Smugglers get green light as Customs checks at ports are relaxed
The government has opened the doors to bootleggers by relaxing Customs checks at ports, claim furious trade leaders.New guidelines issued this week...
Archives for October 31, 2002
Back it or lose out, says Cunningham
The pub industry should support the forthcoming licensing bill or risk opponents imposing more regulation on the trade as the bill goes through...
Organic beer production has boomed on the back of drinkers'
There has been a lot of scepticism about organic beers. Are they just niche products? Are they simply a current trend for trendies living in the...
Ancient inn has links with notorious hanging judge'
An ancient inn believed to be the oldest in Wales and which is linked with the "Hanging Judge" Jeffreys, is on the market. The Skirrid Mountain Inn...
Wetherspoon set to serve alcohol from 10am
Pub group JD Wetherspoon is taking a radical step to try and serve alcohol from 10am in all its 630 pubs.The company is to lodge applications with...
Cider with rosy future at Brandy Wharf Centre
You'll not get a drop of ale or lager at a Lincolnshire riverside pub and yet it's still pulling in punters from far and wide. For the Brandy...
King Arthur bedrooms offer good knight's sleep at inn
A 14th century inn and restaurant in Tintagel, Cornwall, is unexpectedly back on the market. The Olde Malt House, near Tintagel Castle supposedly...
Locals win fight to keep Wicked Lady
Noble House has decided to retain the name of a pub in Hertfordshire after a vociferous local campaign. The company had planned to change the name of...
Pub trade must present a united front on licensing reform
The pub trade needs to present a united front to Parliament or it could shoot itself in the foot over licensing reform.Speaking at a conference run...
A Wild night for Ultimate Leisure
Night-clubbers in the North East now have the chance to ride a bucking bronco thanks to a Rodeo bar from operator Ultimate Leisure.The group is...
UK's first revolving bar gets an airing
Crewe Hall in Cheshire believes it has installed the UK's first revolving bar. Owner Philip Humphreys said: "I saw this amazing circular bar in...
Refresh UK has begun trial brewing of Brakspear's beers at t
Refresh's Wychwood brewery at Witney, Oxfordshire, is being used to produce Brakspear's seasonal ales. The first of these "Oh be joyful" will be...
Exiting licensees cash in on assignable pub leases
Prices of assignable leases are rising as the UK pub market is witnessing a shortage of available freehold premises.While the larger pub chains are...
A run-down pub in Norfolk has been turned into a property no
The Victoria provides a taste of the Raj in deepest Norfolk. In February 2001, Viscount Tom Coke, son of the Earl of Leicester, decided it was time...
In the festive season run-in, Pernod Ricard is giving its le
For general manager Ian Tottman and the rest of his team at Pernod Ricard UK, the next couple of months will be pretty hectic as the Christmas spirit...
Thanks from the LVNH
As senior officers of licensed trade charity, the Licensed Victuallers National Homes, we would like to thank the south-east convention committee and...
Acquisitive Batham's nets Welsh pub
An expanding West Midlands brewer and pub owner has turned to North Wales for its first pub purchase for three years. The 125-year-old Batham's...
Pub cleaner awarded £600 by tribunal after hours cut
A north west pub cleaning lady has been awarded £600 by an employment tribunal following a ruling that she was effectively sacked when her hours...
Room at the inn
Keith Knowles, boss of Interpub, is combining beds and beer with the company's Belushi's and St Christopher's Inns concept. By Mark Stretton.It seems...
Character with a true zest for life
Like most in the trade, Snifter has enjoyed many happy hours in Gordon's Wine Bar in Villiers Street, just off Charing Cross in London. So he was as...
Attitude to disabled customers could cost pub industry £50bn
Licensees could snap up part of a £50bn leisure spend if they change their attitude towards disabled customers.Disability campaigner Phil Friend has...
Your employees are the most effective sales people you have
Members of staff are the front-line sales people and they can have a significant impact on the nature of your business because of the influence they...
All eyes are on SFI
As the vultures circle above, Mark Stretton examines the state of troubled SFI.As Gerry Martin of Old Monk can probably testify, there will always be...
Spitfire sets its sights on TV campaign
Shepherd Neame is set to make its national TV debut with the next instalment of its infamous Spitfire "Bottle of Britain" campaign.The Kent brewer...
Zatec put a spring in my step
Attentive readers will recall that, earlier this year, I reported on the activities of Rolf Munding in the Czech Republic. Rolf, a British...
Police probe shooting
Police inquiries are continuing into a shooting incident at a Midlands pub which left a man fighting for his life. Two gunmen burst into the Bagot...
Edinburgh Council cracks down on doorstaff with convictions
Edinburgh council is cracking down on doorstaff with convictions for violence and other offences.New guidelines will ban repeat offenders from...