InBrief
Carlsberg may shut Alloa depot Carlsberg may shut its Scottish distribution centre in August this year. Workers at the site are said to be "shocked"...
Archives for January 24, 2008
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Holiday for a new worker Q I started work in a pub in October and I work a five-and-a-half-day week. I asked the owner about holidays and he said we...
Educating the future generation
High-quality education for the children of those in the licensed retail sector is high on the LTC's list of priorities this year Many people in the...
Pring: Pubs must get help now
MA editor Andrew Pring considers the impact of the latest price rises
Admiral closes smoke-rebel pubs
An Admiral Taverns pub where the host allowed smoking has been closed - because it had no registered licensee. The pubco has publicly condemned...
Taking ale to new heights
As CaskForce heads into its third year, Tony Halstead finds out how life has improved for 2007's winner, Mike Ford at Punch's Farmers Arms in...
Floods put pubs under threat again
Publicans who fell victim to the summer floods have been dealt a further blow by the latest stormy weather, as previously devastated areas were...
Prince gives boost to mutton market
A campaign to get mutton back on the nation's dinner plates received a boost this week when the Prince of Wales visited a North Yorkshire sheep...
BUILDing A SPECIALITY BEER FOLLOWING
Top tips from Beautiful Beer Platinum Award winner Fiona Hornsby, licensee of Liverpool's legendary Thomas Rigby's - which boasts more than 50 brews...
Lancashire hot pub
Kath and Chris Bell tell Amanda Wragg about the trade secrets of Enterprise's White Bull, in Ribchester, Lancashire Our background Chris: I started...
J2O adds Apple & Blueberry
Britvic Soft Drinks is introducing a new exotic flavour to its J2O range - Apple & Blueberry. The new flavour will be available in the on-trade...
Dual drama at Theatre of Dreams
Sir Alex Ferguson's plan is finally kicking into action. Manchester United are inching ahead of Arsenal at the top of the Premier League table. They...
Pub raises £66,000 for charity
A pub and its customers have raised a staggering £66,000 for charity with a downhill Wacky Races-style soapbox dash.The race, which took place...
To buy or not to buy
Thinking about taking on a pub? Don't be one of the newcomers who overlook some simple golden rules, says Tony Halstead Thinking of buying a pub?...
Pubs face £3 pint
Licensees facing above-inflation costs may be forced to add 20p to price of a pint The pub trade is facing up to the prospect this year that the...
S&N deadline extended as takeover talks continue
Scottish & Newcastle (S&N) has been given an extra 24 hours to try and thrash out a recommended 800p-a-share takeover bid by Carslberg and...
Protz: S&N - the global microcosm
Beer expert Roger Protz considers the consequences of Carlsberg & Heineken's bid for S&N
MyNewPub
Zephyr Bar and Club Exeter, Devon Agent: Christie+Co Exeter businessman Ali Anvari is planning a high-profile re-launch at his new bar - enlisting...
Average pint will cost over £3
The pub trade is facing up to the prospect this year that the average price of a pint of beer will rise to £3 or more. Caledonian brewery chief...
World beers
With the choice of foreign premium brands now available, why not expand your beer offering - and your profits - with a few choice specialities. Kelly...
Charles Wells profits hit as costs take their toll
Reorganisation costs and rising raw material prices combined to dent Charles Wells' profitability in 2007.But despite a 17 per cent drop in pre-tax...
Punch pub themed as 'hunting lodge'
A £60,000 investment by the licensees has seen a rural Punch pub in Herefordshire transformed with a Scottish hunting-lodge theme. Hosts Keith and...
NewsDigest
Pub operator Young's is to de-list Stella Artois and replace it with "genuinely imported lagers". This includes Heineken, Amstel and Pilsner Urquell....
The spirit of New Orleans
Rosie Davenport explores the inspiring US home of Southern Comfort as it gets ready to bring the energy of Mardi Gras to UK pubs Firing like flash...
Family values
Is JD Wetherspoon's policy on kids a drastic move or a symptom of the current drive on social responsibility? Adrian Tierney-Jones finds out
THE GUV'NOR
John Baldwin One of the main problems affecting our society is the lack of alcohol education, says the licensee of the Big 6, in Halifax,...
Offer for S&N upped to £7.8bn
Scottish & Newcastle (S&N) is expected to recommend a 800p-a-share offer from rival brewers Carlsberg and Heineken today. The move comes...
Taking ale to new heights
The first tranche of winners have been announced in Marston's CaskForce quality initiative - which is back for a third year. The pioneering scheme,...
Coulson: ADZs - will the rules create a monster?
MA legal editor Peter Coulson considers the regulations on alcohol disorder zones
ALMR: festive food fared well
Increased food sales brought some welcome festive cheer to pub operators across Britain, with volumes up by an average of 3.6% over the period. But...
LETTERs
The downturn is already here Your editor's Morning Advertiser opinion piece (17 January 2008) initially drew my interest because of its inference...
Host's hygiene penalty
A former Greene King pub manager has received a 12-month conditional discharge after pleading guilty at Crown Court to failing to comply with...
Close shave for flood pubs
Licensees in the Midlands and Yorkshire are breathing a sigh of relief after narrowly escaping a repeat of the floods that devastated Britain last...
Cask takes the centre stage
Ex-actress Becky Newman tells Roger Protz about her transformation of a dingy Putney pub into a magnet for fans of cask ale If I tell you I know a...
The search for the country's best bar teams is on
The hunt for the nation's top bar teams is now on!The frontline of pub retailing, the people who customers are most likely to deal with face-to-face,...
Outlook brighter, predicts Christie's
Christie+Co has issued a positive forecast for the property market in 2008 - despite widespread uncertainty in the financial markets and difficult...
Charity: Managing to maintain margin
The PMA Team takes a look at the state of the managed sector
Licensees targeted in dry-cleaning scam
Tricksters are attempting to con cash from licensees using a spilled drinks dry-cleaning scam. Hosts are being asked to pay cleaning bills sent...
BarTalk
What are your plans for raising beer prices at your bar this year? John Ellis Crown Inn Oakengates Shropshire I only change my prices once a year,...
Off-trade might escape ADZ levies
Confusion surrounds the question of whether supermarkets will be forced to pay charges in an alcohol disorder zone (ADZ). ADZs will allow councils...
New checks for illegal pub doorstaff
Application forms will ask about right to work following the illegal immigrant scandal
InBev fumes at Young's delisting
INBEV HAS issued a furious response to a major pub company's decision to delist its flagship brand Stella Artois. Young's, which operates more than...
Capital Gains Tax climbdown
Alistair Darling has announced a further and significant climb down on his controversial Capital Gains Tax reforms
£200m tax reprieve for small businesses
Alistair Darling will try today to rescue Labour's business reputation with a £200 million climbdown on capital gains tax designed to help owners of...
The Agents
Tim Martin Sales associate Fleurets I am often asked by potential vendors for advice on the best time to put a pub on the market. The answer can...
Sports Cafe is sold
Agilo, a London-based special situations fund, buys the troubled bar operator for an undisclosed sum
Casting a political shadow
As a footnote to the article above, it may have escaped the notice of one or two of you that all the current licensed trade legislation is coming...
Shops to blame for youth drinking
Licensees have welcomed research showing young people are five times more likely to buy alcohol from shops than from pubs.A study revealed 52 per...
NEWS OF THE BREWS
Batemans Lincolnshire-based Batemans has unveiled two heart-shaped pump clips to get licensees and customers in the mood for Valentine's Day....