Thursday, March 31, 2011

London Underground Pubs

UK Pubs For Sale: Freehold Pubs For Sale: London Underground Pubs: "A London entrepreneur is attempting to secure funds to reopen disused underground stations for a variety of businesses including pubs and ba..."

Saturday, March 26, 2011

Friday, March 25, 2011

Pub Accommodation; Demand Rises for Family Breaks

Iknow-uk has found a huge demand for pub accommodation over the last month, drawing interest from families seeking out alternative places to stay during school holidays.

There has been more than 22,000 visits on its regional sites for pub accommodation within the past month, with Whitby, Exeter and Windermere being amongst the most sought-after locations.

Julian Ross, iknow-uk's managing director said: "With so much travel chaos caused during school holidays last year, it's no surprise that people are looking closer to home for family holidays.

"Pub accommodation provides an easy solution for families, due to the 'homely' style of rooms which are big enough for the entire family, combined with the convenience of dining options and evening entertainment all under one roof.

"Our fantastic selection of pubs look set to see a great year ahead with people from the UK and beyond looking to discover their charm."

Thursday, March 24, 2011

UK Pub News: Licensed Trade News and Media

Adding your site to this pub and licensed trade directory is completely free as long as it is relevant to pubs and the licensed trade in England, Scotland and Wales.Or you can simply search the pub and licensed trade directory for a business or organisation - find contact details, websites, email addresses and more.

The Directory holds full listings of all pub and licensed trade media websites, and media discussion including radio, television, pub magazines, pub newspapers, pub web sites, pub discussion forums, pub blogs, etc.

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Punch Taverns Demerger; Share Price up 4%

Punch Taverns is to split its business in two and sell thousands of pubs as part of a major overhaul of the firm, reports the BBC.

Punch, the UK's biggest pubs group, said it would split its managed and leased pub operations to create two new public companies.

The size of the leased business will be halved to about 3,000 pubs.

The managed side will be named Spirit, with some pubs changed to existing brands such as Chef & Brewer, Fayre & Square and Flaming Grill.

Punch Taverns has been struggling with falling profits and rising debt, which hit £3.3bn last year.

Its shares rose 4% following the announcement.

Sunday, March 20, 2011

Budget Fears for BBPA

The British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) has put the future of the British brewing industry at the heart of its submission to chancellor George Osborne ahead of this month’s Budget.

The BBPA is leading the industry’s lobbying of the chancellor, highlighting the fact that latest data shows total UK alcohol consumption is lower than it was 10 years ago and action is required to protect the British brewing industry.

According to the BBPA, the figures also show a trend away from lower-strength drinks such as beer towards stronger drinks. Beer producers say that after over a decade of unfavourable tax treatment for beer, the new consumption figures add to the case for the government to end the beer duty escalator, and freeze beer duty in the 23 March Budget.

The BBPA also says that when it comes to this week’s call from the chancellor for policies that support UK manufacturing, “he could hardly pick a better place to start than Britain’s brewing industry, with its unique variety of British-based products.”

Saturday, March 19, 2011

Lord's Tavern Pub Refurbishment and Re-opening

For almost a century and a half, the Lord’s Tavern has sat next to the Home of Cricket providing St John’s Wood residents and cricket fans with a place to reflect on the day’s sporting endeavours reports the Ham and High.

After experimenting with fine dining and remarketing itself as a bar and brasserie six years ago, a newly refurbished Tavern is set to open later this month which will go back to its public house roots and reflect the culinary history of Lord’s.

Working on the theme of a history of food and drink at Lord’s, the new Tavern is aiming to attract local residents by bringing 144 years of dining back to St John’s Wood.

Jon Robinson, Marylebone Cricket Club assistant secretary for marketing and catering, said: “The Lord’s Tavern has picked up a bad reputation over the last five or six years.

Friday, March 18, 2011

Kent Brewer and Pubco Reports Record Turnover and Beer Sales

Kent brewer and pub operator Shepherd Neame achieved record turnover and total beer volume in the 26 weeks to 25 December 2010.

Turnover was up 1.6 per cent to £61.7m and like-for-like retail sales were up 3.6 per cent, with growth in liquor, food and accommodation.Operating profit for the half year stayed the same at £6.4m.

Based in Faversham, Kent, the company employs more than 1,000 people and operates 359 pubs in the South East.

Pub Trade News

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Facebook Social Networking Is Replacing the Pub

The rise of Facebook and other social networking websites has been partly blamed for the rapid closure of pubs – because people are catching up online instead of over a pint reports the Cambridge News.

And even Prince Charles made a plea to save Britain’s pubs when he visited Cambridge and National Trust beauty spot Anglesey Abbey this week.The prince stressed the need to protect local pubs in an age of “stultifying mono-culturalism” at the tourism summit.

The royal appeal came just before a new report by the British Beer and Pub
Association (BBPA) revealed that 137 pubs closed in the Anglia ITV region last year.The smoking ban and the rise in VAT and business rates have all been blamed for the slow demise of the local.

Royston Pederston, manager of The Zebra in Cambridge, which has recently reopened after a refit, has also pointed the finger at Facebook.He said: “My own theory is that pubs are closing because of the massive changes in society. People would traditionally go to a pub to meet friends but now they can sit at home and catch up on the gossip using Facebook.

Around 1,300 pubs closed across Britain last year, with the loss of 13,000 jobs.But the number of pub closures has fallen from 40 a week last year to 25 a week now, with the rate of losses highest in London and the North West.

A BBPA spokesman said: “East Anglia has many great pubs, and while towns like Cambridge have a vibrant pub culture, it has suffered from pub closures.
“And we mustn’t forget the huge role brewing plays in the rural economy in the region, which is very closely linked to pubs.”

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

London East End Pubs Employ 3000

The British Beer & Pub Association is warning against a tax increase in next week’s Budget, saying the industry plays a “vital role” in producing jobs, reports the East London Advertiser.

More than 3,000 people in Tower Hamlets are employed by pubs, figures released yesterday by the group show.

There are 196 pubs in the borough which contribute almost £120 million per year to the economy.

One East End brewer, who resurrected iconic brewery Truman’s last year, said pubs have been unfairly caught up in the bad press around binge drinking.

Michael George Hemus, who runs the brand with James Morgan, said: “We have a really rich history of ale drinking in this country that is not part of this hardened big drinking culture the government is trying to tackle.

“Supermarkets contribute massively to the perception that there’s a big drinking problem yet pubs are being unfairly targeted.”

Jim Fitzpatrick, Labour MP for Poplar and Limehouse, said: “A lot of pubs have closed in the last 20 years in the East End.

“It’s not pubs - the big problem is supermarkets and off-licences selling cheap booze.

London Pubs Directory

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Wetherspoon Beer Festival

More than 50 cask beers from across the globe will be on sale at Wetherspoons pubs during a 19-day beer festival, Reports the Publican.

The celebration runs from March 23 until April 10 and features beers from Jamaica, Sweden, USA, Netherlands, Australia as well as favourites from the UK.

There will also be speciality brews featuring ingredients such as fruit, liquorice, honey and ginger.

Wetherspoon’s operations director Martin Goeghegan, said: “The festival will give our customers the opportunity to enjoy a superb selection of UK and international beers.

“We will be serving a real ale from Jamaica for the first time, brewed by a female brewer.

“Many of the beers on offer have not previously been available in the pubs.”

Customers will be able to sample any three of the real ales in special third-of-a-pint glasses for the price of a pint.

UK Pubs Directory

Monday, March 14, 2011

Government Alcohol Responsibility Deal Rejected

Six leading health groups have dealt the government a blow by refusing to sign up to its new "responsibility deal" on alcohol in England.

The deal covers voluntary agreements with the drinks industry on issues such as promotions and labelling, aimed at tackling alcohol abuse.

Shadow health secretary John Healey said the rejection of Government measures was a "damning criticism" of the government's policy.But Health Secretary Andrew Lansley rejected the criticism, saying progress was being made and tough action was being taken where necessary.

He pointed to the recent announcements about plans for a new tax on super-strength beers and a ban on below-cost alcohol, whereby drinks are so heavily discounted they are sold for less than the tax paid on them.

However, he added: "We have made clear from the start that the responsibility deal is just one strand of the government's public health policy. It explicitly excludes cost and price competition to avoid conflicts of interest."

The full list of organisations which are refusing to sign up is: Alcohol Concern, the British Association for the Study of the Liver, the British Liver Trust, the British Medical Association, the Institute of Alcohol Studies and the Royal College of Physicians.

Sunday, March 13, 2011

J.D. Wetherspoon; UK Cash Strapped Drinkers

The Wall Street Journal reports that U.K. pub group J.D. Wetherspoon PLC said consumers are facing a "bear hug" on discretionary spending power as unsustainable government tax increases and little-to-no growth in income levels combine to hit cash-strapped drinkers.

"The squeeze feels more like a bear hug at the moment. [We have seen] persistent high levels of tax increases for pubs over a number of years. [There is] a pernicious combination of increasing taxes and regulation," Chairman Tim Martin said, speaking in an interview with Dow Jones Newswires.

"We have had inflationary excise duty in March last year, the value-added-tax increase in January and another excise duty increase due [this month]. The level of tax levied at the moment and persistent increases are not sustainable," Martin added. He previously said the U.K.'s coalition government should instead encourage consumers to visit pubs and bars by decreasing the rate of VAT to a level seen in other European countries.

The industry, savaged for three years by the economic downturn and lacerated by cutthroat promotional competition by supermarkets, is concerned that rising material input costs and government austerity measures to rein in borrowing, including public spending cuts and tax hikes, will hit spending.

Saturday, March 12, 2011

Pub Chains Report Rise in February Sales

Pub and restaurant groups reported a rise in like-for-like sales in February against a strong comparative period in 2010, helped by a month of fair weather and families eating out during half term, reports the Morning Advertiser.

The latest Coffer Peach Business Tracker, which monitors the performance of 19 major pub and restaurant groups including Mitchells & Butlers, Whitbread and Gondola, found like-for-like sales increased by 3.9% in February.

The rise in February like-for-likes come against a 1.3% increase during the same period in 2010.

Total sales, including new openings, were up 5.1% on 2010, and up 9.3% on January levels.

The rise in out-of-home food and drink sales compares to the 0.4% fall in sales experienced by the retail sector during February.

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Brighton Property for Sale, BN1











East Sussex Property for Sale, Brighton

New England Quarter
Providence Place
Brighton
East Sussex
BN1

NIA: 11227 sq/ft*

£ 650,000
Freehold

Providence Place is a quiet side street close to the very busy London Road retail area sandwich between the "North Lanes" & "The New England Quarter"

The development can be found on Providence Place with its junction at Anne Street is
also surrounded by a number of residential properties and enjoys easy access to Brighton Station (British Rail) and Sainsburys Supermarket.

Planning permission has been granted to demolish the existing group of run down B1/A1 units and replace with a single, sub-divisible commercial space (A1/A3/B1) at ground floor with 3 storeys of residential providing 9 luxury apartments.

Of the 9 flats, 6 are duplexes.

Ground floor A1/A3/B1 of circa 290 sq.m

1 x terraced duplex 98 sq.m
4 x terraced duplexes 93 sq.m each
2 x 1 bed apartments of 48 sq.m & 56 sq.m
1 x 2 bed apartment 67 sq.m
1 x 2 duplex 112 sq.m

Brighton Property with Planning for Sale

Royal Wedding 1am Closing For Pubs, Restaurants and Village Halls

Pubs and restaurants are just one step away from getting the automatic right to open later during the royal wedding after MPs approved the plan.

MPs voted in favour of the proposal yesterday, meaning the green light will be given if the move also gets the backing from peers when they vote on 29 March.

The Parliamentary order would give pubs, restaurants and village halls the automatic right to open until 1am on Saturday 30 April — following the wedding on the Friday — and 1am on Sunday 1 May.

The rights would extend to hosting live music and other “regulated entertainment”, as well as hot food and drink for consumption on-site after 11pm.

Supermarkets wouldn’t benefit because the order relates to the on-trade only.
The Government said the move will mean pubs avoid the burden and expense of applying for a temporary events notice, which costs £21.

The move follows a two-week public consultation.

Wednesday, March 09, 2011

St Patricks Day Celebrations in UK Pubs

The Mayor’s St Patrick’s Day Parade and Festival in association with Lebara Mobile will take place on Sunday 13 March 2011.

Set to be one of London's liveliest celebrations of the year, over 100,000 people attended last year's event.

The parade, featuring a colourful array of floats, marching bands and groups representing the Irish Counties, will proceed through central London from Green Park to Trafalgar Square starting at 12 noon.

Trafalgar Square will host the festival programme of live Irish music and dance on the main performance stage, showcasing the best of Irish music and dance from traditional to contemporary.

This fantastic, free family day out is a great way to experience all things Irish from food and dance to crafts, culture, music and much more.

Yorkshire Microbrewery Takes on Punch Tenancy

Leading pub company Punch Partnerships has just completed a lease agreement with a Leeds microbrewery on a free-of-tie basis for all cask ales, demonstrating their commitment to offer flexibility and choice to help entrepreneurial Partners achieve their business aspirations.

In its first pub venture, The WharfeBank Brewery, has taken on a lease with Punch at The Fleece in Otley, with a vision to restore one of Yorkshire’s oldest pubs, putting it on the map as one of the region’s finest real ale houses.

Punch Partnerships’ managing director, Roger Whiteside said: “This is a great example of how we are working with our Partners to offer them scope and flexibility to develop businesses with strong potential. Cask Ale is a huge area of focus for us and its important that our cask focused Partners can exploit all avenues to build successful businesses.

Monday, March 07, 2011

Punch Licensees to get Access to Local Beers

The Publican reports that Punch licensees are being promised greater access to local beers after a company link-up with the Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA).

Pubs that are Cask Marque accredited and already selling 50 brewer’s barrels a year will be able to order beers, brewed within a 30-mile radius, through SIBA’s Direct Delivery Scheme, Punch said.

The pubco has been trialling DDS with around 80 pubs in the North East over the last year.

Andy Slee, Punch’s buying club director, said: “The aim was to look at how local ales can further grow the sales in these pubs and the learning is clear – the best return for all is when a licensee is supplementing their existing thriving cask business with ales sourced through SIBA.”

He added: “The ‘buy one, get one free of tie’ aspect of our new lease agreement and this latest initiative with SIBA reinforce our commitment to be the best value and most trusted pub partnership business in the UK.”

Punch said it also working with licensees to organise beer festivals, with more than 100 planned for next month and a target of 650 for the year.

Sunderland Pub Praised for Turning off Home Matches

Niall Quinn has called for Sunderland fans to give up watching their team in pubs and clubs and to actually attend matches. He has received support from one of the citys largerst pub owners.

Tony Griffiths, MD of Wylam Leisure Limited says that although it may harm him financially, he will not screen home matches in his pubs.

This controversial move may have a large effect on Sunderland due to the fact that the Wylam leisure group on seven pubs in Sunderland.

Niall Quinn has praised Griffiths for his support.

Sunday, March 06, 2011

Saturday, March 05, 2011

Change of Use News: Change of use applications 'are on the increase'

Planning applications concerning change of use are on the rise, according to research from a law firm.

EMW's figures show the number of change of business use submissions increased by nine per cent to 6,200 in the second quarter of 2010 and grew ten per cent to 6,800 in the following three months, Building.co.uk reported.

"The jump in planning applications for change of use shows that landlords and developers are now willing to take action and commit resources to try and get into the segment of the property market where there is the most demand locally," explained Giles Ferin, planning specialist at the commercial law firm.

Owners of commercial property in London and other parts of the UK could run into difficulties when local authorities want to "preserve the mix of different uses", as it means they are sitting on vacant property because there is no demand for that type of building, he added.

The research comes as Nottingham City Council announced landlords in the city will have to obtain planning permission if they want to open their rental property up into a shared house for up to six unrelated people.

Change of Use News

Thursday, March 03, 2011

Pub Chain Gone into Administration

A Northern Ireland pub chain has gone into administration just months after a sister property company was placed into receivership.

Castle Street Inns Ltd owned around six bars including the Brook Lodge Bar, Becketts and the Blackstaff as well as the Tony Romas restaurant franchise in the south of the city.

All businesses are still trading.Many pubs and restaurants have been struggling to keep afloat since the financial downturn.

Colin Neil, chief executive of Pubs of Ulster has warned that Northern Ireland will lose between 100 and 150 pubs this year.

Read more: Belfast Telegraph

Wednesday, March 02, 2011

Swanscombe Pub for Sale, Kent













Freehold pub for Sale Swanscombe, Kent

George & Dragon
London Road
Swanscombe
Kent
DA10

Gross Site Area: 5497 sq/ft*

£ 250,000 + VAT Freehold
Public house/development land for sale with full vacant possession. Unconditional offers are invited for our clients unencumbered interest.

Approx ground floor foot plate: 1,648 sq ft*

Pub for Sale in Swanscombe, Kent

Tuesday, March 01, 2011

Call for Pub to Change Racist Name

A pub has just re-opened its doors to the public but only after being accused of having a racist name by a neighbour.

Lucy and Mark Barron-Reid were shocked to pick up a telephone message from a disgruntled local complaining that the name they had picked for their Kent pub – the Black Pig – was a racial slur.

The complainer even raised the matter with the local council.

Lucy said: “We got the message on the phone and we just thought it was ridiculous. It never even occurred to us that people could think it was racist.

“Obviously we intend to keep the name. We had to change it from the previous one – the Kent Cricketer – because its reputation had suffered and it needed a new image.

“Obviously the name isn’t racist, it was just picked because we saw a pub with the same name years ago and Mark really liked it.