MA250

MA250 Business Club

The MA250 Business Club is for the UK's top 250 multiple managed retailers – the pub sector’s most dynamic multi-site, privately-owned retailers. Launched in 2008, the business club has grown each year to reach its current numbers. MA250 members are invited to three business seminars a year featuring presentations on market insights, trends and best practice. The club offers fantastic networking with your peers, as well as post-event entertainment and dinner.
For more information about becoming part of the MA250 contact Rob Willock. and join our exclusive LinkedIn group for event updates and networking.

Headline partners:

Britvic

Bulmers

Associate partners:

ALMR

BOC

Business Cash Advance

CGA

CPL Training

Matthew Clark

PopplestonAllen

Sapient

Venners

Punch Taverns

Heineken

London gastropub Elk in the Woods buys next site

Bar Chocolate Ltd, the company behind the popular gastropub Elk in the Woods in London, has secured its second site in the capital.

Wear Inns gains £10m investment

The Business Growth Fund (BGF) and NVM Private Equity (NVM) have announced they plan to invest £10m into Wear Inns, the North east England-based pub operator, to further aid its growth strategy.

BrewDog profits almost doubled last year

BrewDog, the fast-growing Scottish brewer and bar operator, saw profits almost double last year on the back of rising sales aided by its pub opening programme.

Tadcaster converts four tenanted pubs to managed

Tadcaster Pub Company, the northern England-based pub operator, has revealed that it has converted four of its tenanted pubs to managed and is looking to convert two more sites in the near future.

Peach Pub Company gets "significant" investment from Molson Coors

Peach Pub Company, the multiple pub operator, has received initial financing worth half a million pounds from brewer Molson Coors, with an option to secure more at a later date.

First operations director as Livelyhood Venues plans growth

Livelyhood Venues, the London-based pub and restaurant operator, has appointed its first operations director as it announces plans to grow to 15 pubs over the next three years.

Inventive Leisure snaps up two more sites

Inventive Leisure, the Revolution Vodka Bar operator, has secured two more sites, including the biggest location yet for a stand-alone Revolución de Cuba rum-bar concept in Manchester.

Imbiba Partnership plans new Darwin & Wallace concept

Imbiba Partnership, the investment company behind Drake & Morgan, plans to launch a new bar and restaurant concept called Darwin & Wallace with the first funds raised through its recently launched Enterprise Investment Scheme, M&C Report understands.

Animal Inns snapped up by Jeremy King and David Cappendell

Former Regent Inns executive and Momo Leisure co-owner Jeremy ‘Jez’ King has teamed up with entrepreneur David Cappendell to acquire the Norfolk-based Animal Inns business from owner Henry Watt for an undisclosed sum.

Pub People Co in branded beers deal with Nottingham Brewery

Pub People Company, the Midlands-based multiple pub operator, has signed a deal with a local brewer to produce bespoke beers that will be available exclusively in its outlets.

MA250: Shadow business minister Toby Perkins to speak on Labour's pub policies

Shadow business minister Toby Perkins tops the bill at next month's MA250 event on 21 May at Savill Court Hotel, Windsor.

Momo in talks to roll out Jongleurs comedy clubs

Momo Leisure, the firm run by former Regent Inns executives David Elphick and Jez King, is in talks with around six late-night bar operators about rolling out Jongleurs comedy clubs into their outlets, M&C Report has learnt.

BrewDog opens its sixth craft beer bar in Newcastle

Controversial brewer BrewDog has marked the launch of its sixth craft beer bar in Newcastle with a mocked-up image of the landmark Angel of the North, which overlooks the A1 motorway.

TCG donates £20,000 to Help For Heroes as part of fundraising drive

Managed pub and bar operator TCG has donated £20,000 to Help for Heroes as part of a fundraising drive across the group’s 95 outlets.

Head of Steam pub chain offers take-home ready meals as part of Stuff the Supermarkets campaign

A multiple operator is offering customers ready meals to take home as part of its Stuff the Supermarkets campaign, in a bid to compete with the retail giants.

Sixth outlet for Bitters ’n’ Twisted

Bitters ’n’ Twisted, the Birmingham-based bar and restaurant group led by Matt Scriven, will open its sixth site near the end of this month in Harborne, West Midlands.

The Big Interview: Peter Salussolia, Glendola Leisure

Forty years ago Peter Salussolia fulfilled an ambition to run his own business. Since then Glendola Leisure has become a star player among the UK’s multiple operators. But, as he tells Phil Mellows, there’s more to the company than pubs.

Stonegate Pub Co launches new training scheme for employees

Stonegate Pub Company has launched a new training programme for its 10,000 employees called “Albert’s theory of progression”.

Six steps to becoming a multiple pub operator

So you think you’ll make a good multiple operator? As Scottish & Newcastle Pub Company narrows down the common factors behind what works in its estate, Phil Mellows asks questions about acquiring that difficult second pub

MA250: How the sector's top independent multiples fared in 2011

A new report by the Publican's Morning Advertiser lists the MA250 members and takes a closer look at how they fared in 2011

Sixth site for Blue Moon

Blue Moon Pubs, the West Yorkshire multiple operator founded in late 2007 by ex-JD Wetherspoon managers Lee Roberts and Sarah Dinning, has acquired its sixth site in the village of Barkisland, near Halifax.

Stonegate reveals training and assessment programme

Stonegate has launched a training and assessment programme to identify staff with the potential for promotion to area manager.

Sports Bar & Grill to diversify into pubs with rooms

London-based sports-bar operator Sports Bar & Grill is planning to diversify into boutique pubs with rooms, having secured its first site for the new format in Tottenham Court Road.

Innventure secures sixth site

Innventure, the pub company run by former Mitchells & Butlers executive Chris Gerard, has secured its sixth site, its first with Bedford brewer Charles Wells.

Orchid steps up training drive

The Orchid Group has partnered with training provider Babcock to turn their Steps to Excellence programme for staff into a Level 3 National Vocational Qualification (NVQ).

Tim Sykes named Best Individual at MA250 Awards

Beds and Bars chairman Tim Sykes was crowned Best Individual at the MA250 Awards for independent multiple operators in London yesterday.

Borel: fight for VAT cut starts now

Borel: VAT cut for pubs by 2014

The UK hospitality industry could have a targeted VAT cut by April 2014, according to the influential French lobbyist Jacques Borel.

Lazy Cow: huge success in Warwick

UCL to rollout boutique hotels at expense of pubs

MA 250 member Urban & Country Leisure plans to invest £20m over the next three years to rollout its Lazy Cow boutique hotel concept.

Spotlight

The beer-duty escalator: my final thoughts

The beer-duty escalator: my final thoughts

This is going to be my last column on the duty escalator for a little while. It’s...

The Big Interview: Andrew Griffiths MP, chair All-Party Parliamentary Beer Group

The Big Interview: Andrew Griffiths MP, chair All-Party Parliamentary Beer Group

The All-Party Parliamentary Beer Group plays a vital role representing the interests of the pub and brewing...

Here comes the sun... time for a positive outlook
Opinion

Here comes the sun... time for a positive outlook

Foreign Secretary William Hague’s recent message to business to stop complaining about the parlous state of the...

Health & safety in pubs: Top Tips

Health & safety in pubs: Top Tips

An unclean venue is undoubtedly a turn-off for consumers and operators can no longer conceal below-par conditions...