All news articles for October 23, 2017

Drink up: Beer mats urge punters to complain to MPs about beer duty

Beer mats carry a pub health warning, about beer tax

By Fred A'Court

It’s enough to make you cry into your beer! Drinkers can now stare through the bottom of their glass at a beer mat featuring the word ‘tax’ – something no one really wants to read about but a necessary evil given the financial pressures pubs are facing.

Love in the air: the Kings Arms had a special Valentine's offer in February (pic credit: Paul Sweeney)

Some of the best pub A-boards

By Nikkie Sutton

Pub A-boards are a great way for licensees to market their offer, and some operators have used them as a way to get customers talking.

Too high: tax on the UK wine sector is worrying producers

English wine threatened by increased duty

By Nicholas Robinson

English sparkling wine producers may be put under unnecessary pressure if Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond implements proposals to raise tax on the sector.

Steampunks: street theatre builds excitement around The Alchemist's new opening

£1.5m Alchemist site to open in Oxford

By Nicholas Robinson

Bar and restaurant group The Alchemist has pumped £1.5m into the opening of a new shopping centre bar in Oxford, creating 75 new jobs.

Helping hand: new credit card for operators

Food credit card launched for pubs

By Nicholas Robinson

A national food wholesaler has launched a credit card for catering businesses, which has an upper limit of £25,000 and up to 37-days’ of interest free credit.

Just rewards: Robinsons wins at four beer awards

Robinsons brewery snags 20 beer awards

By Nicholas Robinson

Family-owned Robinsons Brewery has walked away with no fewer than 20 accolades at several high-profile beer awards, including the World Beer Awards.

Fleurets' Sutcliffe: some rents are jumping to where we thought headline rents were maybe four to five years ago

Property: Average free of tie leases up as much as 22%

By Michelle Perrett

Rising rents, signs the London market has reached a tipping point, and the effects of Brexit, the national living wage and the new rating system are all covered in Fleurets’ annual rental survey.

Boxing clever: Johnny Nelson

In association with Sky Sports

Sky Sports video competition – clue number three

By MA editorial

Watch former boxer and Sky Sports presenter Johnny Nelson for the third clue in Sky Sports Winning Weekends Video Competition to pick up some fantastic prizes.

Top tip: the free-from category remains the number one food trend

Look into the future of food

By Nikkie Sutton

Pubs need to tap into the future when it comes to food trends, whether that’s a year or 10 down the line. Experts outline which categories are the ones to watch.

Eagle eye: a customer spotted the rat in the pub

Roadworks blamed for rat in JDW pub

By Nikkie Sutton

Roadworks have been blamed for a rat being spotted in a Kent pub, just two months after maggots fell from its ceiling.

Not too expensive: BrewDog co-founder defends the price of his beer

BrewDog co-founder defends the price of his beer

By James Beeson

BrewDog co founder James Watt has launched a staunch defence of the price of the brewery’s beer in supermarkets, as the Scottish brewery launches the fifth round of its Equity For Punks (EFP) crowdfunding initiative.