'Pub selling "cheapest beer" faces probe'

A pub in West Bromwich which claimed to sell the cheapest beer in the country faces having its opening hours slashed after complaints about drug-taking.The Marksman in Carters Green sold pints for 45p and is one of the town's most popular nightspots - Express and Star​

Ted Tuppen, the chief executive of Enterprise Inns, is upset at Nick Clegg, the Lib Dems' leader, who, in an interview with The Publican, suggested that pub company bosses "don't have their hearts in the pub trade". Clegg claimed that the tenanted business model was "clearly unfair" as it forced tenants to pay "through the nose" for rent and beer. Tuppen has written to Clegg, inviting him to visit his team, who he claims are "passionate about pubs and totally committed to the success of the pubs they look after" - The Times​

Enterprise Inns: The tenanted pub operator, which in January reported an 8 per cent decline in net income per pub, is expected to reiterate its cautious prognosis in a first-half trading update. Investors will have to wait until its interim results in May to find out whether it intends to cut or scrap the dividend - The Times​

IRN-BRU maker AG Barr posted a sparkling set of figures as sales of its fizzy drinks outperformed the market. Despite the economic gloom and a poor summer, the Scottish company reported a 9.7 per cent rise in pre-tax profits last year to £23.4million.Chief executive Roger White said a dividend increase reflected the company's confidence in staying on track despite economic uncertainties - The Daily Express​

A suffolk pub is boosting its number of customers by laying on free food once a week. Monday lunchtimes at The Plough in Wisset, near Halesworth, traditionally the quietest time of the week for pubs, are now pulling in credit crunch-busters for miles around, thanks to a clever idea by landlords Nick and Debbie Sumner. "On Mondays we always used to clean out the fridges," said Mrs Sumner. "We were throwing a lot of food away. We said instead of throwing it away why not give it away? - East Anglian Daily Times​