Companies

Big interview

'False dawn' pub reopenings would be absolutely catastrophic

26-Jan-2021 By Stuart Stone

Like everyone else in the on-trade, Stuart Bateman of Lincolnshire-based Batemans wants to see pubs open ‘as soon as possible’ – however the Salem Bridge brewer isn’t buying into the idea of a Government witch hunt.

Community raises £60k for pub-zoo as owner urges Government 'don't crush' sector

25-Jan-2021 By Emily Hawkins

The owner of a pub which also boasts a zoo on-site has slammed the Government for not doing more to help the sector and said his business “wouldn’t be here” without its regulars.

Pubs provide lockdown meals to those struggling

21-Jan-2021 By Emily Hawkins

Pubs have stepped up to help their communities amid a tough third lockdown in England.

Alex Reilley: ‘The end of the moratoria will leave thousands of businesses horrifically exposed’

21-Jan-2021 By James McAllister, Restaurant

Loungers chairman and co-founder Alex Reilley expects the end of the lease forfeiture and debt enforcement moratoria in March will lead to a 'phenomenal glut' of company voluntary arrangements (CVAs) across hospitality.

Hawthorn calls for ‘clear roadmap’ to reopening following near £10m Q3 pub investment

21-Jan-2021 By Stuart Stone

NewRiver-owned pub company Hawthorn has revealed that it ended 2020 with £250m of available liquidity and having more than doubled its planned Q3 capital expenditure spend.

Former Greene King CEO raises £200m to invest in pub sector

20-Jan-2021 By Stuart Stone

Former Greene King boss Rooney Anand has raised £200m to invest in Britain’s pub sector, according to Sky News.

Pubs need to reopen when shops do, says Admiral Taverns boss

20-Jan-2021 By Emily Hawkins

There is no reason for pubs to remain closed until May, the chief executive of Admiral Taverns has said.

378 roles made redundant at JDW

20-Jan-2021 By Nikkie Thatcher

More than 300 staff have been made redundant across JD Wetherspoon (JDW)’s airport sites and head office, as the operator revealed it expects pubs to remain closed until at least the end of March.

New pubco set to launch by trio of industry veterans

19-Jan-2021 By Ed Bedington

Three top operators are set to re-enter the UK pub market with the launch of the Valiant Pub Company.

£2.7m rent dispute between Wellington and tenants

18-Jan-2021 By Nikkie Thatcher

Millions of pounds of rent owed to billionaire-owned pub group Wellington Pub Company from some of its tenants is currently in dispute, according to a survey.

MA’s review of the week

‘We’re sitting here today with sites that have received zero money’

15-Jan-2021 By Ed Bedington

The Morning Advertiser's Ed Bedington speaks with Yummy Pubs founder Anthony Pender to reflect on the week's biggest headlines.

Whitbread cuts 1,500 jobs

15-Jan-2021 By Nikkie Thatcher

The parent company of Beefeater, Brewers Fayre and Premier Inn confirmed 1,500 job losses in its latest trading update – just over 4% of its 36,000 staff.

Greene King renames pubs with ‘racist connotations’

15-Jan-2021 By Nikkie Thatcher

Pubco and brewer Greene King has announced it plans to relabel a number of pubs in its portfolio due to the existing names having racist connotations.

JDW takes down 'slap in the face' anti-lockdown posters

13-Jan-2021 By Nikkie Thatcher

Pub giant JD Wetherspoon (JDW) has removed posters from some of its pubs' windows following backlash against its 'lockdown-sceptic' comments.

Greene King extends rent concessions for tied tenants

11-Jan-2021 By Nikkie Thatcher

Greene King Pub Partners has extended its 90% rent concessions for tied tenants until the end of the third lockdown, the pubco has announced.

Star continues 90% rent reduction for L&T pubs

08-Jan-2021 By Nikkie Thatcher

Heineken pub arm Star Pubs & Bars has announced it is continuing its 90% rent reduction for lessees and tenants for January.

Marston’s anticipates pubs will be closed until March at the earliest

08-Jan-2021 By Stuart Stone

Marston’s chief executive Ralph Findlay has described an extended business rates holiday and a VAT cut throughout 2021 as a ‘minimum requirement’ after the imposition of England’s third national lockdown.

Oakman offers to swap £250k in grants for making sites vaccine hubs

07-Jan-2021 By Nikkie Thatcher

Oakman Inns has offered to forego £250,000 in grants in exchange for using its sites as vaccination centres.

Mitchells & Butlers considers equity raise to weather third lockdown

07-Jan-2021 By Stuart Stone

Birmingham-based pub operator Mitchells & Butlers (M&B) has revealed that it is considering an equity capital raise in a bid to increase “financial and operational flexibility” during England’s third national lockdown.

Punch reports loss amid enforced pandemic closures

06-Jan-2021 By Stuart Stone

Punch, which operates more than 1,200 pubs, has reported a loss for the year ending 16 August.

How has 2020 changed people and pubs?

‘Everyone knew what they had, they just thought they’d never lose it’

04-Jan-2021 By Martin Barnes, director, Uphouse pubs

Martin Barnes of Cheshire-based operator Uphouse pubs, looks back on a ‘year of rapid change’ for the pub sector amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

How has 2020 changed people and pubs?

‘It’s hard enough for any start-up to gain customers, especially when not trading as intended’

03-Jan-2021 By Mark Bates, the Three Bs Micropub, Bridlington, East Yorkshire

The Three B’s Micropub in Bridlington opened in April to a nationwide lockdown. Here publican Mark Bates looks back on opening a closed pub.

How has 2020 changed people and pubs?

‘Some NHS staff were actually crying with relief that they could get rid of some stress over a drink’

02-Jan-2021 By Peter Collie, the Horseshoe Inn, London

Peter Collie of the Horseshoe Inn, near London Bridge, describes 2020 as a year he will look back upon and say ‘I was there’. Here he reflects on the past 12 months.

How has 2020 changed people and pubs?

‘Our turnover being hit by every new restriction only forced us to be more inventive’

01-Jan-2021 By Peter Connolly, Nortons, Digbeth, Birmingham

Peter Connolly of Nortons live music bar in Digbeth, Birmingham, explains how his venue was forced to dance to the erratic beat of pandemic policy throughout 2020.

How has 2020 changed people and pubs?

‘This certainly wasn’t in the business plan we presented last Christmas’

29-Dec-2020 By Marc Hornby, co-founder, the Virgins & Castle, Kenilworth, Warwickshire

Publicans Jonathan Carter-Morris and Marc Hornby received the keys to their new pub on 9 March – less than a fortnight before the UK’s first national lockdown. Here Marc reflects on taking on a site during a pandemic.

How has 2020 changed people and pubs?

‘I’ve been spending 24 hours a day here not paying myself very much money’

26-Dec-2020 By Jesse Dunford Wood, Parlour, Kensal Green, London

On the eve of his site's eighth anniversary, Jesse Dunford Wood spoke to The Morning Advertiser about the impact of Covid-19 on his west London pub Parlour.

'I'm not sure if politicians understand what burning money looks like'

24-Dec-2020 By Stuart Stone

Despite the company exhibiting symptoms of the Covid-19 crisis such as dented profits and sounding off job loss warnings, Marston’s Ralph Findlay argued the operator exits 2020 in better shape than it entered.

How has 2020 changed people and pubs?

'We've served 450,000 customers since July and are unaware of any Covid cases'

24-Dec-2020 By Patrick Frawley, owner, East London Pub Company

Patrick Frawley, who owns and operates five pubs and bars in central London as well as five restaurants and bars in Ireland via the East London Pub Company, believes hospitality has been 'thrown to the wolves' in 2020.

How has 2020 changed people and pubs?

'Pubs are part of human existence and the Government has now forgotten about us'

24-Dec-2020 By Mark Crane, general manager at Grove Lock, Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire

Mark Crane of Grove Lock in Leighton Buzzard tells us that while 2020 began as a year full of hope and excitement he soon found himself deflated.

Marston’s takes on SA Brain’s 156-strong pub stable

23-Dec-2020 By Stuart Stone

Pub company Marston’s has announced it will operate SA Brain’s portfolio of 156 pubs in Wales on a combination of leased and management contract arrangements, safeguarding 1,300 jobs.

How has 2020 changed people and pubs?

‘We spent more than £100k to trade for 6 hours’

22-Dec-2020 By Chris Tulloch, MD Blind Tiger Inns

In the third instalment of our series looking back on the past 12 months, we hear from Blind Tiger Inns’ Chris Tulloch and his reflections on opening a pub on the day the UK entered its first nationwide lockdown.

Inn Collection Group adds 19th site to round off ‘record’ year

21-Dec-2020 By Stuart Stone

North east-based pub operator, the Inn Collection Group, has made its eighth acquisition of 2020 – a year of record growth despite the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

Deltic bought out of administration by Nordic group Rekom UK

18-Dec-2020 By Nikkie Thatcher

Late-night operator Deltic has been taken over by nightlife group Rekom UK for an undisclosed sum, bringing 42 of the group's 52 bar and club sites out of administration.

Star to appeal £2m PCA fine

17-Dec-2020 By Ed Bedington

Star Pubs & Bars has announced it is to appeal the fine imposed by pubs code adjudicator (PCA) Fiona Dickie for what she described as “seriously and repeatedly” breaching the rules over nearly a three-year period.

Tim Martin: Government ‘often relies on false information rather than truth’

17-Dec-2020 By Nikkie Thatcher

JD Wetherspoon (JDW) boss Tim Martin will accuse the Government of “relying on false information” in its handling the coronavirus pandemic.

Revolution revenue drops by £41.3m – further liquidity secured

17-Dec-2020 By Stuart Stone

The operator of 67 bars under its nationwide Revolution and Revolución de Cuba brands has reported sales significantly down in the first 24 weeks of FY21 as a result of “severe and constantly evolving trading restrictions.”

Pub operator chasing more than £25,000 in outstanding grant payments

17-Dec-2020 By Stuart Stone

A Chester-based multiple operator has told The Morning Advertiser (MA) that he is pursuing a total of £26,335 in Covid grant funding from 15 different local authorities – with one yet to process any payments at all.

New bar group Nightcap to list on AIM after London Cocktail Club acquisition

15-Dec-2020 By Stuart Stone

A new company led by hospitality entrepreneur and ex-Dragon’s Den investor Sarah Willingham, has unveiled plans to float on AIM after agreeing a deal to acquire the London Cocktail Club’s bar portfolio.

SA Brain ‘up for sale’

15-Dec-2020 By Nikkie Thatcher

Welsh brewer and pub group SA Brain is reportedly up for sale, recruiting advisers to “navigate this period of uncertainty”.

Operator launches PubWars concept with free wifi offer

14-Dec-2020 By Ed Bedington

A pub operator is offering fellow operators the chance to engage in PubWars and claim free screens and free wifi for three years.

Sales 'wipe out' for wet-led pubs

11-Dec-2020 By Nicholas Robinson

Wet-led pubs saw sales all but wiped out during November, data from the Coffer Peach Business Tracker shows.

Oakman Group launches £4.5m share issue to bankroll expansion

11-Dec-2020 By Stuart Stone

The independent owner and operator of 27 pubs across southern England and the West Midlands, the Oakman Group, is seeking £4.5m to accelerate plans to double its estate by 2026.

MA's Review of the week

‘People want to support us, but we just can’t operate’

11-Dec-2020 By Ed Bedington

The Morning Advertiser's Ed Bedington speaks with PS the Pub Company’s Carlos Maidana to discuss the big issues from the pub sector this week.

Deltic on the brink of administration

11-Dec-2020 By Stuart Stone

Britain’s largest nightclub operator, the Deltic Group, has filed a notice of intention to appoint administrators.

Marston’s records £397m pre-tax loss

10-Dec-2020 By Stuart Stone

Pub operator Marston’s has revealed that it made a total loss of £397.1m during the year to 3 October 2020 following the closure of its near 1,400 strong pub estate for 15 weeks.