Charity: 'Tis the season to shed dead weight
MA deputy editor The PMA Team considers the savage shake-out on the high street
Archives for March 27, 2008
BrandsBriefs
All out of ale The draught version of an ale brewed by Timothy Taylor to commemorate its 150th anniversary sold out within days. The one-off brew of...
Anchor & Hope
Waterloo, London Charles Wells leasehold Reopened as a gastropub five years ago, the Anchor & Hope has successfully established a reputation as...
M&B: City analyst issues warning
A City analyst, Paul Hickman, of KBC Peel Hunt, has sounded a warning about the economic climate and how it will impact on Mitchells & Butlers....
MA backs call to ban Darling from all pubs
MA urges licensees to download their own Ban Alistair Darling toolkit today
The Fountain
Clent, West Midlands Marston's Pub Company leasehold Richard and Jacqui Macey have made the Fountain such a sought-after place to eat that there is...
Derbyshire coppers breathalyse youths
Police in Derbyshire have started breath-testing teenagers as part of an operation to tackle underage drinking.For the last two months officers in...
White Lion
Barthomley, Cheshire Marston's Pub Company tenancy As you would expect from a thatched country inn built in 1614, the White Lion is all about...
Two companies to emerge from Laurel
Industry rumours suggest Laurel will split into two companies
City diary
Learning the ropes in gangland Nice when you discover that one of the industry's senior executives has an interesting past, starting at grass roots....
Coopers Tavern
Burton-upon-Trent, Staffordshire Tuns Taverns tenancy Located opposite the Coors Brewery in Burton-upon-Trent is a small Grade II-listed building,...
S&N plans to increase on-trade sales by £700m
Scottish & Newcastle has unveiled a new five-year campaign designed to increase on-trade sales by £700m
S&NUK brews plan to halt falling sales
Scottish & Newcastle UK (S&NUK) has issued a rallying call to the industry to help halt falling wet sales in pubs.The brewer, which produces...
The Gun
Coldharbour, London E14 Punch Taverns leasehold Tom and Ed Martin finally opened the Gun in September 2004. Prior to that, the brothers had spent a...
Heavy-handed cops arrest Punch BRM
Punch Taverns seeks an apology from the police for their aggressive enforcement approach to a minor licence breach Punch is demanding an apology from...
'Bank of England to cut interest rates'
The Bank of England has signalled it is ready to cut interest rates further and give ground to British banks' demands to do more to resolve their...
NewsDigest
The wife of smoke-ban rebel Hamish Howitt is being prosecuted for not being a member of the local pubwatch. Blackpool Council brought the prosecution...
Three Fishes
Mitton, Lancashire leasehold from private company Set within some of England's most beautiful countryside, the Three Fishes has been a haven for...
Horse & Groom
Malmsbury, Wiltshire Merchant Inns managed house The Horse & Groom is a picturesque Cotswold stone inn that Merchant Inns extensively refurbished...
Cashbox cuts losses to £1.6m
Cashbox, which operates 1,800 automated teller machines (ATM) in pubs and other retail outlets, said it reduced first half operating losses by 10 per...
Churchill Arms
Kensington, London Fuller's managed house Next year, Gerry O'Brien celebrates managing the Churchill Arms for 25 years. His enthusiasm for the trade...
Unite strives to improve dray safety
Trade union Unite has called for the introduction of minimum safety standards for beer delivery workers. Unite has devised a six-point plan to...
Pub offenders could face clean-up duties
Offenders caught committing crime on licensed premises could be forced to carry out community-service style orders to compensate licensees and pub...
Pubco ordered to demolish decking
A pub operator has been ordered to demolish a £30,000 exterior dining and decking area because it failed to apply for the correct planning consent...
Saintly pub grub ideas
Richard Fox looks at food options to boost sales for St George's Day Bar snacks: These days Scotch eggs, pickled eggs and pickled onions may not be...
Snacks focus: Where pie is king
WHO ATE all the pies? Well, the population of New Zealand is certainly doing its bit to tackle the world pie mountain, shifting more than 120 million...
Beer and food matching: Ale and hearty
THERE ARE those - admittedly, mostly working for the Daily Mail - who would argue that giving a group of students a selection of beers and a free...
Cobra signs TV deal with Dave
Lager brand Cobra has signed a one-year deal to be the main prime-time sponsor on UKTV channel Dave. Under the £2m-plus deal, Cobra Beer will become...
LETTERs
Darling and Brown are out of touch With reference to the recent Budget, I want to voice my concerns about the 9.1% increase in beer duty. I firmly...
S&NPE buys 14 pubs
Scottish & Newcastle Pub Enterprises has acquired two packages of tenanted pubs from Tuns Taverns and the Progressive Pub Company
The Taps
Lytham St Annes, Lancashire Greene King managed house For real-ale aficionados, the Taps in Lytham St Annes has become something of a magnet. And...
White Horse
Parsons Green, London Mitchells & Butlers managed house The White Horse was voted number one in the last Morning Advertiser Top 20 poll. Then, it...
Freeholds get boost
More private buyers will get the chance to buy freehold pubs, following the decision by Admiral Taverns to curtail its acquisitions programme. Neil...
Basketmakers Arms
Brighton, East Sussex Fuller's leasehold Licensee Peter Dowd has been at the Basketmakers Arms for 21 years and his devotion to the small,...
S&N to add widgets to Fosters and Kronenbourg lager cans
Scottish & Newcastle UK (S&N) is to fit widgets in canned versions of Fosters and Kronenbourg lagers.
Crawley: High time we had beer menus
It's high time there were beer menus as well as wine lists in our licensed outlets, says Caledonian Brewery MD Stephen Crawley. On a recent trip to...
EPCs: help offered
A property consultant has linked up with assessors to hand out Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) and is offering its services to the major...
Crooked Billet
Stoke Row, Berkshire Brakspear tenancy Part of the charm of the Crooked Billet is that it dates back to 1642 and continues to remain "unmodernised"....
Pub is the Hub may help Welsh regions
The Welsh Assembly Government is considering plans to support the Prince Charles-backed scheme that helps regenerate rural pubs. Pub is the Hub has...
The Swan
Denham, Buckinghamshire Scottish & Newcastle Pub Enterprises (S&NPE) leasehold In late 2002 when David and Becky Salisbury took over the...
Wetherspoon's ale fest aims to shift 2.6 million pints
High street pub operator JD Wetherspoon is aiming to sell 2.6 million pints of cask beer in just 19 days during its International Real Ale Festival,...
Falkland Arms
Great Tew, Oxfordshire Wadworth managed house The Falkland Arms in rural Oxfordshire is a picturesque 16th-century building that remains a vibrant...
Police chief wants polycarbonates in every pub
A senior police officer has reignited the debate on polycarbonates by calling on the trade to ditch glass in all pubs. Chris Allison, the Association...
Over 21 off-sale plan slammed
Proposals to up the legal age for buying alcohol in supermarkets and off-licences in Scotland to 21 have been met with criticism.The move is expected...
Top 20 UK Pubs 2008
As chosen by a select panel of top industry figures, the MA brings you its Top 20 UK pubs of 2008 - a definitive guide for anyone who takes a keen...
The Alma
Wandsworth, London Young's managed house The Alma lives up to its Victorian heritage. It is packed with classic furniture and fittings such as solid...
What women want
Despite its revival in many UK pubs, real ale still conjures up images for many consumers that are not exactly classy: over-50s men matching their...
Snacks focus: Want a flake in that?
Typical. You wait ages for a hand-held, cone-shaped, pizza-style snack, and then two come along at once.The next - although undoubtedly not the last...
BarTalk
How will a ban on selling cigarettes affect you? Jessica Luke Brewery Tap Peterborough Cambridgshire I don't see it as much of a problem. I wouldn't...
Smoking solution is on the house
A pub in Manchester is celebrating after taking a brave decision that has helped its business thrive. The city centre Old Nags Head recently scooped...
Five Degrees West
Falmouth, Cornwall St Austell managed house It is nearly five years since a former nightclub with a questionable reputation was transformed into the...
The rest of the vote-winning pubs
Albert Arms Esher Surrey Anchor Inn Sutton Gault Cambridgeshire Approach Friar Lane Nottingham Bankes Arms Studland Bay Dorset Banner Cross Hotel...
Listed pub changes hands
A well-known pub in Oxfordshire has changed hands through Colliers Robert Barry. Burford House Hotel, in the Cotswold town of Burford, is described...
Cutting out dead wood
As trade nosedives in many pubs, tenant support and how to provide it is increasingly and urgently the issue of the day at pubco HQs across the land....
New groups buy Laurel Pub Company operations
Laurel Pub Company owner Robert Tchenguiz has put the group into administration and two new companies have immediately repurchased 293 sites. The two...
Square & Compass
Worth Maltravers, Dorset Freehouse The Square & Compass dates back to the 1750s and some aspects of the way business is done today haven't...
Trade blasts ADZs fiasco... yet again
Trade bodies have criticised the Home Office for giving just three days to respond to re-drafted guidance on alcohol disorder zones (ADZs). Further...
Pick of the pubs
The Coachman Inn, in Corby Glen, Lincolnshire, is a former coaching inn packed with character. The pub's trading areas include a bar seating 24, a...
Taking stock of progress
EPoS terminals are becoming ever more popular in sole-trader outlets, but it's important the system fits the business. Graham Ridout reports A s the...
Bargain booze stays on shelf
Major supermarkets and off-licences have been slammed for absorbing hikes in alcohol duty announced in the recent Budget.Current discount deals...
Cameron: No "silver bullet" on binge-drinking
David Cameron is a man who clearly knows his way around a pub. It's reassuring to think the 41-year-old Tory leader, whose party is currently 4/6...
Anglesea Arms
South Kensington, London Capital Pub Company managed house The idea of a country pub in the middle of London may sound like a fantasy, but that is...
Triumph for Staffordshire publican
Chris Lewis is one happy publican. A week after he was named BII Licensee of the Year at The Publican Awards 2008, he is back in his pub - the Swan...