Archives for July 16, 2008

← 2008

My pub juke box

Julian Grocock, chief executive of Siba, the Society of Independent Brewers I hereby declare my music credentials as a founder member of the...

Murphy case: Written judgement out

By Ewan Turney

The Premier League will have to drop foreign satellite prosecutions if the European Court of Justice rules no geographical restrictions apply to their use but Premier League vows prosecutions will continue.

Working lunch

Ted Bruning discovers the trade secrets of Warwickshire's Merchant's Inn Some pubs are blessed with Michelin-standard kitchens. Others are cursed...

Footfall fever

The start of the premiership season is just a few short weeks away, so its time to prepare for those match days to lift your takings into the next...

Orchid goes for 600 pubs

By The PMA Team

£45m refit programme has completed early Orchid Group, the managed operator owned by private equity firm GI Partners, has set its sights on doubling...

Closures spark media frenzy

Recent months have seen local and national newspapers full of stories about the plight of pubs. But is it harming the trade? Steve Hemsley reports

Standing tall

It was the week when the pub trade stood tall. And it was the week when few in Parliament would have failed to hear the proud message of the pub...

Sky-high prices

By Matt Eley Matt

Licensees have slammed Sky's latest deals on sports packages for 'giving with one hand and taking away with the other'. Last week The Publican...

Boulter buys his 2nd Devon pub

A licensee is rolling out a novel grill concept — where dishes are brought to the table on volcanic rocks, cooked to customers' tastes — to his...

Celebrating the great British pub

By Andrew Pring andrew.pring@william-reed.co.uk

Year-long national promotion will lead to a massive event A national celebration of all that's great about pubs will be staged next year in London....

Focus South East: Reading the ban

Sitting in the stylish, slate-flagged garden of the Vine in Tenterden, Kent, under a sunny June sky it was easy to imagine that this was just how the...

A vine idea

The unseasonable rain had a profound affect on the vines shipped in by Australian wine company McGuigan for a Central London initiative earlier this...

Your say

Winning with brand positioning I was surprised that your panel of experts missed the key subject of brand positioning when considering the criteria...

MPs rush to ban Cocaine

MPs with a keen interest in the pub trade have rushed to sign Keith Vaz's Early Day Motion (EDM) condemning plans to launch energy drink Cocaine in...

Gerry: oppose duty with united voice

By Ewan Turney ewan.turney@william-reed.co.uk

Pub closures caused by change in habits Licensing minister Gerry Sutcliffe has repeated his view that the trade can overturn planned alcohol duty...

My New Pub Speed the Plough

Sonia Bessant and Sarah Tombs Tibberton, Worcester Sonia Bessant has swapped feeding inmates at Hewell Grange prison for punters at a 17th-century...

Surge in rent arbitrations

By John Harrington john.harrington@william-reed.co.u

The number of rent arbitrations undertaken by large managed operators has surged due to the down- beat economic climate, particularly the high-street...

Bar Talk

Has your Sky subscription increased? Adrian Clay Raikes Hall Blackpool I've just had to get the new Sky Ultimate package, costing an extra £69 per...

The agent

Mark Greig, MD of Paramount Investments We've all seen the depressing sight of boarded-up pubs in locations throughout the country. Mainly in city...

SABMiller 'talk alcohol' on new website

A new consumer-friendly website has been launched to provide a comprehensive guide to alcohol - from how beer is made to how drink impacts on the...

Ignore 'use by' dates at your peril

Proper storage of food is a critical part of keeping food-related illness - particularly food poisoning - at bay. And, as no food lasts forever,...

Midlands host stripped of licence

A licensee has been stripped of his personal licence — and licensees of four pubs fined £20,000 between them — for screening Sky using domestic...

Q&A

Not valid in Scotland Q. I am thinking of taking over a pub just over the border in Scotland. Will my existing personal licence be valid for that, or...

Death by a thousand voices

With Government and the health lobbyists constantly on the attack, it's time for the trade to provide some new vocals, and with one voice It's...

We must solve pub crisis together

You've got to hand it to Licensing Minister Gerry Sutcliffe. Not content with upsetting the Prime Minister once, he's risked the wrath of his boss a...

The perfect consumer experience

By MA reporter

Pub in the Park will play host to a fantastic range of competitions that you can sign up to for your pub and your customers. These range from...

Westminster bans street drinking

By John Harrington

The Council has won its attempt to ban drinking - or smoking - on the streets outside a pub after 6pm.

Walkers wants a flavour

By Jessica Harvey jessica.harvey@william-reed.co.uk

Walkers has lined up a £10m marketing push for its crisps and a competition that invites consumers to invent a new flavour. The on-pack promotion,...

Focus South East: View from the Top

'It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness… it was the spring of hope, it was...

Herald Inns closes venues

By The PMA Team

The concept had 'lost touch with the market' Herald Inns & Bars, the company headed by Julian Sargeson, has closed six venues. The company is...

Decade of quality

The Cask Marque accreditation scheme is 10 years old and growing all the time. Jessica Harvey reports on its birthday celebrations and future plans...

MA website relaunches

MorningAdvertiser.co.uk has been unveiled with a fresh new look, packed full of additional features, but still delivering the latest news first,...

Council blamed for top pub closure

A Welsh pub which featured in every edition of the Good Beer Guide for 35 years has closed. The Cherry Tree in Tintern shut its doors three weeks...

Message heard - Proud and clear

Proud of Pubs Week is making waves across Parliament this week as publicans unite to tell the true story about pubs to the people who count.Licensees...

Ask An Expert: Offering beer samples

I've noticed some pubs promote their beers, especially cask ales, by offering customers a taster. What's the best way of going about this? Are there...

Business boosters

Ideas for driving food sales at your pub Takeaway pizzas Where: Puesdown Inn, Compton Abdale, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire...

Moves

Maloney joins Enterprise board David Maloney has been appointed as non-executive director of Enterprise Inns. He was previously chief financial...

Following the trade winds

The Cutter at Ely might have sunk without trace, but licensee Steve Haslam tells Graham Holter that the Enterprise pub has the wind in its sails once...

Rates bill prompts pub demolition

By MA reporter

A pub was knocked down by its enraged owner after he was sent a bill for £8,000 in unpaid business rates and council tax for the months it stood...

Licence reviews soar say lawyers

By John Harrington john.harrington@william-reed.co.u

Even good operators struggle, says barrister Operators around the country have faced a 1,000% increase in the number of licence reviews and other...

Excellence as standard

After 150 years, brewer Timothy Taylor's beers are in ever-increasing demand. Roger Protz looks at the company's history and what makes their ales so...

We're right behind you...

Go to www.pubinthepark.com to register your support "This event will be great for everyone in the industry to showcase all that is good and great...

Your say

Portman Group is not an on-trade ally While broadly in agreement with almost everything your anonymous correspondent wrote about the Portman Group (3...

Punch's shares take roller-coaster ride

It's very hard to fathom why Punch's shares have hit such ridiculous highs and lows in the same year, says The PMA Team Share values are hard to get...

South Africa: home and away

Helen Bendell helen.bendell@william-reed.co.uk Manchester United were the first European club to be invited to join South African sides, Kaizer...

FSA revises label advice

By Lucy Britner lucy.britner@william-reed.co.uk

Guidance encourages transparent practices The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has revised its food-labelling guidance on use of marketing terms such as...

Coors creates Project Eve

By The PMA Team

Business unit is formed to boost beer drinking Carling brewer Coors has set up a women's business unit in an attempt to boost the amount of beer...