Club alternative to PELs
QWe are continuing to have difficulty obtaining a public entertainment licence because of objections. A colleague of mine in the jazz world has told...
Archives for March 10, 2005
Fuller's brings back Hock after 12 years
London brewer Fuller's has revealed that classic mild ale Hock will be the returning hero of its spring beer festival after an absence of 12 years....
JD Wetherspoon profits drop 20%
by The PMA Team Managed operator JD Wetherspoon saw profits drop by 20% to £22.3m in its first half-year, after increased costs and a cut-price...
Concern over alcoholic drink vending machines
New vending machines selling alcoholic drinks will "cut the potential for flashpoints at the bar", according to the company supplying them.But...
Carlsberg tight-lipped on rumours
Carlsberg UK has been unable to comment on rumours that it is about to pull out of football sponsorship, including its deal with Liverpool Football...
Yates to pay for police in responsibility drive
New plans aim to show commitment to safety By Ewan Turney High-street bar operator Yates Group has offered to pay for policing in Swinton in...
Time to ACT!: Get on site
The new premises licences are the focus of the second part of Time to ACT!, The Publican's initiative with the British Beer & Pub Association and...
J&B hopes to attract new drinkers with innovation
J&B has launched a new whisky to encourage younger drinkers into the scotch category.There has been a nine per cent decline in scotch drinking in...
OFT looks into till roll scam
The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) is investigating the business activities of a company that has been targeting the pub trade.Paper Roll Logistics -...
Rural pubs suffer rise in disorder'
by John Harrington The Government has been criticised for taking its eye off crime and disorder in and around rural pubs after new figures reveal...
Sheps breaks the deadlock
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...
Quiz feud kicks off new interactive pub game
by Ewan Turney The two men at the centre of the infamous pub quiz suing saga slogged it out one-on-one in a gruelling pub quiz match last week ...
Pubwatch ban on JDW outlet is wholly unfair'
by John Harrington JD Wetherspoon has accused licensees in Buxton, Derbyshire, of using the pubco as a "scapegoat" after the town's JDW outlet was...
Spirit merges divisions as Richards is poached
by The PMA Team Managed operator Spirit Group is to reduce its operating divisions after Steve Richards, managing director of City Spirit, was...
Wine lists: six golden rules
This week, the Morning Advertiser launches the first in a new series designed to help licensees make more money from wine. Once a month, we'll be...
The restaurateur
Experienced chef Alex Scrimgeour sold his successful restaurant in Los Angeles and now wants to replicate his achievements back home at a pub....
Supervisors' ball and chain can be cut free
One of the major problems that already seems to be emerging from local authority interpretation of the new Licensing Act concerns the presence of the...
Full-pint measure is nota worry for consumers
by Ewan Turney MPs and the Campaign for Real Ale (Camra) are barking up the wrong tree in campaigning for a full-pint measure, according to a survey...
Which? test hits out at top wine brands
Consumer magazine Which? has hit out at the quality of most big brand wines labelling them "mediocre" and "disappointing" after a blind tasting...
Staff training is key to avoiding under-age trap
It still surprises me just how many licensees are failing test purchase operations which are being carried out by the police and trading standards...
The drinking man's guide to pub food
Daily Telegraph pubs writer ADAM EDWARDS lays out the ground rules for matching food with beer Beer With Food Week starts on Monday. I have no wish...
A nagging dilemma
Young's has a dilemma. Should it abandon its outgrown site to expand? Andrew Catchpole meets the brewery's chairman and chief executive.There is an...
BBPA promo code will be another two months
by Tony Halstead The trade is facing yet more delays in the publication of the long-awaited Code of Practice on drinks promotions. It is now more...
The dish: Ox tongue, beetroot and horseradish salad
Description: Four slices of good quality cold ox tongue, delicately seasoned with a few sea-salt flakes, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and some...
Drink Talking: The Independent Free Trade Alliance
The Independent Free Trade Alliance has been formed to speak up for freetrade licensees. Here, directors Heather Mitchell, Peter Spark and Helen...
Martin: visionary or gambler?
JD Wetherspoon profits have dropped by 20% in its first six months. But the company is determined to push ahead with its smoking ban widely...
Churchill hits acquisition trail
Wellingborough-based Churchill Taverns Group has formed a new company, Churchill Taverns VCT, to buy and develop freehold pubs. The new company will...
LGA: get your applications in
The Local Government Association (LGA) is urging licenseesto waste no time in applyingfor their new licences, after a Morning Advertiser survey...
Have you convertedto the Chip & PIN systemand has it helped
Jean Senior Case is Altered Bentley, Suffolk "Well, I can't really say, because I am actually having problems getting it delivered. It was...
Barmaid traumatised in armed raid
Nine masked men one armed with a gun and others with Samurai swords forced staff at a Midlands pub to hand over takings before they robbed...
Legal row erupts over grandfather rights
by Tony Halstead Thousands of pub businesses could lose cherished "grandfather rights" in a legal row which threatens to cause major disruption to...
Gales wins green' gongfor water conservation
by Tony Halstead Independent brewer George Gale has won a major environmental award for water conservation. The Hampshire-based brewer triumphed in...
The psychology of the pub
Andrew Jefford reflects on the crucial role that not enough pubs play in soothing the fevered brow of mankind Circumstances have recently propelled...
Screwed up' reform hits B&Bs hard
I have just returned from an out-of-season trip to Blackpool, which greeted me with sunshine and another victim of the bold new licensing reforms ...
Spirit to grow Two For One and Chef & Brewer brands
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 &...
Bodgers flies the flag for barley wine
If Murphy's Law operates, you will read this in bright spring sunshine, but I'm writing with snow driving against the house and cars slithering...
Last-minute call for postponement of SIA scheme
There are new calls this week for an eleventh-hour postponement of the doorstaff registration scheme, with the body in charge facing legal action...
Coming out fighting
Daniel Pearce hears both sides of the arguments over SIA licensing.There were high hopes a month ago that the licensed trade could broker a peace...
Trade locks horns with SIA over doorstaff row
by Ewan Turney The British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) has slammed the Security Industry Authority (SIA) for refusing to listen to constructive...
The husband and wife
Nader and Shaheen Khan are complete newcomers and view the pub trade as a fresh challenge. They have both proven themselves in business Nader...
Best Bar None award fires up
The second Weston-Super-Mare Best Bar None award scheme was launched on 8 March. Awards will be dished out for best bar, best club, best pub and best...
The business partners
Flight engineer Ian Oakley wants a job where his feet are firmly on the ground after his ambition to become a pilot came to a premature end. "I...
Could drink be heading the same way as tobacco?
Eurocrats are stamping down on the drinks industry and have warned the trade it must "put its house in order" or risk European intervention.Comments...
Licensees furious at council's 'bias' on applications
Licensees hoping to extend their opening hours in one London borough are furious that their local council appears to be urging residents to...
Take a giant leap for LTC with walk
One of the biggest charity fundraising events of the year is taking place between April and September and presents a great opportunity to raise...
Bidding invited for SFI
SFI, the troubled owner of Slug and Lettuce, has signalled its potential sale with the issue of an information pack aimed at prospective...
Alcohol disorder zones a quick fix' say councils
by Tony Halstead Local councils say the creationof alcohol disorder zones (ADZs) in town and city centres represent a "quick fix" and will not...
Mark Jones' move to pay for policing at two of his Yates's b
Jones will not have made the decision to stump up lightly. And, no doubt, he'll argue that bolstering police resource in a fewlocalities is no...
Managers in the dark' over post-reform hours
by John Harrington The National Association of Licensed House Managers (NALHM) has criticised pubcos for leaving their managers in the dark about...