Alcoholic Beverage

Licensing Hub – Legal with Poppleston Allen

Legal Q&A: cumulative impact policy, TENs and capacities

03-Jan-2020 By Poppleston Allen

The latest legal Q&A from specialist licensing solicitors Poppleston Allen covers the impact of cumulative impact policy on variation and TENs and capacities.

Licensing Hub – Legal with Poppleston Allen

Self-service beer taps 'a possible headache' for licensees

03-Jan-2020 By Poppleston Allen

Now Christmas is over and the dust has settled on the busiest time of the year for the trade, you might be mulling over what you can do in the next 12 months to give your business the edge.

Big interview

The prospect of Loungers becoming a really big business is 'terrifying'

03-Jan-2020 By Stuart Stone

The Loungers group is no slouch when it comes to opening new Lounge and Cosy Club sites. Chief executive Nick Collins talks staff ownership, his career and the group’s future.

Opinion

Banishing the post-Xmas blues - I’ll apple-y drink to that

02-Jan-2020 By Pete Brown

Although the tradition of Wassail has taken place, usually around an apple tree, Pete Brown explains how the pub is a great replacement for a community-driven ceremony.

The Morning Advertiser Quiz of the Year

20-Dec-2019 By Ed Bedington

It’s nearly the end of 2019 and it has been quite the year, but have you kept up to speed on the various issues and challenges that have faced the sector?

900 pubs sign up to trial live sport streaming

12-Dec-2019 By Stuart Stone

Six pub groups boasting a total of 900 sites have committed to trial live sport streaming in partnership with Screach and Premier Sports.

Estrella Damm Top 50 Gastropubs

Hare’s to 20 more years

12-Dec-2019 By Nicholas Robinson

After two decades in the biz and five years at their gastropub the Kentish Hare, chef brothers James and Chris Tanner have a desire to hop into another pub site.

Which drinks trends have caught on in 2019?

12-Dec-2019 By Nikkie Thatcher

Whether your customers still love their beer or perhaps a spirit, while others may not indulge in alcohol at all, there have been plenty of trends to take advantage of this year.

My Pub: The Dog at Wingham, Kent

11-Dec-2019 By Gary Lloyd

Creative Marilyn Brigden had designs on owning a hotel. So when fate brought the opportunity of rolling a pub, restaurant and hotel into one, she seized the chance. Here, her son Marc Brigden – co-owner – tells us about the strength of the bite at the...

How the Beer Orders still influence the on-trade 30 years later

11-Dec-2019 By Phil Mellows

Legislation may not be the sort of subject matter to excite many but it often has huge consequences for the on-trade. Here is how the long-gone Beer Orders still affect the industry to this day.

Swinkels and Beer Hawk Fresh tie-up will grow Euro craft beer in UK on-trade

10-Dec-2019 By Stuart Stone

Netherlands-based Swinkels Family Brewers has agreed a distribution deal with Beer Hawk Fresh, which will see its range of craft beers made more readily available through UK pubs, bars and retailers.

Licensing Hub – Legal with Poppleston Allen

Legal Q&A: Beer garden music and off-premises tables and chairs

10-Dec-2019 By Poppleston Allen

The latest legal Q&A from specialist licensing solicitors Poppleston Allen covers live music in beer gardens and competitors’ tables and chairs outside of premises.

Guv'nor

Beat the brewer (a game for all the family and staff)

10-Dec-2019 By Sam Cornwall-Jones

I was under the impression you must always have a ‘majority brewer’ on your bar so that they look after your cellar equipment, says Sam Cornwall-Jones, owner/proprietor of the Drawing Board, Warwickshire.

Festive pub partnership aims to call time on loneliness for elderly

09-Dec-2019 By Stuart Stone

Housing and care charity The Abbeyfield Society, Age UK County Durham, and northern pub operator The Inn Collection Group have joined forces to host a three-course Christmas dinner for elderly people at risk of isolation.

Big interview

People don't consider Cobra 'craft' because its been established for 30 years

09-Dec-2019 By Stuart Stone

Cobra founder Lord Karan Bilimoria reflects on getting his business off the ground and how it continues to expand its range after ten years in partnership with Molson Coors.

Spotlight

What are the major parties promising pubs in the 2019 general election?

09-Dec-2019 By Stuart Stone

From business rate reform and alcohol tax cuts to listing threatened pubs as assets of community value and extra bank holidays – what have the major parties promised in their 2019 election manifestos?

How will pubs celebrate New Year's Eve 2019?

06-Dec-2019 By Alice Leader

As peak festive season approaches, and before the fairy lights come down and Dry January begins, it’s time to start thinking about new year.

Drinks list 2020

Jack Daniel’s still best-selling on-trade whisky despite £6.2m drop in sales

05-Dec-2019 By Stuart Stone

A dip in volume and value sales over the past 12 months has not stopped Jack Daniel’s remaining the on-trade whisky category’s undisputed frontman according to The Morning Advertiser’s latest Drinks List.

Drinks List 2020

Heineken 0.0 on-trade sales increase by £7.7m

05-Dec-2019 By Stuart Stone

While Beck’s Blue is still the best selling low and no-alcohol beer in the UK on-trade, Heineken’s offer more than doubled both in volume and value in 2019.

My Pub: Brooksteed Alehouse, Worthing, West Sussex

04-Dec-2019 By Gary Lloyd

Brooksteed Alehouse micropub may look an unassuming venue but, as licensee Aaron Burns explains, its offer – especially when it comes to beer – is a big hitter on the south coast

Drink Tank

Whisky needs to look at gin for reinvigoration inspiration

28-Nov-2019 By Nikkie Thatcher

The whisky category should look to fellow spirit gin when it comes to reinventing the category and increasing popularity.

Drinks list 2020

The Drinks List: Top Brands to Stock 2020

26-Nov-2019 By Nicholas Robinson

Getting to grips with data in The Morning Advertiser’s Drinks List 2019 will give operators a head start in formulating successful drinks menus.

My Shout

Amazon needs to be transparent for pubs to use services

25-Nov-2019 By Dom Collingwood

It’s not been the most encouraging entry to the market from Amazon with a dearth of information and a disappointing lack of transparency, says Matchpint co-founder Dom Collingwood.

Little Interview

UK drinkers ‘cynical and sceptical’ of no-and-low alcohol beer

25-Nov-2019 By Stuart Stone

Despite British drinkers being generally less receptive to lower ABV brews than consumers on the continent, Lucky Saint founder Luke Boase believes the gap could soon close.

What are 2019's biggest party drink trends?

20-Nov-2019 By Emily Hawkins

Now is the ideal time to offer your customers a different drink to their usual because research shows people are more willing to experiment at this time of year.

Licensing Hub – Legal with Poppleston Allen

Top tips: door-to-door alcohol deliveries

12-Nov-2019 By Poppleston Allen

Over the past couple of years, we have received an increasing number of queries from operators considering an alcohol home delivery service.

Big interview

'Time capsule' concepts can help bring the pub into the 21st century

11-Nov-2019 By Stuart Stone

Known for its stylish and innovative venues, Inception Group has 11 sites, with more planned. Here, co-founder Charlie Gilkes tell us how the operation began, where the ideas come from and what to expect in the future

‘Active-ist’ drinkers expect brands to go the extra mile for them

23-Oct-2019 By Stuart Stone

Far-reaching social, economic, political and technological uncertainty is driving the growth of a new consumer mindset and premium spirit sales, according to William Grant & Sons.

Pubs recognised among 2019’s most eco-friendly foodservice businesses

23-Oct-2019 By Stuart Stone

The Sustainable Restaurants Association (SRA) has listed a number of pubs and national operators among the finalists for its Food Made Good Business awards.

Heineken UK and Pub is The Hub call last orders for loneliness

23-Oct-2019 By Stuart Stone

Pub is The Hub has launched a two-year pilot programme to combat loneliness and social isolation with the help of £100,000 funding from Heineken UK.

Hints and tips for working with local breweries

22-Oct-2019 By Stuart Stone

There’s more to greasing the wheels between pubs and brewers than paying bills on time. Here, we look at how a licensee can build a better relationship with local brewers and the difficulties faced if you are not free of tie.

The beer report 2019

Premiumisation pouring an extra £380m into pub coffers

22-Oct-2019 By Phil Mellows

As people become more health-conscious, beer volumes have dropped but customers are prepared to pay more for what they do drink – here is the analysis of the latest beer statistics.

Estrella Damm Top 50 Gastropubs

How to create an award-winning gastropub

22-Oct-2019 By Nicholas Robinson

After just two-and-a-half years, Liam Dillon – chef-owner of Lichfield’s the Boat Inn – has established an admirable reputation for his Staffordshire gastropub.

My Pub: the Kings Arms, Morecambe, Lancashire

21-Oct-2019 By Simon Longbottom

Adam Hulme took over the Kings Arms as general manager almost a year ago and has seen it through a million-pound transformation. Here, he tells Stonegate boss Simon Longbottom what makes the pub tick and where he’d like the pubco to invest in its future.

Opinion

Exploring the right language around cask is an urgent priority

21-Oct-2019 By Pete Brown

Pete Brown looks at how 1,000 cask drinkers view the terminology surrounding ‘Britain’s national drink’

Exit interview

'I’m not a person who believes we can keep every pub open'

18-Oct-2019 By Stuart Stone

Outgoing British Beer & Pub Association chief executive Brigid Simmonds examines her time in the role.

Mosaic Pub & Dining: a picture of health

17-Oct-2019 By Georgi Gyton

Having reached close to 30 sites over the past four years, MCA Insight’s Georgi Gyton met with the joint chief executives of Mosaic Pub & Dining to find out more about the pub operators’ growth so far and what the future holds.

Loungers revenue increases by 22%

16-Oct-2019 By Stuart Stone

Loungers’ ‘broad, value-for-money proposition across multiple occasions’ has yielded year-on-year increases in both revenue and like-for-like sales according to its latest trading update.

Jägermeister: We don't know who came up with the Jägerbomb

08-Oct-2019 By Stuart Stone

Mast-Jägermeister UK’s marketing director Nicole Goodwin discusses consumers' move away from the nightclub scene with the launch of Cold Brew Coffee.

Beer is still Britain’s favourite alcoholic tipple

04-Oct-2019 By Alice Leader

The British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA) has announced beer is Britain’s favourite alcoholic drink, according to its new research.

New cloudy cider to attract wider demographic

02-Oct-2019 By Alice Leader

Westons Cider has revealed a new cloudy apple cider and hopes it will increase its popularity among non-traditional cider drinkers.

‘Illogical’ plain alcohol labelling would hit drinks industry for £350bn

02-Oct-2019 By Stuart Stone

The extension of plain packaging laws to alcoholic and sugary beverages would cost the global drinks industry more than £350bn, Brand Finance has estimated.

90% of clubbers on a budget

30-Sep-2019 By Stuart Stone

Only one-in-ten Brits head out on the tiles without money on their mind according to late night bar and club operator Deltic’s latest Night Index,

Bar’s offer to ex-Thomas Cook employees

26-Sep-2019 By Alice Leader

Brighton bar owner has offered former Thomas Cook employees’ free entry to a ’90s-night event as well as a complimentary drink.

Ready player one: how have pub games evolved?

04-Jul-2019 By Gary Lloyd

In the past, a drink and a game of dominoes was all a pub had to do to keep a regular’s custom. Now the bar is set much higher and the expected experience is key.

Kombucha, a pub staple?

05-Nov-2018 By Emily Hawkins

A different, softer type of fermented drink could be set to take UK pubs by storm as chains large and small explore the potential of Kombucha.

Are sober bars growing in popularity?

19-Oct-2018 By Emily Hawkins

Although many licensed venues have upped their game and stock more zero- and low-alcohol drinks, some customers want an alcohol-free environment too.

Aperol Spritz drives up Campari’s UK sales

08-May-2018 By Nicholas Robinson

Gruppo Campari’s UK sales have risen significantly, with a chunk of that growth coming from sales of Aperol, the main ingredient in the Aperol Spritz.

Game of Thrones star helps Estrella Damm play for bigger market share

03-May-2018 By Nicholas Robinson

Spanish beer brand Estrella Damm is playing for a bigger slice of the UK beer market with its latest short film starring Game of Thrones actor Peter Dinklage.

Fairy-themed mobile bar brings cheer to communities without a pub

02-May-2018 By Fred A'Court

Some pubgoers may end up seeing a magical mystery woodland with sparkling fairies and unicorns after a night out, or at least that’s what customers to a new mobile bar will be greeted with even before they’ve had a drink.