OPINION: Time to stop giving ministers a propaganda platform
For the love of god, can industry conference organisers stop inviting Government ministers to speak at their events!
Opinion & Interviews
OPINION: Growth hasn’t disappeared, it’s become more selective
It’s no secret that the sector continues to operate against a challenging backdrop. Rising costs, cautious consumers and ongoing economic uncertainty are factors forcing us to think harder about where and how we invest.
OPINION: Let’s get real on the £10 pint issue
Let’s be realistic for a minute: despite the national media nonsense claiming that the £10 pint has arrived in London, it hasn’t. Yet.
THE LOW & NO PROJECT
OPINION: ‘Proper Job 0.5% should be treated like cask’
There’s been a noticeable groundswell in the popularity of no and low beers, and with it a tendency to move fast, grab shelf space and plant a flag. With Proper Job 0.5%, we chose a different pace - and it’s paid off.
‘Don’t be a d!@k’ - The rules of the pub
With modern society going through seismic changes (is it jam first, or cream first) the Lock In team decided to take a look at the unwritten rules of the pub - do people actually know what they are?!
OPINION
OPINION: Sustainability and wars – what should we do?
What do we need to do to improve things?
OPINION
OPINION: Pubs must be at heart of tourism growth, not hit with new taxes
Visitor levies and rising costs risk undermining one of Britain’s strongest tourism assets at a time when pubs should be recognised as central to growth, jobs and the wider visitor economy.
OPINION
OPINION: Cutting wellbeing is costing hospitality
With hospitality under growing pressure and margins tighter than ever, cutting back on wellbeing can feel like a way to reduce costs – but the evidence shows it’s a costly mistake.
OPINION
OPINION: Leasehold transactions driving London hospitality market
London’s pub and restaurant market is evolving at pace, and while persistent cost and staffing challenges weigh on operators, demand for well‑located sites remains remarkably resilient.
OPINION
OPINION: Younger pubgoers must learn the rules of the pub
Every publican has felt it at some point over the past few years: the sharp intake of breath when a group of young drinkers walks through the door on a Friday night.
THE CASK PROJECT
OPINION: Why nitro will be good for cask
The rise of nitro beer, led emphatically by Guinness and a stout category now delivering over 20% growth in both volume and value, is often framed as a symptom of cask’s struggles. And in part, that’s fair.
OPINION
OPINION: What’s the craic with low & no?
Hello everyone! I hope you all had a successful Mothering Sunday in your pubs and hopefully a few pints of the dark stuff were supped on St Patrick’s Day too.
OPINION
OPINION: Do we need a sense of perspective?
The vitriolic response to the Government heralded launch of an energy saving initiative might well have taken the powers that be by surprise, but perhaps the industry does needs to regain a sense of perspective.
OPINION: Cutting employment costs essential if pubs are to survive and grow
Costs, costs, and yet more costs. That’s been the overwhelming experience for publicans over the past two years.
OPINION
OPINION: Yet another sticking plaster for hospitality
The Government seems to be quite keen to fling money at problems at the moment, even if the problems are of their own making.
OPINION
OPINION: World events may focus Gov on British businesses
As Britian’s independent brewing community gathers this month at the award-winning event, Beer X, life for them has never been so full of both opportunity and challenge.
BIG INTERVIEW
BIG INTERVIEW: No time to paws for Cheshire Cat boss
Mary McLaughlin has opened restaurants at Euro Disney, taken La Tasca through an IPO and built a seven-strong rural pub group from a site that was “doing about £500 a week”.
OPINION
OPINION: Why being B Corp may be the secret ingredient
£714,500… that’s how much Stroud Brewery injected directly into its local economy during the 2024-25 financial year.
INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY 2026
OPINION: Why hospitality still struggles to get women into boardrooms
Despite a strong pipeline of female talent, hospitality continues to struggle with gender balance at board level.
INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY 2026
OPINION: It’s not enough to show women’s sport if spaces still feel designed for men
With International Women’s Day taking place on Sunday 8 March, now is the perfect time to reflect on progress and equality.
INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY 2026
OPINION: Progress is visible but the gender pay gap still needs attention
During my time at The Morning Advertiser, more women have stepped into leadership roles in pubcos, breweries and across the wider hospitality sector.
OPINION
OPINION: Why accessibility should be a priority for every pub
Making pubs more accessible benefits customers, staff and communities while helping build stronger hospitality businesses.
OPINION
OPINION: BrewDog are the punk pioneers who went out of tune
How appropriate that we say goodbye to BrewDog in the year we prepare to commemorate the 50th anniversary of punk.
OPINION
OPINION: Economic growth only exists in Reeves’ mind
I’m sure, as she reached towards the end of her statement, in the Chancellor’s head, a rousing orchestral score was swelling as she delivered her words with, well, sort of, passion.
Ex-BrewDog boss: ‘It didn’t need to be this way’
Writing on LinkedIn, former CEO of BrewDog Bars and CEO of Brava Hospitality, James Brown, reflected on his time in the business and where things went wrong.
OPINION
OPINION: Why my cocktail list is based on customers’ advice
I love a cocktail as much as I love a glass of wine, or a pint of beer. They lend a sense of occasion to a drink.
OPINION
OPINION: St Austell is moving forward while celebrating 175th anniversary
This year, St Austell Brewery celebrates an extraordinary milestone of 175 years of brewing.
OPINION
OPINION: How UK pubs can be compared with projects in Africa
It’s not often I write about my other passion in sustainability, so I thought I’d try to show lessons for the pub world from my recent trip to Kenya to the Mara/Serengeti plains.
OPINION
OPINION: Pubs must lobby better to target brewers
Looking through my price lists from a major brewer this week, I did some quick maths on a well-known 4.6% ABV lager.
BIG INTERVIEW: Lucky Saint MD is well healed in business and fun
Emma Heal wears many more hats than most when it comes to business.
OPINION
OPINION: LTC has helped transform 45k lives in 2025
As the Licensed Trade Charity (LTC) is preparing to publish its 2025 Impact Report this month (February), it’s given me an opportunity to reflect on a year of delivery and resilience across licensed hospitality.
OPINION: Covid insurance claims - pubs are racing the clock
For many pub businesses, Covid-19 Business Interruption insurance feels like unfinished business — unresolved not because claims lack merit, but because time, complexity and uncertainty have quietly taken over.
OPINION
OPINION: Sector showing resilience in challenging economic landscape
The pub and restaurant sectors faced significant headwinds in 2025, driven by rising labour costs, business rates, and persistent inflation.
OPINION
OPINION: The financial benefits of apprenticeships for under 25s
Over the last year I have been surprised by the number of licensees I have come across, from sole to multiple operators, who weren’t aware of the financial benefits that having apprentices under 25 brings.
OPINION
OPINION: Rates relief is a narrow distraction - and the Government knows it
The Government’s announcement of extended pubs rate relief has been presented as evidence that it understands the pressures facing hospitality.
OPINION
OPINION: This is not a ‘bail out’
While there will be plenty in the industry that welcome the Government U-turn, let’s be candid about this - this isn’t “support”, it’s the Treasury moving to fix the problems of its own creation.
OPINION
OPINION: Suppliers must empathise or they will lose an entire sector
Over the Christmas period, one of my pubs faced a nightmare scenario.
OPINION: Clock is ticking on rates support
The comments by the Chancellor out in Davos, rather than back in the UK fixing her own messes, that the “situation the pubs face is different from other parts of hospitality” should concern us all.
OPINION
OPINION: Brewers raising prices on draught not packaged
I often find myself frustrated by our trade’s reliance on stock arguments in times of trouble.
Anand: ‘Pubs more than a place for a pint’
Customers need to support their local pub now more than ever or risk losing them for good, Rooney Anand has urged.
OPINION
OPINION: Survival means hitting the right buttons
Did you know you can teach an old dog new tricks?
Lucky Saint MD: We need 20p discount on biz rates multiplier
Lucky Saint managing director Emma Heal has stated pubs are “overtaxed” and, along with other industry leaders, is lobbying the Government for a 20p tax discount in the business rates multiplier for pubs.
Remember when Government actually valued pubs?
Once upon a time, pubs were so culturally significant the Government even decided it needed to nationalise them.
OPINION
OPINION: Don’t allow cheap offers to count against your business
Happy new year – I do hope you all had a strong festive season in your pubs.
How Hospitality Rides can help prison leavers’ careers
Welcome to the latest update of Avani Solutions managing director Amanda Thomson’s Hospitality Rides five-day cycle challenge across Cuba.
BIG INTERVIEW
BIG INTERVIEW: Butcombe boss - say yes to as many opportunities as possible
Butcombe Group CEO Jonathan Lawson is adamant a business leader needs vision – that’s solid advice for a man whose first chief executive role was at Vision Express.
OPINION
OPINION: A simple question for ministers - what is the plan for Britain’s pubs?
Britain’s pubs are not perfect. No industry is. There are poor operators in every sector, and some businesses will inevitably fail when trading becomes challenging.
OPINION: We need to fight harder in 2026
And so we came to the end of a challenging and difficult 2025 and now look ahead to the sunny uplands of 2026 where all will be good in the world of pubs.
OPINION: Why numbers matter
If you are a publican or small brewer, you’ll know all about numbers, especially in the aftermath of the Budget.
OPINION
OPINION: Survival strategies: thinking beyond ‘business as usual’
Like so many publicans across Gloucestershire and the UK, I was disappointed, but not surprised, by the Government’s lack of understanding and support in the recent Budget.