United Kingdom

Brakes takes local route

06-Jul-2006

The biggest foodservice distributor in the UK, Brakes, has joined the drive towards locally-produced food by launching a new regional-sourcing...

Schweppes gets fruity

30-Jun-2006

Coca-Cola Great Britain is to make its biggest investment in its Schweppes range of soft drinks since it bought the brand in 1999.The company is to...

Pubs need more time for smoking ban

29-Jun-2006

Large numbers of pubs in England and Wales say they need more time to prepare for the smoking ban than the government is factoring in. More than half...

Cheers from Snifter

29-Jun-2006

A look at the week that was from our man at the bar

More Irish smokers back ban

28-Jun-2006

Support for the smoking ban in Ireland is 30 per cent higher among smokers since the law banning smoking in public places began, says a new...

Licensee fined for showing foreign satellite football

28-Jun-2006 By Iain O'Neil

After suffering a high profile defeat in the courts yesterday Media Protection Services has today succesfully prosecuted a Lanchashire licensee for...

Fears allayed over outside smoking ban

27-Jun-2006

The House of Lords has again been told that the government intends to follow the Scottish model when setting the rules surrounding the smoking ban in...

MPs get behind Proud of Pubs motion

16-Jun-2006 By James Wilmore

The Publican's Proud of Pubs parliamentary motion is gathering pace, with MPs from across the House of Commons pledging their support. The Early Day...

What the Sunday papers said

11-Jun-2006

The roll-out of the government's controversial identity card scheme is set to be delayed by a Home Office failure to begin the procurement process on...

Write to your MP now!

08-Jun-2006

Licensees are urged to "get political" and lobby their MPs to back the Morning Advertiser's calls for swift publication of the smoking ban...

Wetherspoons to show England games with sound up

02-Jun-2006 By The PMA Team

U-turn for England - but sound will go off again for other matches.

48-hour weeks still up for debate

02-Jun-2006

The decision as to whether Britain will opt-out from the EU's 48-hour working week remains up in the air after failed talks on the matter last...

Proud of Pubs reaches Parliament

25-May-2006

The Publican's Proud of Pubs campaign has scored a direct hit on the House of Commons, six months after the introduction of the new licensing laws....

Smoke ban regulations ready - but you can't have them yet

24-May-2006 By Iain O'Neil

Government can't publish draft smoke ban regulations yet. NEW COMMENT

Summer will test new pub licensing says UK's largest authority.

24-May-2006 By Iain O'Neil

Westminster City Council says new act has been good for residents but summer drinking could lead to more license reviews.

Satellite suppliers and FA lock horns over pub football

18-May-2006 By Tony Halstead

Pub satellite TV suppliers have vowed to step up defiance of the Premier League as the row over the screening of Saturday afternoon live football...

Purnell leaves licensing post

08-May-2006 By John Harrington

James Purnell has left the post of Licensing Minister to be replaced by Shaun Woodward MP who is married to Sainsbury heiress Camilla Sainsbury and was once pilloried for employing a butler.

S&N UK launches challenger to Magners

08-May-2006

S&N UK has reviewed its premium packaged cider portfolio and decided to roll-out the 4.5 per cent ABV cider, currently only available in Northern...

Lords debate 'outside areas'

27-Apr-2006

A leading peer has called for clarity on the definition of what will constitute an "outside area" when a ban is introduced in England and...

November d-day for smoke ban details?

20-Apr-2006

Licensees may be forced to wait until November to hear the final details of the smoking ban, The Publican has learned.The Health Bill, which includes...

Research suggests more drink at home than in the pub

13-Apr-2006

People are becoming increasingly more likely to drink beer at home than in the pub, suggests a new report.Research company Datamonitor says British...

S&N buys Fosters in Europe

11-Apr-2006 By Iain O'Neil

Scottish & Newcastle has announced it is to buy the Foster's brand in Europe for £309miilion. The purchase is conditional on regulatory...

Scottish & Newcastle buys Foster's brand in Europe

11-Apr-2006

Scottish & Newcastle (S&N) has bought the Foster's brand across Europe and the Russian Federation for approximately £309m in cash.S&N...

Brewers rumoured to be eyeing S&NUK

07-Apr-2006

Rumours of a bid for Scottish & Newcastle (S&NUK) have surfaced again with Carlsberg and United Breweries said to be interested.

Smoke petition group targets Northern Ireland's pubs

07-Apr-2006 By Iain O'Neil

The group behind the petition to overturn the smoke ban is taking its fight to Northern Ireland. Freedom to Choose's move into the province means it...

Publican prompts smoke ban meeting

06-Apr-2006

MPs will hear appeals for a string of smoking ban concessions for pubs in England and Wales at a meeting prompted by The Publican. Following concern...

Soft drinks withdrawn in cancer chemical scare

31-Mar-2006

Several soft drinks have been withdrawn after the Food Standards Agency (FSA) found they contained Benzene, linked to a higher risk of cancer.While...

Northern Ireland opposed to licensing reform

30-Mar-2006

Pubs, political parties and the health lobby are strongly opposing Westminster's plans to reform licensing in Northern Ireland.At a briefing event in...

S&NUK's great pints and punts give-away

23-Mar-2006 By John Harrington

Pubs will get to give away £10,000 of free bets each during the World Cup in a £50m promotion from brewer Scottish & Newcastle UK. Billed as...

Food Fairs look North for good taste

21-Mar-2006

Regional Speciality and Fine Food Fairs will again be held in Scotland and the North of England this year, with the events also hosting the regional...

Welsh Assembly refutes smoking ban claims

20-Mar-2006

The Welsh Assembly has refuted claims it is planning to have a full smoking ban in force at the end of the year.The statement follows a story by...

Peers press for clubs to escape smoke axe

09-Mar-2006 By John Harrington

Lords duo to push for private members' clubs to be exempt from the smoking ban in England.

St Austell sponsors Commonwealth athlete

28-Feb-2006

St Austell Brewery is sponsoring local athlete Jemma Simpson in her 800 metres bid at the Commonwealth Games.The 22-year old runner is replacing...

Magners rolls out nationwide

27-Feb-2006

Magners cider has announced its official marketing roll-out across the UK as it basks in its huge success since first launching into Britain three...

Celtic Inns introduces purpose-built smoking shelter

27-Feb-2006

Pub company Celtic Inns has installed what it claims is one of the UK's first ever purpose-built smoking shelters.The shelter, installed at the...

Leaders of the pack

24-Feb-2006

S&N's Tony Froggatt claims to owe the company's success to 'impressive brand momentum' and a new management structure. Hamish Champ reports.A...

World Cup boost for pubs

22-Feb-2006 By Iain O'Neil

This summer's World Cup in Germany is expected to boost beer sales in Britain's pubs. Beer, which has seen sales drop as people broaden their...

Cornish Brewery backs gold bid

17-Feb-2006 By Iain O'Neil

St Austell Brewery is to sponsor Cornish 800 metres athlete Jemma Simpson in her bid for Commonwealth Games glory.

Satellite firms stop ads for illegal soccer games

16-Feb-2006 By John Harrington

Rogue satellite companies that offer live Premiership football are no longer advertising Saturday afternoon 'closed-period' games in their marketing...

Till roll firms step up pursuit of licensees

02-Feb-2006

Canada-based companies selling unsolicited till rolls for credit card terminals are stepping up their pursuit of pubs in the UK. A flood of licensees...

Three options for MPs in Valentine's Day smoking vote

02-Feb-2006

MPs are to be given three options in the free vote on smoking, including the choice of exempting private members' clubs.A total ban or a ban in pubs...

A round with The Publican

01-Feb-2006

What made the news in The Publican this week 10 years ago, five years ago and last year.1996The government slams the Performing Right Society for...

Lords inflict another defeat on ID card proposals

24-Jan-2006

Government plans to bring in identity cards suffered another defeat yesterday, as the House of Lords voted to reject plans to make the cards...

Total smoking ban now likely

12-Jan-2006

Plans for a total ban on smoking in pubs look almost certain after Tony Blair agreed to give MPs a free vote on the issue.But an amendment tabled in...

Two-thirds 'back smoking ban'

01-Jan-2006

Two-thirds of people in England back a total smoking ban in all pubs and bars, according to a new poll.The survey, carried out YouGov for Cancer...

MPs left bitter over axe for popular ale

01-Dec-2005

The House of Commons is full of angry MPs following the bitter news that their favourite pint had been replaced with a trendy lager. The Strangers'...

Pubcos 'allowing illegal screenings'

01-Dec-2005

The body that monitors illegal football screenings in pubs is to step up its investigation of managed houses. For the past few weeks, rumours have...

Parliament bitter about lack of Young's

30-Nov-2005

As if the issues surrounding licensing reform weren't pressing enough around the Houses of Parliament, now a true scandal has broken out in the...

Labour backbench rebellion

24-Nov-2005

Labour MP Andrew MacKinlay tabled an early day motion calling for a total ban on smoking in all public places which has been backed by 44 Labour MPs....

MPs' local denied late licence

17-Nov-2005

A Westminster pub favoured by thirsty MPs has been denied the chance to open late under the new regime. The Red Lion, just yards from the Houses of...