Technology

Plenty to cheer: an increase in pints sold and customers visiting pubs and bars was enjoyed by sites showing the rugby (Credit: Getty/The Good Brigade)

Six Nations brings 27% more visitors to pubs

By Gary Lloyd

The Guinness Six Nations rugby tournament, which kicked off at the weekend, gave pubs and bars a reason to cheer when almost 26m pints were served across Britain.

Glass act: trade bodies believe a lack of clarity on the DRS is delaying preparations for the implementation of the scheme. Credit: (Getty/Zero Creatives)

Many firms won’t meet DRS deadline

By Gary Lloyd

Trade associations have warned the Scottish government thousands of businesses are unable to meet the deadline to implement the Deposit Return Scheme (DRS).

Energy focus: Mark McDonald says smart meters have proved to be valuable in cutting costs

Smart meters rolled out to 1/3 of Star pubs

By Gary Lloyd

Star Pubs & Bars is installing gas and electricity smart meters at a third of its pubs to help reduce their energy consumption as utility costs soar and Government help is set to be vastly reduced withdrawn.

SIBA initiative: the tracker will show how many breweries are active across the 10 areas of the UK

Tracker launched to keep tabs on brewery numbers

By Gary Lloyd

The number of breweries in the UK will no longer be a mystery after the Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA) launched a tracker that shows how many active brewers there are.

Boosts tempered by costs and strikes: eight of Britain's most populated cities are enjoying higher sales and logins figures than before the pandemic (Credit: Getty/fotoVoyager)

Sales and logins boost ahead of Xmas rush

By Gary Lloyd

Eight out of 10 of Britain’s highest populated cities have enjoyed hospitality sales and wireless logins boosts above pre-pandemic levels in the run-up to Christmas.

The Morning Advertiser Lock In Podcast episode 50

Digital delights

By Ed Bedington

How does the digital world fit into the analogue world of pubs? The Lock In team take a deep dive into digital with help from a range of guests including superstar chef Gary Usher.

Warning issued: Rob Easton says sites should be prepared for a big rise in footfall

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Free support for hospitality to safeguard record festive turnover

By Rob Easton BSc, PgDip, MSc, MBA, of Shield Safety

Rob Easton, head of environmental health at Shield Safety, discusses the potential £4bn* revenue spike heading towards the UK’s hospitality sector during the 2022 festive period but warns venues could be at risk if they aren’t prepared for surging footfall.

Chris Jowsey of Admiral Taverns on government demands and future

Big Interview

BIG INTERVIEW: Great value key in next year says Jowsey

By Gary Lloyd

Admiral Taverns chief executive Chris Jowsey believes community wet-led pubs are going to be able weather the storms of the next 12 months more admirably than most so long as they provide great value and make every visit something to remember.

Anspach & Hobday completes brewery expansion after fundraising

the cask project

Anspach & Hobday capacity hits 1.76m pints per year

By Gary Lloyd

London-based cask and keg brewer Anspach & Hobday has completed the expansion of its brewery following a crowdfunding drive that mean it is now capable of producing 1.76m pints per year.

SIBA concerns: sales of cans and bottles have already stopped at many small breweries in Scotland (credit: Getty/FotografiaBasica)

SIBA Scotland urges gov to rethink DRS

By Gary Lloyd

The Society for Independent Brewers (SIBA Scotland) has urged the Scottish government to take another look at its Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) proposal because it threatens the existence of small breweries.

TikTok on the clock but the party don't stop: Pubs take to social media (Getty/ Drazen_)

How to use TikTok at your pub

By Amelie Maurice-Jones

The days of floral wallpaper, polished Insta feeds and glossy promotional deals are long gone as the TikTok era rears its head. Think: viral dances, extreme cooking challenges and instant fame.

Crucial times: Kate Nicholls says the sector must continue to be swift to embrace change

UKH plans for sector to be net zero by 2040

By Gary Lloyd

UKHospitality (UKH) has set out bold plans for the sector to reach net zero by the year 2040 with unnecessary single-use packaging eliminated by 2025.

Tech acquisition: Airship CEO Dan Brookman will stay on board

Tech firm Zonal acquires Airship

By The Morning Advertiser

Tech provider Zonal has announced its purchase of Airship in a deal that includes the Airship CRM and Toggle platforms.

Technology option: many pubs use apps for customers to place orders (image: Getty/Klaus Vedfelt)

Licensing hub - legal with Poppleston Allen

Self-service in pubs – is it worth the risk?

By Felix Faulkner, solicitor, Poppleston Allen

We have seen the casual dining market evolve considerably over the last few years with a number of high profile restaurant chains struggling to survive since Covid and some entering company voluntary arrangements (CVAs) in an effort to off-load under-performing...

Extreme volatility: high gas prices could result in liquid CO2 and beer shortages according to ECIU (Credit: Getty/Jonathan Knowles)

Cost of liquid CO2 rises by almost 3,000%

By Rebecca Weller

Pubs and brewers are being forced to make “extremely tough decisions” as soaring gas prices could cost the UK’s food and drink sector an extra £1.7bn in liquid CO2 expenses, research from the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU) has revealed.

Paying the bills: tech is advancing so you need to be able to accept different payment methods

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Cashing out? What the evolution of new payment methods means for operators

By Zonal

‘Cash or card?’ is far from a question of the past. However, with the desire for quick, convenient experiences high on the list of priorities for many customers visiting hospitality venues, cash is increasingly taking a back seat compared to digital payments.

Putting money in the bin: sustainability and food waste management could be solution to ease energy crisis (Credit:Getty/libin jose)

Sustainability 'solution to crippling overheads'

By Rebecca Weller

Now is not the time for operators to let sustainability fall away and could help ease the impact of the energy crisis, according to Net Zero Now executive director Simon Heppner.

Zero Carbon Forum: Mark Chapman says firms can cut carbon and save money on energy bills

Zero Carbon Forum: onus on operators to cut carbon

By Gary Lloyd

Not-for-profit eco-friendly group Zero Carbon Forum has argued the onus is on sector operators to cut their carbon footprints but they can also save on energy costs at the same time.

Spending data: Barclaycard revealed sales in pubs and bars had increased in August 2022, against last year (image: Getty/Solskin)

Pubs saw 8% sales lift in August

By Nikkie Thatcher

Sales at pubs and clubs rose by 8.4% in August, which was put down to the good weather, according to new research.

Consumer data: Brits are looking to reduce spending in pubs, bars and restaurants according to research from Barclaycard (image: Getty/Hispanolistic)

Consumers looking to cut spending at pubs

By Nikkie Thatcher

British consumers are looking to spend less on social occasions at pubs, bars and restaurants as the cost-of-living crisis continues to bite, research has found.

Deposit Return Scheme: a 20p deposit will be added to drinks containers to maximise recycling (credit: Getty/Monty Rakusen)

Biffa to run Scottish Deposit Return Scheme

By Gary Lloyd

Waste disposal business Biffa has been appointed as the logistics provider to ensure maximum recycling of drinks containers for the Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) in Scotland.

What's in the news 17 June?

The MA's Review of the Week

‘Deliveroo, over my dead body’

By Ed Bedington

Hospitality and experience will be key in the fight for the consumer spend according to Sarah Weir as she discusses the events of the week and the market challenges with the MA's Ed Bedington.

New powers: HMRC has already begun to take action (credit: Getty/bogdankosanovic)

HMRC targets hospitality EPoS fraudsters

By Gary Lloyd

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has targeted users of ‘Electronic Sales Suppression’ as it bid to use its new powers on this form of tax evasion.

Sleek design: the new font for Kopparberg draught Strawberry & Lime

In association with Kopparberg

New draught font for Kopparberg Strawberry & Lime

By Kopparberg

Kopparberg, the UK’s leading fruit cider brand (1), is rolling out a brand new Strawberry & Lime draught font nationwide in time for summer.

The Morning Advertiser Lock In Podcast episode 44

The Lock In Podcast

Do pubs need to improve on tech?

By Ed Bedington

Are pubs behind the curve when it comes to the digital world? Are we not embracing technology enough? The Lock In team tackle the subject with a range of guests debating everything from back of house tech, to whether customers should be allowed to google...

Huge investment: the Aspall Cyder House upgrade has increased manufacturing capacity by almost 60%

Molson Coors ploughs £16m into Aspall Cyder

By Gary Lloyd

Molson Coors has invested £16m into Aspall Cyder through a three-year renovation project to the cider-making facility in Suffolk and a first-ever TV advert campaign.

Overall consumer spending in April up: but inflation and living costs impact hospitality sector according to Barclaycard data (Credit: Getty/ljubaphoto)

Consumer spending up 18.1% in April

By Rebecca Weller

Consumer card spending grew 18.1% in April compared with the same period in 2019, however, inflation and rising living costs impacted the hospitality sector with smaller uplifts than March, data from Barclaycard has shown.

The joy of sport: some 16.1m people want to catch some of the men’s FIFA World Cup in a pub (credit: Getty/andresr)

Take advantage of millions who want to watch football

By Gary Lloyd

Some 16.1m pubgoers plan to watch some of this year’s Men’s FIFA World Cup in a pub or bar while 8.8m want to watch a 2022 Women’s Football European Championship game, according to a report by research consultancy KAM and sports match-finding app Fanzo...

Tackling staffing issues: sector business need to magnify ‘brand hospitality’ says Stint

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Are you being served?

By Harry Lang, chief marketing officer at Stint

How the UK hospitality industry can use its own strengths to mitigate the staffing crisis.

Spotlight

The Morning Advertiser's Lock In Podcast episode 77 Stars in bars! Competition kicked off: entry for the 2024 Great British Pub Awards is now open Hunt is under way for the Great British Pub of the Year The Morning Advertiser's Lock In podcast shortlisted for award Lock In podcast shortlisted for top award

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