JDW gains Cask Marque approval in NI
Eight JD Wetherspoon pubs in Northern Ireland have broken new ground by becoming the first outlets in the province to win Cask Marque accreditation. Wetherspoon's Northern Ireland general manager Phil Annett said: "Very few pubs in Northern Ireland serve real ale. However, it has proven very popular in our outlets and we have definitely converted a lot of people to the taste." Buckley plans pubco expansion Former Greenalls director Ken Buckley is to develop two pub companies, one freehold and one leasehold, in the Merseyside area after the acquisition of the Pub Support Company for an undisclosed sum. Buckley plans to expand Bold Pub Company by buying around 100 freehold pubs it runs 10 after the Pub Support deal. The Pub Support Company will focus on running leaseholds and tenancies. H&H stages Hop Idol' contest Independent brewer Hardys & Hansons has launched its "Hop Idol" contest to find its most community-friendly customers. The contest, part of National Pub Week (21 to 28 February), is for punters at the brewer's 250-strong estate. Regional winners will get to throw a party at their local and the overall winner will get £500, plus a trip round the brewery. GK offers deals for Cask Ale Week Greene King Pub Company has a host of offers to boost sales of their beers during Cask Ale Week (23 to 29 February). The offers, on Abbot Ale, IPA, Ruddles County and Old Speckled Hen, include: buy two pints and get a free half at Real Pubs and High Street; spend more than £5 on a meal and get a free half at Inns & Hotels; and buy a steak and get a free half at the Hungry Horse. Trading Standards probe snort' device Trading Standards is set to investigate a machine that allows drinkers to inhale vapourised alcohol. The Alcohol With Out Liquid (Awol) machine, used for the first time at Il Bordello in Bristol this month, allows spirits to be "snorted" into the nose or inhaled through the mouth. ACAD, the alcohol advisory service, has made an official complaint, as there is no way of measuring the strength of the alcohol consumed. Awol inventor Dominic Simler denied that Awol encouraged excessive alcohol use. Diageo starts £6.5m Guinness promo Drinks giant Diageo has launched a new £6.5m Guinness campaign that it hopes will boost the brand in the on-trade after a disappointing six months saw sales down 3%. The first ad in the Out of Darkness Comes Light campaign, featuring people following a swarm of moths and representing the surge and settle of a Guinness pint, was screened for the first time on Tuesday. See next week's brands page in the MA for more details.
