'Government to force pubs to sell smaller wine measures'
"Happy hour and cut-price drink promotions in pubs and clubs will be outlawed under a Government crackdown. Ministers plan to unveil new proposals in their war on binge-drinking ahead of a Christmas campaign against drink-driving. They hope the clampdown will cut booze-fuelled violence and slash the bill for alcohol misuse which could cost up to £25billion a year. A strict code of conduct will aim to outlaw promotions which encourage drinking large amounts of booze or drinking at speed during happy hour, say Whitehall sources." - Sunday Mirror
"Pubs and restaurants are to be forced to offer punters smaller glasses of wine. Government nannies may also order shops to sell smaller glasses in a bid to stop people drinking too much at home. The new rule will make 125ml the standard shot of wine in boozers instead of 175ml or even 250ml - a third of a bottle. And it comes after a survey showed many bars have ditched smaller measures so customers drink - and spend - more. Government health director Dr Will Cavendish said of the findings: 'People who wanted a small glass of wine were refused service. That is something we think we should take action on.'" - Sunday People
"A study of 1300 sportsmen and women in the UK and Australia found around half were backed by booze brands. Manchester University's Dr Kerry O'Brien said: 'Sports people receiving direct alcohol industry sponsorship of any kind reported more hazardous drinking than those not receiving sponsorship. Similarly, those receiving free or discounted drinks from sponsors and those who felt they were required to drink their sponsor's product at their establishments reported even higher levels of drinking.' The UK Alcohol Health Alliance's Professor Ian Gilmore said: 'Some countries have banned alcohol-related sports sponsorship and it is time we had that debate.'" - Glasgow Sunday Mail
"Directors at Mitchells & Butlers (M&B), which announces its annual results this week, will decide whether to maintain the dividend. The payout is surely under threat. Punch Taverns scrapped its payout in September, and although M&B's financial results are likely to reassure, it is likely to follow its erstwhile suitor and cut its dividend. Investing in price cuts to keep customers coming into its bars might be a better use of funds than keeping the dividend slightly less than last year, but the spring will herald much tougher times as consumers batten down the hatches to pay off their annual festive splurge." - Sunday Times
"Fears about Enterprise Inns' refinancing debt two-and-a-half years' out seem overblown. Enterprise - like leisure companies across the UK - will face problems next year, but there is reason for optimism. The tenancy model is robust and the company has a strong asset base. The shares have fallen far enough. There will be further drops but calling the absolute bottom is never easy. Investors risk losing out on a dividend next year, yet now is the time to fill your glass." - Sunday Telegraph
"Pubs group Mitchells & Butlers, with some 2000 outlets, could lighten some of the gloom around its sector on Wednesday when followers look for annual profits of up to £175m and a fatter dividend despite falling beer sales. The owner of the Harvester and All Bar One chains will point to the success of its carveries and other food offerings which enabled it to sell well over 100 million meals last year, accounting for two-thirds of total sales." - Sunday Herald
And finally…
"Judging from the effect of the smoking ban on our village pub, this great English institution has now been consigned to history. And if you are seeking a requiem for the pub culture and all that it meant, then 'Everyday Drinking', a collection of observations by Kingsley Amis, is the book for you. It will not console you for the loss, but it will teach you how to be rude about it, with that inimitable rudeness that Kingsley perfected and which was the breast-plate across a warm, vulnerable and thoroughly decent heart." - Observer
