Other operators

Hat-trick: Beds & Bars announces  third Investors In People Platinum award (Credit: Getty/sturti)

Beds & Bars announces third Investors In People platinum award

By Rebecca Weller

Multi-site operator Beds & Bars has announced it has attained its third platinum award from Investors In People, as the company received a 100% positive response rate from its team members, having all answered yes when asked ‘would you recommend Beds...

Excellent performance: Oakman Group reports £51.2% higher like for like sales for the 2020/2021 financial year (Pictured: Oakman Group executive chairman Peter Borg-Neal and CEO Dermot King)

Oakman Group reports total group sales of £65.1m

By Rebecca Weller

Large multi-site pub operator Oakman Group has reported total group sales of £65.1m for the end of the 2021/2022 financial year, up 79% compared vs 2020/2021 and 55.4% compared with 2018/2019.

Moving up: Young’s expects its recent site acquisitions to benefit the business this year

Young’s revenue up 39.7% in Q1 2022

By Gary Lloyd

Brewer and pub operator Young & Co’s Brewery has announced revenue is 39.7% for the first quarter of this year, in a trading update ahead of its AGM on Tuesday 5 July.

Trading update: Shepherd Neame boss Jonathan Neame said the company remained optimistic in spite of external economic headwinds

Shepherd Neame ‘actively pursuing growth’

By Nikkie Thatcher

Operator and brewer Shepherd Neame has revealed the business had emerged from the pandemic in a strong position and is actively pursuing opportunities again to invest and grow.

Deal revealed: FB Taverns have acquired the seven pubs from Admiral (image: Getty/metamorworks)

Admiral disposes of pub package

By Nikkie Thatcher

Admiral Taverns has sold seven pubs, as part of its requirements from the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), after its purchase of Hawthorn, the Community Pub Company.

New build: Brewers Fayre will open new site this summer

Brewers Fayre to open first site in 5 years

By Amelie Maurice-Jones

Whitbread’s family pub brand, Brewers Fayre, has announced its first opening in five years with the launch of a new site, the Willen Dragon, in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire.

Immersive arcade bar experiences: NQ64 opens ninth site in Newcastle (Pictured: NQ64 Edinburgh)

NQ64 launches ninth site in Newcastle

By Rebecca Weller

NQ64 has launched its immersive arcade bar experiences with nightlife vibes and retro games in Newcastle, the operators first site in the Northeast.

Ahead of expectations: Whitbread announces FY22 sales approaching pre-pandemic levels (Credit: Getty/monkeybusinessimages)

Whitbread sales 'approaching pre-pandemic' levels

By Shwetali Sapte

Whitbread has announced its food and beverage sales recovered throughout FY22 and are approaching pre-pandemic levels, with like-for-like (lfl) sales 566.5% ahead vs FY22 but 7.6% behind vs FY20.

Warwickshire pub opens microbrewery: Pictured (L-R): Mark Gregory (Silhill Brewery managing director), Andy Spencer (Punch Pubs chief operating officer), Rt Hon Nadhim Zahawi, Anthony Thorpe (Warwickshire Lad licensee), Adam Stevenson (Silhill Brewery operations director)

Warwickshire pub opens new microbrewery

By Rebecca Weller

A Punch Pubs & Co site in Warwickshire has announced the launch of a craft ale microbrewery following its official opening by MP for Stratford upon Avon and Secretary of State for Education Nadhim Zahawi on Friday 10 June.

Work, fun and rock & roll: Blue Boar manager George Dean opens up on staff retention and running a pub (Getty/ The Good Brigade)

Being a bartender ‘coolest job in the world’

By Amelie Maurice-Jones

The Blue Boar in Westminster, central London manager George Dean believed valuing staff, creative strategy and making hospitality fun again was key to overcoming challenges in the sector, after his pub was dubbed the ‘One to Watch’ at the 2022 Top 50...

Help needed: Sacha Lord calls on the Government to bring forward the beer duty cut planned for next year

opinion

'At this moment of acute danger, speed is of the essence'

By Sacha Lord, night-time economy adviser for Greater Manchester

After it emerged that he is spending half a million pounds of taxpayers’ money on a focus group vanity exercise to try to repair his battered image, the Chancellor has finally come forward with a package of support to help people struggling to pay their...

Place to party: Coyote Ugly launches new site in Camden

Coyote Ugly opens new site in Camden

By Joe Lutrario

Coyote Ugly is bringing its ‘high-octane style of hospitality’ to London for the first time with the opening of a site in Camden.

Bright future: The Coaching Inn Group chief executive Kevin Charity said the company was looking to 'expand the estate at pace' (image: Getty/MicroStockHub)

RedCat continues to grow inn portfolio

By Nikkie Thatcher

Rooney Anand’s investment vehicle RedCat Pub Company has announced the purchase of the Castle of Brecon hotel, bringing the number of pub hotels owned by its subsidiary The Coaching Inn Group to 26.

New opening: Tin of Sardines to launch Sunderland venue

Tin of Sardines to open third site

By Amelie Maurice-Jones

Tin of Sardines, which made headlines when it opened the world’s smallest gin bar in Durham, is set to open a third site, on Sunderland’s sea front, with a landscaped outdoor terrace hanging over the Roker Pier.

Major refurb: Brakspear reopen the Bull, Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire

Brakspear pub the Bull reopens after major makeover

By Amelie Maurice-Jones

Multiple operator and brewer Brakspear has reopened the Bull on Bell Street in Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, after an extensive refurb, the first major investment within its managed estate since it was rebranded as Honeycomb Houses last autumn.

Strong recovery: St Austell Brewery has more funding available to improve further in 2022

St Austell Brewery back in profit post-Covid

By Gary Lloyd

South-west-based brewer and pub operator St Austell Brewery has reported a strong recovery and a return to profitability in 2021 after the impact of the pandemic.

Here's to many more years: Operators celebrate 43 years at Kent-based pub the Anchor

Licensees celebrate 43 years behind the bar

By Amelie Maurice-Jones

Licensees of the Anchor in Sevenoaks, Kent, have celebrated their 43rd anniversary behind the bar as they opt to sign another 10-year contract with pubco Admiral Taverns.

Boss comment: 'Through the pandemic, we are justly proud of how H&W has resolutely stuck to its purpose and lived by its values despite the extreme pressure,' says H&W chairman Anthony Woodhouse

Hall & Woodhouse returns to profitability

By Nikkie Thatcher

South England-based business Hall & Woodhouse (H&W) has returned to profitability with an underlying profit before tax of £1.6m in the 2021/22 financial year, after a loss previous period of £10.5m.

Recognising hard work: Fuller's celebrate Pride of Fuller's awards winners with Sunday lunches hosted by TV chef Brian Turner CBE

Fuller's celebrates Pride of Fuller's awards

By Rebecca Weller

Large multi-site pub operator Fuller, Smith and Turner has celebrated the Pride of Fuller's awards after receiving more than 250 nominations and selecting 20 winners.

Death by a thousand cuts: as costs continue to rise pubs have been left with no breathing space following Covid and face a tough year (Credit: Getty/sturti)

Hospitality sector entering 'catastrophic period'

By Rebecca Weller

Pubs have had no breathing time following the pandemic as rising costs pose multiple challenges for operators who have survived by “the skin of their teeth” with the potential for a "catastrophic" and "very tough" year ahead, according...