Stonegate, the managed-pub operator, plans to refurbish 80 sites in the next 12 months, including a new template for its late-night bars and student-focused Scream brand.
Stonegate, the managed-pub operator, plans to refurbish 80 sites in the next 12 months, including a new template for its late-night bars and student-focused Scream brand.
Licensees in Nottingham city centre are being given the opportunity to increase their environmental credentials and cut waste costs through a new initiative.

Licensees wanting to take on a Scottish & Newcastle Pub Company (S&NPC) tenancy must have their business plans approved and signed off by an independent accountant or business advisor

Pub-trade brokers have said they expected high-street banks to fall short of lending targets for offering finance to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) under the Project Merlin agreement.
Spirit Pub Company has strengthened the management team of its c.550-strong leased division, appointing Stephen Worrall as its new head of commercial.
QHA Limited, the pub company run by gastropub pioneers Michael Kittos and Tony Wolfe, has secured its third site, a former Samuel Smith pub in central London.

St Austell has taken on two new staff to improve the estate’s food offer.

Stella Artois has unveiled a new advertising campaign that focuses on 600 years of Belgian brewing heritage.

Kent brewer Shepherd Neame has transformed a London pub to include a traditional fish & chip shop.

JD Wetherspoon, the managed pub operator, has failed in an attempt to claim capital allowances for work partitioning toilets at two of its pubs.

Executing ‘brilliant basics’ on soft drinks and using targeted promotional activity to drive new footfall were the two key areas that lessees Duncan and Natalie Entwistle and I talked about on my first visit to their pub, the Greets Inn in Warnham, West Sussex.

Nearly a year into his post, David Wilson, the British Beer and Pub Association’s (BBPA’s) public affairs director, tells Gurjit Degun about his love of a good campaign and how the industry needs to work together to tackle the elephant in the room — the beer-duty escalator.
Industry bosses will debate the future of the pub industry as part of a conference and boat party celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers (ALMR).

Gordon Ramsay’s former pub the Devonshire Arms in Chiswick, west London, has closed less than a year after re-opening.
A Scunthorpe MP has written to 73 licensees in the town asking for their thoughts on the pubco-tenant relationship.
Loungers, the privately-owned group bar led by Alex Reilley, has secured a further two sites for its Cosy Club format in Cardiff and Salisbury, in Wiltshire.

Thirteen Mitchells & Butlers (M&B) retail business managers (RBMs) and 33 retail managers have graduated from the company’s postgraduate course.

The Maypole Inn at Thurloxton near Taunton, Somerset, is celebrating winning the BOC Sureserve competition to find the pub serving the best pint in Britain.

Smoke-free areas should be extended to beer gardens and other outside areas to help combat “social smoking”, according to researchers in New Zealand.

As my three-month mentoring programme with the Greets Inn comes to an end, it is wonderful to reflect on how far Duncan and Natalie have come in such a short space of time. I believe we have achieved all we set out in our action plan — and more.
Tony Blair’s former communications chief Alastair Campbell has been accused of encouraging a “manufactured moral panic” over Britain’s alcohol use over claims in his BBC documentary screened last night.

Ten Brakspear pubs in Henley-on-Thames are to stage a Tax-Free Beer Day on 28 February, as a way of highlighting the punitive taxation on beer in the run up to the Budget.

SABMiller has defended itself against allegations of tax evasion after the University of Edinburgh banned all of the brewer’s beers from its student union.

The BII (British Institute of Innkeeping) has announced the 21 semi-finalists for its 2012 Licensee of the Year award.

Carlsberg, the international brewer, says it will buy the remaining 15% stake in its Russian brewery venture Baltika this year as it reported a rise in Q4 profits and revenues.

Tony Blair's former spin doctor has urged David Cameron to reverse later pub openings which were introduced by the Labour Government under the Licensing Act in 2005.

A group of high-profile health campaigners has urged the Government to implement tough new regulations on alcohol, including minimum pricing, ahead of publication of the new Alcohol Strategy.

Michelin starred chef Martin Wishart has joined forces with Molson Coors wo produce an exclusive menu for its Scottish pubs.

Nestlé Professional’s Nestlé Toque d’Or launches on 28 February at Hotelmpia.

London brewer Fuller’s is opening a new-build pub at the new King’s Cross railway station development.

Caterers have just one week left to enter their best burger in EBLEX’s England’s Best Burger Challenge 2012.

Complaints about a conman fleecing licensees out of hundreds of pounds have been streaming into the Publican’s Morning Advertiser, following an exclusive story last week.
CAMRA has written to Chancellor George Osborne calling on him to freeze beer duty in his forthcoming Budget on 21 March.
Minimum-pricing schemes are operating illegally in certain parts of the United Kingdom, delegates at the National Pubwatch conference last week.
Rural regeneration champion Pub is the Hub has doubled its workload over the past 12 months as more under-threat licensees seek help to keep their businesses viable.

The Drinks Company has released Stroh Jagertee (40% ABV), an Austrian rum blended with spices, black tea extract, lemon and caramelised sugar developed by Sebastian Stroh in 1864.

Sharing foods have enjoyed a rise in popularity over recent years. Sheila McWattie looks at 10 different ways to pull the groups in

Award-winning Broker’s London Dry Gin is now part of specialist distributor Hi-Spirits' growing drinks portfolio.

Inventive Leisure, the Revolution Vodka Bar operator, has secured a third site for its stand-alone Revolución de Cuba rum-bar concept as it nears agreement on further acquisitions.
Purity Brewing Company, the Warwickshire brewer, has announced two key appointments and revealed that it’s like-for-like sales increased 44% in December.
Brighton & Hove City Council has passed a motion calling on the Government to monitor self-regulation of the pub industry and introduce a minimum price for alcohol sales in England.

Britain’s pubs must capitalise on the huge year of celebration in 2012 – without over-zealous councils and regulations getting in the way, said BBPA chief executive Brigid Simmonds today.

The British Institute of Innkeeping (BII) is pushing to get young unemployed people into the hospitality industry by teaming up with Kensington and Chelsea College to launch the BII sector-based work academy.

When Jay Smith, owner of Montey’s Rock Cafe in York and Harrogate and star of TV’s Save Our Boozer, made a return visit to the College Arms at Lower Quinton, Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, he found that owners Jo Arevalo and Marilyn Herdman had been hard at work putting into practice the suggestions he made to turn the business around.

Jascots, the on-trade specialist wine merchant, has formed a partnership with Champagne Pannier to distribute its range throughout the UK.

Two Michelin-starred the Hand & Flowers scooped the coveted number one place at the Top 50 Gastropubs Awards, held yesterday (6 Feb)

Heavy Water Vodka has been re-launched in the UK after the recruitment of importer Drinks 21.

Enterprise Inns has implemented a 4% to 5% rise in tied drinks products from 6 February.

Marco Pierre White's Yew Tree pub in Berkshire has been put up for sale following a dispute with his former business partners.

Consumers in the UK have cited higher-quality food as the number one reason for visiting pubs more often, according to the latest research by Technomic.

Pubs are being urged to support a campaign aimed at boosting domestic tourism this year by offering deals themed around the Olympics with at least 20.12% off.

Heineken has sponsored the printing and distribution of 80,000 PASS training cards to raise awareness of the proof-of-age scheme to pubs across the UK.

A minister has said the Government is “committed to ending the sale of heavily discounted alcohol”, and the issue of pricing and the “irresponsible sale of alcohol” will be addressed in the forthcoming alcohol strategy.

Somerset cider maker Thatchers has introduced a new oval label for its 7.4% ABV Katy cider.

Carlsberg has appointed former Denmark goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel as its global ambassador for UEFA’s forthcoming Euro 2012 football tournament

It’s a busy Saturday afternoon and the atmosphere in your pub is electric. Two local football teams have just played out a highly-charged match on your big screen, and your bipartisan customers are all in lively, but friendly, voice.

Richard Kershaw, chief executive of Manchester family brewer Joseph Holt, has taken on the role of chairman at the British Beer and Pub Association’s North-West branch.

The Yew Tree pub in Berkshire, which has been the cause of a dispute between high-profile chef Marco Pierre White and his former business partners, has been put up for sale, with offers sought in excess of £1.65m.

Any government duty hike at next month’s budget will have “disproportionate and serious consequences” on the cider industry, a leading cider group chairman has claimed.

The Premier League has said it will resume action against pubs and bars that screen Premiership football via foreign satellite systems within the European Economic Area.

The Publican's Morning Advertiser has teamed up with Utilities Direct to relaunch the PMA PowerSaver to help licensees get the best deals on electricity and gas bills.

A Kent pub has officially opened its refurbished live music facilities after winning a nationwide competition organised by PRS for Music.

A Stoke-on-Trent licensee has warned fellow publicans to check their water bills after finding he had been overcharged £522 per year since August 2005.

Norman Lamb has been named the new business minister, the Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) has confirmed.

First Drinks’ gin brand Hendrick’s is putting its weight behind a variety of leap year events in the lead-up to February 29th when the normal rules of courtship are reversed.

Thirteen freehold sites from Punch Taverns, Enterprise Inns and a private vendor are set to go under hammer at an auction held by Sidney Phillips.

Global Brands is asking consumers to come up with a new VK flavour in time for Freshers’ Week celebrations in September.

New research from alcohol education charity Drinkaware has revealed that despite resolutions to be healthier and drink less in 2012, today (3 February) is the day most people expect to fail to cut back their drinking.

InnBrighton, the Brighton & Hove-based licensed multiple retailer, plans to operate 25 pubs in London, the PMA's sister title M&C Report has learnt.

Fuller’s, the London brewer and pub operator, has agreed to pay £22.9m to acquire 15 freehold tenanted pubs from Enterprise Inns.

The Government could act to cut further red tape on the industry by the end of the year, the Department for Culture Media & Sport (DCMS) has confirmed.
NatWest is offering preferential borrowing rates to Greene King’s (GK’s) Meet & Eat pub franchisees under a deal to make the bank its official funding partner for the franchise brand.

Extreme figures on alcohol-related hospital admissions could be a thing of the past as the Government is to revise how it classifies such cases.

The social value of pubs is often overlooked by policymakers because official statistics only capture their financial benefits, according to the Institute of Public Policy Research (IPPR).

Pro-pubs MP Greg Mulholland has slammed the appointment of Rodger Vickers as chairman of the newly-formed Pub Independent Conciliation Advisory Service (PICAS).

International brewer Molson Coors plans to increase production at its William Worthington microbrewery almost four-fold in 2012 after reporting that it produced 1,600 barrels in its first year in operation.

Kornicis, the operator of the Jamie’s Bar and Henry J Beans brands, is the latest bar group to report an increase in trade over the festive period, with like-for-like sales up 15% in the five weeks to 31 December.

Inventive Leisure, the operator of the Revolution Vodka Bar chain, has appointed Kevin Norman, formerly of JD Wetherspoon (JDW), as its new head of acquisitions.

The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) is to launch a new national pubs campaign, Community Pubs Month, to champion local pubs which are at the heart of communities across Britain.
Convivial London Pubs, the eight-strong London estate that was previously run as Capital Pubs II, has reported a turnaround in trading performance in the year to 1 October 2011, with pre-tax profits up 32.3% to £474k.

Licensees in London have been urged to check that their suppliers outside of London understand the road closures during the Olympic Games.

An operator has won his case against a licence review after refusing to hand over CCTV footage from his pub to police.

The Portman Group is calling for people to submit their final responses about changes to the Code of Practice for responsible alcohol marketing, with the consultation deadline closing on 31 January 2012.
AB Inbev is to cut the ABV content of Stella Artois, Budweiser and Beck’s in a move that could be seen by industry observers to offset esculating duty costs.

The Government has said that its Responsibility Deal, which includes participation from leading operators in the pub and restaurant sectors, has led to real changes that are “helping people to live healthier lives”.

Five years ago Boston-based multiple operator Kevin Charity swapped all his pubs for hotels. Phil Mellows discovers a new breed of Bulldog.

The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) has called for urgent Government action to save Britain’s historic pub culture in light of new research showing how 16 pubs on average now close across the country on a weekly basis.

Henry Ashworth, the chief executive of the Portman Group has been confirmed as Industry co-chair of the Responsibility Deal alcohol network alongside Professor Mark Bellis.
The decline in on-trade beer volumes slowed last year to the lowest rate since 2004, with sales falling 3.4%, according to the latest Beer Barometer from the British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA).

Driftwood brewery’s ‘Alfie’s Revenge’ was been crowned the Supreme Champion Winter Beer of Britain 2012.

Greene King-owned Belhaven Brewery, one of Scotland’s oldest brewers, has introduced Belhaven Black and hopes it will ignite the UK’s stout market.
Regulation is not the only answer to dealing with the problem of irresponsible drinking, according to Home Office minister of state for crime prevention and anti-social behaviour reduction, Lord Henley.
Marston’s, the pub operator and brewer, has announced the appointment of Nick Backhouse, formerly chief financial officer at Laurel Pub Company, as a non-executive director.
Spirit Pub Company has announced the appointment of Julie Chakraverty as a new non-executive director with immediate effect.
Plans to reduce red tape in the licensing of live music passed a significant hurdle today as MPs voted in favour of the Live Music Bill.

A licensee has taken the MPs-behind-the-bar scheme further by initiating a job swap with his local MP.

An operator is facing a licence review after refusing to hand over CCTV footage from his pub to the police.

The former editor of the Michelin Great Britain & Ireland Guide is among speakers at the PMA’s next Freehouse Business Club event.

WaverleyTBS, the drinks wholesale business, has appointed former Mitchells & Butlers (M&B) interim chief executive Jeremy Blood as executive chairman.
Company Time, the subsidiary that operates the majority of the Yellowhammer Bars estate, has been placed into administration.