Transfer from Spirit to leases complete
Christie+Co has successfully transferred in excess of 650 ex-Spirit Group Punch leases. The agent marketed 727 businesses, in three tranches, with...
Archives for August 22, 2007
NewsDigest
Marston's is investing £1m in opening three new Que Pasa venues, taking its total to 20. A venue in Doncaster, South Yorks, opened earlier this...
Esta plans wave of anti-Sky actions
The European Satellite Television Association (Esta) plans to launch a wave of legal actions against Sky in a bid to open up a free European market...
'Pub shares faring well'
Complaints about antisocial noise have reached record levels across the country, with parts of suburban England registering average increases of 22...
Supermarkets face pricing backlash
Supermarkets are facing an unprecedented backlash against their alcohol pricing policies, with senior police and politicians adding to the chorus of...
Taste test
THIS WEEK: Upcider A new pear cider from S&NUK Filipe Casimiro, 22, London I can't say that I've ever really associated Finland with cider, so...
Greene King fined £42,000
Greene King has been hit with a mammoth £42,000-worth of fines and costs for hygiene offences at a Hampshire pub. It is the second time in three...
Pick of the pubs
The Avon Inn is located on the main Totnes to Plymouth road that links it to the main A38 Devon road, making it a popular meeting place. Inside is a...
THE AGENTS
Graham Allman Managing director GA-Select Whoever is in government has a strong effect on the trade and value of our businesses and taxation. Summer...
Pub and club licence puzzle
I was intrigued to read recently about one of the first reviews of a club premises certificate. There have been reviews of licences, of course, but...
Alcohol - there's a lot to learn
At long last, common sense is breaking out over the issue of binge and underage drinking. The media, having castigated pubs and the mythical...
Herald's Allcock joins Ultimate
Kevin Allcock has quit Herald Bars and Inns to join nightclub company Ultimate Leisure as managing director of operations, the Morning Advertiser has learnt
Summer washout prompts cask surge
Regional and family brewers are experiencing a dramatic surge in sales of cask beer as appalling summer weather turns drinkers away from lager and...
Gaming law won't bite immediately
In spite of its length and complexity (362 sections and 18 schedules) the new Gambling Act actually represents a relaxation of the law in certain...
Westminster sticks to core hours policy
Westminster City Council is sticking by its controversial policy of restricting opening hours at pubs and clubs while making it easier for...
From Satan to Hell's Kitchen
Rock star superchef and Hell's Kitchen star Marco Pierre White is a man who takes his food seriously. However, when he recently spent an evening at...
Licensing@aol.com
Smoking breaks for staff Q Now that the new anti-smoking law is in operation, is it permissible to allow staff a smoking break during their shift? Q...
THE GUV'NOR Dennis Griffiths
The licensee of the Miners' Rest, Barnsley, urges pubcos to stand up for the on trade We now have a smoke-free environment in all our pubs. Two...
Fuller's lands the Ivy House
Fuller's has completed the off-market purchase of the renowned Ivy House in Chalfont St Giles, in Buckinghamshire. The London brewer and operator...
Magners must change tack
Park-bench drinkers in Ireland must have been chinking their bottles in Tesco's honour when it recently launched a buy-one-get-one-free bonanza on...
£3m funding for Heartstone
Recently-formed Heartstone Inns has raised a further £3m in a second round of private-equity funding, enabling it to rapidly expand its chain of...
LETTERs
Pub is no longer 'our house' We are on our ninth pub, after having a 12-year break until two and a half years ago. Now we lease an inn (as in "Come...
Time to challenge grog shops
On warm evenings in Brighton several hundred youngsters gather on the beach to socialise. Anyone who cares to walk past them will see that they,...
Property prices put pressure on pubs
Soaring property prices are posing a new threat to village community pubs, according to BBC's The One Show in a special investigation into the...
BarTalk
Should the drinking age be raised to 21 for the off-trade? Alan Dreja Royal Oak Southampton Absolutely, the underage drinking problem is not caused...
MyShout
Room for improvement? Colin Wellstead looks at the increasing popularity of letting rooms
Food prices to rise after soggy summer
Licensees can expect a rise in the cost of fresh produce, following one of the worst summers on record. The yield of many crops will be smaller and...
Greene King extends open-book accounting
Greene King Pub Partners, the company's tenanted division, has extended its open book accounting package to include new accountants more local to the...
Change your attitude
People constantly tell me I have the best job in the world. "Drinks editor?" they say. "That means you get to drink all the time, tasting new...
Licensing officials set to make drinkers sit down
A licensing board could force pubs to designate part of their premises seating-only in a new clampdown.Licensees in Perth and Kinross are in uproar...
The state of independence
For the fifth year, the MA has polled its freetrade readers and finds them braced for a tough year. Tony Halstead kicks off a six-page special The...
XXXX rewards working blokes
Men working in "desperate" working environments will be treated to a barbecue, free beer and a performance by a stand-up comedian in their own home...
Pressure mounts for Ferguson
Following Germany's visit to the new Wembley this week, the football agenda can now switch back to club matters. This early in the season, the...
Pete Robinson: Zero tolerance on smokers
The government announced today that in the interests of public health they will introduce legislation effectively banning all gay bars, saying "We...
Basic instinct
After two years working with Heston Blumenthal, chef Emily Watkins has turned to traditional English cooking at her first pub, Mark Taylor reports...
Government plans could cut red tape
A trade group says new Government plans to monitor regulatory bodies could mean less red tape for small businesses. The proposals are included in two...
Admiral pubs to see £50m investment
Admiral Taverns, the tenanted operator of 2,400 pubs headed by Gary Landesberg, is to invest £50m in its estate in the coming three years. The...
InBrief
Harden's lists 150 gastropubs The new Harden's London Restaurants guide features over 150 gastropubs. The guide's co-editor Richard Harden said 2007...
Police push plastics
Police are taking the initiative in the push for polycarbonates with one force spending £20,000 on plastic glasses to give to pubs and clubs....
Making the grades
Pupils from the Licensed Trade Charity's schools once again find they have plenty to celebrate The results are in - the Licensed Victuallers' School...
Invest in the free market
Buying a freehouse remains a holy grail for most licensees who dream of being their own boss. Tony Halstead reports Ask four people to give you their...
Leading by example
As the Responsible Drinks Retailing Awards enter their fourth year, Kelly Smith finds out how scooping one of these coveted titles has benefited some...
Licensee's fury after thug is cautioned
A Bolton licensee is furious a teenage thug got let off with a caution after he was attacked for taking a drink off him for being underage. The...