Get ready for a good time
26-Sep-2003
The following article is brought to you by McCain.Fun, value, excitement, novelty - customers can't get enough of a good deal. Promotions and events...
Value and visibility
26-Sep-2003
The following article is brought to you by Walkers Snack Foods.Promotions are a good way of increasing sales of crisps and snacks in pubs, but before...
ScotCo HQ moves
25-Sep-2003
Scottish Courage, the UK brewing arm of Scottish & Newcastle, is moving out of its Fountain House headquarters near Fountainbridge, Edinburgh....
Minimum wage rise is latest burden for hosts
25-Sep-2003
by Tony Halstead Pubs face a big increase in employment costs from 1 October when the national minimum wage goes up by 30p an hour. The increase to...
Disillusioned' boss to sell Carnegies' clubs
25-Sep-2003
by Tom Stainer One of Scotland's best-known independent nightclub operators is to exit the business after becoming "disillusioned" by high-profile...
Kylie stays in our heads
25-Sep-2003
If you've got a jukebox in your pub and are disappointed with the takings, then it is probably because you haven't included Kylie Minogue. According...
New blow hits Eldridge Pope as chairman steps down
24-Sep-2003
Eldridge Pope has announced that chairman Christopher Pope is stepping down due to ill health. The news comes at the same time as Jersey-based pub...
SFI sell-offs to help recovery programme
22-Sep-2003
SFI Group has agreed a management buyout of its For Your Eyes Only (FYEO) table dancing business.The operator of the Bar Med, Litten Tree and Slug...
What the Sunday papers said
22-Sep-2003
Observer Spirit has offered £2.6 billion for Scottish & Newcastle Retail's 1400-strong pub estate, putting it in a strong position to win the...
Brad Pitt and Bedford
18-Sep-2003
Barberstown Castle in the picturesque Irish county of Kildare is now an impressive restaurant run with some skill by proprietor Ken Healy. It has had...
Thieving host went on run
18-Sep-2003
A former Shropshire landlord, hooked on fruit machine gambling, has been jailed for 15 months for stealing £12,000 from his pub. Darren Dougherty,...
It's a kind of magic
18-Sep-2003
Wizard Inns has a pretty tough selection process in its quest to find the best staff, as Max Gosney discovers Everyone knows that being a pub manager...
Theakston's must cut S&N link
18-Sep-2003
My first visit to Theakston's Brewery in Yorkshire was in the late 1970s. I arrived in the remote Dales town of Masham to be greeted by Michael...
BII calls on trade to back ID cards
17-Sep-2003
The British Institute of Innkeeping (BII) is calling on the trade to show support for the national ID card scheme, despite reports that the Cabinet...
What the Sunday papers said
15-Sep-2003
The Sunday Times Whitbread has held secret talks with all three bidders in the Scottish & Newcastle pub auction to buy the Premier Lodge budget...
Naked truth boosts Jennings
11-Sep-2003
Lakeland brewer Jennings is set to cash in on the movie Calendar Girls. The film, which stars Helen Mirren and Julie Walters, goes on national...
The Inn, Lancashire
11-Sep-2003
The Bowman family have run the Inn at Whitewell, Lancashire, for the past 30 years and pride themselves on giving customers the personal touch. "We...
The Fox, Gloucestershire
11-Sep-2003
Ring the Fox at Lower Oddington in Gloucestershire and the phone is likely to be answered by the pub's enthusiastic French manager Thomas Chiche....
Waste not, want not
11-Sep-2003
Getting the most out of every cask is all about squeezing out the last drop of profit. Attention to detail when it comes to handling the casks, staff...
Doorman stabbed
11-Sep-2003
A doorman was stabbed outside a Derbyshire pub after he refused entry to four men in the early hours of Sunday. A fight broke out at around 12.40am...
Blight of faceless profiteers
11-Sep-2003
This is about pubs in St Albans in Hertfordshire. Don't turn the page, because it's probably happening to the pubs where you live. When Whitbread...
A free-for-all for Scotland?
11-Sep-2003
Adam Withrington examines the proposals of the Nicholson Committee for licensing reform.Last week Kirsty Scott, a Scottish columnist for the...
The Griffin Inn, East Sussex
11-Sep-2003
The 16th century Griffin Inn at Fletching, East Sussex, is a pub which prides itself on giving customers a friendly, personalised service. The Pullan...
A note of caution
10-Sep-2003
JD Wetherspoon's results reveal the pub company's growth has slowed, leaving the target of 1,500 pubs still a long way off. By Mark Stretton.It's...
Licensees still confused over Licensing Act
10-Sep-2003
More than 40 per cent of licensees are confused about what they should be doing for the new Licensing Act.In a poll on thePublican.com almost a...
EC dismisses alcohol advertising ban
08-Sep-2003
Plans for a proposed European-wide ban on alcohol advertising have been shelved, much to the relief of the UK drinks industry.European Commission...
Celtic Inns in talks to buy Porter Black pubs
08-Sep-2003
The senior directors of Welsh pub operator Celtic Inns are negotiating to buy 11 pubs from the receivers of Porter Black Holdings.Celtic managing...
What the Sunday papers said
08-Sep-2003
The Sunday TimesPunch Taverns is raising £300m to fund a new acquisition spree. Its chief executive is understood to have made a tentative merger...
In the spotlight
05-Sep-2003
Mark Stretton meets Eldridge Pope's chief executive Susan Barratt who has been pushed on to centre stage by a series of takeover threats since taking...
Ever So Sensible puts faith in Dogma venues
04-Sep-2003
by Tony Halstead Midlands-based Ever So Sensible Bars is to open two more of its innovative Dogma venues over the next 12 months. It follows the...
Look out Mr Martin, here comes Toby, 15
04-Sep-2003
Toby Kheng has become one of the youngest "landlords" in the country even though he won't be able to take up his post behind the bar for another...
CAMRA's girl power
04-Sep-2003
The Campaign for Real Ale is modernising, starting with the appointment of its first female chairman. Michelle Perrett speaks to Paula Waters.Beards,...
Licensees warned over rising 'compenstion culture'.
04-Sep-2003 By Tony Halstead
Insurance companies are warning licensees to expect sharp rises in public liability premiums as the growing litigation culture prompts customers to...
Wizard continues £3m quest to fill pubs void
04-Sep-2003
by MA Reporter Wizard Inns has continued its policy of opening outlets in under-pubbed towns with a new site Cromwells Bar Café in thecentre...
Stars in your bars
04-Sep-2003
Have you ever thought how a film or pop star could boost wine sales? Short of having their company for a fleeting visit, the next best idea would be...
Maiden bowls 'em
04-Sep-2003
over again in Herts Multi-award winning McMullen's pub the Maiden's Head has struck gold again, after being named Hertfordshire Pub of the Year by...
City pubs reap benefits of workers drink culture
03-Sep-2003
Bars in the City of London are reaping the benefits of a new working week drinking culture.A poll of professions including those in banking, law,...
Licensees not responsible for drinking habits of drivers, says poll
03-Sep-2003
Just under 90 per cent of licensees say they should not be responsible for the drinking habits of drivers, according to a poll on...
Regent finds third brand in Stone House
03-Sep-2003
Regent Inns is to press ahead with the roll-out of a third brand called Stone House.It will open four sites this year and run the brand alongside...
SABMiller volumes expected to fall in the US
03-Sep-2003
The City is expecting a fall in brewer's SABMiller's American volumes later this month when it reveals poor trading in its key US market.SABMiller,...
Landlord targeted by anti-hunt campaigners
03-Sep-2003
A landlord has blasted anti-hunt campaigners for trying to warn customers away from his pub.The Greyhound pub in Charcott, near Tonbridge in Kent,...
State of the Union
02-Sep-2003
Union Pub Company's lease deal aims to bring more flexibility to licensees.Union Pub Company (UPC), the tenanted arm of Wolverhampton & Dudley...
Southampton licensee faces criticism from civil liberties groups
02-Sep-2003
A Southampton licensee is facing criticism from civil rights groups after banning transvestites from his pub.Simon Dawson, who took over the tenancy...
What the Sunday papers said
01-Sep-2003
The Mail on SundayCI Traders, the Channel-Island based retail group is poised to launch a hostile bid for pub group Eldridge Pope. Click here to read...
Pub entrepreneur Michael Cannon bid scuppered
29-Aug-2003
Pub entrepreneur Michael Cannon has fallen short of his target of acquiring 29.9 per cent of Dorset pubco Eldridge Pope (EP).Mr Cannon's takeover...
Byers eyes Breezers'
28-Aug-2003
It's not every day that a drink becomes a byword for a whole new voting generation. But Bacardi Breezer drinkers could be the latest target of...
Grogan's run
28-Aug-2003
John Grogan gives Adam Withrington his views on smoking, Sky and a whole lot more.MP for Selby John Grogan is the current chairman of the All-party...
Pubs blamed in drink-drive row
28-Aug-2003
Eighty per cent of motorists are unaware of the legal drink-driving limit and once again blame has been laid at the feet of the pub trade.Research by...
Bish hits out over ASH's criticisms
28-Aug-2003
The chairman of the Charter Group Nick Bish has hit back at claims by Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) that the Smoking Charter has been an...
Pope rejects CI Traders' bid
28-Aug-2003
West Country pub operator Eldridge Pope has rejected a takeover proposal from Channel Islands-based CI Traders. The Eldridge Pope directors rebuffed...
