Financial

Boy, 3, drives car down two 30ft banks and crashes in pub garden

24-Jul-2014 By James Wallin

A three-year-old boy managed to drive his father’s car down two 30ft embankments and into a pub garden – but walked away with just a bump to the head.

5 steps to making an insurance claim as a pub owner

23-Jun-2014 By Business Insure

Pub owners and operators should always ensure they have correctly covered themselves with insurance, lest they be caught unawares by one of life’s many random misfortunes, and left seriously out of pocket. In this article, insurance provider Business...

Beannchor MD Bill Wolsey is made OBE

16-Jun-2014 By John Harrington

Bill Wolsey, managing director of Northern Ireland-based hospitality firm Beannchor, has become an OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours.

Pub named and shamed for minimum wage underpayment

09-Jun-2014 By Mike Berry

A Cheshire pub has been named and shamed for not paying its staff the minimum wage.

Target of cutting 1 billion units of alcohol by 2015 on track

28-Apr-2014 By John Harrington

The drinks industry is on track to meet its target of removing one billion units of alcohol by 2015, having reached 25% of the target in the first year (2011-2012), a new report shows.

Pubco directors banned for 13 years over £1.4m debts

17-Mar-2014 By James Wallin

Two bosses of a pub management company have been disqualified from acting as directors for total of 13 years after failing to pay creditors £1.4m.

Minimum wage to rise 3% to £6.50

12-Mar-2014 By John Harrington

The Government has confirmed that the adult minimum wage is to rise by 3% to £6.50 from October, a rise of 19p.

Flexible trading hours 'neither fuel or cut violence'

25-Feb-2014 By John Harrington

Staggered pub closing times introduced in 2005 have neither reduced instances of violence or increased them, an academic study has concluded.

#PubOpsClub: Tenanted pubcos should segment their estate by trading type

18-Feb-2014 By Robyn Black

Tenanted pubcos should segment their estate according to trading types, according to a multiple operator frustrated by a lack of expertise among business development managers (BDMs).

Warning that Anti-Social Behaviour Bill could be 'enormously damaging' for trade

03-Feb-2014 By Ellie Bothwell

Leading licensing lawyers have warned that new legislation tightening closure powers on the licensed trade could be “enormously damaging”, leading to increased police intervention and loss of trade.

Pub trade faces paying back 'hundreds of millions' in overpaid tax rebates

29-Jan-2014 By Michelle Perrett

The pub trade must pay back “several hundred million pounds” in overpaid tax, HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) has said.

Leisure businesses plan to increase wages in coming year, according to Barclays survey

27-Jan-2014 By John Harrington

More than two thirds (69%) of UK hospitality leisure businesses plan to increase wages in the coming year, according to a survey of 684 firms by Barclays.

FOT option will result in Armageddon warns Pubco CEO

13-Jan-2014 By Robert Sayles

Pubco CEO Roland Rodent is the latest in a long line of industry experts to claim an FOT option for tied tenants will have apocalyptic repercussions. Robert Sayles met up with him at one of his flagship pubs The Jolly Roger to find out more.

Pubs could be financially crippled after severe gales hit the country

24-Dec-2013 By Lewis Brown

Severe weather has devastated the country and affected pubs, forcing some to close for Christmas and lose out on business.

Big six energy suppliers to reduce back billing period to 12 months

23-Dec-2013 By Ellie Bothwell

All of the ‘big six’ energy suppliers have confirmed they will reduce the period for back billing small businesses to 12 months next year.

PMA readers raging about their rates

28-Nov-2013 By Mike Berry

The results are in, and they don’t make for pretty reading. Licensees that responded to our survey on business rates delivered an emphatically damning verdict on the current system and the damaging impact it is having on their pubs.

Pubco debt talks reach stalemate

26-Nov-2013 By Robert Sayles

Pub campaigner Robert Sayles' latest take on the pubco model.

Bramwell's demise shows that the going’s still tough

08-Nov-2013 By Mike Berry

The reaction in the PMA office when the news broke that Bramwell Pub Company had entered administration was mostly one of mild surprise rather than any great shock, writes Mike Berry.

How to appeal to families: Turning the rugrats into cash cows

04-Nov-2013 By Catherine Quinn

Pubs able to attract families and keep children occupied should see increased custom and profits. As the PMA finds, there are many ways to make your pub family-friendly

How to boost business over Halloween & Bonfire Night

28-Oct-2013 By Phil Mellows

As if directed by a witch’s spell, Halloween has become one of the biggest nights of the year for Britain’s pubs, a great time to get the tills jangling like ghostly chains in a hurry.

Natwest and RBS add £150m to Leisure Fund

16-Oct-2013 By Mark Wingett

NatWest and RBS have added a further £150m to their dedicated Leisure Fund aimed at small and medium-sized businesses after receiving “incredible” demand from across the industry.

Pubs among small businesses with worst credit scores, says new survey

04-Oct-2013 By Ellie Bothwell

Company credit scores are not being taken seriously by small businesses, especially pubs, even though they can inflate the cost of overheads by up to 30%, according to research from price comparison service makeitcheaper.com.

Office of Fair Trading says no to new industry super complaint probe

03-Oct-2013 By Gurjit Degun

The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has said that it will not look into the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) super complaint again just yet.

Four of 'big six' energy suppliers to end automatic rollover contracts

19-Sep-2013 By Ellie Bothwell

Four of the ‘big six’ energy suppliers have confirmed they will be terminating the use of automatic rollover business contracts, following British Gas’s lead in July.

PMA helps resolve £3,000 British Gas bill row

30-Aug-2013 By Ellie Bothwell

British Gas has agreed to pay more than £3,000 to resolve an electricity bill dispute with a Buckinghamshire licensee after the Publican’s Morning Advertiser (PMA) intervened.

Tim Martin: 'Pubs are still over-rented'

01-Aug-2013 By John Harrington

JD Wetherspoon (JDW) chairman Tim Martin has told the Publican's Morning Advertiser's sister title M&C Report that a lot of pubs are still “greatly over-rented” as a legacy of the last financial boom.

Shelving minimum pricing saved on-trade from £62m revenue drop, says new report

23-Jul-2013 By Gurjit Degun

The Government’s decision to shelve a 45p minimum unit price for alcohol has saved the on-trade from a £62.2m drop in revenue.

Orchid is the youngest pubco to gain Investors in People accreditation

19-Jul-2013 By Ellie Bothwell

The Orchid Group has become the youngest pub company to receive accreditation from Investors in People.

Molson Coors staff dispute continues after pay deal vote

02-Jul-2013 By John Harrington

The threat of strike action by workers at Molson Coors’ brewery in Burton-on-Trent remains after employees rejected a deal on pay, conditions and new shift patterns.

Fears around cash flow and late payment has risen, says new study

24-Jun-2013 By Ellie Bothwell

Fears around cash flow and late payment among small and medium business (SME) is on the rise, according to a study conducted by the Forum of Private Business.

Booker announces growth plans following Makro merger

24-May-2013 By Jo Bruce

Food and drink wholesaler Booker aims to hit £6bn in sales and become the UK’s leading wholesaler following its merger with Makro.

Concerns raised over City of London 'traffic light' system for problem premises

23-Apr-2013 By Michelle Perrett

Industry leaders have raised concern about a ‘traffic light system’ which is set to be introduced for to tackle ‘problem’ licensed premises in the City of London

Drinkaware urged to make 'substantial changes' to its operations

18-Apr-2013 By Helen Gilbert

Drinkaware is being urged to make ‘substantial changes’ to the way it operates after an independent review raised concerns around funding, its governance model and the way it carries out its core activities.

Pub loses more than £1k after customer leaves without paying

14-Mar-2013 By Gurjit Degun

A licensee has been fleeced of more than £1,000 after a man stayed five nights at her venue and left without paying the bill.

The day I became a pubco CEO

18-Feb-2013 By Robert Sayles

An official looking letter arrived through the post last week. It was an invitation to Number 10.

Pubs 'don't get credit they deserve' claims new Drinkaware CEO

25-Jan-2013 By Ellie Bothwell

Pubs “do not get the credit” they deserve, Elaine Hindal the new CEO of Drinkaware has claimed.

Ooberstock secures £600,000 in second round of funding

16-Jan-2013 By John Harrington

Ooberstock, the drinks distributor, has secured £600,000 in a second round of fundraising to take the business “to the next level of growth”.

The Corner Pin in Morton receives £5K makeover from Glidden Trade

19-Dec-2012 By Michelle Perrett

Licensee Steven Pyatt, at the Corner Pin in Morton, Derbyshire will receive a business boosting makeover worth £5,000 after winning the Glidden Trade Paint and a Pint competition.

Alcohol Strategy plans for Cumulative Impact Zones will cost £18.9m

05-Dec-2012 By John Harrington

Plans to add a health-related licence objective for venues in cumulative impact areas (CIAs) will cost the industry £18.9m per year, according to Government estimates.

Fleurets predicts major pub deals in 2013

30-Nov-2012 By John Harrington

Major deals in the pub market are likely to surface in 2013 after a slowdown in the past year, according to Fleurets in its annual review of the pub sector.

The real cost of repairing your pub

27-Nov-2012 By Robert Sayles

“Hello there. I’m Dr. Frasier Crane. Welcome to another show dedicated to the beleaguered publican. Today we’ve got an open agenda, so feel free to ring in with any problems, or perhaps I should say misunderstandings you might be experiencing with your...

Revealed: WaverleyTBS creditor list in full

14-Nov-2012 By Rob Willock

Nearly 200 companies are listed as creditors of WaverleyTBS following the company’s collapse last month.

Landlords may start forcing rent reviews, says pub property agent Fleurets

02-Nov-2012 By Gurjit Degun

Landlords who have bought pubs as an investment may start forcing rent reviews - that’s the warning from Fleurets director David Sutcliffe.

Buying the freehold of your pub is worth the hassle

26-Oct-2012

For the 30 years I have been in pubs, owning your own freehold has always seemed the holy grail: freetrade prices, capital growth, no area manager, rent reviews or flow monitoring. Affordable freeholds have always been available, but not in our area.

Business Debtline accuses pubcos and breweries of lack of flexibility over rent payments

09-Oct-2012 By Gurjit Degun

A debt advisory service that is receiving an increasing number of calls from tied tenants has said pub companies and breweries are not offering enough flexibility in rent payments.

How pub business rates are calculated

11-Jul-2012 By Michael Yass

Business rates are one of the highest costs for pubs, and many licensees disagree with how much they have to pay. So how does the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) work it out? Ratings surveyor Michael Yass, director at Chesterton Humberts, de-mystifies the...

Pub company CEO defends business model: Part 3

04-Jul-2012 By Robert Sayles

Last week the city was rocked by news that recently retired pubco CEO and long time friend Roland Rodent had emerged from retirement to oust his successor William Weasel following a shareholder revolt.

Isn’t talk of credit a little premature?

18-Jun-2012

Well it seems that credit was being tossed around in abundance last week. No sooner had fellow blogger Mark Daniels suggested we acknowledge the positive changes taking place within the BII than PMA editor Rob Willock pops up and asks us to give property...

The benefits of micropubs

23-May-2012 By Robert Sayles

‘It appears to have everything prospective publicans crave; low start up costs, choice of location, competitive rent and FOT on a fantastic range of cask ales. It's the way to go for many of those thinking about entering the trade, isn’t it?’