Hugh Osmond buys stake in Belgo
31-Oct-2001
Hugh Osmond, founder of Punch Taverns, has bought up a two per cent stake in Belgo, the beer and chips chain run by Luke Johnson.Matthew Allen, a...
Murphy's law - the man behind new pubco Balaclava
30-Oct-2001
Mark Stretton meets Leo Murphy, the man behind new pub company Balaclava.The trade has been swamped by various catastrophes including foot-and-mouth...
Carling buyers set for auction
30-Oct-2001
Financial details of business sent to potential biddersThe first round of bidding for Carling draws ever closer. Interbrew, the Belgian brewer that...
Licensee awarded for services to disabled
29-Oct-2001
A Shropshire licensee has beaten two major pub chains to take a top award for services to disabled customers.Norman Pearce, licensee of the Sun Inn...
Blow for London pubs as tourists shun city in favour of regions
29-Oct-2001
American tourists are shunning London in favour of the regions, according to new figures for September - bringing bad news for the capital's pubs and...
What the Sunday papers said - 28 October
29-Oct-2001
The Sunday TimesWhitbread is expected to shelve £70m of new ventures to offset losses caused by the downturn that followed the September 11...
Pub cannabis use to be discussed
26-Oct-2001
Trade leaders have demanded a meeting with the Home Office and the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) to discuss cannabis use in pubs.They...
SFI: To buy or not to buy?
25-Oct-2001
The name on everyone's lips at the moment is SFI Group, the pubs and bars group that owns the Slug and Lettuce and Bar Med brands. The stock has been...
Greene King spends £200,000 on meeting
25-Oct-2001
Greene King has spent £200,000 on a conference to introduce former Old English Inns (OEI) managers to their new bosses.The all-day event in...
Barstaff in nail bomb terror
25-Oct-2001
Customers and staff feared for their lives when an explosion ripped through the Lady Margaret pub in Southall last week.The explosion, which happened...
Magistrates in New Year fury
25-Oct-2001
Associations advise justices to look 'favourably' at hours extensionsMagistrates are said to be so angry at the Government's handling of New Year...
Seagram sale blocked in the US
24-Oct-2001
US regulators have moved to block the proposed £5.7bn sale of Seagram's wine and spirits business to Diageo and Pernod Ricard.The Federal Trade...
Noble House to buy Whitbread pubs
24-Oct-2001
Noble House Leisure, the private pub group run by Robert Breare (pictured), has confirmed it will buy 44 pub-restaurants from Whitbread. The deal,...
Ultimate Leisure goes from strength to strength
23-Oct-2001
Ultimate Leisure has grown into one of the industry success stories of recent years.When Bob Senior (pictured) quit his job of 20 years to run a...
A welcome at the bar
23-Oct-2001
Induction programmes can have a positive impact on the problem of high staff turnover. Phil Mellows looks at the findings of a new reportHowever...
Not to be sniffed at
23-Oct-2001
With the popularity of New World wines increasing publicans should cash inResearch shows that people are more likely to drink wine at home than in...
What the Sunday papers said - 21 October
22-Oct-2001
The Sunday TimesGiles Thorley was lured away from Unique by the prospect of making £10m through a big share-incentive package. He was recently...
Whyte & Mackay sold to management for £208m
18-Oct-2001
Fortune Brands, maker of Jim Beam bourbon and Titleist golf balls, has sold its scotch whisky business to the management for £208m. The sale...
W&DB confident in sale of Pitcher & Piano
18-Oct-2001
The sale of the Pitcher & Piano bar chain is not in jeopardy according to parent company Wolverhampton & Dudley Breweries...
Laurel to address £1.3bn debt
18-Oct-2001
The Laurel Pub Company will re-finance its existing £1.3bn debt next year. It is to approach advisors in the new year to handle a £1bn-plus...
Laurel Pub Company banks on success
17-Oct-2001
Laurel Pub Partnerships has discovered a new freedom now the company is owned by a bank. Phil Mellows meets the managing director, Robbie Halkett.Pub...
Bar spangled manners
17-Oct-2001
UK pubs could benefit from an American-style attitude to service, says Caroline NodderLove them or hate them, you can't fault the Yanks on customer...
Is Johnson the mystery Belgo investor?
17-Oct-2001
The mystery investor stalking the Belgo restaurant group may in fact be backed by founder and stakeholder Luke Johnson (pictured), it was rumoured...
Murder licensee cleared
17-Oct-2001
A licensee has been cleared of both the murder and manslaughter of a drunken customer he allegedly hurled from his pub "like a bag of rubbish"....
Applying the finishing touches
17-Oct-2001
Ever wondered what a million litres of whisky looks like? Take the road past Dufftown on Speyside down to the Glenfiddich distillery, escape from the...
Stirling-based Castle Leisure Group is growing
17-Oct-2001
Stirling-based Castle Leisure Group has embarked on a £14m expansion that will see it open a chain of leisure venues across Scotland.The new...
Brew pub runs like Clockwork
17-Oct-2001
Deliberate marketing strategy allows a diverse choice of drinksIt would be a churlish customer who complained about the lack of choice at the...
Licensees win latest fight in battle over late licensing
17-Oct-2001
Licensees in the North East have won the latest round in their long-running battle with residents over late licensing.Controversial plans for later...
Geronimo lives on
15-Oct-2001
Jumping headlong into the risky business of running a pub was exactly the style of Jo and Rupert Clevely, founders of Geronimo Inns.Taking the name...
What the Sunday papers say - 14 October
15-Oct-2001
The Sunday TelegraphAllied Domecq, the spirits business behind Tia Maria and Beefeater gin, has appointed headhunters to find a new chairman to...
Big Beat buyer signs on the dotted line
11-Oct-2001
The Mean Fiddler music group has signed the deal to buy Big Beat's 21 pubs, clubs and restaurants despite rumours the deal had collapsed.Big Beat...
Sky TV debate slams CAMRA
11-Oct-2001
The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) has come under fire for losing touch with the industry.During a debate on the organisation's future on Sky's Pub...
U-turn declares pubs are homes
11-Oct-2001
Home Office confirms pubs should be classed as domestic premisesA decision by magistrates to class pubs as commercial premises and not homes could...
Just for the record
11-Oct-2001
The Data Protection Act 1998 regulates the use and management of "personal data". The deadline for compliance with provisions under the Act requiring...
A time for rejoicing
11-Oct-2001
With industry headlines dominated by the drop in trade after the events of September 11, pubs are in desperate need of some good news.If the...
Brewers and pubcos fear Afghanistan action will hit trade
09-Oct-2001
Many of Britain's brewers and pub retailers fear the escalating military action in Afghanistan could have a profound effect on the entire trade.The...
Mystery investor 'Kintoro' stalks Belgo
08-Oct-2001
Belgo, the restaurant group, has confirmed a mystery investor has bought up a 14 per cent stake in the company, raising speculation of a bid.A...
Another setback for extended New Year opening
08-Oct-2001
DCMS admits deregulation may not be passed in timeThe Government has come under heavy fire for failing yet again to guarantee 36-hour opening in pubs...
What the Sunday papers say - 07 October
08-Oct-2001
The Sunday TelegraphPunch Pub Company is poised to appoint Phil Cox, the former finance director of Asda and chairman of Virgin Rail, as a...
BBPA to advise on best practice for drinks promotions
05-Oct-2001
The British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) is due to release a best practice guide covering drinks promotions.The guide will include recommendations...
Copyright
04-Oct-2001
Many licensees get away with breaching a creator's copyright without even realising they are doing it - but there are some areas where this could end...
Shepherd Neame profits up in difficult trading conditions
04-Oct-2001
Shepherd Neame has announced that pre-tax profits are up nearly 10 per cent on last year to £8.2m, despite difficult trading conditions.The Kent...
Making it personal - New Century Inns
03-Oct-2001
Two years after launching New Century Inns, Alistair Arkley (pictured) is convinced there is a place in the market for the smaller pubco. Phil...
Rise in minimum wage took many pubs by surprise
02-Oct-2001
Many pubs were unaware of the 40p an hour rise in the minimum wage which came into effect this week.Business organisations have criticised the...
Cannabis hopes go to pot
28-Sep-2001
The likelihood of the drug cannabis ever being legally sold in Britain's pubs seemed remote earlier this week following a debate at the Pub & Bar...
Chief executive leaves Mustard
28-Sep-2001
Mustard Entertainment Restaurants has parted company with its chief executive Stephen Evans (pictured) after the failure of the group's Brannigans...
Fullers to sell Broadwalk and late-night bars after disapointing results
27-Sep-2001
London brewer Fullers is to sell off its Broadwalk chain and other late night bars after they failed to perform to expectations.The announcement came...
Greene King takes control of Old English Inns
27-Sep-2001
Greene King took control of the Old English Inns pub estate this week following its purchase earlier in the month.Neil Gillis, managing director of...
Sale of the century?
26-Sep-2001
Interbrew's disposal of Carling Brewers means some of Britain's best selling brands are up for grabs. Kerry Rogan looks at how this will affect the...
North of the border - licensing issues provoking debate in Scotland
26-Sep-2001
by David Clifton of London solicitors Joelson WIlson, part of thePublican.com's legal teamOn the day that the Scottish Parliament voted to ban...
