Scotland

Analysis

What financial support is available to UK pubs this winter?

01-Dec-2020 By Stuart Stone

Following Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s announcement that England would be plunged into its third national lockdown in an address on 4 January, The Morning Advertiser rounds up what funding is available across the UK.

Scotland closures 'worst possible news'

17-Nov-2020 By Emily Hawkins

Pubs across eleven council areas in Scotland will be forced to close for three weeks, the First Minister announced today.

JDW closes 46 Scottish pubs until restrictions ease

17-Nov-2020 By Nikkie Thatcher

Pub behemoth JD Wetherspoon has shut three quarters (75%) of its pubs in Scotland and these will remain closed until measures are relaxed.

Map: Scottish pubs hit by level system

12-Nov-2020 By Emily Hawkins

The Morning Advertiser (MA) has mapped out the varying restrictions in Scotland under its five-level system of coronavirus rules.

Scottish Government urged to extend opening hours

11-Nov-2020 By Emily Hawkins

Scottish pubs have been severed a “sucker punch” by the Government with its new levelled system of coronavirus measures, according to one trade group.

Furlough extension welcomed ahead of 'tough winter'

05-Nov-2020 By Emily Hawkins

Chancellor Rishi Sunak has announced the furlough scheme will be extended until the end of March.

lockdown live

Prime Minister pledges cash for wet pubs

02-Nov-2020 By Emily Hawkins

Most areas in England will be placed into tier two measures this week while pubs in a number of areas must remain closed under the strictest rules.

Scotland's new system will cause 'chaos and failure'

29-Oct-2020 By Emily Hawkins

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has revealed which areas will face which coronavirus measures from next week.

Alcohol restrictions leave Scottish pubs in ‘no man's land’

28-Oct-2020 By Emily Hawkins

Scottish pubs will face varying restrictions on serving alcohol when a new levelled system of coronavirus restrictions begins on Monday 2 November.

Strictest measures will be needed by Christmas, advisers say

28-Oct-2020 By Emily Hawkins

The Government’s scientific advisers have advised the imposition of tier three restrictions on the entire country by mid-December, it has been reported.

Pub closures across the country as tier three restrictions come into force

23-Oct-2020 By Emily Hawkins

Pubs in large swathes of the country will face fresh restrictions this weekend, with some businesses forced to close.

Legal process initiated against Scottish restrictions

22-Oct-2020 By Emily Hawkins

A coalition of Scottish hospitality trade bodies has launched legal action against the Scottish Government’s restrictions on pubs.

Scottish pubs in 'stranglehold'

21-Oct-2020 By Emily Hawkins

Pubs in the central belt of Scotland have been dealt another blow, with their closure period extended by a further week.

How has coronavirus impacted pubs in Scotland?

12-Oct-2020 By Nikkie Thatcher

The Morning Advertiser takes a look at how coronavirus has affected pubs in Scotland from when lockdown was first announced at the beginning of spring this year.

Greene King outlines rent support with 90% discount for closed pubs

09-Oct-2020 By Emily Hawkins

Brewer and pub operator Greene King has announced its tied pub tenants will be given at least a 40% rent discount until Christmas.

BREAKING

Hospitality furlough scheme for coronavirus hotspots

09-Oct-2020 By Emily Hawkins

Chancellor Rishi Sunak has announced the Government will pay employees who cannot work 67% of their salaries up to £2,100 a month.

Star Pubs & Bars extending up to 50% rent reduction for L&T pubs

08-Oct-2020 By Nikkie Thatcher

Heineken’s pub arm Star Pubs & Bars has revealed extended rent concessions for its leased and tenanted pubs throughout November at a cost to the company of £2.8m

1 in 5 English pubs facing second shutdown

08-Oct-2020 By Emily Hawkins

One in five English pubs could be closed if the Government chooses to shut down pubs in the north of England next week.

Analysis

Who did it best? How other countries are treating pubs during Covid-19 second spike

08-Oct-2020 By Stuart Stone

With pandemic restrictions being imposed on hospitality businesses both across the UK and further afield, The Morning Advertiser (MA) has taken a closer look at how night spots in some of Europe's major cities are being affected by Covid-19's...

New measures will be outlined 'in the coming days'

08-Oct-2020 By Emily Hawkins

Communities secretary Robert Jenrick has said there will be an announcement on further coronavirus measures “in the coming days”.

Pubs handed 'death sentence' by Scottish Government

07-Oct-2020 By Emily Hawkins

The Scottish Government have made pubs and bars a “sacrificial lamb” according to one trade body ahead of a temporary closure of hospitality in parts of the country.

Pubs in central Scotland ordered to close for 16 days

07-Oct-2020 By Emily Hawkins

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has outlined further restrictions for pubs in Scotland, including the two-week closure of pubs in five areas in the central belt.

Scottish students told avoid pubs this weekend

25-Sep-2020 By Emily Hawkins

The Scottish Government has told university students to not visit pubs this weekend following coronavirus outbreaks on several campuses.

Customers in Scottish pubs must cover faces when moving around

14-Sep-2020 By Emily Hawkins

Scottish pubs will be subject to new regulations surrounding face coverings from today (Monday 14 September) as the country tightens coronavirus restrictions amid a rise in cases.

Thousands of Scottish pub jobs ‘hang in the balance’

09-Sep-2020 By Emily Hawkins

Pubs in Scotland desperately need measures to protect the thousands of jobs on the line, a leading sector voice has said.

Aberdeen lockdown 'gutting' for city pubs and bars

06-Aug-2020 By Emily Hawkins

The operator of two bars in Aberdeen, one of which is on the Top 50 Cocktails Bar list, has described a city-wide shutdown of hospitality venues as “gutting”.

Arran Brewery considers partial sale of brewery hotel

02-Apr-2019 By Emily Hawkins

The Arran Brewery is considering selling almost half of its stake in its brewery hotel and visitor centre.

Scottish pubco looks to expand with £20m plan

19-Mar-2019 By Emily Hawkins

The Bruce Group wants to raise £20m to fund a site expansion across the country.

Belhaven brewery celebrates 300th birthday

15-Jan-2019 By Emily Hawkins

The oldest working brewery in Scotland is set to celebrate its 300th birthday this year, with a special pale ale, visitor centre, and weekend music festival to mark the occasion.

Pub run by parents of lottery winner closes without warning

10-Jan-2019 By Robert Mann

A much-loved pub run by the family of a £148m EuroMillions lottery winner shut down overnight – with workers made redundant via a phone call.

BrewDog opens bar at Edinburgh airport

22-Nov-2018 By Emily Hawkins

Scottish craft brewer and pub operator BrewDog has opened new bars in Edinburgh Airport and Perth city-centre.

Scottish Government to recommend 50p minimum price per unit of alcohol

26-Feb-2018 By Georgina Townshend

The Scottish Government plans to introduce 50p minimum unit pricing for alcohol on 1 May 2018, Health Secretary Shona Robison has confirmed.

SBPA warns against proposals to introduce a pubs code in Scotland

09-Feb-2018 By Georgina Townshend

The Scottish Beer & Pub Association have called for a "rethink" on the proposed bill which would establish a pubs code in Scotland, saying that if successful, it would "cost jobs, investment and opportunities, while punishing tied-pubs...

Minimum unit pricing not UK wide

07-Dec-2017 By Poppleston Allen

The Supreme Court has backed the Scottish decision to introduce minimum unit pricing (MUP) but let’s consider how we got here and what’s next.

What does the minimum unit pricing law in Scotland mean for pubs?

15-Nov-2017 By Stuart Stone

The UK Supreme Court has ruled that Scotland can set a minimum unit price for alcohol, thereby rejecting a challenge by the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA).

Scots call on Hammond to cut whisky duty

13-Nov-2017 By Stuart Stone

New polling has revealed that more than two thirds of Scots want Chancellor Philip Hammond to cut whisky's “supertax” in this month’s budget.

Pub code legislation 'not the right solution' for Scottish pubs

08-Aug-2017 By Georgina Townshend

Pub code legislation “is not the right solution for Scottish pubs”, according to the chairman of the Scottish Beer & Pub Association (SBPA).

Scotland could follow England over pubs code implementation

01-Aug-2017 By Nikkie Sutton

Scotland could be set to follow England in implementing the pubs code legislation, meaning thousands of pubs north of the border could go free of tie.

Drinks industry following minimum unit pricing court case closely

27-Jul-2017 By Fred A'Court

The UK drinks industry, and the Scottish trade in particular, is following an appeal case in the Supreme Court with more than a little interest for clues on whether minimum alcohol pricing is going to be introduced.

Cod off the ‘endangered’ list

19-Jul-2017 By Nikkie Sutton

British cod is back on the menu and accredited as sustainable, more than a decade after North Sea cod stocks came close to collapse.

General Election 2017

SNP pledges to ‘review alcohol tax’

02-Jun-2017 By Georgina Townshend

The Scottish National Party (SNP) has promised to conduct a review of alcohol taxation, while supporting moves to introduce minimum unit pricing (MUP), in its pre-election manifesto.

Diageo remains committed to licensed trade in wake of Scottish job loss plans

21-Apr-2017 By Michelle Perrett

Diageo has moved to reassure the pub trade that it remains committed to supplying “outstanding quality products” following news that it plans to cut 100 jobs across its Scottish operations.

Scottish whisky workers: UK Government ‘asleep on the job’ over Brexit

22-Mar-2017 By Daniel Woolfson

Scottish whisky workers have called for greater transparency around the effects of leaving the EU on their trade. 

Date set for shareholder vote on Heineken bid

18-Jan-2017 By Sara Hussein

Punch shareholders will meet next month to vote on the proposed takeover bid by Heineken.

Illegal broadcasting

Five Scottish pubs slapped with £50k bill in damages for illegal Sky showing

11-Jan-2017 By Nikkie Sutton

Sky has received £50,000 from five pubs in Scotland which have been broadcasting Sky Sports illegally.

Drink-driving limit

Transport secretary rejects calls to lower drink-drive limit

08-Dec-2016 By Nikkie Sutton

Transport secretary Chris Grayling has rejected calls to cut the blood alcohol limit from 80mg per 100ml to 50mg, according to reports.

Designated Driver

How Scotland’s drink-drive law has changed pubs

06-Dec-2016 By Phil Mellows

Scotland’s lower drink drive limits have had a profound effect on the pub trade, leaving a significant amount of sites with a decline in trade. Has this led to a crisis or opened up opportunities for change? Phil Mellows reports

Spirits

'First Scottish white rum' to be launched

30-Nov-2016 By James Evison

Boilermaker Drinks has announced the launch of what it claims is the first white rum to be distilled on Scottish soil, SeaWolf.

Legislation

Scotland backs minimum alcohol pricing

21-Oct-2016 By Nicholas Robinson

Minimum alcohol pricing plans have been backed by the Scottish courts, to the dismay of the Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers (ALMR), which slammed the move.

Awards

BII announces scholarship winners

01-Sep-2016 By Nikkie Sutton

British Institute of Innkeeping (BII) Scotland have announced the champions of two unique scholarship chances, the BII Scotland Lausanne Scholarship and the Gleneagles Scholarship.