Companies

JDW agrees lamb deal to boost menu transparency

09-Dec-2004

by Max Gosney JD Wetherspoon has boosted its menu transparency after agreeing a deal with producers in the North of England to supply farm-assured...

It's a Field day as life of Brian enters new era

09-Dec-2004

Following his brutal, if not unexpected, departure from Ridley's at the behest of Nicholas Ridley (one wonders who next will be brave and/or foolish...

Hosts to deter drink-drivers

09-Dec-2004

Licensees are doing their bit to stamp out drink-driving this Christmas as part of the Department of Transport's festive campaign. Posters with the...

Host jailed for perversion of justice

09-Dec-2004

The former licensee of a Hull pub who deleted the CCTV footage of an alleged assault outside his venue has been jailed. Sean Walsh, 29, was given a...

Grogan in fresh push for exclusion orders

09-Dec-2004

by John Harrington All Party Parliamentary Beer Group chairman John Grogan has vowed to make "one last bash" in this Parliament to encourage the...

Be on your card

09-Dec-2004

The January deadline for licensees to change their tills to Chip & PIN is looming large over the trade. To guide you through the process,...

Birmingham Broad Street is saturated'

09-Dec-2004

Birmingham has become the latest city to declare a "saturation zone" in a bid to block new pub applications. The city's famous Broad Street, dubbed...

Caddick puts new spin on Springbok

09-Dec-2004

England cricketing ace Andy Caddick is hoping his sporting know-how will prove an asset when the pub he co-owns undergoes a major revamp. Caddick...

Tchenguiz whips Spirit prize from Punch

08-Dec-2004

Robert Tchenguiz has snapped up 364 Spirit pubs for £345m, beating off stiff opposition from pubcos including Punch - widely tipped as frontrunner...

What the Sunday papers said…

06-Dec-2004

Wolverhampton & Dudley is on fine predatory form as its offer for the 460 Burtonwood pubs looks set to push its estate to 2,135. This makes it...

Pubs still not doing enough for disabled, says charity

03-Dec-2004

Pubs and bars are beating other food and drink venues for ensuring ease of use for disabled customers. But disability charity Scope says more than...

Boardrooms benefit from churn

03-Dec-2004

Pubcos are making significant capital out of wannabe licensees who invest their own money in new pub businesses but fail to prosper and soon have to...

Where else for Rotch?

02-Dec-2004

With Robert Tchenguiz tipped to have won the auction for Laurel, analysts are trying to predict what his company's next high street acquisition will...

Rogue financial brokers target licensees

02-Dec-2004

Licensees looking for finance are being warned not to pay money upfront to rogue brokers.The warning follows numerous calls to The Publican by...

Pubs ready for under-age tests

02-Dec-2004

Pubs across the country are preparing for another police blitz this Christmas - but licensees are already proving they work within the law.Birmingham...

M&B warns smoking ban is a threat to health

02-Dec-2004

Mitchells & Butlers has warned that the Government's proposed smoking ban could lead to unhealthy consequences for the nation.The...

From B&Q to major makeover

02-Dec-2004

Former DIY superstore managers Pedro Aparicio and Clare Paul have worked wonders on what was once a rundown village pub destined for closure. Mark...

Guilty pleasures

02-Dec-2004

While the smoking ban may be irksome, says Daily Telegraph pubs writer ADAM EDWARDS, it will only sustain smoking's illicit allure In the flurry of...

JDW's back in hot water over sloppy' Pricewatch

02-Dec-2004

by Ewan Turney JD Wetherspoon has vowed to continue running Pricewatch posters despite clocking up its 21st complaint for the controversial...

Licensees: assess smoking risk

02-Dec-2004

A local council has ordered licensees to carry out passive smoking risk assessments in their pubs and threatened to issue improvement notices if they...

Pub workers sprayed in face by robber

02-Dec-2004

Two pub workers were sprayed in the face with a CS gas-type substance then robbed while they were on their way to deposit the pub's takings at a...

Manager is barred from his pub by GK

02-Dec-2004

A Greene King manager has been barred from his pub despite the fact he lives in a flat upstairs for shutting the venue during a mass brawl...

Opposing council laws on CCTV traps licensee

02-Dec-2004

by John Harrington Planning authorities could force a Suffolk host to take down his CCTV system despite the fact that fitting security cameras is...

Womble to carry Little a long way

02-Dec-2004

Intrepid licensee Tiny Little is set to swap his bar for a boat as he rows across the Atlantic. The host is setting out on 20 January in a 24ft...

Gaining access

01-Dec-2004

The introduction of the doorstaff licence has so far resulted in problems and prosecutions. Tom Sandham probes Andy Drane of the SIA for answers.The...

Looking back

01-Dec-2004

Adam Withrington casts an eye back over the year's biggest brands stories.So how was 2004 for you? Unless your name is Kelly Holmes or you're a Greek...

Trade Talk: Colin Pedrick

01-Dec-2004

Last week The Publican published an investigation into off-trade pricing, which highlighted the amazing discrepancy between on and off-trade pricing...

BFG accepts reduced offer

01-Dec-2004

Big Food Group has accepted a lower revised offer from Icelandic group Bauger.The offer, of 95p a share, came about after a deal was thrashed out...

Government to call time on pubs for pensions

30-Nov-2004

The Government is soon to restrict the amount of money private individuals can raise for commercial investment against their pension stopping a...

Spirit set for floatation in the New Year

30-Nov-2004

It's "business as usual" at Spirit as the company prepares for its forthcoming floatation.Speaking shortly after Spirit Group announced it had...

Belhaven buoyant despite smoking ban

29-Nov-2004

Belhaven, Scotland's largest regional brewer, says the country's 2006 smoking ban will have little effect on its own business but will hit others...

Fuller's takes pride

26-Nov-2004

Sound financial results at Fuller's underpin new pub acquisitions.The Chiswick-based brewer has confirmed the acquisition of a further two pubs...

Finance: Making plans

26-Nov-2004

Planning for your financial future can be worrying, especially amid the current talk of a UK pensions crisis. Phil Mellows gives some advice.The...

Consumer spending slowdown in run-up to Christmas

25-Nov-2004

High street operators could be in for a tough ride this Christmas as a cocktail of gloomy economic factors dampens their spirits.With research among...

'Disappeared' couple speak of pubco disagreement

25-Nov-2004

The former tenants of a famous Kent pub are suing Enterprise Inns for £1m for alleged breach of contract.Adam Conti and his wife Hayley took over...

Drink Talking: Alison Smith

25-Nov-2004

The most important factor in delivering good customer service is the person doing it says Alison Smith of Bar One Nine, Keynsham.I had a sorry...

Finance: Wealth help

25-Nov-2004

Be careful when choosing a financial adviser. They must be able to offer you a truly unbiased solution says Phil Mellows.Getting good independent...

No trouble at t'Mill

25-Nov-2004

Providing high-quality food while retaining a distinctive pub atmosphere has been key to the revival of the Shibden Mill Inn. Tony Halstead reports...

Paper roll scam targets pub tenant

25-Nov-2004

The credit card terminal roll scam has struck the pub trade again, with another host almost being conned out of more than £200. The Red Lion Inn at...

Now you see 'em now you don't

25-Nov-2004

A "disappearing act" by a group of councillors during a licensing hearing at Tamworth in Staffordshire has left solicitors bewildered and a local...

Questions on the White Paper

25-Nov-2004

Frequently asked questions about the smoking ban Just what is "prepared" food? Apparently, this will be up to environmental health officers to...

Licensees who are for and against

25-Nov-2004

Danny Davis The Woodman, Chapmore End, Hertfordshire AGAINST "I am not happy with the ban. A month ago we made one of our two bar areas no smoking...

GI shakes up Yates Group boardroom

25-Nov-2004

Yates Group has made three major appointments as part of a boardroom re-organisation. Colin Rawlinson, who acted as a consultant to GI Partners when...

Good behaviour trial at Trust Inns

25-Nov-2004

by John Harrington Manchester-based Trust Inns, the former Pub Estate Company, is making troublemakers sign contracts promising good behaviour, in a...

Gang jailed for armed raids

25-Nov-2004

An armed gang that used the internet to learn the lay-out of pubs and other businesses, before raiding 30 premises in a nine-month crime spree across...

Bosses air mixed views on proposals

25-Nov-2004

The news of the smoking ban has received a mixed reception from pubco bosses with some generally satisfied, some angry and others simply...

Sorry, another first time buyer!

24-Nov-2004

For quite some time I have been looking at the options available to me to move into the pub business. In order to release the capital necessary I...

How low can they go?

24-Nov-2004

With the off-trade unleashing its crazy Christmas prices, Adam Withrington and Daniel Pearce decided to compare and contrast these with the...

Looking ahead

24-Nov-2004

The Department of Health is working with The Portman Group in a bid to tackle the UK's current binge-drinking issues. Daniel Pearce reports.Licensees...