Sawday's treasures
The latest edition of one of the industry's leading pub guides, Alastair Sawday's Pubs & Inns Guide is out today. Jo Bruce talks trends and top...
Archives for April 25, 2007
Punch surprises us all again, says Andrew Pring
Punch's latest move away from life as a pure pubco has got more than a few heads scratching in the trade. Everyone knows that Giles Thorley and his...
Glendola aims to double in five years
Glendola Leisure, the managed operator of bars, clubs and restaurants, would like to double its £24m-per-year turnover within five years. The...
Forces step up glass action
Police forces are stepping up their attempts to persuade licensees and pub operators to go plastic. Hampshire police have revealed pubs in...
ALMR calls for common sense over rent rises
The Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers (ALMR) has called on landlords to cut its members some slack when it comes to rent reviews. Addressing...
THE AGENTS
Andy Frisby Fleurets Associate Talk of the impending smoking ban and rising interest rates seem to be having little effect on demand for licensed...
Time's up for likely rogues
The Publican is launching ScamWatch month in May, warning licensees about rogues targeting the pub trade.As cash businesses, pubs are prime targets...
Supermarkets say no to alcohol price rises
Supermarkets have ruled out increasing alcohol prices and said they are not to blame for town-centre binge-drinking. They also refused to be drawn on...
Changing the rules on AWPs
Landlords will be aware that they are sometimes called upon to act as umpires on the question of AWP (Amusement with Prizes) machine payouts being...
MyNewPub
The Chequers Inn, Maresfield, East Sussex Agent: Fleurets Corrinne and Mike Gamble have been at the Chequers in Marsfield for nearly a month. Both...
Could brewery be next on the Punch buy list?
Speculation is mounting that Punch Taverns may be planning a route back to an old-style brewers' vertical-integration structure following its...
Not just for VIPs
Liz Hurley held a pre-wedding bash there recently, but not all the customers at the Village Pub in the Cotswolds are A-list celebrities. Adam Edwards...
Local protest wins return for Harveys
Greene King has confirmed that Harveys Best Bitter will return to the Lewes Arms in Sussex this week. The beer was removed from sale in December last...
Thousands vote for Best of British Beer award-winners
The winners of the first Best of British Beer Awards have been announced. About 30,000 real-ale drinkers turned out to vote in the competition that...
American voyage of discovery, by Roger Protz
American friends often say when we meet up, "We must raise a couple of cold ones". But it's more of a warning than an invitation. I like cool beer....
Pick of the pubs
The 18th century Walpole Arms, in North Norfolk, is regarded as one of the UK's best gastropubs, and holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand.The one-and-a-half...
NewsDigest
Britvic is consulting with its staff about out-sourcing its retail distribution network to KN Drinks Logistics, and its vending and chiller...
Young's unveils new advertising
Wells & Young's has unveiled its first advertising campaign for Young's Bitter since the creation of the new brewing company last year.The...
Business leaders dismiss quit smoking calls
Calls to give smokers paid time off work to attend quit smoking classes have been dismissed by business leaders.
Celebrity pub chef to open game school
Celebrity pub chef Mike Robinson is to open a game and wild food cookery school. Following the success of his pub - the Pot Kiln in Frilsham,...
Severe failure rate for pubs
Pubs, bars and restaurants are three times more likely to go bust than any other business, a new survey has revealed. A study of 150,000 business...
Licensing@aol.com
Part-timers' holiday pay QCan you tell me how many hours a bar-person has to work before being entitled to holiday pay? We are having a debate about...
Going for gold
With less than three weeks to go until the final winner of CaskForce is announced, over the coming issues, the MA talks to the seven readers hoping...
Top trade day for St George
Pubs celebrating St George's Day reported bumper trade and urged other hosts to get involved next year. Licensees who made St George the patron saint...
Government accused of favouring clubs in new gaming rules
The government has been accused of favouring private members' clubs in new gambling legislation.All the major pub trade associations have put in...
THE GUV'NOR
Dennis Griffiths Licensee of the Miners' Rest, Barnsley, South Yorkshire, extols the virtues of the Federation of Licensed Victuallers Associations...
Call for freeze on all Sky TV subs
A trade group has called for Sky to offer a price freeze to all its licensee customers following an announcement over a new package.The Association...
All fired up
With summer rapidly approaching, Jonathan Plummer looks at how barbecues can turn the impending smoking ban into an opportunity to maximise profit...
Camra: time's right for cask-ale growth
Real-ale sales will bounce back over the next five years - that was the confident prediction made at the annual members' meeting of Camra, the...
BarTalk
Did you do anything to celebrate St George's Day on Monday? Dominic Kiziuk Sun Hotel Lancaster We were caught out a bit this year and had no real...
Punch to 'take hard line' over plans for the ban
Punch Taverns plans to take a less sympathetic approach to tenants who have failed to prepare for the smoking ban, according to KBC Peel Hunt analyst...
Loyalty bonus
Maggie Pattinson tells Ewan Turney how a loyalty-card scheme helped increase barrelage seven-fold inside two years at the Crofters, Holbeck,...
Pubs told to speed up smoke planning
Councils are urging licensees in England to submit plans for smoking shelters as soon as possible, after reporting that only a trickle of...
Legal advice: Gambling is a serious business
The Gambling Commission has released a consultation paper outlining its proposals for codes of practice that will apply to exempt gaming in clubs and...
World-famous local is for sale
A Scottish pub that featured in the classic Bill Forsyth film, Local Hero, has come onto the market. The 1983 film, shot in Pennan, Aberdeenshire,...
Chris Maclean: watching the football
I went to watch the football last night.One of my fellow licensees, who had read a previous blog about football in pubs, challenged me on Monday to...
Glass war
"We've had no deaths, but we've had a couple of throat slashings, and if we can prevent one death, it's worth doing."In the face of emotive comments...
Business Opinion
with James Crawfurd-Porter Brewers must keep an eye on their kegs Casks and kegs must be the most enduring eco-friendly packaging of modern times....
Preparing for a trouble-free break, advice from Peter Coulson
This comes to you from an island far away, which appears to be populated almost exclusively by ex-licensees - or is it just that I can spot them a...
Snifter trade group sniffs out real facts
A trade study group has completed its second foreign trip to check licensed retail standards on the continent. The group, which was formed in the...
Sky's price freeze conundrum
Licensees left to ponder whether to jump in now or wait for next season's basic service costs to be announced
Brewers will feel squeeze of climate change, says John Grogan
Brewers will feel the squeeze as climate change affects the cost of malting barley, says John Grogan Last Sunday lunchtime I visited one of my...
S&N chairman to outline future plans
Scottish & Newcastle produced a 'robust' set of results for 2006, chairman Sir Brian Stewart will tell today's Annual General Meeting. Sir Brian...