Taste test
THIS WEEK: Grolsch Weizen A 5.3% abv brew, launched to take on S&NUK and InBev in the wheat-beer sector Marcus Ellerby 25, student, London I am...
Archives for February 15, 2007
Regent steers course away from high street
Regent Inns has been at the eye of the high-street storm since the new licensing regime commenced in November 2005. The company has had to gird its...
MyShout
Don't stick your head in the snow - go smoke-free now and reap the rewards, says David Elliott As I write, snow is taking over most of the country,...
Unearthing a hidden treasure
Before the snows came and on a day of bright sun and fleecy clouds, with the Chiltern Hills dusted with frost, I drove to Buckinghamshire with my...
Wessex Taverns' pubs sold again
The pub assets of 30-strong managed company Wessex Taverns have been sold for a second time in less than 18 months, the Morning Advertiser has...
Smoke police to cost £29.5million
Thousands of council staff are being trained to police the smoking ban at a cost of £29.5million. The Government has given the money to local...
10 tips for the smoking ban
The ban is imminent and the regulations are now available. Graeme Cushion, partner at licensing solicitors Poppleston Allen, addresses the areas that...
Smoke ban campaign due to kick off next month
The government is set to launch a major publicity campaign to raise awareness among consumers of the forthcoming smoking ban.A 100-day countdown to...
DoH to provide free no-smoking signage
The Department of Health (DoH) has confirmed that pubs will be able to download the no-smoking signage needed to comply with the July smoking ban...
Manchester A&E staff to quiz drunks
Doctors and nurses in Manchester are to ask drunken patients where they had their last drink so that police can locate irresponsible pubs and clubs....
Britvic lets the juice loose
Britvic is working on a range of new soft drinks to help pubs gain more business when the smoking ban comes into force. Outlining a £7m investment...
Playing the reel of fortune
The new generation of gaming machines is breathing new life into the market How one operator is putting entertainment at the top of its agenda...
Tax hike 'will cause brewery closures'
Brewery closures will escalate if the annual tax hike on beer continues. That is the stark message from the British Beer & Pub Association...
THE AGENTS
Rachel Peacock Managing Director The Bar Agency As the weekend approaches, most people have numerous options for their leisure time - I have heard...
Peer calls for labels to help child health
A Labour Peer has called for all cans and bottles of alcohol to carry health warnings aimed at pregnant women. At the end of January, Lord Mitchell...
Pub closure debate needed
There's a craterhole the size of a fallen meteorite bang outside Sevenoaks station where once used to stand the finest kind of community pub you...
Police threaten Reading pubs over glassware ban
A senior Reading policeman has threatened to call for licence reviews at late night venues that won't ditch glass containers. Reading's inspector...
Pebble trio buy hotels
Former Mill House Inns bosses Ted Kennedy and Ziya Akguneyliu have acquired three hotels from Punch Taverns in a deal estimated to be worth around...
Poker league brings Full House
Licensees up and down the country are being urged to look at the possible benefits of hosting poker nights. This week, over 300 players have been...
Pubs must warm to the idea of the green agenda
Combating climate change should be at the top of everyone's agenda, including local pub owners, says Andrew Jefford Imagine that you're lying on a...
Stamp of approval
Hilary Scott tells Ewan Turney how adding a post office to the refurbished Black Swan in Wistow, North Yorkshire, helped her win friends and double...
Host goes self-sufficient
A North Yorkshire host is on a quest to supply all his pub's own energy needs. David Hawksworth is already saving about 25% on electricity bills -...
Licensing@aol.com
Changes of address Q We have recently moved pubs in the same district. The premises licence is held by the same brewery. In all the pressure of the...
Licensees being issued with legal notices over foreign satellites
Licensees showing Premiership football using foreign satellite suppliers are being issued with legal notices and letters telling them it is...
City Dispense opens first pub in quest for perfect pint
Technical services provider City Dispense has opened its first pub with a mission to showcase the best in cellar maintenance and beer quality. The...
Diageo pumps £100m into Scotch whisky operation
Up to 200 new jobs are to be created when drinks giant Diageo rolls out a £100m investment programme to expand its Scotch whisky operations north of...
Less camera, more Camra
The former portrait photographer to HM the Queen, beer-loving Mark Lawrence, has put his mind to capturing the spirit of another great British...
Call for smoke-ban light touch
Trade leaders have called for "light touch" enforcement of the smoking ban by councils. Speaking to an audience of local authority officials at a...
Public house to private home
The gloomy predictions for pub closures over the next few years will highlight the fact that it is still difficult to "de-license" a pub. I don't...
Chris Maclean: be nice to your draymen
On Tuesday I had a a delightful time in London with my three daughters. When I returned I discovered I had experienced the worst brewery delivery in...
Big Brother psychologist to speak at Publican Live
If you want to know how to succeed in business - the psychologist from Big Brother (BB) could be the one to explain. Ros Taylor the BB psychologist...
Med approach
The Norfolk Arms opened in London's Kings Cross last summer to ecstatic reviews and strong business. Manager Sandra Cork tells Humayun Hussain how...
Licensees frustrated over big screen supplier
Floods of licensees have contacted The Publican still desperate for information about big screen supplier Satvision. As news broke of the company's...
LETTERs
LTC is not going anywhere Further to the story reported on 8 February (MA, LTC Trust Wound Up After 26 Years), I want to reassure all readers and...
THE GUV'NOR
Graham Rowson Don't risk missing the smoking ban roadshows says the licensee of the Plungington Tavern in Preston, Lancashire I make no apologies for...
Screen test your supplier
The cricket World Cup kicks off next month - another chance for pubs to cash in on a top sporting event. With games set to begin around...
InBrief
TV cheat caught with wrong card A London licensee has been ordered to do 100 hours of community service work and pay costs of £768.68 after he was...
NewsDigest
The Licensed Trade Charity would like to clarify that the report in the Morning Advertiser on 8 February regarding the LTC Trust being wound up after...
Cup fever starts feast of footy
Coming up over the next seven days, there are two major events to look forward to: round five of the FA Cup; and later, the Uefa Champions League....
UK market proves to be tough for Diageo
Scotland's smoking ban, reduced retailer-funded promotions and a consumer shift from the on-trade to the off-trade hit Diageo's performance in the UK...
Too many conditions are unjustifiable
One of the main planks of the government's policy on "one size fits all" licensing was that the operating schedule would indicate exactly what sort...
Consumers 'ignorant' over smoking ban
The size of the task facing pubs, barstaff - and the government - ahead of the smoking ban has been laid bare by exclusive Publican research.But so...