Companies

Sky Sports wins rights to show Major League Soccer from March

25-Feb-2015 By Ellie Bothwell

Sky Sports has won the rights to show Major League Soccer (MLS) from the US for the first time, in a new four-year deal which begins in March.

Industry figures fear cumulative impact policy plans

25-Feb-2015 By Ellie Bothwell

Crime reduction powers under consideration by local councils that could severely hit pubs have been strongly criticised by trade figures.

Venture pubco takes on first Star site

25-Feb-2015 By James Wallin, M&C Report

Multiple operator, Venture Pub Company has taken on its first pub with Star Pubs & Bars, The Bricklayer’s Arms in Leicester, bringing its estate to a total of 18 sites.

PEOPLE NEWS

Best Bar None appoints new national coordinator

24-Feb-2015 By Ellie Bothwell

Mick McDonnell, chairman of Plymouth’s Best Bar None (BBN), has been appointed national coordinator of the scheme.

Only half of pubs compliant with fire safety regulations

24-Feb-2015 By Ellie Bothwell

Pubs and clubs have been warned that they could be losing money through out-of-date fire assessments, after a Government report outlined that only half of licensed premises are complaint with the Fire Safety Order.

Low Pay Commission recommends 20p national minimum wage increase

24-Feb-2015 By Mark Wingett, M&C Report

The Government has been urged to increase the minimum wage by 3%, as it names and shames hospitality firms that failed to abide by the policy.

GRS would like estate to be 100% free-of-tie

24-Feb-2015 By James Wallin, M&C Report

Ted Kennedy, chief executive of tenanted pub group GRS, has said would like his estate to be 100% free-of-tie and has predicted the whole portfolio will be sold in under two years.

BrewDog food-focussed concept planned for Glasgow

23-Feb-2015 By M&C Report

BrewDog has announced a “more food-focussed” offering for its second site in Glasgow and said it has secured a site for bars in Leicester and Leeds and for its second Bottledog in Edinburgh.

New research shows over 1,000 pubs saved by beer duty cuts

23-Feb-2015 By Ellie Bothwell

The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) has urged the Chancellor to cut beer duty for a historic third time in next month’s Budget.

Provenance Inns launches Yorkshire Steakhouse and Grill

20-Feb-2015 By Daniel Woolfson

Provenance Inns Group has announced the launch of new brand the Yorkshire Steakhouse & Grill.

Geronimo Inns appoints new director of food

20-Feb-2015 By Daniel Woolfson

Geronimo Inns has appointed a new food director.

Punch introduces licensee darts challenge for first time

19-Feb-2015 By Ellie Bothwell

Punch Taverns has launched its annual pub quiz and darts competitions for 2015 – which will for the first time see a head-to-head challenge for licensees.

Q&A

The Sportsman: Stephen Harris talks shop

19-Feb-2015 By Daniel Woolfson

Daniel Woolfson talks to the Budweiser Budvar Top 50 Gastropubs winner

Video: Top 50 Gastropubs 2015

19-Feb-2015 By James Evison

The Budweiser Budvar Top 50 Gastropubs 2015 awards, hosted by Tom Kerridge, took place on Monday 26 January at Anglian Country Inns' site, Hermitage Road Bar & Kitchen in Hitchin, Hertfordshire.

Eating out spend rises as fuel costs drop

19-Feb-2015 By Mike Berry

Spending on eating out has increased as the fall in petrol prices drove consumers to pump an additional £12.81 each into the UK economy last month, as they benefited from an extra £19.81 in their pockets.

Money Makers

The hip in hops: Choosing the right cask ale

19-Feb-2015 By Adrian Tierney-Jones

Cask ale has transcended barriers by becoming popular with people of all ages and of both genders in recent times. Adrian Tierney Jones finds out which types you should sell.

ACPO licensing lead demands compulsory 'alcohol flag' system

19-Feb-2015 By Ellie Bothwell

The UK’s top policeman on alcohol and licensing has called for the introduction of a mandatory ‘alcohol flag’ system across all police forces, meaning officers would be required to highlight all crimes that are alcohol-related.

Inception Group announces ‘spin-off’ of Mr Fogg's

19-Feb-2015 By James, Wallin, M&C Report

Inception Group, the London-based restaurant and bar operator, has secured a site for its second Mr Fogg’s – the first time it has replicated a concept, M&C Report can reveal.

Licensing officer calls for ‘trial and error’ police to have better training

18-Feb-2015 By Ellie Bothwell

A police licensing officer has called for the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) to introduce a national framework for training in licensing, after claiming officers are forced to resolve issues based on “trial and error — and mainly error” due...

Revolution confirms stock market plans

17-Feb-2015 By Mark Wingett, M&C Report

Revolution Bars, the 58-strong group led by Mark McQuater, has confirmed its intention to float.

Enterprise compensates lessee after assignment halted

17-Feb-2015 By Rob Willock

A lessee who had her assignment process scuppered by Enterprise Inns is now running the pub as a managed site for the company until a new general manager can be found.

Awards

Punch awards top performing tenants

17-Feb-2015 By Ellie Bothwell

Andrew Stephens, of the Closed Shop in Walkley, has been named Punch Taverns’ Partner of the Year in the pub company’s annual awards ceremony.

ACV action urged on New River Retail pubs

17-Feb-2015 By Ellie Bothwell

Pub campaigners are urging locals to list the pubs obtained by New River Retail from Marston’s as assets of community value (ACVs), after the property company offered to give money to licensees that agree to co-operate with plans to build convenience...

"Captain killjoy of the fun police" defends use of breathalysers in pubs

17-Feb-2015 By Ellie Bothwell

Pubs in Durham, Birmingham, Devon and London are the latest to use breathalyser kits to veto punters for levels of drunkenness before entry, as pilot schemes are rolled out across the country.

Stonegate pub portfolio sold for £30m

16-Feb-2015 By Mark Wingett, M&C Report

A 23-strong package of pubs let to Stonegate Pub Company has been sold by its private equity backer TDR Capital to real estate investment company Mansford for c£30m.

Charity begins at the pub in battle against prostate cancer

16-Feb-2015 By Mike Berry

Prostate Cancer UK is calling on pubs to get involved with its new Men United campaign, which aims to help beat the disease.

PPL targets pubs and clubs over music copyright breaches

16-Feb-2015 By Mike Berry

Music licensing body PPL took 230 cases to the High Court in 2013-14 as the music industry ramped up efforts to protect its intellectual property rights.

Illegal factory that made 'vodka' using windscreen wash shut down

16-Feb-2015 By Ellie Bothwell

An illegal distillery that made ‘vodka’ using windscreen wash was shut down and nearly 2,500 litres of fake wine and spirits were seized as part of an enforcement campaign against international gangs producing and selling counterfeit food and alcohol,...

CAMRA crowns its Pub of the Year 2015

16-Feb-2015 By Mike Berry

A former City worker who had never pulled a pint before quitting his job and becoming a publican has picked up the Campaign for Real Ale’s (CAMRA) National Pub of the Year Award.

Swansea licensee granted appeal over Premier League copyright case

16-Feb-2015 By Mike Berry

A Swansea pub licensee fined £65,000 for breaching copyright law by showing Premier League football using a foreign satellite card has been given permission to appeal the judgment.

ONS: One in five adults now a teetotaller

16-Feb-2015 By James Wallin, M&C Report

More than one in five adults claims to now be a teetotaller, according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics.

Mini zoo launched in pub garden

13-Feb-2015 By Ellie Bothwell

Talking parrots, a South American racoon and meerkats are among the unusual new additions at the Fenn Bell Inn on the Hoo Peninsula, Kent.

Robinsons launches new subsidised training courses

13-Feb-2015 By Mike Berry

North-west brewer and pub operator Robinsons is launching a series of low-cost training courses for local licensees and people interested in working in the hospitality industry.

SIBA calls for third cut in beer duty

13-Feb-2015 By Ellie Bothwell

A third cut in beer duty would provide a further boost to growth, employment and investment in British brewing, while increasing tax revenue to the Treasury, the Society of Independent Brewers Association (SIBA) has claimed in its Budget submission.

British Larder owners sell acclaimed Suffolk gastropub

13-Feb-2015 By Daniel Woolfson

Ross Pike and Madalene Bonvini-Hamel have sold their award-winning Suffolk gastropub the British Larder.

Menu ideas

Power to the pie

13-Feb-2015 By Sheila McWattie

With British Pie Week coming up on the 2-9 March Sheila McWattie looks at seven ideas for pies

MA300: EPoS systems biggest technology driver of profit

13-Feb-2015 By Ellie Bothwell

EPoS systems are the biggest driver of profit out of all the technology used in the pub industry, according to exclusive research from Zonal Retail Data Systems.

MA300: Brasserie Bar Co expansion fuelled by pubs code

13-Feb-2015 By Ellie Bothwell

Brasserie Bar Co chief executive Mark Derry said he thinks the pubs code will lead to greater transparency, longer leases and higher rents.

Pub food sales outstrip drink in January

12-Feb-2015 By James Wallin, M&C Report

Food sales outstripped drink in pubs during January, showing a 2.8% rise versus a 1.2% fall, according to the latest Coffer Peach Business Tracker.

Pubcos denied right to elect use of PIRRS

12-Feb-2015 By Mike Berry

The Pub Governing Body (PGB) that oversees PIRRS — the rent resolution service for pub tenants — rejected a request from pubcos to allow them to automatically elect to use the scheme for fear it would undermine its credibility.

BBPA urges Gov't to extend Primary Authority law to licence conditions

11-Feb-2015 By Ellie Bothwell

The British Beer & Pub Association has urged the Government to look at extending new Primary Authority legislation to licence conditions, to ensure there is consistent enforcement across different local authorities.

Punch Taverns celebrates new business launch milestone

11-Feb-2015 By James Wallin, M&C Report

Punch Taverns’ New Business Team has announced it has clocked up its 250th partner launch.

Enterprise agrees to end lease of anti-pubco campaigner Val Spencer

11-Feb-2015 By Rob Willock

Enterprise Inns has agreed to the early surrender of an anti-pubco campaigner’s pub lease due to her ill-health, claiming that a commercial landlord may not have taken such a compassionate approach.

Sky and BT Sport retain Premier League TV rights in £5.1bn deal

10-Feb-2015 By Mike Berry

Sky and BT Sport have retained the rights to Premier League football after details of the latest TV deal were revealed.

What does a pubco mean by 'reasonable' and 'fair'?

10-Feb-2015 By Robert Sayles

Pubcos always appear keen to reassure demands placed on licensees are both ‘reasonable’ and ‘fair’. However, these terms are vague and ambiguous - needless to say, there’s invariably a very good reason for this dearth of clarity, writes Robert Sayles.

Intertain looks to the future after debt restructure

10-Feb-2015 By James Wallin, M&C Report

John Leslie, chief executive of Walkabout operator Intertain, has said that approval for the company’s restructuring plans paves the way for a period of acquisition and refurbishment over the next 18 months.

Lessee to stop selling lager in protest against Punch

10-Feb-2015 By Ellie Bothwell

A Punch lessee is going to stop selling lager at his pub – and risk halving his turnover – in protest after the pub company refused his request to go free of tie.

AWARDS

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