Companies

Alcohol Concern praises pubs

06-Sep-2011 By Michelle Perrett

The chief executive of Alcohol Concern Don Shenker has praised pubs for improving community life.

Greene King: managed pub sales continue growth

06-Sep-2011 By Ewan Turney

Greene King has announced a like-for-like uplift in sales of 2.6% for the 18 weeks to 4 September on last year in its managed house division driven by a strong performance over the last 10 weeks.

Greene King to delist Capital from AIM

05-Sep-2011 By Ewan Turney

Greene King has announced it has received acceptances to buy 94.7% of Capital Pub Company shares and will now compulsory purchase the remaining shares.

Geronimo’s new flagship site

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

Geronimo Inns, the pub operator acquired by Young’s late last year, is to open a new flagship site called the Oyster Shed on the ground floor of the headquarters of Japanese bank Nomura, in the City of London.

Licensee fights to keep patio secure

05-Sep-2011 By Adam Pescod

A licensee in Brighton has described a proposal by local residents to restore her beer garden to a public right of way between 11.30pm and 9am as “crazy”.

Still time to apply for Pub Mentors

02-Sep-2011 By Michelle Perrett

There is still time to apply for a groundbreaking scheme — Pub Mentors — which has been launched by the Publican’s Morning Advertiser (PMA) and Coca-Cola Enterprise’s Open More Business to help four pubs build their businesses.

Fresh news from the real world of rents

02-Sep-2011 By The PMA Team

Some things have changed for the better in tenanted pubs, some haven’t. At some of the bigger companies, rent-setting mechanisms have taken a step backwards in recent years.

Imbiba eyes capital deals

02-Sep-2011

Investment company Imbiba Partnership has made an approach for the seven-strong Black & Blue business.

Enterprise defends tenants’ treatment

02-Sep-2011

Enterprise Inns has defended its treatment of tenants after new figures show 17 of the 30 “serious” licensee complaints against pubcos to a group of MPs were from Enterprise tenants.

Punch Taverns: trading in line

01-Sep-2011 By The PMA Team

Leased and tenanted pub company Punch Taverns has reported fourth quarter trading is in line with expectations, allowing for the impact of the World Cup last year.

Spirit like-for-likes up 3.8%

01-Sep-2011 By Michelle Perrett

Managed pub company Spirit has reported like-for-like sales in its managed division grew by 3.8% for the 12 weeks to 20 August — driven by strong food sales.

Geronimo transformation for Half Moon

01-Sep-2011 By Gurjit Degun

Young’s music pub the Half Moon in Putney, London, is set to be transformed into a Geronimo Inns site.

100-plus Punch pubs sign up to SIBA

31-Aug-2011 By Michelle Perrett

More than 100 Punch Taverns pubs are stocking locally sourced beers just six weeks after the roll out to their estate of the SIBA Direct Delivery Scheme.

BBPA defends pubcos after new study

31-Aug-2011

The British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA) has defended pubcos treatment of tenants after they were slammed in a report from the Institute of Public Policy Research (IPPR).

Northern Irish pubs face tough choices

31-Aug-2011 By Ewan Turney

Pubs in Northern Ireland face some tough choices over the coming year as a new survey revealed two-thirds had seen a drop in trade over the past year.

Father’s Study pub concept

30-Aug-2011 By MA Reporter

Bloomsbury Leisure Group, the company led by Jonathan Dalton, is to launch a new pub concept called Father’s Study, later this year in London, which it hopes eventually to expand up to eight sites.

Jägermeister acts on 'passing off' at bars

30-Aug-2011 By John Harrington

The maker of Jägermeister, the herbal liqueur brand, has warned five bars to stop passing off other products as Jägermeister or face legal action.

Host slams Punch internet charge

30-Aug-2011 By Michelle Perrett

A licensee has hit out at Punch Taverns for charging £25 for every internet money transfer she makes to pay her rent and other fees.

Licensees forced to lower flag

25-Aug-2011 By Gurjit Degun

Two licensees have been forced to take down a Hungarian flag outside their pub after suffering repeated threats of violence. Carl Durose and Eniko...

Banks grant Luminar further extension

25-Aug-2011 By Mark Wingett, M&C Report

The banking group behind Luminar has agreed to a three-month extension to the covenant waiver it arranged with the nightclub operator in May.

Major firms back latest riot help fund

25-Aug-2011 By John Harrington, M&C Report

Major UK businesses and London mayor Boris Johnson have pledged fresh funding for "emergency financial assistance" aimed at small companies hit by...

Gov't creates new enterprise zones

25-Aug-2011 By Gurjit Degun

New pubs and bars in parts of Leicestershire, Oxfordshire, Essex and Kent are set to have lower business rates and fewer restrictions on planning...

Taking a responsible stand

23-Aug-2011 By Stefan Orlowski

Stakeholders must work together to help reduce alcohol misuse, argues the boss of Heineken UK.

Barracuda unveils Smith & Jones rebrand

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

Managed pub operator Barracuda is to rebrand all its 161 Smith & Jones outlets in a bid to make the brand as well recognised as any others.

Pub chef up for Young National Chef of the Year

23-Aug-2011 By Lesley Foottit

An Essex pub is among the final eight battling it out for the title of Young National Chef of the Year 2011. Garret Keown of the Bell Inn,...

Three Tuns aims for five

19-Aug-2011 By John Harrington

Fast-growing Shropshire brewery the Three Tuns has revealed plans to operate an estate of five pubs after opening its first outlet. The company...

Whitbread to sell Premier Inn sites

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

Whitbread is to sell seven Premier Inn sites to real-estate investment firm LaSalle Investment Management for £53.8m in a sale and leaseback deal.

Hosts hail freehold deals

19-Aug-2011 By PMA Reporters

Licensees who bought their freeholds from Punch Taverns two years ago say the move has paid off with bigger profits being achieved, allowing greater...

Milk vending machine a great hit at pub

19-Aug-2011 By Adam Pescod

A licensee in Staffordshire has installed a vending machine outside his pub after the local council refused him permission to open a shop on the...

Licensee to pay £14,509 electricity bill

19-Aug-2011 By Adam Pescod

A licensee in Cornwall has reached an out-of-court settlement with energy company Opus to pay electricity bills worth over £14,000. Gary...

Charles Wells vows to boost support

18-Aug-2011 By John Harrington, M&C Report

Charles Wells Pub Company has promised to improve its support network for licensees, including increasing the ratio of RDMs.

Host gets apology from British Gas

18-Aug-2011 By Gurjit Degun

British Gas has apologised for charging a licensee £20,000 after telling him that his pub "looked like it used a lot of electricity".

Pub sales suffer in wake of riots

18-Aug-2011 By The PMA Team

The rioting that took place across the UK last week led to an unwelcome dent in trade for pubs in affected areas, with some sites reporting sales falls of up to 40%. That's according to the Publican's Morning Advertiser survey of pubco bosses.

Correction: there's been a few mistakes

18-Aug-2011 By The PMA Team

It is almost exactly a decade since the publication of the finest novel, for my money, of the past 25 years — Jonathan Franzen's The Corrections....

Non-execs unveiled by Redcomb

18-Aug-2011 By The PMA Team

Redcomb Pubs, the company founded by former M&B marketing executive Dan Shotton, has appointed two senior non-executive directors.

Fresh help for riot-hit London firms

18-Aug-2011 By John Harrington, M&C Report

Riot-hit pubs in Croydon and Tottenham could be entitled to extra business rates relief under the new £20m London Enterprise Fund.

Riot hit pubs: get your rates appeal in now

17-Aug-2011 By Gurjit Degun

Pubs that have been affected during the riots are being urged to lodge appeals with their local Valuation Office for a reduction in business rates.

BII pub apprenticeship call

17-Aug-2011 By Adam Pescod

A new government-funded apprenticeship scheme launched by BII and People 1st yesterday has been lauded as "the answer" to establishing the pub industry as a viable career path for young people.

Livebookings takes on Groupon

17-Aug-2011 By Ewan Turney

Online table reservation company Livebookings has launched a new daily deals website in a bid to take on Groupon in the restaurant and pub sector....

SBPA hits out at Dundee bottle scheme

16-Aug-2011 By Michelle Perrett

The SBPA has called for the City of Dundee Licensing Board not to proceed a bottle marking scheme for licensed premises.

Jim Walsh passes away

16-Aug-2011 By Ewan Turney

Renowned and highly respected pub operator and industry figure Jim Walsh has passed away following a long illness. Walsh founded the Commer Group in...

Pub sales: the right to restrict

15-Aug-2011 By Peter Coulson

It is no surprise to me that certain breweries and other owners are continuing to reserve their right to impose a restrictive covenant when pubs are sold, writes Peter Coulson.

Liverpool licensee's 'lucky escape' during riots

15-Aug-2011 By Adam Pescod

A licensee in Liverpool admitted she had an "incredibly lucky escape" after a Tesco store 50 metres from her pub was set alight by rioters.

Managed houses fit for future success

12-Aug-2011 By Dave Daly

It seems that a lot of managed houses are running a lot stronger than they were 10 to 15 years ago, including a few wet-led town centre pubs, writes Dave Daly.

BII to undergo radical shakeup

11-Aug-2011 By Ewan Turney

The BII (British Institute of Innkeeping) is to carry out a radical restructuring to create a more transparent, democratic organisation.

5,000 freeholds for sale as pubcos shrink

11-Aug-2011 By The PMA Team

The formal demerger of Punch Taverns into managed and leased companies at the start of this month was a symbolic moment, writes The PMA Team.

Tuppen in plea to pubcos

11-Aug-2011 By John Harrington and Michelle Perrett

Enterprise chief Ted Tuppen has promised to "push even harder" to encourage other pubcos to insist that anyone signing a lease or tenancy has taken...