Plan your snack attack
Targeting the snack offer in your pub can be an easy route to greater profits. Simon Creasey reports At first glance, WH Smith may seem an unlikely...
Archives for July 2, 2008
The new summer graze
Susan Nowak looks at ideas for matching Spanish tapas and beers Spanish food is the new big thing and so right for summer, bringing flamenco flavour...
Pubs still vital for social interaction, study shows
The future for pubs may not be so bleak after a third of young people said on-line interaction will never compete with real-life encounters in the...
Get your pub Ontrack
Marketing consultancy him! has spent most of the past year gathering the views of 5,000 pub customers. The results show exactly how pubs can improve...
Luff ponders on the past
Peter Luff, chair of the Business & Enterprise Select Committee probing pubcos, gave this reflection on trade lobbyists at the time of the Beer...
RDR 2007 winners' quotes
Bill Donne, secretary of Reading Pubwatch — winner of Pubwatch of the Year "The RDR award reflects the effort all partners have put into the...
My pub juke box
Geoff Thomasson, chief executive of worldwide refrigeration specialist, the Husky Group My taste in music has changed over the years, but each one...
The Guv'nor Alan Hamblett
Lower duty so people can afford pubs again Pubs are places to relax, socialise and be entertained; a communal and healthy alternative to rotting in...
Autumn arrival for 4% Stella
InBev has confirmed full plans for the launch of Stella Artois 4% abv, a triple-filtered premium Belgian lager, which has been designed specifically...
Listen politicians — we still love locals
People see pubs as a vital part of their lives, and politicians should take note. Tony Halstead reports on a new Greene King survey showing why...
Can Nadal derail Fed express?
Two weeks of top-quality tennis come to an end this Saturday and Sunday with the Wimbledon finals. With Venus and Serena Williams in opposite sides...
Tchenguiz pushes Reit route as way forward
Opco-propco option is favoured path Mitchells & Butlers' (M&B) biggest shareholder Robert Tchenguiz has re-stated his view that the company...
True to its roots
The historic Anchor on London's Bankside has been brought bang up to date while preserving its much-loved traditional atmosphere. Simon Creasey...
So what have you done since 2004?
Well, we did say that it's on the cards, didn't we. At the start of May, in MA's Comment "Tisc, Tisc — another inquiry?", we pointed out that...
Enough of the competition — let's hear it for co-operation
It's far from being a dog-eat-dog world among craft brewers. Combined effort is the way forward I must be the only person on the planet who wasn't...
How worried should pubcos be?
So here we are again. Four years on from the Trade and Industry Select Committee (TISC) inquiry into pubco power, the big guns of the trade are...
Best of the best
Retailing alcohol responsibly is what the pub trade does. But some pubs are truly outstanding in the way they do it. If you are one of them, you must...
Chris Maclean: Why do pubs get the blame?
On the BBC news last week was an article about laser pens. Some idiot shone a laser pen at a helicopter pilot. It was a daft thing to do. But in...
Coors and the art of museum maintenance
What's in a name? Not, unfortunately, a sense of history and heritage when it comes to Burton's former Bass Museum
MPs call pubcos to account
Pubcos once again face scrutiny from MPs about how they treat tenants — and whether they have acted on previous recommendations. John Harrington...
Greene King closer to becoming a REIT
Greene King is the latest pub company to believe that "in principle" it could become a real estate investment trust (REIT).Announcing its results for...
St Helier is more than a me-too
When any consumer goods category explodes to life unexpectedly the one thing you can bet your life on is a group of previously uninterested brand...
Q&A
Licence may not be needed Q. I've worked in the licensed trade for a number of years and have now applied for a job as steward with a large social...
Gas bills rise in fixed-rate tariff
Npower tried to raise pub's rate four times A licensee is furious after hearing his gas bill would increase, despite being told he was on a...
Friday July 18: Take it to the top
Getting your MP into your pub will help you to tell the real story about what pubs do for their communities - and give you a chance to raise your...
Greene King optimistic over smoke ban
Greene King is optimistic about the impact of the smoking ban in England after reporting an 18% rise in profit at its Scottish Belhaven division in...
First firm has security licence revoked
A Manchester man is the first to have his licence to run a doorstaff firm revoked for not co-operating with the Security Industry Authority (SIA)....
In the best possible taste
Consumers' desire for healthier options has prompted snack manufacturers to be more inventive to keep things flavoursome Eat this, don't eat that,...
Operators go for larger wine serve
Major managed operators are choosing not to offer wine in 125ml glasses. That's according to a survey by Which?. It comes as calls mount for pubs to...
Tuesday July 15: That's entertainment
From a tug of war to crowning a local beauty queen, there are some great events in the offing in pubs up and down the country during Proud of Pubs...
Developing a broader offer
Only 4% of pub customers bought a hot drink and only 2% bought crisps. Both are woefully low when you consider the potential opportunity for both...
Beer tie not to blame for struggling pubs
The pubco model has nothing to do with the problems faced by some community pubs - Enterprise Inns chief operating officer Simon Townsend tells the Community Pubs Inquiry.
Getting the core categories right
Of those planning to buy a bottle of wine, 42% intend to spend more than £14 per bottle. Obviously, quality is an issue here. Is this reflected in...
The agent
Chris Whirledge, Pub Innsite What is meant by the term "hard barrels"? I'm sure you'll be thinking that it bears some relation to health and safety...
Bar Talk
What's the weather doing for your trade? John Ellis Crown Inn Oakengates Shropshire The weather has been average here, but it's a very good time for...
Revamped Hungry Horses takings up by £5,000 per week
Greene King has seen takings per week rise by £5,000 at each of the first 26 Hungry Horse sites it has refurbished. The company has spent £11m at...
Pubs could be left without gaming machines
Thousands of pubs could find themselves without machines when Inspired Gaming quits the industry, the independent machines supplier's organisation...
Credit coercion
Making business transactions with personal credit cards is illegal. Cookseys managing director David Morgan explains how new regulations affect who...
Tread warily as copyright case goes into extra time
The battle over pub football continues! Somewhat surprisingly, given the rather dismissive comments of Lord Justice Pumfrey in the first part of this...
Murphy case goes to European court
MPS: we will pursue prosecutions for Sky Karen Murphy has had her foreign satellite appeal referred to the European Court of Justice (ECJ). But...
Machine changes may be no jackpot
The news that the review of gaming machines has been brought forward by a year has been greeted with enthusiasm by sectors of the trade, in...
Thursday July 17: Put people first
You can have the best-looking pub with the finest drink and food in the country - but if you haven't got a well-motivated, friendly and efficient...
Wednesday July 16: Power of the press
One of the biggest wins for pubs involved Proud of Pubs Week in 2007 wasn't the national publicity. It was the publicity that the event won for them...
Monday July 14: Find the energy
Go green, and save money.If you only take one message away from Proud of Pubs Week, make it this one - and make Monday July 14 the day you take a...
Business boosters
Ideas for driving food sales at your pub Produce trade-in Where: Red Hart, Kington, Worcestershire The idea: Last summer customers at the Red Hart...
Your say
Portman and a flurry of White Lightning Having read your article in the MA (12 June 2008), I find myself in shock at the response from the Portman...
My New Pub
Wellington Heifer Ainderby Steeple, North Yorkshire Agent: Guy Simmonds Scotsman Kenny Harkness comes to the Wellington Heifer after a celebrated...
Pubco Inquiry: 'Give us the truth'
The chairman of the new Parliamentary inquiry into pubcos says he has no agenda "other than the search for the truth". Peter Luff MP spoke...
Moves
Marcus Bewley joins Marston's Pub Co Marcus Bewley has joined Marston's Pub Company from Spirit Group as drinks promotions manager. The pubco said...
Pubco inquiry: 'Give us the truth'
Committee to seek update on Tisc report The chairman of the new Parliamentary inquiry into pubcos says he has no agenda "other than the search for...
Alcohol volumes down 8% post-ban
But the health of bar staff has improved New evidence has emerged of the smoking ban's damaging impact on pubs — and the benefit to people's...