15-May-2009 By Roger Protz
European elections take place on 4 June, so make the most of your chance to benefit brewers and licensees, says Roger Protz.
Campaigner hails trade summit as success
15-May-2009
Anti-pubco campaigner Inez Ward hailed a high profile summit held this week as a stepping stone to trade unity.The founder of Justice for Licensees...
14-May-2009 By Ewan Turney
The pubco model, run correctly, can be mutually beneficial but in its current state it is an utter and ignominious failure, says campaigner Inez Ward.
Mark Daniels: Supermarkets - we're doing the advertising for them
11-May-2009
Tim Martin made an interesting point last week: the pub trade is doing itself no favours by complaining about supermarkets.I have to put my hand up...
Licensee anger at supermarkets' bulk buying ban
07-May-2009 By James Wilmore
Angry licensees have attacked major supermarkets for banning them from buying bulk loads of beer - claiming it proves alcohol is being used as a...
The power of advertising
01-May-2009
The impact that advertising campaigns have on the drinks ordered over your bar is unquestionable.Put simply, the more advertising there is for a...
A WKD sort of cider
30-Apr-2009
The latest entry to the cider market comes not from a West Country cider farm nor from the power-houses of Magners or Bulmers, but from WKD.That's...
S&N to sponsor Kent's Big Quiz
27-Apr-2009 By Ewan Turney
Scottish & Newcastle is to sponsor the Big Quiz in Canterbury — it will be re-branded the No Nonsense Quiz.
24-Apr-2009 By John Harrington
A licensee is campaigning to give police new powers to fine youngsters who use fake or doctored ID to try to buy alcohol. Paul Neades has written to...
'Apology for 'topless' drinks offer'
21-Apr-2009
A pub chain has apologised for offering free drinks to women who bared their breasts to staff. Labour MP for Rotherham Denis MacShane claimed the...
Lambrini rosé launched
16-Apr-2009
Halewood International has made a bid to position Lambrini as an on-trade brand with the launch of a rosé variant.The brand extension to the...
Gallo launches new brand and relaunches Turning Leaf
07-Apr-2009
Wine company E&J Gallo has announced the launch of a new brand, and the relaunch of its Turning Leaf range.There will also be a programme of...
02-Apr-2009 By Robyn Lewis
Consumers bored with the usual soft drinks offerings are the target for a repositioned Vimto brand. Vimto Soft Drinks is investing £5m in the drink...
Customer service is key, not price
25-Mar-2009 By Matt Eley Matt
Reputation and customer service are more likely to bring customers in than price, according to new research. In a survey of 9,000 people carried out...
24-Mar-2009 By Tony Halstead
Regional brewers have formed a new marketing body dedicated to raising the profile of cask beer. The Why Handpull? Marketing Group hopes to launch a...
Few pubs selling for alternative use
19-Mar-2009
Very few pubs are actually selling for alternative use, according to Robin Mence, managing director of property agent Sidney Phillips. Mence said...
18-Mar-2009 By Robyn Lewis
Magners UK boss says it will focus on the on-trade to boost the brand's market share.
Punch unveils "maximum" four per cent price hike
17-Mar-2009 By James Wilmore
Punch Taverns, the UK's largest pubco, is hiking wholesale drinks prices by "a maximum" of four per cent at the end of this month. Tenants and...
Biggest ever Foster's promotion supports pool and poker
09-Mar-2009 By Matt Eley Matt
Scottish & Newcastle (S&N UK) is aiming to bring blokes back to the pub with its biggest ever Foster's promotion. Game On will see around...
Adam Withrington: It is time to stop selling beer like it's perfume
04-Mar-2009
I just picked the latest issue of Marketing magazine. On its opinion page it asks four "experts" from its Marketing Society Forum whether "lager...
27-Feb-2009 By Roger Protz
Czech brewer Budvar has introduced a new beer to London. It's a blend of two styles, reminiscent of intriguing 1960s beer mixes, says Roger Protz.
Discounts driving pub food and drink sales
24-Feb-2009
High levels of discount offers and promotional activiiy boosted food and drink sales for the major managed pub and restaurant groups in January,...
24-Feb-2009 By Ewan Turney
Allowing licensees to choose which forms of ID they accept makes a nonsense of Government attempts to combat underage sales. That was the stern...
16-Feb-2009 By Ewan Turney
Hartlepool brewer and operator Camerons has installed beer-flow equipment Brulines in a further 27 tenanted pubs.
13-Feb-2009 By Andrew Pring
In a dramatic extension of its sell-off programme, Punch is inviting any of its 7,560 licensees to make an offer for the pub they currently run. The...
Diageo to seek £100m in cost savings
12-Feb-2009 By Hamish Champ
Drinks giant Diageo said today it expects to save around £100m in the next year as it undertakes a restructuring of the business.Announcing its...
12-Feb-2009 By Ewan Turney
Guinness volumes fell 8% in Great Britain during the six months to 31 December with net sales down 2% on last year, Diageo has reported.
Consumers putting value-for-money first, says Marcus Wareing
06-Feb-2009
In the credit crunch market, value-for-money is more important to many consumers than provenance and seasonality, leading chef Marcus Wareing has...
Mark Daniels: What are you Twittering on about?
27-Jan-2009
If I'd been around in 1704, when my pub was first built, the concept of telling everybody about it over something called the Internet would have...
27-Jan-2009 By Ros Shiel
A former drinks PR's optimistic guide to life after redundancy.
Pubs get tips on how to beat the crunch
22-Jan-2009
Licensees heard top tips on how to boost trading this week at an event held by the London Region of the BII.Speaking at Shooting Star on Middlesex...
15-Jan-2009 By The PMA Team
Marston's Pub Company is to absorb a series of price rises to help pub tenants through the first quarter of 2009.
The four-pack
14-Jan-2009
When Miller Brands announced its Miller Beer was to be pulled out of the UK early this year, citing strong competition among lagers with an ABV...
12-Jan-2009 By Ros Shiel
Former drinks PR Ros Shiel's optimistic guide to life after redundancy. New Year Resolutions: too many to stick to Favourite beer tried: Old Ale from...
09-Jan-2009 By Tony Jennings
Give an old product new life by exploring its traditions, says Buweiser Budvar UK chief executive Tony Jennings.
Beat the downturn in 2009: part one
08-Jan-2009
As the business development consultant leading The Publican's Sell More, Save More project for the past two years, Carl May of Catered 4 knows a lot...
Wetherspoons hits back over 99p pint furore
07-Jan-2009 By James Wilmore
JD Wetherspoon has hit back at criticism over its 99p pint offer, arguing the promotion is "far from irresponsible". The pub chain launched the offer...
06-Jan-2009 By Ewan Turney
The Portman Group should be scrapped for good — that's the view of irate Scottish brewers BrewDog after it won an eight-month battle with the...
23-Dec-2008 By Ewan Turney
A 20-year-old Orkney brew, named Skull Splitter, has been saved from the chop after the Portman Group ruled it did not breach its rules on naming and...
16-Dec-2008 By Ros Shiel
A former drinks PR's optimistic guide to life after redundancy
Great ideas put into action at the Cross Keys
14-Dec-2008
The Cross Keys - Visit 2Henley, IpswichDate of visit: 25.11.08Time of visit: 14.30Recommendations from last visit:• Badge up all handpulls...
The people's awards
11-Dec-2008
From the team which literally helped bail out a flooded pub, to 73-year-old Joanie Clement and her 30-year-dedication to one South London local,...
08-Dec-2008 By Ros Shiel
A former drinks PR's optimistic guide to life after redundancy
Consumer promotion for Echo Fall Spritz
05-Dec-2008
In an effort to drive sales of its ready made spritzer brand Echo Falls Spritz, Constellation is running a promotion with 15 Bristol bars on the...
Drinks Pub of the Year 2008: Barracuda Group, Marlow, Buckinghamshire
28-Nov-2008
Barracuda is clearly an innovative drinks pub company, seen through its drinks range and promotions across its three major pub brands: Smith &...
Get the punters in
28-Nov-2008
Pubs and bars have taken quite a pounding in recent months, as the off trade, and supermarkets in particular, entices customers away from their local...
Freehold pub prices fall by 20 per cent
28-Nov-2008
Freehold pub prices have plunged by over 20 per cent this year to an average of £537,000 with a further price fall predicted for next year,...
28-Nov-2008 By Ros Shiel
Former Beautiful Beer public relations manager Ros Shiel's optimistic take on life after redundancy — part IV.
27-Nov-2008 By Roger Protz
Camra's founding members reunited recently. Roger Protz was there for a fine pint of cask beer.
21-Nov-2008 By Ewan Turney
Fuller's tenants will not be getting rent concessions despite a 1% decrease in average revenue per pub and 1.9% dip in like-for-like sales. The...
