Coercion in disguise
27-Aug-2009 By Peter Coulson
The idea of "voluntary" agreements has been around for a long time in the licensed trade, and has not improved with age. The latest, in Rotherham,...
27-Aug-2009 By MA Reporter
The online music streaming service Spotify is in talks about the launch of a version for pubs and bars. Under its current licensing deals with...
27-Aug-2009 By John Harrington
One in eight tied pubs are struggling to survive because of the beer prices charged by their pubcos, according to a new Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) survey.
26-Aug-2009 By John Harrington
The new chief executive of the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) has been hailed as "one of the best trade lobbyists of all time".
26-Aug-2009 By The PMA Team
Lloyds Banking Group is likely to swap its debt in Admiral Taverns for equity, according to Companies House documents filed several months late by the tenanted pub company. Admiral has debts of £855m with Lloyds.
Neville Hall: Going the extra mile will win us the battle
26-Aug-2009
The gong was achieved, said the report, as the result of "year after year of hard graft by a small on-trade team which has seen the brand garner some...
Comment: Supplier investment to be applauded
26-Aug-2009
There are some beer brands that are safe bets for licensees, and two of the biggest will be even safer over the next few months. Budweiser and...
Admiral Taverns lender set to write down £500m
26-Aug-2009 By Hamish Champ
Lloyds Bank faces the prospect of writing down hundreds of millions of pounds of its investment in Admiral Taverns. According to accounts filed with...
Machine jackpot boost is a winner for pubs
26-Aug-2009 By Matt Eley Matt
Bigger jackpots on amusement with prizes (AWP) machines are already helping pubs drive trade according to companies and licensees. New legislation...
26-Aug-2009 By Gemma McKenna
The Magistrates' Association has condemned the "growing tendency" to deal with violent attacks in pubs with fixed penalties, saying they should be...
26-Aug-2009 By Ewan Turney
Irish pubs are urging the Government to take action to help the industry after 4,800 jobs were lost in the last 12 months. At a "crisis" meeting...
BBPA appoints Brigid Simmonds as new chief executive
25-Aug-2009 By James Wilmore
The British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA) has appointed Brigid Simmonds OBE to be its new chief executive. She will take up her new role on...
ALMR encourages non-members to attend autumn event
25-Aug-2009 By Matt Eley Matt
Trade group the Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers (ALMR) is urging non-members from the licensed trade to come along to its autumn event at...
25-Aug-2009 By Ewan Turney
Punch Taverns has reduced its net debt by £1bn or 23% since the beginning of the year, chiefly due to raising £400m through pub disposals. The...
UK is 'emerging from recession', according to leading business bodies
24-Aug-2009 By Hamish Champ
The end of the UK's recessionary tunnel could be in sight, according to business experts at the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and...
Pubs cash in on the Ashes
24-Aug-2009 By Matt Eley Matt
Pubs across the country have been basking in the glory - and counting the pounds - following England's dramatic Ashes triumph. As the final wicket...
Industry displays "level of denial" over green issues
24-Aug-2009 By James Wilmore
Recession fears are causing a "level of denial" about green issues in the pub industry, a new report has revealed. The survey of around 7,000 small...
24-Aug-2009 By Ewan Turney
The Carbon Trust has made £100m available in interest free loans to help pubs slash energy costs. The loans are available under the Big Business...
24-Aug-2009 By John Harrington
The average pint at university bars costs £2.19 — 6p more than last year but 34p less than at nearby student-focused pubs. That's according to a...
21-Aug-2009 By Ewan Turney
The GMB union has accused the BII of "washing its hands" of a Peak District tenant's dispute with Punch Taverns. It claims that tenant David...
21-Aug-2009 By John Harrington
Opus Energy has apologised for overcharging a licensee by around £1,300 for one month's worth of electricity. Gareth McDuff — who ran into...
20-Aug-2009 By The PMA Team
Great tenants are the life's blood of the pubcos and tough market conditions mean they can now push hard for terms in their favour, says The PMA Team.
20-Aug-2009 By The PMA Team
Analysts at KBC Peel Hunt report that Punch finance director Phil Dutton has given them a "remarkably sanguine" account of progress against its...
Pete Robinson: "Dis town, is coming like a ghost town, All the pubs have been closed down...
20-Aug-2009
Indeed up until two years ago I could count on one hand the number of pub closures that have occurred within my lifetime in the area that I live. Yet...
Historic pub told to remove blackboards from wall
20-Aug-2009 By James Wilmore
A historic pub is being forced to take down two outdoor wooden menu boards because planning permission has not been granted. Tenants Jude Lever and...
20-Aug-2009 By Roger Protz
The BBC's Panorama programme on Oldham's drinking scene was no better than tabloid television, says Roger Protz.
20-Aug-2009 By Tony Halstead
Former Sam Smith's Brewery pub managers Frank and Pam Marshall have won their claim for unfair dismissal against the company after refusing an...
20-Aug-2009 By John Harrington
The Government has been asked to clarify whether licensees and doorstaff can legally confiscate ID that's used fraudulently to buy alcohol underage....
20-Aug-2009 By Gemma McKenna
The trend for supermarkets snapping up pubs continues as Tesco plans to convert a Bristol venue while Aldi wants to demolish a pub in Cheshire....
20-Aug-2009 By Ewan Turney
With the Ashes series finely poised, the MA caught up with Sky commentator David 'Bumble' Lloyd to discuss pubs.
19-Aug-2009 By The PMA Team
The GMB union has called on the British Institute of Innkeepers to strip Punch Taverns of membership over its treatment of Peak District tenant. It...
Julian Grocock: Sometimes you just have to compromise
19-Aug-2009
I was coming back after the Great British Beer Festival and four nights in a windowless cell at Stelios's Easy Hotel in Earls Court. It was indeed...
'Businesses face deluge of job-hunters'
19-Aug-2009 By James Wilmore
The recession has provided employers with a big opportunity - and a potential dilemma - in the form of burgeoning piles of applications from eager...
19-Aug-2009 By Mark Stretton, M&C Report
Two companies acquired earlier this year by Helena Leisure from 3D Entertainment (3DE) have entered a company voluntary arrangement (CVA).
Award-winning host Anthony Mears buys new pub
19-Aug-2009 By Gemma McKenna
Anthony Mears, award-winning licensee, has bought the freehold of the Beckford Inn in Gloucestershire. Acting on behalf of administrators BDO Stoy...
18-Aug-2009 By Ewan Turney
Council officials from Bury, Burnley, Manchester, Portsmouth and St Helens are all to visit Oldham to hear about the measures they are taking to curb promotions. The news seems to play out the trade's fear that the harsh proposals will spread.
18-Aug-2009 By Ewan Turney
Pubs and restaurants must not ease up on the tight cost controls imposed — even if they see an upturn in the run-up to Christmas.
Marston's is backing National Pub Week
18-Aug-2009 By Matt Eley Matt
Brewer and pub company Marston's is urging its licensees to get involved in the first National Pub Week. The October 31 to November 7 event, which...
18-Aug-2009 By Ewan Turney
Marston's has thrown its full support behind Inez Ward's National Pub Week and will encourage all its tenants and managers to take part. The Week,...
18-Aug-2009 By Ewan Turney
Nightclub operator Luminar Leisure has announced a 95.5% take-up from shareholders on its plan to raise £35.75, through a new share issue. On 31...
17-Aug-2009 By M&C Report
Altium Securities has recommend Punch Taverns as a high-risk investment and said recent disposals had given it a lifeline.
Upcoming conferences
17-Aug-2009 By MA reporter
Upcoming conferences
17-Aug-2009 By The PMA Team
Red Mist Leisure, the Surrey-based group, has bought three pubs it leased from Punch Taverns for an undisclosed sum. Christie + Co's Winchester...
17-Aug-2009 By The PMA Team
JD Wetherspoon is planning to replace key Coors draught products with Carlsberg draught products on 17 September. Industry sources suggest that the...
The Licensees' Choice Awards 2009
17-Aug-2009
Welcome to the very first Licensees' Choice Awards! This new initiative is designed to celebrate the drinks brands in the UK pub market that...
Pub bitch: beaches, maidens and handbags
17-Aug-2009
Morgan's maidens With the weather playing havoc with this year's Ashes Test series, at least Marston's Brewing Company has been on hand to provide...
Pinstripe: Economic green shoots? Or merely a rather unpleasant fungus?
17-Aug-2009
I watched with incredulity last week as ministers of our government effectively leapt for joy at announcements by the French and Germans that their...
Oldham Best Bar None scheme faces funding question mark
17-Aug-2009 By James Wilmore
Plans to introduce a Best Bar None scheme in trouble-hit Oldham are moving ahead, but a question mark hangs over funding for the initiative, a trade...
Pub could be closed after single ID failure
17-Aug-2009 By Matt Eley Matt
A freeholder claims he faces losing his business because he failed to stop just one underage drinker being served. Dean Bull has run the Billy in...
17-Aug-2009 By Ewan Turney
Men Behaving Badly star Neil Morrissey has vowed to pay back £2.5m he owes after his pub and hotel chain collapsed. Morrissey, who is now involved...
