01-Jun-2011 By Gurjit Degun
Banks are being increasingly "pernickety" about lending to pubs, experts claim as figures released by the Bank of England show that Britain's top five banks fell short of their target to lend £19bn for the first three months of the year.
13-Apr-2011 By Mark Wingett, M&C Report
Bars and restaurants are showing the biggest signs of financial distress amongst UK businesses, according to the latest Red Flag Alert released by...
Mike Saul: Banks are in the lending game, and are still playing
30-Mar-2011
"Banks are in the business of lending, and it's what we're doing. This does not mean that securing funding is without its challenges and it is clear...
25-Mar-2011 By John Harrington, M&C Report
The BII is eyeing plans to facilitate small-scale financing for licensees and pub owners, via a third party, for those who make a good business case.
148,000 UK businesses in dire financial straits, says new research
24-Jan-2011 By Hamish Champ
Nearly 148,000 UK businesses are experiencing "significant" or "critical" financial distress, according to new research. Begbies Traynor, the...
13-Dec-2010 By Ewan Turney
Punch executives are set to come under renewed pressure from shareholders at the company's annual general meeting this week. Speculation over the...
Government seeks to protect failing businesses from creditors
28-Jul-2010 By Hamish Champ
The government has launched a 12-week consultation to consider how businesses could negotiate "breathing space" with their creditors. Ed Davey, the...
16-Jul-2010 By The PMA Team
A report into the crash of pub-management company Publicana shows the company has been making losses despite accounts showing a profit.
Surveys paint bleak picture for UK pubs
12-Jul-2010 By Hamish Champ
The immediate trading prospects for the on-trade appear grim, if two new surveys on business survival and consumer spending are to be believed. Pub...
A financial guide to buying a pub
11-May-2010
Before embarking on securing finance against a licensed business, you must first ensure that your own finances are in good shape. If you have CCJ's...
10-May-2010 By Gemma McKenna
Enterprise Inns is close to agreeing a refinancing deal of its £1bn bank loan, reports the Sunday Times. Shares in the pubco fell by 11% on Friday...
22-Apr-2010 By Mark Stretton, M&C Report
The full extent of pub entrepreneur Robert Tchenguiz's relationship with Kaupthing, the collapsed Icelandic bank, have come to light following a...
One in three tied tenants have £50,000 of debt
12-Apr-2010 By Matt Eley Matt
Nearly 30 per cent of tied tenants have debts of more than £50,000 according to new research. The Pub Revolution branch of trade union GMB...
Government considers crackdown on pre-pack administrations
22-Mar-2010 By Hamish Champ
The government is considering a crackdown on the practice of 'pre-pack administrations', which sees businesses that have collapsed, often owing...
Geoff Newton: Pre-packs do have plus points
15-Mar-2010
It seems that these days, whenever a business gets into difficulties it is all too easy to go to an insolvency practitioner, put the business into...
15-Mar-2010 By Paul Wigham
Bar Group went through a pre-pack administration last month. Boss Paul Wigham reflects on the sometimes harrowing experience. We had two pub...
12-Mar-2010 By Martyn Leek, M&C Report
Luminar, the embattled nightclub operator, is to start a rigorous cost reduction exercise after revealing it had seen no upturn in recent trading and...
In defence of pre-packs
01-Mar-2010 By Hamish Champ
The recent pre-pack administration of segments of London Town, the indebted pubco, has reignited concern surrounding this controversial method of...
3DE leases pose us no threat, says Luminar
01-Mar-2010 By Hamish Champ
The economic downturn marked another victim last week as 3D Entertainment (3DE), the nightclub operator part-owned by Luminar Group, became the...
26-Feb-2010 By Mark Stretton, M&C Report
The lion's share of 3D Entertainment (3DE), the up-for-sale nightclub business, is set to be acquired by Sun Capital Partners.
05-Jan-2010 By The PMA Team
Trade creditors of Regent Inns are owed £4,045,268, according to documents filed by administrator BDO Stoy Hayward.
'Ritblat to make a move for Merchant Inns?'
13-Dec-2009
"Property tycoon Sir John Ritblat, the former British Land chairman, is expected to table a bid this week for Merchant Inns, the pubs group he half...
10-Dec-2009 By The PMA Team
Town & City Pub Company, which operates the Yates's chain, reported a "very successful" first 11 trading months, qualified by exceptional...
Debt mountain pushes Mercury Inns into administration
25-Nov-2009 By Hamish Champ
Too much debt pushed Mercury Inns into administration, joint managing director Mark Butler confirmed today. The Tamworth-based operator's seven pubs...
Debt collectors allowed to take cash from tills
24-Nov-2009
Pubs and clubs in Scotland that run into serious financial trouble can be raided by debt collectors, under UK law which became effective north of the...
Don't ignore the signs of a business in trouble
23-Nov-2009
Everyone knows that in the current environment many licensees are facing problems they've not encountered before. Nationally there has been a drop...
18-Nov-2009 By Mark Stretton, M&C Report
Jonathan Paveley, the former Punch Taverns director, has been appointed executive chairman of Admiral Taverns. He replaces Gary Landesberg following...
Admiral Taverns in debt-for-equity swap
17-Nov-2009 By Hamish Champ
Admiral Taverns has undergone a debt for equity swap which sees Lloyds Banking Group, the pubco's lender, now owning a significant stake in the...
16-Nov-2009 By The PMA Team
Lloyds Banking Group is set to swallow a £600m debt-for-equity swap at tenanted pub company Admiral Taverns, in the latest fallout from the banking...
27-Aug-2009 By The PMA Team
Bar Room Bar is set to leave creditors out of pocket by around £16m, a report by administrator Zolfo Cooper indicates.
26-Aug-2009 By The PMA Team
Lloyds Banking Group is likely to swap its debt in Admiral Taverns for equity, according to Companies House documents filed several months late by the tenanted pub company. Admiral has debts of £855m with Lloyds.
20-Aug-2009 By John Harrington
A licensee has thanked the Morning Advertiser after HSBC agreed to loan her £20,000 following the bank's initial refusal. In a victory for the MA's...
19-Aug-2009 By Mark Stretton, M&C Report
Two companies acquired earlier this year by Helena Leisure from 3D Entertainment (3DE) have entered a company voluntary arrangement (CVA).
10-Aug-2009 By Ewan Turney
The Government needs to do more to break the high street banks' monopoly on finance for small businesses, according to the FSB.
04-Aug-2009 By The PMA Team
Two M&B franchisees have joined forces to open a third pub as a joint venture with help from the Enterprise Finance Guaranteee Scheme.
01-Jul-2009 By Ewan Turney
Tenanted and leased operator London Town Taverns made a loss of £24.7m last year and is in breach of its bank loans.
17-Jun-2009 By Mark Stretton, M&C Report
Mark Stretton, editor of Morning Advertiser's sister title M&C Report, gives his views on the period of upheaval facing the trade.
'Young's in the scramble for Punch pubs'
29-May-2009 By Matt Eley Matt
Regional brewers may be falling over themselves to snap up the pubs put up for sale by Punch Taverns but Young & Co continues to adopt a more...
Agents struggle to collect sale fees
15-May-2009 By Gemma McKenna
Licensed agents are having difficulty collecting their fees from property sales, due to the economic crisis. Some agents attribute the problem to...
08-May-2009 By Mark Stretton, M&C Report
A property firm owed more than £250,000 by Premium Bars & Restaurants is threatening to seek a winding up order against the group unless its...
20-Apr-2009 By Ewan Turney
Heineken has acquired 30% of the debt of Globe Pub Company, the tenanted operator of 429 pubs owned by Robert Tchenguiz.
09-Apr-2009 By The PMA Team
Glasshouse, the 12-strong pub company led by Peter Linacre, owed HM Customs & Excise around £500,000 when it went into administration.
30-Mar-2009 By The PMA Team
Globe Pub Company, the tenanted operator of 429 pubs owned by Robert Tchenguiz, has reported a sharp rise in closed pubs as a result of the "tough...
'MP backs minimum alcohol price call'
24-Mar-2009
The home affairs select committee chairman, Labour's Keith Vaz, backed the call by the chief medical officer, Sir Liam Donaldson, for a minimum price...
Tough at the top
23-Mar-2009 By Hamish Champ
Whenever managed pubco JD Wetherspoon announces its results you can bet your last beermat the group's founder and chairman Tim Martin will pop up...
Tied pubs eligible for government aid
02-Mar-2009 By James Wilmore
Tied licensees can now apply for government support under a scheme to help small businesses struggling for financial help, licensing minister Gerry...
11-Feb-2009 By Mark Stretton, M&C Report
Latest accounts from Nexum, reveal losses in its most recent year of £8.3m and an ensuing debt-for-equity swap deal with its bank.
14-Jan-2009 By John Harrington
A trade leader has given a cautious welcome to new Government plans to guarantee up to £20bn of loans to help small firms. The new measures,...
08-Jan-2009 By Mark Stretton, M&C Report
Latest accounts from Utopian Leisure Group, the North-East bar and club operator led by Bob Senior, show it breached its banking covenants, according...
Beat the downturn in 2009: part five
08-Jan-2009
• Produce regular forecasts - at least monthly (or weekly if things are looking uncertain), and highlight cash flows coming in and out. Our...
