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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May- 2025 -8 May
JD Wetherspoon sales rise by 5.6% in Q1
JD Wetherspoon has reported that like-for-like sales rose by 5.6% in the 13-week period to 27 April, with year-to-date like-for-like sales rising by 5.1%. Total sales only increased by 5% in the quarter, which is slightly less than like-for-like sales as the group opened two pubs and sold seven in…
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7 May
New alfresco cocktail bar to open on London’s Southbank
A new alfresco cocktail bar Ten will open on 8 May on the riverside at Southbank Centre’s Queens Walk in London. The bar will be led by founder Jimmy Garcia, known for The Chalet at Somerset House and Jimmy’s BBQ Club at Southbank Centre. The menu will feature 10 cocktails…
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6 May
Heineken to invest £40m in pubs
Heineken UK has announced that it will invest £40m in upgrading and reopening pubs in its Star Pubs division in 2025. The company stated that 25% (608) of its 2,400 pubs will benefit from enhancements during the year, with 104 of these earmarked for transformational revamps costing £120,000 plus. Having…
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2 May
Fortress and Lion Capital secure £30m loan to support Loungers deal
Lion Capital and Fortress Investment Group have secured a £30m club loan from OakNorth to support the acquisition of Loungers, the UK’s all-day café-bar operators. Under Fortress and Lion’s ownership, Loungers plans to continue its proven site rollout strategy, opening over 30 new sites a year to capture further market…
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Apr- 2025 -30 April
Young’s revenues jump 25.4% in FY25
Young’s has revealed that total managed revenues, which include both Young’s and City Pubs, rose by 25.4% in the 52-week period ended 31 March, with like-for-like sales increasing by 5.7%. The pub operator said it has “traded well” during the period, having seen the positive momentum it reported in January…
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28 April
Punch Pubs acquires The Crown pub in Market Drayton
Punch Pubs and Co has expanded its portfolio with the acquisition of The Crown in Market Drayton. The town centre pub, located on Queen Street, will now be part of Punch’s leased and tenanted estate. It will be managed by experienced, multiple operators Ami Sanobar and Darren Paul, who will…
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28 April
Woolwich pub reopens after six-figure refurb
Woolwich pub the George IV has reopened following a six-figure investment, creating four new jobs in the local community. Offering live sports, the pub has improved its amenities with three new Sky Q boxes enabling the pub to show Sky, Sky Sports+, TNT Sports plus sport on Prime. As a…
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28 April
How pubs can score big during this summer’s Women’s Euros
This summer the reigning champion Lionesses will head to Switzerland to defend their Uefa Women’s Euro crown With no major men’s tournament this summer, pubs have a golden opportunity to drive footfall and revenue by tuning into a different kind of football fever: the Women’s Euros. As the Lionesses prepare…
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24 April
The Sherlock Holmes pub reopens following six-figure revamp
Greene King has reopened The Sherlock Holmes, one of London’s original themed pubs, following a six-figure investment to revive its interior and exterior. Said to have featured in the 1892 Sherlock Holmes story ‘The Adventure of the Noble Bachelor’, the Sherlock Homes is themed around Conan Doyle’s world-famous detective and…
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23 April
Marston’s introduces new sports pub concept
Marston’s has introduced a new local sports pub concept, Grandstand, with the first venue opened during Easter weekend. The operator will be refurbishing selected existing pubs which are involved in local sports and charities. The first pub is The Gospel Oak in Tipton in the West Midlands, which opened on…
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