What the Sunday papers said
20-Nov-2005
Late-night drinking laws will fuel a £500m increase in drinks sales. A report by banker Goldman Sachs on Mitchells & Butlers, written in 2004,...
Punch behind Government over bill move
03-Nov-2005
Britain's second-largest pubco, Punch Taverns, is one surprising supporter of the Government's food-based ban. Unlike most operators, Punch, which...
Spirit bidders given mid-November deadline
17-Oct-2005
Prospective bidders for Spirit Group have been effectively told to make a serious offer for the managed pub giant by the middle of November or walk...
Punch salute pair in first ever BRM awards
12-Oct-2005
Bob Barnett and Chris Moulson have claimed the winner and runners-up prizes as part of Punch Taverns' first ever Business Relationship Manager (BRM)...
Spirits rise at Punch and Mitchells & Butlers
12-Sep-2005
Bid speculation surrounding a possible move by Punch Taverns and Mitchells & Butlers for Spirit Group boosted the pair's share prices today.Punch...
Punch pub enjoys double award glory
18-Aug-2005
A Punch Taverns pub in Peckham has been crowned best venue in two prestigious regional award schemes. The Gowlett Arms, on Gowlett Road, won the Best...
Punch still looking at Spirit despite Avebury acquisition
22-Jul-2005
Punch Taverns' recent £219m purchase of the Avebury estate is unlikely to sway the group from hoovering up a significant chunk of Spirit Group's...
Punch looking to hit on Spirit
27-Jun-2005
Punch Taverns is expected to announce in the next day or two that it has made a preliminary offer for Spirit Group.If it buys Spirit, which operates...
Experts to debate routing out rogue recruitment firms
22-Jun-2005
Tony Payne, chief executive of the Federation of Licensed Victuallers' Associations, and Francis Patton, customer relations director of Punch...
Punch's brave New World
09-Jun-2005
The bulk of pub wine lists rarely turn me on still far too many dog-eared laminated cards displaying one dull wine after another. Hello. Haven't...
Punch staff brush up on charity skills
19-May-2005
Staff at pub company Punch Taverns have swapped pint glasses for paint brushes in a bid to help a Derbyshire charity. The lounge area and a course...
As pleased as Punch!
09-May-2005
Punch Taverns has announced a jump in profits, against the run of a generally sluggish market, writes John Porter.If you believed even half of the...
Punch Taverns is official partner for Red Nose Day
22-Feb-2005
Punch Taverns has teamed up with Comic Relief as its official partner for its Red Nose Day 2005 celebrations.All of the company's 7,800 outlets have...
Punch duo shine at awards
26-Jan-2005
A pair of Manchester licensees have been picked out by pub-goers and fellow publicans as the top performers in the Punch Taverns estate.Roger Ward...
Punch Xmas trade shows pull in 2,000
16-Dec-2004
Punch Taverns' first ever series of Christmas trade shows has been hailed a great success after attracting more than 2,000 people. Exhibitors at the...
Licensee battles with Punch over beer monitoring
18-Nov-2004
A London licensee has blocked Punch Taverns from sending in people to monitor his beer equipment in the High Court.Paddy Maguire, publican at the...
Punch bullish about future after strong results
11-Nov-2004
The rapid growth of the Punch Taverns group was vividly illustrated by its year end results which revealed a 49 per cent increase in yearly turnover...
InnSpired steps up acquisition campaign
29-Oct-2004
InnSpired has announced that it is seeking to significantly increase its 1,000-strong estate of community pubs through a sustained campaign of...
Time Out awards its Gastropub of the Year
27-Jul-2004
Extensive renovation and a new menu have been the keys to success at the Coach and Horses in the City of London.The pub, which was renovated in May...
New image for Punch Taverns
11-Jun-2004
Punch has given itself a makeover, launching a new, streamlined corporate identity.The leased operator will be known simply as Punch Taverns,...
Punch to investigate its relationship with tenants
24-May-2004
Punch Taverns has commissioned a high-profile firm of solicitors to investigate, and produce a report on, its relationship with tenants and...
Punch 'steals' Hardys' recruitment guide
01-Apr-2004
Punch Taverns has owned up to "borrowing" large chunks of a recruitment manual used by its managers from regional brewer Hardys & Hansons.More...
Punch to close Pubmaster head offices
07-Jan-2004
Punch Taverns is to close the Hartlepool head offices of Pubmaster, the 3,200-strong tenanted giant it bought in November last year.The company has...
What the Sunday papers said
27-Oct-2003
The BusinessPubmaster may opt for a float on the stock market instead of a trade sale. The company is thought to be in sale talks with Punch Taverns....
What the Sunday papers said
06-Oct-2003
The Sunday Telegraph Two of Britain's biggest pub groups are about to change hands in deals involving more than 2,800 outlets with a combined value...
Thirsty work pays dividends
31-Jul-2003
Situated in the centre of the historic county town of Stamford, Lincolnshire, Dr Thirsty's a large venue bar on two levels has been sold...
Tradition and ambition
21-Jul-2003
Stephen Gould has jumped from pubco giant Punch to regional brewer Everards. By Mark Stretton.When Stephen Gould announced he was leaving Punch to...
Punch buys 13 pubs for £3.9m
24-Apr-2003
Punch Taverns has claimed the difficult economic climate has allowed an acceleration of its pub-buying programme. The company has bought 13 managed...
6C shareholders call for Richard North's head
17-Mar-2003
Richard North is said to be on his way out of Six Continents.The finance director and hotels boss-in-waiting is set to be forced out by the group's...
Upstart Osmond upsets the beerage old stagers
27-Feb-2003
Entrepreneur Hugh Osmond has become a major irritant to what we used to call the beerage. After an uproarious encounter, during which he gave former...
Punch hails new lease-back deal
20-Feb-2003
by The PMA Team Punch Taverns has bought 12 managed pubs from Honeycombe Leisure for £11.72m in a deal being hailed as a "new template for the pub...
Honeycombe Leisure signs management deal with Punch
18-Feb-2003
Punch Taverns is pioneering a new approach to its estate with a sale-and-leaseback deal for 12 pubs acquired from Honeycombe Leisure.Preston-based...
Pubco giants under attack over high rent and beer charges
23-May-2002
Lessees across the country claim they are being put out of business by the high prices giant pub operators charge for rent and beer.The problem has...
Better late than never as Punch moves up
23-May-2002
Punch Taverns, the parent group of the 4,300-strong pub company, enjoyed a successful debut on the London Stock Exchange yesterday.Last week the...
What the Sunday papers said
29-Apr-2002
The Sunday TelegraphWhitbread, the hotels and leisure group, will this week draw a line under one of its worst-performing investments with the sale...
In high spirits - Karen Jones to revive Spirit Group
13-Mar-2002
Karen Jones is responsible for reviving the fortunes of Spirit Group, the renamed retail arm of Punch, over the past two years. By Mark Stretton. It...
Gerry Robinson to head Allied Domecq
04-Feb-2002
Gerry Robinson, the former TV boss, has turned to drink.The ex-Granada chief executive is to replace Sir Christopher Hogg at the helm of Allied...
Hugh Osmond buys stake in Belgo
31-Oct-2001
Hugh Osmond, founder of Punch Taverns, has bought up a two per cent stake in Belgo, the beer and chips chain run by Luke Johnson.Matthew Allen, a...
Pubmaster looks at possible bid targets
02-Oct-2001
Pubmaster is looking at up to 10 possible bid targets in the light of its recent £513m failed hostile takeover attempt of Wolverhampton &...
Packing a Punch
29-Aug-2001
Mark Ludmon meets Punch Pub Company chief Stephen LambertLike many students, Stephen Lambert worked behind the bar of a local Edinburgh pub during...
Is this the reshaping of the leased pub market?
24-May-2000
How will the emergence of Punch Taverns and Wellington Pub Company reshape the leased pub market? Everyone knew things would change in pub leasing...
The meteoric rise of Punch
27-Sep-1999
Since entering the pub trade in 1997 Punch has had a meteoric rise.When Ken Oginsky starts talking about what "we" have achieved, you may be forgiven...