NewsDigest
Suffolk brewer and pub operator Adnams has reported a 22.2% drop in pre-tax profit to £3.79m for the year to 31 December 2006. Adnams said profits were hit by tough trading conditions in the first half of the year as it initiated changes to its business, which saw restructuring and associated cost savings. Turnover was up 1.3% to £46.07m and operating profit before exceptional items increased 11.8% to £4.10m.
More than 400 police officers raided pubs and other licensed premises on Merseyside in a major clampdown on alcohol-related crime. One pub - the Harlech Castle in Walton - was temporarily closed because the designated premises supervisor was not on the premises. Another venue - the Penny Farthing in Liverpool city centre - was forced to close for having inadequate CCTV cover.
InnDeed Group, the pub company backed by Dawnay Day, has bought six pubs from Cedar Pub Company for just under £3.2m, according to MA's sister publication M&C Report. It is the second deal between the two companies after Indeed acquired its first 11 pubs from Cedar in February. The latest package of pubs are all tenanted and located in the Midlands and north-east England.
Pubs that produce good food have the chance to win an award through a text-vote system for the 2007 Which? Good Food Guide. Diners can nominate their favourite independently-owned outlets in their area by texting GFG followed by the name and town of it to 62277. The award will be presented at the Which? awards ceremony on 27 June at the British Museum in London.
One of the stars of the BBC TV show Dragon's Den has been lined up to speak at the BII annual lunch. Simon Woodroffe, who founded the Yo! Sushi chain, will be the keynote speaker at the event, which is held this year on 1 May at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London. Woodroffe is expected to be joined by more than 1,000 BII members and will share his experiences in the hospitality industry.
