City Diary — 12 November

Agent registers support for Martin

Wetherspoon boss Tim Martin, on the receiving end of fraudulent property transactions, has been calling for a register where property agents declare their interests as principals in property deals. City Diary hears he received a surprise phone call after his article on the subject in the Morning Advertiser from the principal of a well-known property agent, active in the property market as a principal, declaring his absolute support for the idea — and his recent acquisition of a substantial number of Wetherspoon shares. Can we get you on the record, fella?

TCG sites get individual touch​

Here's proof that giving employees a chance to express themselves can prove a boost for business. Tattershall Castle Group (TCG) chief operating officer Nigel Wright tells City Diary that sales at four of its unbranded sites increased by around 20% after managers and their teams were given a virtual free rein over the business in a project called Westgate. Some quirky, individual concepts around furniture and decor have been put in place, with the offer catered to the needs to the local communities. One example is an £8 meal deal with Champagne at the Westgate in Bath, the venue that gave rise to the concept name. Wright says: "We said to the managers: 'this really is your business — if you were running it as an individual operator, what would you do?'" An impressive range of 10 draught lagers, four mostly local ales, three draught ciders and 12 bottled beers are on offer at the pubs, which were among the nine that have seen fresh investment this autumn. Teams are encouraged to think of the daytime trade, by adding a coffee offer, for example. There are now plans to extend the concept to another six sites within the next 12 months.

Orchid boosts bloom for Close​

Looks like Orchid Pub Company, the 250-strong managed operator led by Rufus Hall, has found a pretty decent sideline running pubs under management contract. The latest one looking to come under its auspices is the Crown Point Inn, Sevenoaks, part of the six-strong Close Imperial Pub Company. Crown Point near Sevenoaks was Close's first pub — a former Brewers Fayre, bought from Mitchells & Butlers, which acquired it as part of the package of 239 sites that Whitbread sold in 2006.

Last Rat & Parrot to get new name​

Where's the last remaining Rat & Parrot, the Scottish & Newcastle Retail brand? It is in fact a stone's throw from Morning Advertiser headquarters in Crawley. The sites are being rebranded (or rather unbranded) by owner Tattershall Castle.

Waste not want not in Southwold​

Suffolk brewer and retailer Adnams is not resting on its laurels as it strives to become ever greener. Now the company has applied for planning consent to convert waste from its hotels, pubs and brewery into fuel to power its delivery vehicles. Plans have been put forward by the Southwold-based brewery to build an anaerobic digestion plant next to its distribution centre in Reydon, just a few miles from Southwold. The plant would allow food waste and leftovers from the brewing process to be broken down by micro-organisms and turned into liquid fertiliser and compressed natural gas, also known as biomethane, which can then be converted into vehicle fuel or to put energy into the National Grid. A planning report says that food waste from pubs, hotels, schools and food processing companies would be delivered to the site at a rate of about eight lorry loads each day and that the plant would be able to process about 12,500 tonnes of waste a year.

Operators take turns on 3D view ​

Who's in the hunt to buy 3D Entertainment,

the Chicago Rock Cafe operator that is being marketed currently? City Diary hears that Orchid had a look and declined to go any further, but that Tiger Tiger operator

Novus Leisure has been showing more than a passing interest.

I spy… some pubco protesters​

Members of the anti-pubco campaign group Fair Pint are entitled to their opinion, aren't they? Compiling a dossier on its individual members would be a bit surveillance state, wouldn't it? It would be downright creepy in fact, wouldn't it? Thank goodness there's no-one that paranoid and controlling in our sector.

Has M&B got the X Factor? Yes, it has ​

Licensees are cursing the rise of Saturday television — the dreaded X Factor pulls 16 million viewers. Now Mitchells & Butlers is fighting back by insisting some student venues give punters a chance to watch the Jedward twins. M&B shows The X Factor and offers cheap drink deals in its Scream pubs. Nathan Helm, of Manchester's Footage, said: "People stay in to watch it. So we are showing it on two large screens and offering two cocktails for £5 while it's on." M&B's Andrew Roache said: "Reaction has been very positive. It means fans of the show can enjoy, debate or sing along while having a few drinks in the pub."

Newark pub success sealed with a Barnsley kiss​

Running a pub is never easy, especially in the early days. Chris Holmes, the hugely likeable former CAMRA chairman and now founder and chairman of the excellent Castle Rock pub estate, gave delegates at last week's Morning Advertiser-organised SIBA Pub Retail Conference a vivid example of how fraught life can be. He was stressing the need to ensure your pubs have

a reputation for being safe places. His first pub, the King's Arms, in Newark, suffered at first through having to weed out a few, er, "undesirables". On one occasion, Holmes was attacked by a gang of seven, found himself on the floor and instinctively delivering what's known as a "Barnsley kiss" to one of them. The gang fled, one of them nursing a split nose.

It was a turning point on the road for the pub as customers recognised that Holmes would stand up for decent standards of behaviour.