Bill King has downsized with a vengeance. From managing dire
But at least he's still making beer. That seemed unlikely back in 2000 when King & Barnes went out of business. King was badly damaged by the...
Archives for March 17, 2005
After 36 years behind the bar of the Alma in Uckfield, Joy H
Joy Hughes is 18 times your average tenant. At least according to the recent pubco inquiry report, that claims the average tenant only stays in the...
Pub worker to sue over smoke
by John Harrington The first known case of a pub employee taking action against a pub operator for the damage caused by exposure to second-hand...
Lobster protest boosts sales
Animal rights activists daubed graffiti on a Worcestershire pub and staged noisy demonstrations in protest at the pub's Lobster Festival. But the...
Off-sales from hotels
QYou mentioned seaside hotels last week. My question is: are people allowed to purchase off-sales from a residential hotel, if they are not...
Richard Fox looks at ideas for your Easter menu
Easter's a great time in the pub business to start building business on the back of that post-winter, spring-is-coming, feel-good factor. You can...
Pubco 'not guilty' verdict confirmed
Pub companies have been given a virtually clean bill of health by the government following the MPs' inquiry into the industry.Neither the Department...
British food will go global'
Beer will be the only British item left on many pub menus in 10 years, according to top chef Michael Moore. The chef, who is proprietor at London's...
Women's glasses idea is a non starter
The hullabaloo over the return of Dr Who prompted me to go on a personal trip back in time last week. I heard a report on the radio that the British...
Pubs showing support for Beer With Food Week
Pubs across the UK are playing an important part in the national Beer With Food Week which, runs until Sunday and is being supported by Greene King...
Long-term future's bright for Boddington's Interbrew
A new regional TV advertising campaign and an array of in-house support activities in pubs has been announced by Interbrew for Boddington's Cask, now...
Interbrew injects £11m into new-look Boddies and Bass
by Tony Halstead Interbrew UK is to splash out £11m on its two leading cask-ale brands, Draught Bass and Boddington's, following the transfer of...
No cash for court case, says Enterprise licensee
A former Enterprise licensee who claims he lost thousands of pounds trying to resurrect a struggling pub says he hasn't got the money to take the...
Hotel du Vin opens at Brakspear site
The former Brakspear brewery in Henley has re-opened as the seventh Hotel du Vin. The collection of buildings encircling the old brewery yard houses...
Punch accused of reneging on pledge
A multiple Punch lessee has accused the company of reneging on its promise to pay for all premises plans and of using the plans to "blackmail" him...
Host blasts lack of notification on rates rise
A freehold licensee has criticised the Valuation Office for not notifying licensees directly of their new valuations. Chris Dyson was sent his rates...
Back in 2001, Ray Welton used to rent part of the Hepworth &
But Welton has now moved to his own premises Welton Brewery 100 yards away from Bill King's brewery on the Foundry Lane estate. Welton is a...
Brewer taps into theatre' dispense
A new cylinderless beer engine developed by Interbrew is the first branded system of its type, designed to help licensees improve the quality of cask...
JDW stubs out 5 smoking pubs
by The PMA Team The first five "smoking" JD Wetherspoon pubs have been converted to non-smoking on the same day national non-smoking day (9...
Caborn backs trade on grandfather rights
He wants rapid resolution, saying interpretation of bill is wrong by Ewan Turney Licensing Minister Richard Caborn is seeking a "rapid resolution"...
New Act's quite simply a ticking time-bomb
There has, quite understandably, been some consternation in the licensed trade over the suggestion that licences which were transferred after the...
Industry finds Brown's Budget hard to swallow
Brewers and drinkers have slammed Gordon Brown's decision to slap a 1p duty hike on beer.Both the British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA) and the...
Top tips for making pool pay
lEnsure equipment is in good order Nothing annoys players more than poor equipment bent cues and those with poor or no tips are definite loss...
With summer on the horizon, and pubs moving towards indoor s
It's rare for a licensee to have 16-acres of land to play with. But for Paul Brady, who found himself in exactly that position at the Cheshire Cat in...
SIA crackdown stepped up
Measures to crackdown on unlicensed doorstaff are being heavily enforced - with around 100 prosecutions of door workers already in the pipeline....
Budget gets frosty reception from hosts and brewers
by John Harringtonand Ewan Turney Licensees and brewers have hit out at the duty rises on beer announced in yesterday's Budget. From 20 March, beer...
Unit labelling for Allied Domecq
Drinks company Allied Domecq is to add a sensible-drinking message and alcohol-unit labelling to all of its spirits and fortified wine brands sold in...
ScotCo promises new era of price openess
by John Harrington Scottish Courage has announced a new "fairer" system for increasing the wholesale prices of its brands and promises a new era...
Barwatch takes name off ban list
A Barrow man fears his business and reputation will suffer as a result of a man with the same name being published on a list of banned drinkers by...
Supermarkets to sell alcohol around the clock
Major supermarket chains could soon be selling alcohol around the clock - despite the fact that most pubs will stay open just one or two hours...
Door staff to blame for SIA delays'
Home Office minister Hazel Blears has backed the Security Industry Authority (SIA) in its war of words with the trade
Pubs failing in three key areas'
by Andrew Pring The pub trade is failing to give customers enough of what they really want food, friendliness and fun. That was one of the themes...
Watering down gadget on trial
by John Harrington Managed operator Mitchells & Butlers is trialling a new gadget that it believes is the most effective yet for testing if...
Smoking ban draws closer in Northern Ireland
England is in danger of becoming marginalised as an all-out clampdown on smoking in public places looks increasingly likely elsewhere in the...
Bennett launches fresh St George's Day battle
by Ewan Turney The pub trade's champion ofSt George's Day, licensee Tony Bennett, has had his application for extended hours on the day rejected by...
Major shake-up for Scotch whisky
by Rosie Davenport Tough new laws on how Scotch whisky is marketed are being considered in the industry's biggest shake-up for nearly a century....
MBO is not an option says Martin
JD Wetherspoon founder Tim Martin has insisted that there is no chance of the company being taken private in a management buyout. Martin said the...
OFT urged to look into beer price and supply
by Ewan Turney The Competitions Commission (CC) has suggested that the Office of Fair Trading should investigate the price and supply of beer after...
Born to brew
For more than 200-years Horsham's King & Barnes was a dominant regional brewery. Five years after it closed, Roger Protz reports on how three...
Beautiful Beer drive wins major coverage
by Ewan Turney The Beautiful Beer campaign has won widespread media coverage in its first fortnight with particular focus on encouraging women...
Young guns hold sway in Oz
The Brits now drink 38% of all the wine exported from Australia, so says the Australian Bureau of Statistics. How much wine is that, exactly? We...
Budweiser Budvar set to keg at source
Budweiser Budvar has unveiled plans to keg and rack its draught lager where it is produced in the Czech Republic to beef up its reputation as an...
Image is everything when it comes to marketing. But when Adn
ANDY WOOD reflects on a new approach It goes without saying that companies such as Adnams need to build a significant consumer franchise and...
Quality food pub with an enviable reputation
A Cheshire pub revered for its culinary delights is on the market. The Chetwode Arms is a traditional trading concern in the characterful village of...
Griffin's a true Brecon beacon
Offering real luxury but doing thesimple things in life well, have made theFelin Fach Griffin a major attraction, despite its remote South Wales...
Trust Inns bid to avoid big damages payment
by MA Reporter A publican who claims his crushing work routine running an unruly Salford pub triggered heart failure is facing a renewed bid by his...
With the green baize game currently out in front when it com
Pool is the biggest crowd puller in pub sports, with five million people regularly playing at least once a week. As you would expect, there are no...
Enjoy a Grand life on Canal
Looking for that essential point of difference over rival operators then how about this luxury cruising restaurant? The Prince Regent II is...
Come on SIA: explain your jail threats
I am concerned to note that the Security Industry Authority (SIA) spokesmen, in spite of the well-reported problems over the licensing rollout, are...
Police probe fatal shooting outside pub
Two men have been released without charge in connection with a fatal shooting outside a Nottingham pub. Paul Thomas, 34, was shot outside the...
25 years on and SIBA's drum still beats loudly
Britain's small brewers have celebrated 25 years of existence by giving a plaque to the landlady of the pub where they held their first meeting in...
A BDM's lot
Helen Banks has only been a BDM for 15 months and unashamedly confesses: "When I started, the licensees were saying: Oh no, not another BDM'." Prior...
Top chef Novelli says train in pubs
by Max Gosney Pubs eclipse restaurant rivals in the grooming of future chef talent according to Michelin-starred chef Jean-Christophe Novelli. The...