City Diary: 2 April

Heat's on for Apprentice info​

This magazine exclusively revealed that Mitchells & Butlers Howard Ebison and former Marston's business development manager Kate Walsh are appearing in the current series of The Apprentice. For some reason it's Kate that has caught the attention of Heat magazine. Its deputy news editor Laura Atkinson got in touch with us: "Let me know if there's anything interesting at all you've dug up or that anyone's contacted you with — we're looking for any angle!" Sorry Heat, we can't help.

Premium backtracks on chairman's pay-off​

Mark Jones gave a year's notice as executive chairman at Premium Bars and Restaurants last October. The company, somewhat promptly, waved him off, declining to pay his contractual right to a year's salary. Sources indicate it was shaping up to go to an industrial tribunal. Now, though, City Diary hears that Premium bosses have folded after legal advisors suggested it was lacking a leg to stand on. It always feels good to do the right thing, doesn't it?

Share tips not to be shared​

The Guardian ran a piece last week pointing out that journalists should not be relied upon for share tips. It quoted The Daily Telegraph's list of top tips for 2008, published in January 2008. Amid a plethora of share tips that were utterly useless was the following advice on Punch: "It's a good time to buy shares in quality operators". Its shares fell 92%. Ouch.

Public houses and White Houses​

Sapient Corporate Finance oversaw the sale of six classic Punch Taverns pubs in London to Fuller's last week in a project called Columbia. City Diary is reliably informed it's a tribute from Sapient partner Peter Hansen to Barack Obama — now residing in the District of Columbia.

Not stumped for new concepts ​

Ideas still abound out there. The Cricketers, a somewhat jaded sports bar in Stoke Newington, north London, has been converted into a Belgian-themed bar call Jan's by its new owner. The property is held on a 20-year lease with the Wellington Pub Company.

Could be time to opt out of all-in ​

City Diary hears a well-known chain of high-street bars is gearing up to launch a swathe of all-inclusive nights in the near future. It's not too late to change your mind on this one, fellas.

Globe shoulders hefty write-offs​

City Diary suspects there may have been gnashing of teeth at both Globe Pub Company and Scottish & Newcastle Pub Enterprises when Peter Linacre's Glasshouse went through a pre-pack administration in January. There was a trade loan write-off of £900,000 — pretty chunky given Glasshouse had just nine Globe pubs. And, as Globe pointed out at the start of this week, but for the Glasshouse write-off, the company would have been very much closer to meeting its debt service covenant.

We can work it out — WGC hopes​

The firm responsible for cleaning the Beatles-themed hotel in Liverpool, is claiming it has invoices worth £87,000 unpaid — and is not inclined to Let It Be.

WGC, which carried out cleaning services at the 110-bed Hard Day's Night Hotel, which opened in February 2008, accuses the hotel of failing to pay more than £87,000 for cleaning services. The Hard Days Night Hotel is a £20m transformation from a listed 19th-century office block in the centre of Liverpool into a luxury four-star hotel, with an original painting of the Beatles in each of the bedrooms.

To trim training is a tricky move​

Times are tough, but is the axe falling in the right places? The Living Room brand is renowned for the quality of its training, which is widely regarded as key in the very low 15% annual staff turnover percentage. Seems odd then for brand owner Premium Bars and Restaurants to make its well-regarded training manager Vanessa Wilmot redundant. Perhaps not surprisingly Wilmot has reappeared at Tim Bacon's Living Ventures — he used to employ her when he owned Living Room.

Tax savvy locals buy own pub​

Hats off to a bunch of Berkshire villagers who are using the tax advantages of an Enterprise Investment Scheme to buy their local pub. The good folk of Shurlock Row have bought the village's White Hart. They'll be running it themselves — and have changed the name to the Shurlock Inn. The new owners include an airline pilot, a stewardess, a teacher, a bank manager, an IT professional, a graphic designer, a builder, a conference organiser, a retired stockbroker, a scientist and a marketing professional. And someone among them noticed that they all get 20% tax relief under the Government's Enterprise Investment scheme. Hurrah.

Carlsberg man gets Sussex mill​

It's always impressive when someone involved in brewing avails themselves of a bit of first-hand retail experience. Tim Foster is senior customer marketing manager at Carlsberg. He also now owns 25% of the delightful Wiremill, near East Grinstead, having bought it from Massive Pub Company a while back. City Diary treated itself to Saturday lunch there a few weeks back and it's a cracker.