Companies

Having a wine In the car park...

23-Sep-2011 By Mark Daniels

“Playground Politics: I recognise the tone in my last blog came across differently to the way I had intended it to... and alcohol retailing: is it really responsible to offer free samples of wine in a car park?”

Third site for Cheshire Cat

23-Sep-2011 By John Harrington, M&C Report

Cheshire Cat Pubs & Bars, the pub company headed by trade veterans Tim Bird and Mary McLaughlin, has opened its third site and is eyeing another three.

Club operator slams PPL

23-Sep-2011 By John Harrington, M&C Report

A nightclub operator accused music royalties agency PPL of living in “cloud cuckoo land” with its plans to reform the special featured entertainment (SFE) tariff, saying his bill would increase 1,013% and “wipe me out”.

Pub mentors scheme kicks-off

23-Sep-2011 By Michelle Perrett

The four pubs to be featured in the groundbreaking Pub Mentors scheme launched by the Publican’s Morning Advertiser and Coca-Cola Enterprise’s Open More Business have been unveiled.

M&B ‘may sell off brands to cut debt’

22-Sep-2011 By The PMA Team

Well-placed industry sources suggest that Mitchells & Butlers (M&B) may sell one or two key brands to reduce debt if Piedmont, the Joe Lewis investment vehicle, succeeds in taking the company private.

Lewis’s move on M&B should worry all of us

22-Sep-2011 By The PMA Team

My money is on Mitchells & Butlers (M&B) being taken private some time very soon. Billionaire trader Joe Lewis has been exerting ever greater control on the company for some time.

TLC Inns recruits Enterprise manager

22-Sep-2011 By The PMA Team

TLC Inns, the award-winning multi-site pub company with three Enterprise leases and two freeholds, has recruited a long-serving Enterprise Inns regional manager to become its first operations manager.

BBPA survey shows pub operating costs at 35%

22-Sep-2011 By Ewan Turney

The average cost of running the average tenanted or leased pub stands at almost 35% (34.54%) of turnover, according to a major new survey of 12,000 pubs undertaken by the British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA).

BISC: Enterprise Inns believes code already addresses MPs concerns

22-Sep-2011 By John Harrington, M&C Report

Enterprise Inns says its code of practice covering its relationship with tenants already addresses the concerns of MPs, and has warned that a statutory code would add prove a burden for the industry.

Engineer licensees open new pub

22-Sep-2011 By Adam Pescod

The team behind a popular north London gastropub — the Engineer — will be turning their attention to a new site after their campaign to prevent a takeover by Mitchells & Butlers (M&B) failed.

Enterprise auction sees 12 snapped up

21-Sep-2011 By Gurjit Degun

Enterprise Inns sold 11 freehold pubs before and one after an auction held by Sidney Phillips in Warwick last week, with the guide prices ranging from £130,000 to £400,000.

Bumpy ride for some transfers

20-Sep-2011 By Peter Coulson

You don’t hear much about licence transfers these days. Of course, under the old system we had ‘transfer sessions’ where the new incumbents were paraded in front of the bench and had to answer questions to show their suitability (unless they had already...

Novus appoints Gala Coral founder John Kelly as chairman

20-Sep-2011 By John Harrington, M&C Report

Premium bar operator Novus Leisure has named Gala Coral founder John Kelly as its new non-executive chairman.

New chief executive for the Portman Group

20-Sep-2011 By Michelle Perrett

A new chief executive, Henry Ashworth, has been appointed to The Portman Group.

Dalla-Riva seals pub deal

19-Sep-2011 By Mark Wingett, M&C Report

Chef Marc Dalla-Riva, who formerly worked under Gary Rhodes at Bibendum and Launceston Place, is making a move into the pub trade by taking a lease on a central London pub.

A-B InBev in free-trade axe

19-Sep-2011

Stella Artois and Budweiser brewer A-B InBev UK plans to close its independent free-trade business, with a number of staff facing redundancy.

Pubco pubs closing fastest

16-Sep-2011 By Ewan Turney

Nine tied pubco pubs close every week, compared to five free-of-tie pubs — that’s the bleak picture painted by the Campaign for Real Ale’s Good Beer Guide.

‘Control of costs and margins are key’

16-Sep-2011 By Michelle Perrett

Will Clayton, the entrepreneur behind Gresham Inns and Leicester Square wine bar, the Cork & Bottle, claims that many businesses are spending a disproportionate amount of time looking to increase sales, when they are running a business where costs...

Excellence prevails, in spite of the economy

15-Sep-2011 By The PMA Team

Adversity often brings out the best in people. This has more than been revealed in this year’s Great British Pub Awards (GBPA).

Piedmont may return with increased M&B bid

15-Sep-2011 By Ewan Turney

Bermudan billionaire Joe Lewis’s Piedemont investment vehicle has said it may return with an improved offer for Mitchells & Butlers (M&B).

Managed pub groups up in August despite riots

15-Sep-2011 By Ewan Turney

The top managed pub and restaurant companies saw a collective 0.6% rise in like for-like sales over August on last year — despite the impact of the riots.

Olympics and terrorism to dominate National Pubwatch conference

15-Sep-2011

The challenges of the Olympics and issues surrounding terrorism will be tackled at the National Pubwatch Conference 2012.

Pub prices keep on falling, poll reveals

14-Sep-2011 By Gurjit Degun

Freehold and leasehold pub prices are continuing to fall, according to findings from a poll of members of the Association of Valuers of Licensed Property (AVLP).

Inconsistency in footie cases

13-Sep-2011 By Peter Coulson

It is not surprising that a great deal of publicity is given to licensees who manage to avoid conviction for dishonestly receiving satellite football transmissions through a foreign decoder (“Hosts cleared in satellite footie case”, PMA 1 September 2011)....

Price of pint in Scotland could rise by 50p, warns SBPA

13-Sep-2011 By Adam Pescod

The price of a pint in Scotland could rise by fifty pence if the Scottish government pushes ahead with plans to introduce minimum unit pricing on alcohol, and takes over alcohol excise duties from Westminster.

Lewis tries to buy M&B ‘on the cheap’

13-Sep-2011 By The PMA Team

The Bermudan billionaire Joe Lewis has been accused of trying to buy Mitchells & Butlers on the cheap after indicating that his Piedmont investment vehicle is thinking about tabling a 230p bid for the 77% of the company he does not own.

'Only a matter of time before shop alcohol sales overtake pubs'

13-Sep-2011 By John Harrington, M&C Report

The proportion of beer sales in the on-trade against the off-trade fell last year at the joint fastest rate seen across the past decade, and it’s “only a matter of time” before most sales come from shops.

Spirit appoints new finance director

13-Sep-2011 By Ewan Turney

Managed pub group Spirit has appointed Rank Group director Paddy Gallagher as its new finance director.

Sir Ian McKellen buys historic East London pub

12-Sep-2011 By Adam Pescod

An East London licensee has agreed to sell the leasehold of a 300-year-old pub to her “dear friend” Sir Ian McKellen, the British actor.

Let’s hear it for ‘the whirlwind’

12-Sep-2011 By Roger Protz

Dave Wickett is a whirlwind in a wheelchair. A day in his company leaves you breathless. He runs his business — pubs and breweries — at a pace that would leave younger people drooping with exhaustion.

M&B acquires eight Old Orleans sites from Intertain

12-Sep-2011 By Ewan Turney

Mitchells & Butlers has completed the acquisition of eight Old Orleans sites from Intertain for a price believed to be between £2-3m.

St Austell re-opens Old Market House in Brixham

12-Sep-2011 By Ewan Turney

St Austell has re-opened the Old Market House in the fishing port of Brixham, Devon after a joint £1m investment with property firm Nirvana properties.

Former Limelight club sold for £8.25m

12-Sep-2011

The former Limelight Club on London’s Shaftesbury Avenue has been sold for £8.25m to a private investor.

Cains takes on brewing guru Kerr

12-Sep-2011 By John Harrinton, M&C Report

Cains, the Liverpool brewer, has appointed renowned brewmaster Jim Kerr as its new head brewer.

Licensee warns of upfront utility bills

12-Sep-2011

A licensee has warned new freeholders to register their land registration documents with their utility company or face upfront costs.

Wetherspoon: Sales top £1bn but pre-tax profit slips

09-Sep-2011 By John Harrington, M&C Report

Managed pub operator JD Wetherspoon has reported annual sales above £1bn for the first time, although the company blamed higher interest charges for denting profit before tax and exceptional items by 5.9%.

A little TLC revives the Henny Swan’s fortunes

09-Sep-2011 By Steve Haslam

My 45th birthday was to be a date to remember. A call from a supplier to save his village pub was to lead to my and my wife’s biggest challenge to date.

Young Pub Chef winner takes Best Food Pub at GBPA

09-Sep-2011 By Lesley Foottit

A young talent picked out by the Publican’s Morning Advertiser two years ago has gone on to win Best Food Pub in the Great British Pub Awards 2011.

Northumberland’s Feathers Inn is Great British Pub of the Year

09-Sep-2011 By Jo Bruce

The Feathers Inn, in Hedley-on-the-Hill, Northumberland has been named the Great British Pub of the Year 2011.

Bar Sport concept revived

09-Sep-2011 By John Harrington, M&C Report

Pub entrepreneur Scott Murray has relaunched his Bar Sport concept and unveiled grand plans to open in every UK town and city via franchise agreements.

Luminar moves to boost clubs’ trade

09-Sep-2011 By The PMA Team

Troubled nightclub company Luminar is understood to have placed 15 nightclubs in a stand-alone “entrepreneurial” division headed by Tony Gorbert.

Punch roadshows ready to roll

09-Sep-2011 By Michelle Perrett

Punch Taverns is urging all its licensees to take advantage of its annual series of nation-wide business building roadshows.

An Ever So Sensible opening

08-Sep-2011 By The PMA Team

Managed multiple Ever So Sensible, run by former Mitchells & Butlers executive Chris Bulaitis, pictured, is opening up its second site in Lincoln.

Historic pub open again after refurb

08-Sep-2011 By Gurjit Degun

Greene King has re-opened the historic George Inn in south London after a sympathetic refurbishment.

Major skills gap in pub industry

08-Sep-2011 By Gurjit Degun

Pubs, bars and clubs are finding it harder to recruit managers, chefs and kitchen managers due to a “major skills gap” in the industry.

SBPA backs pubs on Challenge 25

07-Sep-2011 By Michelle Perrett

The Scottish Beer & Pub Association (SBPA) has launched a new Challenge 25 initiative to ensure pubs comply with new proof-of-age regulations, which come into force next month.

October is Proud of Ale month at TCG pubs

07-Sep-2011

Managed pub group TCG is to run a Proud of Our Ale event at 65 of its pubs during the month of October.

ALMR focuses on making most of social media revolution

07-Sep-2011 By Ewan Turney

How can pubs make the most of the social media revolution? That’s the key question to be explored at the Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers Autumn Event.

Punch unveils territory dispense managers

06-Sep-2011 By John Harrington, M&C Report

Punch Taverns, the leased and tenanted pub company, is to appoint eight territory dispense managers (TDM) to monitor compliance with the beer tie and help improve beer quality across the company’s c.5,000-strong estate.

The only constant is change

06-Sep-2011 By Peter Coulson

Some years’ ago, when children’s certificates were first introduced in Scotland, there was much criticism of licensing boards for seeking to impose a range of conditions concerning child welfare and maternal protection — even including strictures on breast...