City Diary - 2 Oct

LibDem bonds with ALMR bods​

Liberal Democrat MP Lorely Burt, Shadow Business Minister, was addressing the Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers autumn event last week. Burt was keen to impress her audience by flashing her pub credentials — she ran one for a bit. "I lost more money in a shorter period of time than I've ever done in my life," she told her audience. Yikes.

Bank boss woos with one-liners​

HSBC chief economist Dennis Turner briefed members of the ALMR on the state of the economy at the event. It was a tour de force worthy of a top-class stand-up comedian. Among the many great one-liners, Turner told his audience how to spot when things have got really bad: "It's when those who have no intention of paying you stop buying."

Brown won't get past back bench​

MP John Grogan told multiple operators that there was no chance of the Government calling an early election — for one very good reason. Nervous Labour backbench MPs are "permanently stationed on Whitehall to stop the Prime Minister's car" should it be spotted on the way to Buckingham Palace.

Tory prompts fury across the Mersey​

What is it with Conservatives and Liverpool? Remember Boris Johnson having to visit the city after badly advised comments on the city's capacity for self-pity? Last week, it was Conservative Shadow Licensing Minister Tobias Ellwood's turn to have a go at Liverpudlians. He told retailers at the ALMR that people with criminal records in Liverpool were flooding his Bournemouth constituency and opening pubs. As audience members began to question his comments, he added: "No offence to anyone in Liverpool." Bit late, Tobias.

Peachy summer escape is telling​

Peach Pub Company has held an annual away-week at a "summer house" for its staff for the past five years or so. Around 50 staff are whisked away in two tranches but the destination reflects how well the company is doing. For a couple of years, as the company was storming away, staff were flown to a rented villa in Spain. Last year, as soaring food costs nibbled at profits, the destination was a campsite in Newquay. This year, as the company profits reflect a more stable environment, the destination was a large rented house in Evesham, in Worcestershire. "We've set our sites on Spain next year," co-founder Lee Cash tells City Diary.

Charity climbers start this week​

Cash, along with Paul Salisbury, David Salisbury and Tim Boyle head off to climb Mount Kilimanjaro tomorrow (Friday) for charity. The quartet have

so far raised £12,987 towards their goal of £25,000 — just over half way there. Donations are welcomed on www.thethreemountaineers.co.uk

Walkabout site takes another turn​

The Allsops auction on 15 October that hosts seven Enterprise freeholds has an interesting snapshot of the property market in Lancaster. The Walkabout is being auctioned at a guide price of £700,000 to £750,000, with Regent Inns paying £103,700 rent per annum. The same site with the same tenant paying the same rent was unsold at a Jones Lang LaSalle auction on 8 April 2008 with the last bid being £1,590,000 — a little short of the reserve price.

Cask Ale Week promises profit​

Plans are in place for National Cask Ale Week to run from 29 March to 5 April 2010. Cask, as we all know, is unique to the pub trade. There's a big opportunity here at the 15,000 or so pubs run by Punch and Enterprise. Some 35% of the Punch estate and 28% of the Enterprise estate don't serve cask. Organisers say: "Some of these already have the equipment on site. Some could start to dispense with the support of regional and business relationship managers, and the help of key regional brewers."

Green Gibson's a carvery king​

Simon Gibson might be Mitchells & Butlers' most famous manager. He runs Toby Carvery in Banbury where M&B is trialling a range of green technology (his super-efficient cellar produces a GP of 78%). He features in Danny Wallace's book Friends Like These, in which Wallace traces old school friends. Gibson really impressed Wallace because he's running his own carvery and also has his own theory of time travel. The Banbury Toby Carvery celebrated its second birthday last week and Gibson is pulling up trees with a couple of consecutive £36,000-a-week takes in the past month. Good work, fella.