Charity: Carvery is key to M&B gain
MA deputy editor The PMA Team says the carvery is key to M&B's strategy again
Archives for January 31, 2008
Call for "safety awareness" publisher to be wound up
The alleged tactics of Glade Solutions Limited mirror those of firms that have conned licensees
Pub facing demolition wins CAMRA award
A pub has won an award for being one of the most improved in its area months after developer's shut it down for not making enough cash. The Summer...
Cask Beer: The market under the microscope
If you speak to anyone in the cask ale industry, be they brewer, marketeer or managing director, they are more positive now than they have been for...
Euro MPs vote for patio heater ban
Euro MPs have voted in favour of phasing out the use of patio heaters today. However, a spokesman for the European Commission moved to dampen fears...
Full week of international action
England's friendly against Switzerland on Wednesday marks a lot of firsts. The side's first fixture of the year at Wembley. The first match under new...
House market fuels sales dip
The combination of a stagnant housing market and the credit squeeze is making it much harder for potential buyers to fund purchases. The sharp dip in...
Late licensing not to blame for binge-drinking
Later licensing hours have not led to an increase in binge-drinking or alcohol-related crime, according to academics. In a report which flies in the...
Heineken heiress gets her wish
When S&N's shareholders finally accepted Heineken and Carlsberg's overtures, the ink on the contract was barely dry before the Campaign for Real...
Heineken's hopes for the future
As Carlsberg and Heineken buy S&N, Heineken chief executive Jean-François van Boxmeer reveals his plans Heineken chief executive Jean-François...
Heading for a hangover
Economist Fred Harrison forecast, with uncanny accuracy, a slowdown in 2008 a decade ago. His view is that a boom in the housing market always leads...
Rebel to appeal against 'extortionate' court order
SMOKING ban rebel Nick Hogan has vowed to fight an order to pay £10,000 for letting people smoke in his pubs. At Bolton Magistrates Court this week...
Chris Maclean: Lent, abstinence and the lure of upholstery
I'm now three weeks into my upholstery class. Every Wednesday night my daughter and I go to a secondary school to learn the subtle art and craft of...
M&B board given rough ride at AGM
Mitchells & Butlers board given a rough ride at a stormy shareholder meeting
ADZs: trade chiefs meet with Home Office as delays continue
The Home Office has been forced into an embarrassing climbdown on its claim that alcohol disorder zones (ADZs) would become law by the end of...
M&B's £400m mess
Mitchells & Butlers (M&B) finance director Karim Naffah has resigned after the company closed its controversial hedge position at a cost of...
MyShout
Despite gloomy stories about dangerous drinking, beer really is good for you, says David Elliott Hands up all those who admit they've been a little...
THE GUV'NOR
Peter Eveleigh Riverside Inn, Bradford-on-Avon, Wiltshire Whenever the time comes to think about these articles, like other folk who make similar...
The Agents
Graham Allman Managing director GA-Select It was Margaret Thatcher who famously said, "The lady's not for turning", then Tony Blair followed up with,...
Darling climbdown
Alistair Darling has announced a further and significant climbdown on his controversial capital gains tax (CGT) reforms. Entrepreneurs will now pay a...
NewsDigest
Agilo, a London-based investment firm, has bought bar operator Sports Cafe for an undisclosed sum. The firm has acquired five of the eight sites...
Another pub told to rip out decking
A pub in Birmingham is appealing after it was told to rip up £9,000 worth of decking installed before the smoking ban.The Digby Hotel in Water Orton...
The great wine dilemma
When it comes to wine should you offer big brands or go for smaller producers, asks Nigel Huddleston One big decision for any pub with a free rein in...
Lords committee slates plan for ADZs
The House of Lords Select Committee is the latest group to attack plans for alcohol disorder zones (ADZs). In a new report, the committee said ADZs...
'Predators circle pubs group wounded by £422m losses'
Opportunistic bidders have begun stalking Mitchells & Butlers a day after the pub operator announced £422m of losses and likely losses linked to...
Trading on track, claims Cains Beer Company
Cains, the 100-pub strong Liverpool-based pubco and brewer, says it had made progress throughout its estate despite the impact of the smoking ban,...
Pring: S&N deal is good for pubs
MA editor Andrew Pring says S&N deal will benefit pubs
Pubs in the pink
Rosé has shed its poor image to become one of wine's success stories over recent years, outperforming even cider in the on-trade. Nigel Huddleston...
LETTERs
The sharp end of the pub trade I read with great interest your article "Punch executives land double-digit pay rises" (MA, 10 January 2008). It's...
Flood clean-up continues
The clean-up from the recent floods was continuing for licensees this week with one pub owner moving his cellar upstairs to escape future damage....
Up to their pies
An Oxfordshire pub has built a profitable business focusing on pies. Jo Bruce reports Anton and Kathy Hayter's food offer at the Crown & Tuns, in...
Smoke-and-mirrors TV war
The game of cat and mouse in the battle of copyright football continues. The latest escapade involves not Sky itself, but the Premier League, which...
SoCo looks to own February
Southern Comfort is planning on 'owning' February with the launch of the SoCo Mardi Gras Month. Activity throughout the month will see SoCo pushing...
Rallying behind St George
What's red, white and busy all over? The answer - with a bit of creativity and planning - could be your pub on 23 April The push to make St George's...
BarTalk
What have you got planned at your pub for St Valentine's Day? Alan Dreja Royal Oak Southampton We have a well-supported quiz on Thursdays anyway, so...
On the button
The EasyCall paging system is big in the hospitality sector, and could help boost pub profits too. Noli Dinkovski reports Football is big business...
Put some fizz into your bizz
With on-trade sales on the rise, Champagne isn't just for special occasions any more. Nigel Huddleston reports While the off-trade gets to grips with...
The threatened pubs of Ulster
If you think you've got problems, imagine trying to run a pub in a city where there are bombs going off every few hours. It's not Baghdad or Beirut...
Michelin awards stars go to Sportsman and Goose
Licensees at two pubs, in Kent and Oxfordshire, are celebrating the award of a coveted star in the Michelin Guide - Great Britain & Ireland 2008....
City diary
It's bad to talk A tenant of a major pubco claims a change of policy means phone numbers of business development managers (BDMs) are no longer...
Protz: Hoppiness is next to Britishness
Beer expert Roger Protz considers the hops of Britain
Licensing@aol.com
Time customers must leave QIn this area the police have said that only half an hour is allowed for people to remain on the premises after "time" has...
Coulson: Time for the trade to clean up its act
MA legal editor says the trade needs to tighten up its food hygiene standards and knowledge
MyNewPub
The Greyhound Loughborough Leicestershire Former pub managers Tina and Paul Stevens have just taken on their first tenancy with Everards. The...
JW Lees unveils new seasonal cask range
JW Lees is launching three new cask beers and has revealed plans to introduce a full range of seasonal and special occasion beers for the first time,...
S&NPE licensees wary after takeover
Licensees are still waiting to find out how Heineken and Carlsberg's £7.6bn deal to takeover Scottish & Newcastle (S&N) will affect them....
Ade to the party
Cobra's new chief executive tells Noli Dinkovski how the beer is set to become an established name in pubs Adrian McKeon is a firm believer that when...
Cask Beer: Moving on up
Lat month I revealed a love of American political jargon. I suggested that the beer market needed some Barack Obama-style 'bounce' Well here's...
Equipped and ready for action
Back bar and cellar equipment are the business drivers for most pubs, as Graham Ridout discovers Double-door bottle coolers are the backbone of...