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- 2019 -16 January
Greene King appoints Merlin exec as new boss
Nick Mackenzie, a member of Merlin Entertainments’ executive committee, has been appointed as the chief executive of pub group Greene King. Mackenzie will join the board on 1 May 2019, succeeding CEO Rooney Anand who steps down from his role on 30 April after 14 years at the post. At…
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16 January
Strong festive trading boosts eating and drinking-out market
Britain’s managed pub and restaurant companies escaped recent high street woes over the six-week festive period with collective like-for-like sales up 4.1% on 2017, according to latest figures from the Coffer Peach Business Tracker. Both pub and restaurant operators saw positive sales growth over the Christmas and new year period,…
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14 January
Revolution Bars sees 6.4% revenue increase in latest update
Revolution Bars Group, operator of 79 premium bars trading across the UK under the Revolution and Revolucion de Cuba brands, has seen a 6.4% like-for-like increase in the 26 weeks to 29 December 2018. Total revenue for the period was £78.5m and its like-for-like sales in the four week trading…
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11 January
ETM Group reports record Christmas trading
The 14-strong bar and restaurant group, ETM, has reported its “best ever Christmas” with overall revenue up 16% and like-for-like sales rising to 13.1% for the five weeks up to 31 December. One of the biggest growth areas for the company was in pre-booked event sales which saw an uplift…
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11 January
Pub operator Ei Group to sell 370 properties for £348m
Ei Group, the largest owner and operator of pubs in the UK, has announced it has agreed to sell 370 properties to Tavern Propco for the cash consideration of £348m. The group closed 2018 with 412 properties and the disposal of the sites will be comprised of public houses and…
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10 January
Pubs and restaurants provide boost as consumer spending reaches low
Consumer spending grew 1.8% year-on-year in December, the lowest rate of growth seen since March 2016. With inflation at 2.3%, this equated to a contraction in real terms. Data from Barclaycard, which sees nearly half of the nation’s credit and debit card transactions, revealed essential spending growth dipped to just…
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10 January
Tech entrepreneurs Michael and Xochi Birch reopen 17th Century pub
The Farmer’s Arms, a Grade II listed, thatched roof local pub dating back to the mid-17th Century, has undergone a major renovation as part of a wider rejuvenation of the village of Woolsery in north Devon. The former blacksmiths-turned-inn has been transformed into a pub and restaurant, with two bars,…
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8 January
Greene King Christmas day sales hit £7.7m record despite cost cutting
Greene King has announced it hit a record sales figure of £7.7m for Christmas day despite cost cutting amid food price inflation, rising rates and wage increases. The pub chain also confirmed that it had seen like-for-like sales for the the last two weeks of 2018 rise by 10.9%. Greene…
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4 January
Man ordered to demolish ‘secret’ garden pub
A Kidderminster man has been ordered to demolish his “secret” pub located in his garden after inspectors claimed it was “not being used for personal use” and that alcohol had been sold on the premises without a licence. Carl Roberts, 49, had spent £6,000 on The Dick Inn, installing pub…
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2 January
Award winning licensees to reopen and refurbish Oxfordshire pub as second site
Kate Hayden and Paul Warriner are taking their second site with Star Pubs & Bars – The Hare at West Hendred in Oxfordshire – for a joint £500,000 investment, which will reopen the pub in March after a four-year closure. The Hare is the only pub in West Hendred, and…
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