Bet on a dead cert
The new year promises to provide a variety of big race thrills guaranteed to pull in the punters. Noli Dinkovski reports It is said that horses come...
Archives for January 17, 2008
MyNewPub
Palk Arms Hennock, Devon Agent: Bettesworths The Palk Arms, at Hennock, in Devon, has been taken over by Kevin Morgan and Susan Cocks, who bring with...
Profit on a plate
First-time foodie Jo-Ann Neal tells Lucy Britner how she and her husband Kelvin introduced food at their Lincolnshire pub, the Vine Jo-Ann Neal is...
Licensing@aol.com
Charging for a special event QI want to charge an admission fee to a special event that we are running for St Patrick's Day, but one of my regular...
Villans look to steal into top six
As speculation over Rafa Benitez's support - or lack of it - from Liverpool's American owners continues, action on the Anfield pitch hots up with a...
LETTERs
The changing face of Opus It is difficult to make an effective comeback from bad publicity. Some say that no publicity is bad publicity, but I...
The Agents
Barney Bettesworth Director Bettesworths While the pub companies are actively looking to buy, there are still a number of private individuals - many...
Getting it right: Black Horse, Hertford
When Tony Dawes took over as licensee of the Black Horse pub in Hertford three years ago he also inherited his own rugby team (pictured below). Dawes...
Fury over ADZs as last-minute changes continue
Trade leaders have renewed their demands to see Alcohol Disorder Zones scrapped before they ever see the light of day after further changes were made...
Enterprise Inns pledges support for 'struggling' licensees
Shares in Enterprise Inns bounced back today after the pubco issued an interim management statement that contained no nasty surprises.Though short on...
A timely reminder on pricing
While I am a great supporter of Pubwatch and also of good liaison with the police, I cannot lend my wholehearted support to a system that seeks to...
National Chip Week: McCain dip recipes
McCain Signatures Gourmet Chips with Roquefort cheese fondueIngredients200 grams Roquefort Cheese142ml pint of creamChopped chives / or spring onion...
Thompson calls on brewing industry to be positive
A leading brewery chief has called on the beer industry to "hold its nerve" in the face of rising costs and falling sales.Recent statistics showed...
Agents dispute credit squeeze
A property agent has spoken out against current media reports about restrictions on lending. The "credit squeeze" has been widely reported in the...
Bulldog set for expansion
Bulldog Pub Company is to expand in the three-star hotel market after disposing of its pubco leases. The company, headed by Kevin Charity, is to...
THE GUV'NOR
Roy Chuter A good range of customers and beer contributes to a pub's atmosphere, says the licensee of the Duke of Wellington, Shoreham-by-Sea, West...
Still plenty to smile about
England might be out of Euro 2008 but there's plenty of other action to keep fans riveted this year, says Noli Dinkovski Prior to the game, it was...
CardSafe seeks fast growth
More than 1,000 pubs and other outlets are now using the CardSafe scheme to beat the prospect of credit-card fraud. CardSafe is a toughened plastic...
Sourcing campaign is beefed up
The consumer credit crunch is threatening to stall pubs' efforts to give customers more information about the source of food on the menu.Henry...
Licensee faces High Court noise battle
A St Albans licensee is facing a £30,000 legal bill in a High Court battle with his council over complaints about customers talking in his beer...
Business Opinion
Managing to put off good customers Business in my local Vintage Inns (VI) managed house is booming - against the trend of the industry in general....
Licence revoked at murder pub
A pub where a young girl was murdered will lose its licence after police asked a local authority to review it. Haringey Council's licensing committee...
Reaching for the extra yard
With the England rugby team narrowly failing to retain their World Cup crown, interest in the game has never been higher, says Simon Creasey Most...
City Diary: 17 January
All the latest City Gossip
NewsDigest
A total of 55% of pub-company chief executives expect a downturn in 2008, with 82% predicting a slump in January and February. That's according to an...
No benefit to pubs in energy shake-up
The vast majority of pubs will not benefit from a new scheme to protect against being ripped off by energy suppliers. Government has said that small...
Chinese New Year: Year of the Rat
WITHOUT WANTING to open old wounds, the fact is that apart from pubs lucky enough to have a strong Polish or Czech customer base, the failure of the...
BarTalk
What are your plans for getting through the tough winter? Alan Dreja Royal Oak Southampton We were thinking about cutting costs by having fewer staff...
Brookes planning Stuff the Supermarkets phase two
Pub operator Tony Brookes is planning a new phase of his Stuff the Supermarkets campaign after striking a chord with customers across the north in a...
Saluting pubs' heroes
Ten pubs have already won £1,000 each to donate to charity thanks to the MA and S&NUK's Heart of the Community Pub Honours. Rosie Davenport...
Give your pub a sporting chance
Pubs need an extra boost - and a top year for sport could be the key to a packed pub, says Noli Dinkovski When it comes to British sporting success,...
New bespoke draught font for Blossom Hill
Percy Fox has unveiled a new draught wine system for its leading brand Blossom Hill.The Perfect Glass system, which has cost £1.5m to bring to...
Coors adds 5p a pint to Carling & Grolsch
But brewer does not rule out further increases in 2008
Oxfordshire host to race in John Smith's Grand National
An Oxfordshire licensee has been shortlisted to compete in the John Smith's People's Race at Aintree on Grand National day
Enterpise Inns to up support for licensees
Enterprise Inns has vowed to work more closely with its lessees in a bid to overcome "difficult" trading conditions
Fears grow over awareness on new noise regs
Fears are mounting over a huge lack of trade awareness over new noise regulations and the way councils will enforce them. The Control of Noise at...
Business Opinion
Marston's has survived flood pain No one in the quoted arena has had a darker cloud hanging over them this summer than Marston's. Proportionately, no...
Facelift favours food
WITH DEVELOPING food sales high on the agenda for more pubs than ever, the traditional relationship between pub operators and tenants/lessees is...
Charity: Stability is the name of the tenanted game
MA Deputy Editor takes a look at the state of the tenanted and leased sector
S&N opens its books to bidders
Scottish & Newcastle has agreed to open talks with the consortium formed by rival brewers Carlsberg and Heineken over a possible takeover. A...
Noise problems after smoke ban continue
Licensees have flooded The Publican with more stories of the problems facing them over noise complaints from neighbours. Following last week's story...
Enterprise opts for contractor network
Enterprise Inns is chopping the number of building contractors that maintain its 7,800 pub estate to 25 firms. The tenanted operator wants a network...
Stranded sailor phones a friend - his local licensee!
A licensee has hit the headlines for coming to the rescue of one of his regulars - who was stranded in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. Alan...
Protz: Proving the doomsayers wrong
Wells & Youngs is going great guns, says beer expert Roger Protz
Coulson: Heavyhanded SIA passes buck again
The history of the SIA is littered with errors, says MA's legal editor
Bulldog Pub Company pulls out of pubs
The Lincolnshire-based Bulldog Pub Company (BPC) has announced that it has all but pulled out of pubs, blaming the current trading environment for...
Pubs face £1,500 bill for energy certificate
New energy certificates to increase red tape and costs in only nine months' time An energy performance certificate (EPC) could cost pubs up to...
MPs prepared to act on cheap supermarket booze
The Government is considering a ban on cheap supermarket booze, according to the Daily Mail. The paper reports that the joint Home Office and...
National Chip Week: Mark Hix Recipes
National Chip Week - Mark Hix Recipes"Chips are without a doubt one of the nation's favourite foods - they're always popular in my restaurants as...
Scottish pubs in the dark over illegal security staff
Pubs in Scotland were ripped off over the festive period by security operators deploying "makeweight" illegal stewards, according to two veteran...
Hooking the barmy army
With England taking on New Zealand, South Africa and India, 2008 is a great year to promote cricket. Simon Creasey looks at the key opportunities...
Pubs price war looms in wake of trade slowdown
Tough economic conditions could trigger a price war among the managed operators, industry observers warn. Tony Halstead and The PMA Team report With...
Brands comment
PR that could take us places Blink and there's another one - it feels like there isn't anywhere that brands can't slap their logos, which is OK...
JD Wetherspoon pubs suspended from Carlisle Pubwatch after breaching agrrement
Two JD Wetherspoon (JDW) pubs have been suspended from a Pubwatch scheme in Carlisle for breaching an agreement not to sell drinks for less than £1.50.
SoCo promo evokes Mardi Gras
Southern Comfort is putting pubs at the centre of its plans with a £1m carnival-themed promotion. In a fresh direction, owner Bacardi-Brown Forman...
Young & Co proposes four-for-one share split
Young & Co, the south London-headquartered pubco, is proposing a four-for-one share split to increase liquidity in trading of the group's...
Pring: Keeping neighbours sweet
It can take just one noise complaint to spark a licence review, warns MA editor