Wells and Young's merger deal
01-May-2006 By Hamish Champ
While for Young's the not-insignificant matter of realising between £80m and £100m from the sale of the brewery site played its part, the close...
ALMR set to up its game
27-Apr-2006
Industry body will clarify its role as members seek more focused organisation to represent their views.The Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers...
23-Mar-2006 By Mark Stretton
Luminar, Britain's biggest nightclub business, has reported, as part of a trading update, a 0.6% like-for-like sales decrease in its core business....
09-Feb-2006 By The PMA Team
Bedford-based brewer Charles Wells has set a target of increasing its pub estate by 20% by September 2008.
JW Lees investigates tenants
09-Feb-2006
Manchester brewer JW Lees has launched an investigation across its 130-strong tenanted estate after finding a band of licensees buying outside the...
Doorstaff warning after Luminar loses case
02-Feb-2006
Pubs which use doorstaff are being warned that they are liable for their actions after late-night operator Luminar Leisure lost a case in the Court...
Luminar optimistic despite tough trading
15-Nov-2005
Despite continued tough trading late night operator Luminar said it remained "cautiously optimistic" it can end its financial year in good...
McMullen's looks to
20-Oct-2005
its people The traumas of a threatened break-up of the business are now behind McMullen's, and MD Peter Furness-Smith is focusing on people and...
JW Lees revamps troubled pub
11-Apr-2005
J W Lees,the Manchester brewer, has reopened the Greengate on the Limeside Estate, Middleton, Greater Manchester after working with the police to rid...
Restaurant Group takes stake in Living Ventures
31-Mar-2005
The Restaurant Group has tied up its deal with Living Ventures, initially acquiring a 40 per cent stake in the upmarket bar business.In a complex...
The heart of it
23-Mar-2005
The brewery contains the very soul of St Austell - as Lorna Harrison reports.In today's climate, the heart-wrenching decision to quit brewing and...
Luminar considers future of Chicago Rock Cafe
18-Mar-2005
Luminar is considering the future of Chicago Rock Café and Jumpin' Jaks after what it has described as unsatisfactory performance by these...
Yates and Tchenguiz chase SFI
16-Mar-2005
Both the Yates wine bar group and property magnate Robert Tchenguiz are being widely tipped as potential bidders for SFI.Despite reports splashed...
ALMR announces finalists in Operations Manager Awards
13-Jan-2005
Entrants for the 2005 ALMR Operations Managers Awards have been whittled down to the final 16 as the last stage of judging approaches.Seven area...
GI shakes up Yates Group boardroom
25-Nov-2004
Yates Group has made three major appointments as part of a boardroom re-organisation. Colin Rawlinson, who acted as a consultant to GI Partners when...
Geronimo eyes Heathrow
23-Sep-2004
by John Harrington Gastro pub operator Geronimo Inns hopes to take premium pub dining into uncharted territory with plans to open a new outlet at...
Thorium scents victory in Yates battle
26-Jul-2004
The Yates Group management team is poised to push through its buyout of the business after raising its offer by 7p a share.Details of the 147p a...
Thorium extends deadline for Yates buyout
23-Jul-2004
Thorium, the bid company behind the planned management buy-out of Yates, has extended the deadline for shareholders to accept its offer for a further...
Thorium stands by Yates offer deadline
21-Jul-2004
Buyout group Thorium has reconfirmed its offer deadline for Yates Group after family members suggested the business has been undervalued.Thorium, led...
Yates family puts MBO in doubt
21-Jul-2004
Members of the Yates family have thrown the planned management buy-out of Yates Group into disarray, saying they believe it undervalues the...
Luminar supports price curbs as sales slip
06-Jul-2004
Late night operator Luminar has backed calls for compulsory minimum pricing after seeing a sales fall across the past month. Luminar chief executive...
Laurel is second bidder stalking Yates
24-Jun-2004
The sale of Yates may turn into an auction after the managed pub group revealed that a second potential bidder, now known to be the Laurel Pub...
Yates directors approve share plan to go private
11-Jun-2004
Independent directors at Yates Group have given the green light for a management buyout of the business, backed by a Californian private equity...
Yates in talks on management buy-out
03-Jun-2004
Pub operator Yates is in talks with a private bidder backing a possible management buy-out of the business.Chief executive Mark Jones is leading the...
Women sweep the board at ALMR awards
25-Mar-2004
In a double scoop for girl power, women claimed both prizes at the coveted Operations Managers Awards, run by the Association of Licensed Multiple...
Animal liberationists target pubcos
04-Mar-2004
Staff and licensees of two pub companies have been targeted by animal liberationists for allowing people from a breeding farm to drink in their...
Luminar sells Camden Palace
01-Mar-2004
Late night operator Luminar has sold London landmark the Camden Palace for just over £40m.Luminar, operator of brands such as Chicago Rock Café and...
McMullen is latest to turn to tenancies
26-Feb-2004
McMullen, the Hertford-based brewer, is to switch 18 pubs from managed to tenancy. It is the latest in a long line of pub players to reduce the...
Prices set to rise says McMullen's
29-Jan-2004
by Claire Hu The boss of McMullen's, the Hertford brewer and pub company, has warned of big rises in retail prices on the back of a vast array of...
Living Ventures eyes stock market debut
19-Jan-2004
Living Ventures, the bar group headed by Tim Bacon, plans to float on the stock market within the next 18 months.Mr Bacon (pictured), chief...
As Wadworth runs a 6X campaign based on visual puns,its head
08-Jan-2004
Two very serious German people are talking. One says to the other: "My dog has no nose." The other replies "How does it smell?" "It cannot smell. It...
Win JW Lees barmaid calendar
17-Dec-2003
In the year of their 175th anniversary, JW Lees has decided to have some fun and produce a glossy calendar that stars real barmaids who were chosen...
McMullen's plans £40m loan for share buy-back
20-Nov-2003
by The PMA Team Hertford brewer McMullen's has negotiated a new £40m loan that will enable it to pay off family members looking to sell their shares...
Luminar diversifies to grow midweek trade
17-Nov-2003
Luminar is banking on everything from boxing bouts to company bashes to drive trade through the week at its town centre bars.Slamming operators who...
Official: Scottish & Newcastle Retail is no more
30-Oct-2003
It's official: Scottish & Newcastle Retail (S&NR) no longer exists.Spirit Group's deal to buy the 1,450 managed pubs was rubber-stamped by...
Raising a glass to Camerons
16-Oct-2003
Camerons brewery in Hartle-pool has had more owners than Tiger Woods has golf clubs, but it has survived and now has to carve out a future in modern...
Low prices here to stay, says Yates
10-Oct-2003
It's official: price discounting on drinks is now normal practice at town centre pubs, according to Yates Group. Putting out a trading update, chief...
Luminar denies targeting rivals
09-Oct-2003
Luminar Leisure has denied accusations that it wants to wipe out late-night pub competition.The High Court this week backed the nightclub operator's...
Yates soars on buy-out gossip
16-Jul-2003
Yates Group has poured cold water on suggestions that it is in talks over a venture capital (VC) funded management buy-out, after City rumours pushed...
McMullen's Brewery saved by restructure
05-Jun-2003
by Tony Halstead Beer production at independent brewer McMullen's of Hertford has been saved, following a boardroom deal which has healed a family...
McMullen's to join microbrewers
05-Jun-2003
Hertford brewer McMullen's is considering joining the ranks of the microbrewers to gain the benefits of progressive beer duty (PBD).The company has...
Living Ventures to debut Prohibition in Leeds
16-May-2003
The founders of the Living Room concept that has proved popular with footballers and soap stars are set to unveil a sister bar brand.Tim Bacon and...
Luminar slammed over free drink offer
08-May-2003
Luminar Leisure, the bar and nightclub operator, has been accused of encouraging speed drinking through some of its recent drinks promotions.The...
Noble House weighs up Beefeater bid
17-Mar-2003
Noble House Pub Company is weighing up a bid for the 45 Beefeater sites put up for sale by Whitbread.A glut of operators are interested in parts of...