It always pays to nit-pick
Yes, the editor is right: I am a nit-picker, and proud of it! It is, I hope, to the benefit of readers that my nerdish tendencies to leave no stone...
Archives for December 7, 2006
John Young slips the surly bonds of earth
The great and the good of the brewing world and hundreds of friends came together last Thursday to bid farewell to Young's late chairman and industry...
Host claims FAPL targets small pubs
Portsmouth host warned-off using foreign satellite systems hits out because neighbouring Greene King managed pubs are still using them
Back to basics: online HR
Are you on the look-out for dynamic, energetic, quick-learning barstaff with an element of experience, maturity and gravitas? If so, you could fall...
BII Nita winners announced
Winners of the BII Nita awards were celebrating today at an exclusive event at the New Armouries at the Tower of London today. The NITAs, which are...
Bristol bar calls for apology from Wetherspoon
A Bristol bar which claims a rival Wetherspoon pub has published false pricing and serve temperature comparisons on window posters is demanding an...
Licensing@aol.com
Problems with AWP machine QRecently, my staff have drawn my attention to some men who come in to play the AWP machine together. I have no evidence...
No half measures
Morning Advertiser held its Responsible Drinks Retailing 2006 awards to honour those licensees who go the extra mileManaged chain Winner: Regent Inns...
Old Welsh words used for pub signs
Pubs in Wales will be forced to carry no-smoking signs using an old-fashioned Welsh word that health minister Brian Gibbons admits people won't...
Host claims FAPL targets small pubs
A Portsmouth host who was warned-off using foreign satellite systems to screen football has hit out because neighbouring Greene King- managed pubs...
Scams reveal pubs' openness to fraud
A trading standards boss has called for pubs to get more protection against scammers who claim to be selling ads in magazines for emergency services....
Give the independent brewers a chance
As MD of Burnley's Moorhouse's Brewery I champion cask ale. That's my business. I also help in promoting cask through SIBA (the Society of...
NEWS OF THE BREWS
Hydes in tune with the seasons Manchester-based Hydes Brewery has a raft of seasonal ales planned for next year under the name "Inn Tune with Hydes"....
Magners back on TV with new winter ads
Magners Irish Cider is back on TV this month in a campaign that also includes outdoor, radio and press ads. The TV ad runs nationally until the end...
Haul of the wild
Fresh, local produce from land and sea is the order of the day at the Steam Packet Inn. Alice Whitehead meets the owner of a popular coastal haunt...
MPs call for action against fake IDs
An MP is calling for Government action against firms that produce realistic-looking fake ID cards used by youngsters to buy alcohol in pubs. Linda...
THE AGENTS
Graham Allman Managing Director GA-Select With the smoking ban set for next summer and the festive season upon us, now's the time to consider the...
BrandsBriefs
Fuller's takes pride of place Fuller's London Pride has been voted consumers' favourite real-ale tipple for 2006 in a regional beer poll. Over 2,000...
More pubs showing live music, says government research
Two-thirds of pubs, bars and nightclubs have a licence to stage live music, says a new report from the Department for Culture, Media & Sport...
CityBriefs
Mint buys four Fuller's venues London Bar operator The Mint Group has confirmed the leasehold purchase of three London sites and a Bristol site from...
Hoggie's Down Under Diary
In the third of a regular series, England cricket hero Matthew Hoggard gives his view on cricket, beer and life. This week he reports from Down...
Responsibility: still a must
July 1 and the start of the smoking ban is probably the issue uppermost in most licensees' minds - that and the tougher trading conditions most...
Joker
When four of Santa's elves fell ill, and the trainee elves could not produce toys as fast as their regular colleagues, Santa began to feel the...
MyShout
It's about time we fought our corner before alcohol becomes a dirty word says Peter Linacre I have a proposal. Let's go out and hire the best...
No legal way to beat Sky's stranglehold
MA legal expert Peter Coulson warns on the temptation to install foreign satellite systems.
UPC outshines all W&D's ventures
Union Pub Company (UPC) was the star performer for Wolverhampton & Dudley (W&D) last year, driving up operating profits by 23% to £80m on...
Trade boost for ex-L&ESG pub
A former tenant of London and Edinburgh Swallow Group (L&ESG), who bought his freehold, has reported massive barrelage discounts and a boost in...
Licensees come to the rescue
When Anna and Richard Scott, licensees at the Tal-y-Cafn hotel in North Wales, heard an almighty bang just before the lunchtime rush on a busy...
Pubs go limited to avoid paying taxes
More people are choosing to run their pubs as a limited company to avoid paying certain taxes, according to agent Fleurets. However, although there...
Pockets picked in aid of kids
The Regional Brewers' Nat-ional Account Managers' Christmas lunch kicked off the festive season in fine style last week, with Stuart Bateman stealing...
Pick of the pubs
The Kingfisher enjoys a prominent position in the village of Holme On Spalding Moor, near York. The pub has a large lounge and bar, while off the...
Going with the flow
Over the last 15 years, regulars at The Taps have poured more than half a million pounds into good causes. Tony Halstead joins locals in raising a...
Fury over lack of smoke ban guidelines
Trade fury has been sparked by the government's failure to publish guidelines on the smoking ban.More than a week after the July 1 start-date for the...
Essex licensee takes on beer tie
An Essex licensee has run into trouble with his pubco after he began stocking a locally brewed ale to support a village brewery. Dave Jaques, who...
Making a SMART bomb
As pubs compete more for their share of the leisure pound, a well-executed marketing strategy has become essential, says Geoff Brown, marketing...
Smoke ban 'set to slow sales growth', warns M&B
Mitchells & Butlers' (M&B) chief executive Tim Clarke says next year's smoking ban will slow overall sales growth at his 2,000-strong group....
Record figures at Greene King despite Scottish smoking slip
Belhaven's like-for-like sales slip in its 300-odd pubs was the only blot on another sparkling set of "record results" from Greene King this week....
Scams reveal pubs' openness to fraud
A trading standards boss has called for pubs to get more protection against scammers who claim to be selling ads in magazines for emergency services....
Door staff licence backlog has now been cleared says SIA
The backlog in processing door staff licences is over and processing times are back to normal, the Security Industry Authority (SIA) has said. Trade...
Left smarting by Smartbox
Controversial screen media company Smartbox went bust owing large sums of money to hundreds of licensees, who are tied into onerous three-year lease...
BarTalk
Will you be prepared for the English smoking ban on 1 July 2007? Paul Bowes The Black Bull Wylam Northumbria No time is a good time as far as I am...
Wise pubs will profit from the ban
We know the date. The pub industry faces an outright smoking ban from 1 July next year and needs to grasp the change as both a challenge and an...