Ask An Expert: Drinking on the job
25-Jan-2008
What can I do about staff drinking?I run a busy pub in London and have a growing problem with staff drinking while on the job. How can I deal with...
Sports Cafe is sold
24-Jan-2008 By Mark Wingett, M&C Report
Agilo, a London-based special situations fund, buys the troubled bar operator for an undisclosed sum
Family values
24-Jan-2008
Is JD Wetherspoon's policy on kids a drastic move or a symptom of the current drive on social responsibility? Adrian Tierney-Jones finds out
24-Jan-2008 By The PMA Team
The PMA Team takes a look at the state of the managed sector
Offer for S&N upped to £7.8bn
24-Jan-2008 By The PMA Team
Scottish & Newcastle (S&N) is expected to recommend a 800p-a-share offer from rival brewers Carlsberg and Heineken today. The move comes...
£200m tax reprieve for small businesses
24-Jan-2008
Alistair Darling will try today to rescue Labour's business reputation with a £200 million climbdown on capital gains tax designed to help owners of...
To buy or not to buy
24-Jan-2008
Thinking about taking on a pub? Don't be one of the newcomers who overlook some simple golden rules, says Tony Halstead Thinking of buying a pub?...
Lancashire hot pub
24-Jan-2008
Kath and Chris Bell tell Amanda Wragg about the trade secrets of Enterprise's White Bull, in Ribchester, Lancashire Our background Chris: I started...
Cask takes the centre stage
24-Jan-2008
Ex-actress Becky Newman tells Roger Protz about her transformation of a dingy Putney pub into a magnet for fans of cask ale If I tell you I know a...
Fruit and quiz machines need advertising, new research reveals
23-Jan-2008
New research suggests quiz and fruit machine companies need to use advertising to change customers' perceptions and increase returns for...
23-Jan-2008 By John Harrington
Opus Energy has moved to help two more MA readers who complained about the electricity supplier's high prices. Punch host Chris Strike has been told...
22-Jan-2008
Orchid Group has now completed 208 refurbishments in 18 months since it was set up
ePub: Technology for 2008
21-Jan-2008
Most pubs in the UK, especially those that are part of large nationwide chains, are fundamentally process-driven. Typically, their weekly routine...
ePub: Alarms for closed pubs
21-Jan-2008
Alarms these days don't just ring a bell when somebody breaks in. The latest from security company Clearway detects movement, smoke, fire, water, gas...
ePub: Drinks orders go mobile
21-Jan-2008
If there's a crush at the bar down the North Star in Finchley, the regulars don't mind - because they put in their drinks orders by mobile phone.The...
ePub: Getting tills right from the start
21-Jan-2008
One advantage of starting up a new pubco is that you can make sure you have the right equipment installed from the beginning.Ribo Waring was formed...
Back to Basics: Valentine's Day
18-Jan-2008
If you're not one of the lucky licensees who are booked up months in advance for dining on Valentine's Day, now's the time to take action to ensure...
Ask An Expert: Website impact
18-Jan-2008
Our website looks good but it doesn't seem to be having the desired effect of attracting new customers to the pub. What can I do to improve...
Enter the Fuller's London Pride Golf Tournament and play in La Manga
18-Jan-2008
Golf-loving licensees and their customers have the chance to play championship golf at top European course La Manga in July if they enter The...
17-Jan-2008
MA Deputy Editor takes a look at the state of the tenanted and leased sector
Fears grow over awareness on new noise regs
17-Jan-2008 By James Wilmore
Fears are mounting over a huge lack of trade awareness over new noise regulations and the way councils will enforce them. The Control of Noise at...
Brookes planning Stuff the Supermarkets phase two
17-Jan-2008
Pub operator Tony Brookes is planning a new phase of his Stuff the Supermarkets campaign after striking a chord with customers across the north in a...
Hooking the barmy army
17-Jan-2008
With England taking on New Zealand, South Africa and India, 2008 is a great year to promote cricket. Simon Creasey looks at the key opportunities...
Give your pub a sporting chance
17-Jan-2008
Pubs need an extra boost - and a top year for sport could be the key to a packed pub, says Noli Dinkovski When it comes to British sporting success,...
A timely reminder on pricing
17-Jan-2008
While I am a great supporter of Pubwatch and also of good liaison with the police, I cannot lend my wholehearted support to a system that seeks to...
Brands comment
17-Jan-2008 By Rosie Davenport
PR that could take us places Blink and there's another one - it feels like there isn't anywhere that brands can't slap their logos, which is OK...
CardSafe seeks fast growth
17-Jan-2008
More than 1,000 pubs and other outlets are now using the CardSafe scheme to beat the prospect of credit-card fraud. CardSafe is a toughened plastic...
Big S&N cheque for winners of Heart of the Community
17-Jan-2008
Lancashire licensees Ian and June Riggs have won £15,000 to donate to the charities of their choice after winning the MA and S&NUK's Heart of...
Reaching for the extra yard
17-Jan-2008
With the England rugby team narrowly failing to retain their World Cup crown, interest in the game has never been higher, says Simon Creasey Most...
Minimum wage campaign hits the road
16-Jan-2008
Pubs and other businesses in the hospitality industry are the target of a new government campaign aimed at rooting out cases of employees being paid...
Dark days, yes, but perhaps a buying opportunity
13-Jan-2008 By Hamish Champ
Speaking to City analysts last week there is no doubt that the outlook for the licensed sector is a darn gloomy one. Shares in listed operators have...
Ones to watch: New Year's resolutions
11-Jan-2008
Serve better beer Barley and hop shortages caused by two poor harvests in a row plus the global fashion for bio-fuels mean that pubs will almost...
City diary
10-Jan-2008 By The PMA Team
Carveries: the cutting edge of pub food missed by Coren City Diary has an obsession with the humble pub carvery. And no apologies for it. Shocking,...
Opinion: Innovate to get ahead
10-Jan-2008
As the alcohol industry seeks to overcome the pressures experienced over the past few years innovation has become key for the industry.Brewers like...
Game on: computer games craze reaches pubs
10-Jan-2008
Licensee Adam Billingham stands absorbed, demonstrating a form of entertainment becoming increasingly popular in pubs. He is flailing his arms in the...
'Quirky' Grolsch gets £8m spend
10-Jan-2008 By Rosie Davenport rosie.davenport@william-reed.co.u
Coors Brewers is putting Grolsch back in the spotlight, splashing out £3m on its TV return. The brewer wants to play up to the beer's "quirky Dutch...
MA award winner buys Dorset inn
10-Jan-2008
MA Pub of the Year winner David Sax has secured his second pub in Dorset. Sax has bought former English Inn of the Year the Museum Inn in Farnham,...
Jack: 'bonuses create conflict of interest'
10-Jan-2008
A leading analyst has claimed that Mitchells & Butlers (M&B) bosses have created a conflict of interest by deferring their bonuses until a...
Festive period brings trade mixed fortunes
10-Jan-2008 By Tony Halstead THals22851@aol.com
Difficult first quarter ahead as businesses face prospect of duty increase in the spring Licensees and pub operators were this week coming to terms...
Six Nations: Case studies
09-Jan-2008
As the teams are putting together their strategies on the training paddock, so licensees around the country are finalising their preparations for the...
Six Nations: Market your rugby offer
09-Jan-2008
Kits have always been important to the players themselves - but they are also increasingly playing a role in pubs in marketing the Six Nations and...
Six Nations: Prepare for the tournament
09-Jan-2008
Pub companies and drinks brands have been busy preparing for the Six Nations, hoping to help licensees capitalise on a sport whose popularity is...
Six Nations: Food for the match
09-Jan-2008
This February and March, pub kitchens would do well to select a good set of team-mates to go with a pint.Food is an important part of most pubs'...
Six Nations: Rugby provides a sporting chance
09-Jan-2008
There's an opportunity for pubs to convert early in the 2008 sporting calendar, a chance to scrum down and provide a solid base for the year ahead....
New Portman Group rules ban alcohol sponsorship on children's sports kits
08-Jan-2008
A new Portman Group Code has come into effect, which will alter the regulations for advertising alcohol. Alcohol branding will no longer be permitted...
Chris Maclean: Christmas isn't so special any more
07-Jan-2008 By Chris Maclean
So that was Christmas? Well, it didn't seem up to much.Don't get me wrong ~ we were busy. But for a key festival like Christmas to pass almost...
New TV sponsorship for Grolsch
04-Jan-2008
Grolsch lager will be seen back on UK TV screens every week this year, following a new £3m deal to sponsor Channel 4's primetime Original Comedy...
Hamish Champ: Mine was an Irish Christmas
02-Jan-2008 By Hamish Champ
I'm usually ensconced at home in south east London over any given Christmas holiday, but the most recent festivities found me in the west of Ireland....
Back to Basics: Divorce and your rights
28-Dec-2007
It's the gloomier side of Christmas. The obligation to have a good time combined with the cost of paying for it is an added strain on many marriages,...
Judges dismiss part of Murphy appeal - but agree to hear more
21-Dec-2007 By James Wilmore
High Court judges today dismissed part of licensee Karen Murphy's appeal against a conviction for screening foreign satellite football - but the...
