Hot topics

17-Jun-2011 - Managing director of Caledonian Brewing Co, Stephen Crawley, is urging pubs to celebrate the best of British produce to attract customers.

Fears of a property flood are unfounded

20-May-2011 - The impression that the pub property market is being or is about to become flooded with tenanted pubs is unfounded, says Neil Morgan.

Time is running out for pubcos to reform

12-May-2011 - Lib Dem MP and Save the Pub Group chair Greg Mulholland says time is up for the pubcos and the Government must now intervene.

Why freehouses merit a bigger role in new order

15-Apr-2011 - The freehouse is better placed to meet community needs, like when a post office or paper shop is needed, says Tony Jennings.

Use the royal wedding to raise pubs' profile

12-Apr-2011 - However you plan to commemorate the royal wedding, chances are you're looking forward to the bonus bank holiday on 29 April. If you work...

Don't empower those wanting to close pubs

05-Apr-2011 - The pubco model stifles entrepreneurship when we need this to revitalise pubs, says Greg Mulholland.

Robert Sayles: A tale of two pubcos

23-Mar-2011 - During the course of the last few weeks a number of Publican readers have got in touch. More and more of you it seems are...

Tied pubs provide good opportunities

22-Mar-2011 - There are at least 10,000 too many pubs in the UK and there is simply not the demand or frequency of pub visits any more, says David Elliot.

Caroline Nodder: 'It has been a genuine privilege to write about such a vibrant market'

11-Mar-2011 - Us journalists are notoriously fickle when it comes to moving from industry to industry, but I have to say the pub sector has been a...

Annual rent reviews — we just love 'em!

11-Mar-2011 - Pubs need to evolve — and we must keep our eye on the coffee sector, says Paul Wigham.

Caroline Nodder: Energy firms must be less slapdash in their dealings with pubs

07-Mar-2011 - There are some big plus points to being a journalist and one of them is the ability to stir companies into action on behalf of...

Black days ahead for Big Brewing's dark forces

04-Mar-2011 - Declining global beer sales show that Big Brewing is losing ground slowly but surely in the mature markets of Europe and America, says Tony Jennings.

Caroline Nodder: It is this wealth of ideas from the grassroots which fuels our sector

25-Feb-2011 - I had the honour last week of being asked to judge the final of the Pilsner Urquell Czech Challenge competition, which saw licensees compete for...

Martin Dinkele: What do we want modern pubs to be?

23-Feb-2011 - If year zero for pubs was tomorrow what would they be like? Or, what do we want pubs to be in order to be successful and...

Pub Bitch: Spot the difference - trademark wars

21-Feb-2011 - Spot the difference Protecting a trademark is all well and good, but I reckon it can go too far. Artisan Brewery, based in Cardiff, has been...

Caroline Nodder: CAMRA had its own reasons for super-complaint

18-Feb-2011 - The fact that CAMRA wasn't exactly up front about the decision to withdraw its appeal over the beer tie says a lot about how it...

Robert Sayles: We're down - but are we out?

18-Feb-2011 - "Ladies and Gentlemen. Good evening, and welcome to Madison Square Garden. "Tonight, we are pleased to present a world heavyweight title fight for your entertainment. "In...

Pete Robinson: The British Pub - A thesis on it's decline and fall

16-Feb-2011 - For 450 years British pubs and their smoking customers have enjoyed a mutually beneficial relationship that has survived essentially unchanged through wars, periods of extreme...

Karen Black: Why on earth did I take on a pub?

16-Feb-2011 - Hi everyone, I'm the newest recruit to The Publican's blogging team. My name is Karen, and I have just taken over the Ashfields Hotel in...

Pub Bitch: Separated at birth

15-Feb-2011 - The laughing policeman One of the themes at this year's National Pubwatch conference, held in Liverpool, was tackling misconceptions. You know the sort of thing; expunging...

Caroline Nodder: Foreign satellite opinion opens can of worms for pubs

14-Feb-2011 - A can of worms was opened last week by a European judge who expressed the opinion that the Premier League should be banned from selling...

Burns must inspire us to pack the pubs again

14-Feb-2011 - Stephen Crawley highlights Burns as an inspiration for the on-trade and for keeping pubs at the heart of the proposed Big Society.

Robert Sayles: RPI - the ticking time bomb?

09-Feb-2011 - Up until quite recently, pubcos had the luxury of enjoying guaranteed returns from rental premiums. The upward only rent review clause in lease agreements ensured that...

Martin Dinkele: Six things pubs can learn from coffee shops

08-Feb-2011 - Did you see that report about the growth of coffee shops? 800 new shops opened in 2010. Allegra Strategies predict that the number of coffee...