All news articles for December 2019

Festive operations: make sure your pub is in line with the law by reading Poppleston Allen's advice

Christmas licensing problems solved

By Emily Hawkins

With more people going on nights out to socialise and reunite with family, Christmas can bring a mix of licensing concerns for pub operators.

Former glory: publicans Mark and Clare Oglesby have teamed up with Ei Publican Partnerships to renovate the Bay Horse Inn

Ei supports licensees in £380k pub refurb

By Alice Leader

The Bay Horse Inn pub has been restored to its former glory after licensees Mark and Clare Oglesby and Ei Publican Partnerships pumped £380,000 into its refurbishment.

Mixed bag: the past 12 months has seen a plethora of news for the pub trade

The 2019 news in review

By Nicholas Robinson

Here is a selection of news stories featured on The Morning Advertiser website throughout the past 12 months

Quiz of the year: have a go, and share your score on Facebook or Twitter to let us know how you did

The Morning Advertiser Quiz of the Year

By Ed Bedington

It’s nearly the end of 2019 and it has been quite the year, but have you kept up to speed on the various issues and challenges that have faced the sector?

The final spotlight: another LTC volunteer expresses how she's made a difference within the trade

How does the Licensed Trade Charity make a difference?

By Nicholas Robinson

In March, Age UK revealed that there are 1.4m chronically lonely older people in England, and many more across the rest of the UK, with the Christmas period only serving to magnifying the issue.

It’s a cracker: pubco is putting the green into Greene King

Greene King goes green with its crackers

By Alice Leader

This year, Greene King is pulling a greener Christmas as it offers an eco-friendly cracker to its customers as a step to reduce its environmental impact.

Pork problems: the issue was with the bacon that is wrapped around the sausage

JDW back serving pigs in blankets again

By Nikkie Thatcher

Pub bemouth JD Wetherspoon (JDW) is serving pigs in blankets again after a problem with supply meant a handful of pubs didn’t have them for a short time.

Food trends: did the past year's food trends get a thumbs up or thumbs down?

Hit or miss: looking back at 2019’s food trends

By Stuart Stone

From activated charcoal croissants and pulled jackfruit to ‘dirty’ vegan food and anything ‘deconstructed’ – which of the food trends tipped to take 2019 by storm have caught on in pubs?

Spurring sales: Ei gears up to offer customers free pints next month

Ei to boost January trade with 100k free drinks giveaway

By Alice Leader

Ei Publican Partnerships is launching the ‘Cheer Up January’ initiative that will donate 100,000 free drinks to drive footfall and drink sales for publicans during the notoriously quiet post-Christmas period.

Christmas trouble: police crack down on crime in pubs to create a merrier Christmas

Troublemakers can expect 13-month pub ban

By Alice Leader

Cumbria Police are knuckling down on drink-fuelled trouble in pubs and clubs across Whitehaven by implementing a bar ban for troublesome customers, spanning both this Christmas and next.

Staff targets: mentors and mentees will work together to help boost female progression in the business

Stonegate launches female mentoring scheme

By Nikkie Thatcher

Stonegate Pub Company has unveiled a female mentoring programme in a bid to push the representation of women in leadership roles across the group.

Christmas spirit: pubs across the UK are pushing the boat out to provide something extra this Christmas

Are these the UK’s most Christmassy pubs?

By Alice Leader

From a pub that boasts 100 Christmas trees to another that has a real-life reindeer in the garden, CAMRA is celebrating its 12 Pubs of Christmas, each offering something special for the festive season.

Day after polling: the drinks industry calls on Conservatives to honour their election pledges

Trade reacts to Conservative election win

By Nikkie Thatcher

Pub industry bodies have reacted to the Conservative Party winning the general election today (13 December), and called on the Government to consider the trade moving forward.

Talking to a friend: Jackie Parker, a Licensed Trade Charity volunteer, expresses her need to help others

How to overcome loneliness in the run-up to Christmas

By Nicholas Robinson

More than nine million people in the UK say they are always or often lonely but almost two-thirds feel uncomfortable admitting to it, according to research by the British Red Cross and Co-Op.

Social-friendly: small biz owners make changes to their sites to be more appealing on social media

Operators alter sites for social media

By Alice Leader

Social media is proving to have quite an impact on small businesses as operators reshape their sites to make them more visually enticing.

Mouse in the bar: environmental health officers also visited the pub following the rodent sighting

JDW pub closed after mouse spotted

By Nikkie Thatcher

A JD Wetherspoon (JDW) pub in Essex was closed for a short period after a mouse was discovered, which the pub group put down to local building activity.

Sublime food: the Kentish Hare is unlikely to be the Tanners’ final site

Estrella Damm Top 50 Gastropubs

Hare’s to 20 more years

By Nicholas Robinson

After two decades in the biz and five years at their gastropub the Kentish Hare, chef brothers James and Chris Tanner have a desire to hop into another pub site.

Growing trends: 'the big drink trends developing in 2019 centre around sustainable cocktails, craft fruit beers, no-and-low alcohol spirits and wine in cans,' according to Adrian Taylor, head of on-trade for Roust

Which drinks trends have caught on in 2019?

By Nikkie Thatcher

Whether your customers still love their beer or perhaps a spirit, while others may not indulge in alcohol at all, there have been plenty of trends to take advantage of this year.

Pack leader: the Dog at Wingham leads the pack with its pub-restaurant-rooms offer

My Pub: The Dog at Wingham, Kent

By Gary Lloyd

Creative Marilyn Brigden had designs on owning a hotel. So when fate brought the opportunity of rolling a pub, restaurant and hotel into one, she seized the chance. Here, her son Marc Brigden – co-owner – tells us about the strength of the bite at the...

Numbers game: a net rise in the number of licensed premises has bucked the trend of pub closures

Pub numbers ‘rise for first time in 10 years’

By Alice Leader

It’s nothing new that many UK pubs and bars have struggled and have been forced to shut their doors over the years, but for the first time in a decade, the number of licensed premises is on the rise.