Wolves stirs Pitcher & Piano into expansion
07-Apr-2005
by The PMA Team The first new Pitcher & Piano in seven years opens in July as part of plans by Wolves & Dudley to pursue an "opportunistic"...
Cotswold pub escapes home-conversion plan
07-Apr-2005
by MA Reporter Fiona Davies wife of the Asda, Next and M&S fashion guru George has admitted defeat and dropped her controversial plan to...
Arlington buys fourth property
07-Apr-2005
A Norfolk-based inn and small hotel operator, which is aiming to develop a chain of 10 across East Anglia during the next few years, has acquired a...
Geronimo to open retro-themed pub
07-Apr-2005
London pub group Geronimo Inns, which operates 14 awardwinning and Michelin-rated pubs across the capital, is to open a retro-themed outlet in...
Woodman's food cuts the mustard
07-Apr-2005
The vendors of the Woodman Inn have invested seven years in developing its popular food trade, according to its selling agent. Stewart Harkness, of...
Young's £100m site sale report is way off mark'
07-Apr-2005
by Martyn Cornell A report that shareholders at South London brewer Young & Co could be voting soon on a £100m bonus from the redevelopment of...
Wessex Taverns put into administration
07-Apr-2005
North-east pub and bar operator Wessex Taverns has slipped into administration after cash-flow problems. The company, based in Whitley Bay, Tyne...
Mill House set to grow to 100 sites
31-Mar-2005
by The PMA Team Mill House Inns chief executive Ted Kennedy has set a target of expanding the company from 60 to around 100 sites after completing a...
The Anchor & Hope
31-Mar-2005
Southwark, London, 020 7928 9898 Ownership: Business partners Mike Belben, Jonathan Jones, Harry Lester and Rob Shaw have run the pub on a lease...
The Angel
31-Mar-2005
Hetton, North Yorkshire, 01756 730 263 Ownership: Juliet Watkins bought the pub freehold with husband Denis, who died last July, in 1983. Head chef...
Incidents of BDM bullying are rare occasions
31-Mar-2005
I wish to respond to last week's letter in the MA ("Payne should stand down for supporting BDMs"). It is the membership of the Federation of Licensed...
Ireland LVA: smoke ban has caused pubs decline
31-Mar-2005
by Ewan Turney One year on from its introduction, the Licensed Vintners Association (LVA) of Ireland has claimed that the smoking ban has been the...
Gastro pubs face planning limbo
31-Mar-2005
by Tony Halstead New planning regulations are threatening to place thousands of gastro pubs into a virtual planners' "no man's land," property...
Beware cowboys' business rate pledges, surveyors warn
31-Mar-2005
Licensees have received a stark warning from the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) to steer clear of "cowboy" consultants who claim they...
Private-equity bidders join fight for ailing SFI
24-Mar-2005
by The PMA Team Two private equity bidders are known to have joined Yates and Laurel owner Robert Tchenguiz in bidding for troubled Slug &...
Chris Stone
24-Mar-2005
The White Horse Winterbourne Bassett Wiltshire "Because we are a tenancy, the brewery is doing our house licence for the first two years. We are...
Guernsey hands hosts fees shock
24-Mar-2005
by John Harington Hosts in Guernsey have hit out at plans for massive increases in licensing fees, which will be used to fund a campaign to cut...
Recycling ends as pubs won't pay for service'
24-Mar-2005
by John Harrington Hundreds of pubs throughout the Midlands and north west England could be left with stacks of discarded drinks bottles after a...
Minister rules out ban on upward-only rents
24-Mar-2005
by Ewan Turney A ban on upward-only rents has been dismissed by the Government in a blow to pub tenants and lessees across Britain. The decision...
The sum of all fearsAre you sitting down? Chances are you'll
24-Mar-2005
Many licensees are about to receive a financial heart attack. If they haven't received one yet, then over the next few days they'll get a letter...
Tourist trap is ideal blend for Maltsters
24-Mar-2005
The Maltsters Arms will appeal to buyers seeking to tap into a food-led operation in the tourist trap of north Cornwall. Graham Timmins, of Miller...
Leaseback schemes boosts UPC pub numbers
23-Mar-2005
A sale and leaseback deal being offered to freehouse owners is helping Union Pub Company expand its estate. The offer from the tenanted arm of...
New use classes cause confusion
22-Mar-2005
Food-led pubs considering going wet-led as a result of future smoking legislation could be stymied by new planning legislation that comes into force...
With the green baize game currently out in front when it com
17-Mar-2005
Pool is the biggest crowd puller in pub sports, with five million people regularly playing at least once a week. As you would expect, there are no...
MBO is not an option says Martin
17-Mar-2005
JD Wetherspoon founder Tim Martin has insisted that there is no chance of the company being taken private in a management buyout. Martin said the...
Quality food pub with an enviable reputation
17-Mar-2005
A Cheshire pub revered for its culinary delights is on the market. The Chetwode Arms is a traditional trading concern in the characterful village of...
Punch accused of reneging on pledge
17-Mar-2005
A multiple Punch lessee has accused the company of reneging on its promise to pay for all premises plans and of using the plans to "blackmail" him...
Hotel du Vin opens at Brakspear site
17-Mar-2005
The former Brakspear brewery in Henley has re-opened as the seventh Hotel du Vin. The collection of buildings encircling the old brewery yard houses...
Host blasts lack of notification on rates rise
17-Mar-2005
A freehold licensee has criticised the Valuation Office for not notifying licensees directly of their new valuations. Chris Dyson was sent his rates...
Enjoy a Grand life on Canal
17-Mar-2005
Looking for that essential point of difference over rival operators then how about this luxury cruising restaurant? The Prince Regent II is...
A BDM's lot
17-Mar-2005
Helen Banks has only been a BDM for 15 months and unashamedly confesses: "When I started, the licensees were saying: Oh no, not another BDM'." Prior...
Churchill hits acquisition trail
10-Mar-2005
Wellingborough-based Churchill Taverns Group has formed a new company, Churchill Taverns VCT, to buy and develop freehold pubs. The new company will...
The restaurateur
10-Mar-2005
Experienced chef Alex Scrimgeour sold his successful restaurant in Los Angeles and now wants to replicate his achievements back home at a pub....
The psychology of the pub
10-Mar-2005
Andrew Jefford reflects on the crucial role that not enough pubs play in soothing the fevered brow of mankind Circumstances have recently propelled...
The husband and wife
10-Mar-2005
Nader and Shaheen Khan are complete newcomers and view the pub trade as a fresh challenge. They have both proven themselves in business Nader...
Sheps breaks the deadlock
10-Mar-2005
For years Shepherd Neame's Faversham brewery was hampered by the constraints of its town-centre location. Now it has broken free with the help of a...
Spirit to grow Two For One and Chef & Brewer brands
10-Mar-2005
Spirit is to open 50 Two For One and 10 Chef& Brewer pubs this year. The outlets will mainly be converted from sites bought in the Scottish &...
Warming up for summer: Go all out
09-Mar-2005
If the weather is good this summer pubs could reap the rewards - but only if you put some effort into your offer now, says Phil Mellows.In the teeth...
Warming up for summer: Unsporting opportunity
09-Mar-2005
While fine weather drives beer sales, raising standards will make the most of the sunshine.With no major sporting events this year the weather will...
Warming up for summer: Get fired up
08-Mar-2005
Barbecues are booming - will people be able to sniff one out at your pub?Never mind Bondi Beach. Barbecues have become Britain's favourite summer...
Warming up for summer: Great outdoors
08-Mar-2005
The weather may not be much of an inspiration for smartening up your garden at the moment, but the winning pubs in our Best Dressed Pub competition...
CAMRA seeks out the best in imaginative pub design
04-Mar-2005
Licensees who think their pub is tops when it comes to design should enter CAMRA's Pub Design Awards.Held in association with the English Heritage...
Wylam eyes 24-hour Glass Spider licence
03-Mar-2005
Wylam Leisure is to apply for a 24-hour licence for its 1,500-capacity Glass Spider venue in Sunderland. The company, which also runs city-centre...
Tide now favours McQuater MBO at Barracuda
03-Mar-2005
Barracuda chief executive Mark McQuater is hoping to lead a management buyout at the company after its owner, PPM Ventures, prepares to exit the...
Subtle Scots makeover
03-Mar-2005
Snifter is a committed pub man, happy to devote himself to the their homely, warm embrace. But every now and then his head is turned by something a...
SAB Miller in talks to snap up Topvar
03-Mar-2005
The Morning Advertiser has learnt that SAB Miller is in talks to acquire Slovakia's third-largest brewer Topvar. Privatised in 1994, Topvar, is now...
Report says hosts fail in lease negotiations
03-Mar-2005
by Ewan Turney A general lack of property awareness and a failure to seek legal advice mean that the vast majority of small business tenants, such...
Licensees have grown dizzy over the years trying to keep tra
03-Mar-2005
But if anyone's given up on trying to make sense of it all, now's the time to take note again. For the news this week that SFI is up for sale, as...
How to set up a Post Office in your pub
03-Mar-2005
With the high amounts of cash and administration involved, setting up a post office is not as straightforward as just any old shop. First of all,...
All eyes are on the sale of beleaguered SFI
03-Mar-2005
Slug & Lettuce operator SFI Group has been put up for sale, the Morning Advertiser has learnt. The company has set a deadline of mid-March for...