Smith criticised for focus on drinks deals in bars
Home Secretary Jacqui Smith has been criticised for wrongly targeting drinks deals in bars as she announced a crackdown on "dodgy premises". Smith...
Archives for February 14, 2008
Giving you food for thought
Food is a high priority in the wake of the smoking ban, but the Endbutt's perfect score shows success isn't limited to gastropubs, says Noli...
Licensee tells of Hawley Arms hope
The licensee of a pub to the stars gutted by a fire hopes it will be back in business in six months time. A huge blaze destroyed dozens of buildings...
InBrief
Preston's losing one pub a month Plungington Taverns licensee Graham Rowson claims that pubs in Preston, Lancashire, are closing at a rate of one per...
'UK might be on verge of recession, says King'
The Bank of England governor, Mervyn King, admitted yesterday that the economy might grind to a halt this year - but warned that the continuing risk...
BarTalk
What do you think about the potential ban on outside patio heaters? Ian Rigg The Taps Lytham Lancashire We've got six electric heaters mounted to...
Empty pub sites flood market
The licensed property market is being flooded with cheap empty sites ahead of the scrapping of concession rates for empty commercial properties. That...
Doorstaff left to wait for SIA
The Security Industry Authority (SIA) has admitted having 'teething problems' with a new system designed to speed up its licence application...
Licensing@aol.com
Gaming and private functions QA local club hired our upstairs function room recently for an event at which it was reported to me there was some...
Sky wins legal cases
Five licensees have been prosecuted this month for using domestic contracts to screen Sky football matches. One host had his personal licence...
10% of community pubs lost last year
ALMR survey reveals 10% of nation's community pubs were lost last year
New system to cut SIA licence delays
Waiting times for processing doorstaff licences will plummet when a new system is implemented within weeks. That is according to Secur-ity Industry...
Greg Mulholland: Like politicians, publicans can be over-defensive
I was in beautiful North Yorkshire and visited two first-rate establishments, the Queen Catherine in Osmotherley and the Spread Eagle in Stokesley,...
Chris Maclean: The food of love
Over the weekend I tried my hand at writing some kind of advertisement that would help retain some of my regular customers. There are some blank...
Treble chance for leading pair
The Premiership's two top scorers go head-to-head in a mouth-watering FA Cup fifth-round showdown. Cristiano Ronaldo and Emmanuel Adebayor are...
King of Herts
TV chef and licensee Paul Bloxham talks to Lucy Britner about his new venture, the Tilbury in Datchworth, Hertfordshire For the first time in his...
BrandsBriefs
Bacardi unveils its legacy Bacardi has held a series of events for key industry figures to reveal the history of the brand. La Legacia de Don Facundo...
Portman hits out at Welsh alcohol plans
Drinks watchdog the Portman Group has slammed the Welsh Assembly's plan to increase tax on alcohol and place more controls on its promotion. The...
Eastern promise
Forget all the tea in China - there are plenty of genuinely-imported Asian brews to give your beer offer a taste of the Orient, says Adrian...
Neame calls for fairer beer tax
Shepherd Neame chief executive Jonathan Neame has called for fairer treatment of beer in the Budget. Speaking in a Radio Four debate on You and...
Barracuda defends £1 drinks night
Barracuda has come under fire for a £1 drinks night, attended by Prince William, at its Barracuda Bar in Newquay
Coulson: Easing the task for minor variations
MA legal editor Peter Coulson is concerned over the attitude of police to licence variations
Pubcos promise help amid trade gloom
Pub companies claim they are willing to work with licensees to help steer them through the troubled waters currently washing through the trade.Floods...
ALMR adds to calls for freeze on duty
The Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers (ALMR) has set out a series of proposals to ministers and MPs ahead of the Budget, which it hopes will...
City diary
Not so narrow margins Can Gordon Ramsay's version of the gastropub cut the mustard? There are early signs of success at the Narrow, in London's...
NEWS OF THE BREWS
Acorn Brewery Yorkshire's Acorn Brewery has announced details of the single-hopped US ales it will be showcasing throughout 2008. Introduced in...
Brighton's saturation zone reduced
The huge saturation zone proposed for most of central Brighton has been reduced to barely a third of its original size. Brighton & Hove City...
MyShout
It's decision day soon for the big issues affecting the trade, says MP John Grogan The House of Commons is currently taking its half term break, and...
Plan your campaign
With England's national day less than 10 weeks away, pubs need to start planning now to make the most of 23 April Backed once again by Wells &...
Charity: Regent finds out just how tough it can get
MA deputy editor The PMA Team says up-for-sale Regent Inns has been as hard hit as any by worsening market conditions
Tied drink prices set to rise by 4%
Price hikes at the bar look to be inevitable as beer costs increase Tenants of major pubcos are seeing tied drinks prices increase by about 4% this...
Preaching to the converted
Since Kate Moss started strutting around in T-shirts saying 'Save the George Tavern', the battle between community local and property developer has...
Where small is beautiful
It is false economy to devote as little time and money to your toilets as you can get away with, as recent research shows. Catherine Quinn reports...
Licensees win extra time to pay rent
A Newquay couple has won a reprieve for the second time to stay at their Enterprise Inns pub. Inez and Craig Ward, who have been at Mavericks since...
Punch shareholder revolt on the cards
One Punch shareholder has warned the board it will vote against the proposed merger with Mitchells & Butlers (M&B) because it gives too much...
THE GUV'NOR
Dennis Griffiths The licensee of the Miners' Rest, Barnsley, provides a new slant on the supermarket pricing debate It has not been a good start to...
Worth more than a Sideways glance
Californian wine is starting to make a real impact as more mid-market styles make their way across the Atlantic. Fiona Sims tells all Can you buy...
Dixon: 16-year-olds should get served
Sixteen-year-olds should be allowed to drink freely in pubs, according to a leading trade figure. Industry consultant and MA columnist Phil Dixon...
NewsDigest
The Scottish Government is tackling supermarkets and off-licences over alcohol abuse by forcing them to contribute to the social cost of "bevvy...
Protz: Beer news blackout
Beer writer Roger Protz says the media should have made more of the SIBA report on soaring cask sales
The Agents
Simon Chaplin Director corporate division Christie+Co The market has moved on in the last 12 months, turning from a sellers' to a buyers' market in...
Novus looks to buy Soho Clubs & Bars
Novus Leisure, the bar operator led by Steve Richards, has entered exclusive negotiations to buy Soho Clubs & Bars for between £7m and £10m,...
Shoot and then ask questions
It is something of a self-fulfilling prophecy when the Home Secretary Jacqui Smith cites the levels of prosecutions for underage sale as a reason why...
Surrey licensees face order to clean up fag ends
Licensees in Surrey could be among the first in the country to be ordered to clear up discarded cigarette ends outside their pubs. Reigate &...
Dudley host fined for flouting ban
A West Midlands licensee is the latest to be fined for flouting the smoking ban. Josephine Garfield has been ordered to pay £2,615 after admitting...
National Theatre
"Together we are stronger."Cliches are only clichés because they are true - and that's certainly true for National Pubwatch. Licensees, local...
Beer tax hike is self defeating
Tax increases on beer have been "self defeating" and have actually eroded Treasury revenues