Pubs and Bars
The Pubs and Bars section on Catering Today covers the business developments, market trends, and operational challenges shaping the UK’s pub and bar sector. It reports on acquisitions, brand expansions, drinks innovation, and regulatory updates, alongside insights into staffing, sustainability, and consumer behaviour. With expert commentary and commercial analysis, Catering Today provides industry professionals with the intelligence needed to navigate a competitive and fast-evolving on-trade environment.
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Jan- 2021 -25 January
Pub veterans join chase for M&A investment
Mark McQuarter and Mark Crowther are the latest in a succession of pub sector veterans seeking backing for pub deals, as reported by the Times. The former boss of Barracuda Pub Company and Revolution Bars, McQuarter has now been named as chairman of London pub operator, Portobello Brewery. He confirmed…
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21 January
CARA calls on chancellor to cut tax on draught beer
CARA (the Campaign for Real Ale) is calling on the government to cut the tax on draught beer. The campaign is urging chancellor Rishi Sunak to commit to cutting the tax charged on beer served on tap in pubs and social clubs to help them rebuild their businesses once the…
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21 January
Anand raises £200m for pub sector spending spree
Rooney Anand, the former chief executive at Greene King, has raised £200m to invest in the UK’s faltering pubs sector, Sky News has revealed. The investment is likely to come in a series of acquisitions in the coming months, in a bet on an industry-wide post-pandemic recovery. While sources told…
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20 January
JD Wetherspoon undergoes £90m share placing
UK pub company, JD Wetherspoon, is raising capital through its investors for the second time during the pandemic via an accelerated share placing of over £90m. A total of 8,370,000 new ordinary shares have been placed on the exchange by Investec Bank at a price of 1,120p per share, bringing…
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19 January
Greene King to launch Covid-19 emergency funds for staff
Greene King has announced it will be launching its second Covid-19 emergency support fund to help its team members during the third lockdown. The new Team Member Support Fund follows the first fund which ran from March to June last year, in which the pub group donated £650,000 in grants…
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18 January
Greene King to rename pubs over racism links
Greene King has announced it will rename four pubs in its estate whose names have racist connotations, and will shortly be holding community votes on new names. The pub company and brewer will rename three pubs currently called The Black Boy, in Bury St Edmunds, Sudbury and Shinfield, as well…
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14 January
Parliament urged not to scapegoat pubs Covid crisis
Paul Scully, the Government’s minister for business, has urged parliament not to scapegoat pubs and the hospitality sector during the ongoing Covid-19 crisis. The claims came as MPs from across the UK joined the parliamentary debate on public petitions on the support for the industry and the decision to create…
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12 January
MPs launch inquiry into night time economy
The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for the night time economy has commenced an urgent enquiry into the effects of Covid-19 on the industry. The group’s inquiry is being led by Jeff Smith MP, and has asked for evidence from those involved in the industry on what challenges the sector faces…
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12 January
Support for pubs not enough, warns BII
Less than one in four pubs in the UK have received the full payment of grants they were entitled to in the autumn and winter months of 2020, according to a survey carried out by the British Institute of Innkeeping (BII). The trade body’s research into how pub owners access…
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11 January
37 pubs closed every month in 2020
Around 37 English and Welsh pubs closed every month in 2020, according to analysis of official government data by real estate adviser Altus Group. The research showed that the overall number of pubs in England and Wales, liable for business rates, including those left vacant and being offered to let,…
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