Thursday, March 04, 2010

Who Will Save The Pub; Question Time For MPs

The Campaign For Real Ale (CAMRA) and the Save the Pub Group will host a Question Time style "Who will Save the Pub" debate for all three main political parties the Morning Advertiser reports

Lib Dem MP Greg Mulholland, chair of the Parliamentary Save the Pub Group, will take on the David Dimbleby role.Labour has yet to confirm who will appear for them but Tobias Ellwood for the Conservatives and Don Foster for the Lib Dems will appear on the 16 March.

The event will be by invitation and will include an audience made up of members of the public from CAMRA branches as well as pub trade organisation representatives.
The panel will be asked questions submitted by CAMRA members and others about the key issues facing British pubs.

“We want the great British pub to be seriously on the agenda at the forthcoming general election and it is time for all three main parties to say what they plan to do to support and save this important British institution," said Mulholland.

“Talk, whether in the pub or in parliament is easy, but we need action, so CAMRA and the Save the Pub Group are joining forces to put the party spokespeople on the spot to tell us how they will change things to support and save the pub.”

CAMRA chief executive Mike Benner added: "There is a growing consensus on the importance of pubs as places to responsibly enjoy a drink and their contribution to community life.

"What is now needed are clear proposals on how the future of well-run community pubs can be be safeguarded."

Stoke On Trent Pub For Sale











Staffordshire Pub For Sale

Lord John Russell
Waterloo Street
Stoke-on-Trent
Staffordshire
ST1

Gross Site Area: 4202 sq/ft*

£ 215,000 + VAT Freehold

Lord John Russel Pub For Sale

Wednesday, March 03, 2010

Pubs For Sale in the UK



UK pubs for sale. As a property investment or development opportunity, run down, disused or delicensed freehold pubs, bars and hotels are currently under market value and present excellent redevelopment, modernisation and refurbishment opportunities

Paramount Investments also specialise in the sale of commercial, licensed, industrial, leisure, office, retail, residential, healthcare, retirement and student freehold property for investment and redevelopment.

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Norfolk Public house/development land for sale with full vacant possession.













Norfolk freehold Pub For Sale

Jolly Farmers
Southery
Downham Market
Norfolk
PE38

Gross Site Area: 42112 sq/ft*

£ 230,000 + VAT Freehold Pub for Sale

Unconditional offers are invited for our clients unencumbered interest.

The property represents excellent value for continued licensed use / owner occupation.

There is also enormous potential for redevelopment (residential / commercial / mixed use) subject to gaining the appropriate Local Authority consents.

The existing use class of the property is A4 'Drinking Establishments'. Planning consent is not required to change the current use to A1 (shops), A2 (financial and professional services) or A3 (restaurants and cafes).

Rateable value (01.04.10) - £7,725

Please note that VAT is applicable in this matter.

Jolly Farmers Pub for Sale

Thursday, February 18, 2010

CAMRA National Pub of the Year

CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale, has today crowned the Kelham Island Tavern, Sheffield, as its National Pub of the Year for 2009.

Last year, the Kelham Island Tavern picked up the same award, making it the first pub in CAMRA's history to win its most coveted accolade in consecutive years. Only two other pubs have ever won the award twice- the Fat Cat, Norwich (1998, 2004), and the Swan, Little Totham, Essex (2002, 2005).

CAMRA's National Pub of the Year competition analyses all the criteria that make a good pub including the quality of the beer, atmosphere, décor, customer service, and all-round value of the pub visit. The competition is overseen by CAMRA's 110,000-strong membership.

Saturday, February 13, 2010

Greene King Boosted By Increased Food Sale

Greene King, which operates 2,472 pubs and restaurants across England, Wales and Scotland, said in a Q1 pre-AGM statement today that LFL trading in it's 888 retail premises, which trade under the Hungry Horse, Old English Inns, Loch Fyne Restaurants and Eating Inn brands, was up after 18 weeks trading by 4.4% overall on last year.

Food sales are the driver for this increase, being up 8.6%, and margins have slightly improved as well, but it is a different story in the 1,584 are tenanted or leased pubs, where EBITDA is up just 0.7%, which is a creditable performance in a UK beer market which has dropped 8% in the last quarter. Volumes through it's breweries have suffered, down 4.6%, though Belhaven in Scotland bucks the trend with volume up 3%.

GK says the pubs acquired over the last year are trading very well, but the outlook is uncertain with a number of significant headwinds, including public sector cuts, benefits reform and the impending VAT rise, are likely to affect future household spending.

Greene King shares closed last night at 428.8p valuing the company at £927 million.

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Uk Pub Closure: Co-Ops Can Save Local Pubs

A year ago one Cumbrian pub was on the verge of closure, but following a TV intervention and a prestigious award, the local community is gearing up to buy it.

The Greyhound at Grizebeck was taken over by locals in January 2009, when it starred in UKTV Blighty show Save Our Boozer. Now locals are setting up a co-operative in order to buy the freehold, and have begun negotiations with the owners.

One year ago, a film company arranged a community meeting, to which 60 out of the 200 villagers turned up, and the end result was that the community agreed to run the pub on a leasehold basis.Initially staffed by volunteers, the business now employs two chefs, a manager and five bar staff.

Vic Dunkley, a former licensee and now member of the steering committee, said the pub was taking just £300 a week when they took it over, but weekly turnover has now increased to £2,300. It peaked at £6,000 per week at the height of summer.To top off its success, the pub has just been awarded Britain’s Best Traditional Business by the Countryside Alliance, in a nationwide competition judged by an expert panel including celebrity chef Clarissa Dickson Wright.

Wednesday, December 09, 2009

Pubs For Sale in UK

As a property investment or development opportunity, run down, disused or delicensed freehold pubs and hotels are currently for sale under market value and present excellent redevelopment, modernisation and refurbishment opportunities.

Recent price cuts caused by breweries and pub companies offloading unprofitable, struggling, run down or vacant pubs and hotels, are tempting entrepreneurs to look at the potential locked up in sites previously thought too expensive to run as a business or to redevelop into offices, shops, care homes, restaurants, flats or apartments.

Pubs & Hotels for sale in the UK

Monday, December 07, 2009

More than 300 Signed up to Facebook Page for Protest Backing Action Against the Pubcos

The Publican reports that disgruntled tenants and lessees are due to protest outside Parliament today as part of a "peaceful" demonstration against the behaviour of pubcos.

The protest, at Old Palace Yard opposite Parliament, is being organised by Inez Ward, leader of campaign group Justice for Licensees, and a former Enterprise Inns lessee.

The group is hoping the demo, which begins at 10am, will pressurise the government into taking action against the pubcos.

It is not known how many people will attend, but more than 330 people have joined a Facebook page for the event.

Ward told The Publican previously that her members wanted action now. “These tenants can’t afford to wait two years for a Competition Commission inquiry, they are losing their homes and facing bankruptcy," she said.

The former Newquay licensee organised previous protest marches on the HQs of Punch Taverns and Enterprise Inns in January this year and boasts around 380,000 “members/supporters” for her JFL group.


Paramount Investments, UK pub sales agents, has launched its own Twitter and Facebook profiles, concentrating on UK pub news, uk pub trade information and listing Pubs for Sale in the UK

Tuesday, December 01, 2009

Wetherspoons Announce 250 New Pubs to Open

Pubs chain JD Wetherspoon is to create 10,000 jobs as it opens 250 new pubs.
The company is planning to invest £250m on the new outlets over a five-year period.
The expansion will open up management opportunities, as well as positions for bar and kitchen staff.

The new pubs will be located across the UK, including Sheffield, Livingston, Leominster, Otley, New Malden, Liverpool and Newcastle

Friday, November 13, 2009

Pub Cigarette Vending Machine Ban for 2011

The Government plans to ban cigarette vending machines from pubs in England from 1 October 2011. The ban will cost a huge £709m to the industry, smokers and the Government in lost revenue.

Although the industry in general objects to the ban on vending machines, a lead-in time of almost two years will be welcomed by pubs that are currently struggling in the recession.

Pubs will still be able to sell tobacco products from behind the bar. However, from 2013, displays can't be visible to the public.

Pub industry bodies such as the British Beer and Pub Association said that the measures are another unwarranted obstacle to already-beleaguered pub industry.

A spokesperson from the BBPA said: “It’s unnecessary, and will make life even more difficult for hard-pressed publicans. Vending machines are well supervised, and governed by a tough code. Publicans are well used to selling a product restricted by age, and don’t need further restrictions.”

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

British Beer and Pub Association- Pub Code Debate

A pro-pub tenant MP has slammed the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) for turning down an invitation to debate its new industry code of practice in public.

The BBPA gave a presentation of its new Framework Code of Practice on the Granting and Renewing of Leases to MPs in the All Party Parliamentary Beer Group last night at a closed session (Pubcos set out 'fundamental reform' plans).

Beer Group member Greg Mulholland, also chair of the Save the Pub Group, challenged the BBPA to a public debate with the newly formed Independent pub Confederation (IPC) at the next Save the Pub Group meeting.

Friday, October 23, 2009

Banks holding back pub property market

Banks holding back pub property recovery

Bank demands for 45 per cent deposits are continuing to prevent a recovery in the pub property market, according to a leading pub sales agent.

Mark Grieg, managing director of London-based Paramount Investments criticised what he called the continued reluctance of banks to lend to potential pub buyers, saying that businesses are still “paying the price for the banks’ recklessness in the years prior to the crisis of 2008”.

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