Companies

Orchid Group Rufus Hall

The Big Interview: Rufus Hall, Orchid

By Rob Willock

Orchid boss Rufus Hall is on a charm offensive as he tells Rob Willock the story of the group’s rise and rise from the ashes of a pre-pack to a successful estate of 250 pubs that are positively blooming.

Loungers Alex Reilly

Loungers named operator of the year

By Mark Wingett

Loungers was named operator of the year at the R200 Awards last night at Merchants Tavern in London’s Shoreditch, hosted by the Publican’s Morning Advertiser’s sister title Restaurant magazine.

Punch Taverns fire safety Cheshire

Punch Taverns fined for fire safety failings

By Ellie Bothwell

Punch Taverns and leaseholder Graham Dennett, of the Rams Head Inn in Grappenhall, Cheshire, have been fined for failing to implement adequate fire safety measures.

New Eclectic Lola Lo bar

Eclectic buys Pitcher & Piano Manchester for Lola Lo

By Mark Wingett

Eclectic Clubs & Bars has secured the former Pitcher & Piano site in Manchester’s Deansgate for conversion to an evolved version of its Lola Lo brand that will be the first to serve food.

The Big Interview: Ashley & Kelly McCarthy

The Big Interview: Ashley & Kelly McCarthy

By Ellie Bothwell

Ashley and Kelly McCarthy tell Ellie Bothwell how an early setback in their careers allowed them to focus on building business at Ye Old Sun Inn in Colton, North Yorkshire, where success led them to the star prize of BII Licensees of the Year.

Admiral Taverns social media training

Admiral launches social media course for tenants

By Mark Wingett

Admiral Taverns, the tenanted pub operator, has launched a social media course for its licensees, aimed at helping them engage with customers and driving people into pubs.

Bramwell Pub Company Stonegate

Bramwell faces uncertain future as Stonegate eyes core estate

By Mark Wingett

Bramwell Pub Company, the c180-strong managed operator, is in talks to sell the better performing parts of its estate to rival operator Stonegate Pub Company, a little more than a year after undergoing a financial restructure and appointing a new management...

Acorn Commercial Finance

Pub investor funds up for grabs in East Anglia

By Noli Dinkovski

The finance broker behind a new crowd-funding website has appealed for pubs in East Anglia to get in touch after a local businessman declared he would like to invest in the region.

Liberation Group pubs

Liberation’s new pubs performing well

By John Harrington

The six-strong group of pubs that Liberation Group, the Jersey-based pub and drinks business, acquired back in June are delivering ahead of forecast after a period of bedding in, according to chief executive Mark Crowther.

Eclectic Bars IPO float

Eclectic Bars plans IPO

By Mark Wingett

Eclectic Bars, the Avanti Capital-backed bar and club operator led by Reuben Harley, is preparing a £20m float on the Alternative Investment Market (AIM), which if successful would make it the first pub or bar business to float since Capital Pub Company...

Punch Taverns Steve Dando

Punch Taverns' Dando in line for hefty restructure bonus

By John Harrington

Punch Taverns finance director Steve Dando could receive a one-off payment of up to 100% of his annual salary - £275,000 - on successful completion of the company’s capital restructure project, according to Punch’s Annual Report (PDF).

Town & Country Pub Company administration

Town & Country Pub Company up for sale

By John Harrington

Town & Country Pub Company, the south east-based pub group led by Desmond Jones, has been placed on the market after falling into administration.

Beds & Bars new sites

Beds & Bars lines up target cities

By John Harrington

Beds & Bars’ new managing director Murray Roberts has identified a number of target cities for new openings and said that he expects to expand via joint ventures or franchises.

Willock:

Pubcos must stop this beer-price escalator

By Rob Willock

The tenanted pub companies have been putting their houses in order (literally and figuratively) in recent years. None but the most one-eyed of pubco critics can deny that — though I will doubtless, as ever, receive plenty of abusive trolling on social...

M&B new pubs

M&B spends £13.3m acquiring four pubs

By John Harrington

Mitchells & Butlers (M&B) is to spend more than £13.3m buying four sites from Convivial London Pubs, including the Mitre Hotel in Greenwich, south-east London, which had a guide price of £6m.

Spirit Pub Company results

Spirit reports managed like-for-like sales rise

By John Harrington

Spirit Pub Company has reported a 1.6% rise in like-for-like sales in its managed arm in the 52 weeks to 17 August and says it plans to add sites to its estate in 2013/14.

Freedom brewing

Freedom to up brewing capacity

Freedom Brewery, the Staffordshire brewer, is aiming to increase production capacity up to five-fold by the end of next year in order to supply major pubcos with its craft lagers, managing director Tim Massey has told the Publican's Morning Advertiser...

e-cigarettes

Pub operators urged to keep policies on e-cigarettes under review

By Phil Mellows

Anti-smoking campaigners are urging pub operators to keep their policies on electronic cigarettes under review as controversy grows around the devices – which deliver nicotine without burning tobacco and produce vapour rather than smoke.

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