City Diary — 11 June

The inside word on Private Eye

Speculation is swirling on who authored the Private Eye article on pub companies mentioned here last week. One name has emerged as the most likely source of the article and not surprisingly he has pretty strong links with the Fair Pint campaign — and is well-connected with the pie-throwers at Private Eye. Ring City Diary on 01293 610344 to hear who it is.

Good timing for Interpub's euros ​

Canny indeed has been the march of Interpub into Europe, opening hostels in key cities like Amsterdam and Paris. With the strength of the euro against the pound, Interpub's European earnings are proving rather handy. City Diary hears that the European campaign is going very well with its Paris hostel, for example, taking a tasty £104,000 gross in a recent week. Interpub is now turning over £30m from 22 sites.

Burnley Yates's reborn as JDW​

While the core Yates's estate is enjoying a resurgence in fortunes, discarded sites continue to be recycled. JD Wetherspoon has converted Burnley's former Yates's Wine Lodge in St James's Street into the Boot Inn — its original name from years ago.Wetherspoon is spending £620,000 refurbishing the building, which opens tomorrow (12 June).

Eddie Gershon, for Wetherspoon, says: "Burnley has always been a good town for us and we had been looking for a second site for a while. This was a good opportunity to buy a suitable building in a great location."

Dixon's dim view of Boston​

Trade guru Phil Dixon has a theory on why Wainfleet-based Batemans will never capitulate to the blandishments of an external buyer. Aside from Stuart and Jackie Bateman's unyielding devotion to maintaining the family tradition, that is. "Nobody would want to drive through nearby Boston twice,' he told a recent Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers gathering. Eh, Phil, give over, City Diary hails from beautiful Boston.

Bespoke option to templates​

City Diary hears a managed operator has set up a sub-division of 60 or so turnaround pubs. The key is to find trading solutions that suit individual sites rather than imposing a templated solution. Sounds entirely sensible, doesn't it?

A Waxy form of flattery in Florida​

City Diary sees there's a Waxy O'Connor's trading in Miami's South Beach. Glendola Leisure boss Alex Salussolia, who runs the Waxy O'Connor chain in the UK, says that it's all a little frustrating. Turns out the Miami Waxy was set up by three partners — one of whom was a regular visitor to the Leicester Square Waxy. But they insist the choice of name is nothing more than a coincidence. Salussolia has the Waxy name copyrighted in the US, but the courts over there tend to rule in favour of you only when your brand is internationally recognised and you are operationally active in the US. "Copying is the sincerest form of flattery," says Salussolia, a tad over-generously.

Punch has new 'change' maestro​

One more indication that Punch Taverns is fully engaged in the process of moving forward in terms of tenant relations. It now has someone whose job title is Head of Change. The man occupying this perch is Kevin Dalley who was previously overseeing strategy. Good luck, mate.

Admiral invests and reaps reward​

Admiral Taverns is selling quite a few pubs but it's also investing where it makes sense. Sales at a Stocksbridge pub have more than doubled despite the credit crunch, thanks to a major £140,000 investment. The King & Miller, on Manchester Road in Deepcar, South Yorkshire, was given a complete refurbishment in December, which involved installing new flooring and fixtures, and converting three rooms into an open-plan bar and dining area. Business has been very strong ever since, according to Libby and

Roy Scott who've been running the King & Miller for 17 months.

Batemans bash promises hilarity​

Stuart Bateman, boss of delightful Lincolnshire brewer and retailer Batemans, loves to joke — as anyone who has attended his annual golf day in August will attest. The invite to this year's event arrives on City Diary's desk with the usual dashes of Bateman humour (see picture). Those who are interested in playing golf are reminded: "You must be a reasonably regular golfer and that doesn't mean regular as in the effects of drinking Batemans."

Payne turns tenanted talents to local pubs​

Doughty trade veteran Ian Payne joined the MA's panel of "greybeards" to give a view on the future of the tenanted trade a couple of weeks ago. Although he currently chairs two managed companies, his tenanted credentials are impeccable. He was responsible for 4,000 tenancies in the aftermath of the Beer Orders and set up the Bass Lease Co in 1991. Payne acquired Whitbread's tenanted estate in 2001. He now owns two tenanted pubs, both free of tie. He bought an Admiral Taverns pub in Herts this year and at the start of May bought his local, the Moon & Stars in Rushden, Herts, from Punch Taverns. The pub is still run by former Punch licensees Neil and Anita Martin, who have been turned free-of-tie and had a rent reduction. "I think they were over-rented," says Payne. Oh, and he takes no share of machine income. Payne says the two pubs are part of his retirement plans and he won't buy pubs further than 30 minutes from his home.