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- 2021 -20 May
Maven Leisure secures £4.3m funding for acquisition spree
Maven Leisure is set to raise £4.3m through private equity investment firm Growthdeck in a bid to open a host of new London bars upon the lifting of lockdown. The new venture, which is led by the founders of ETM Group, is looking to use the funds to launch seven…
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19 May
The Garden Bar launches in Bromley
The Garden Bar, a venue serving food, cocktails, fresh juices and music, is set to open in Bromley on 28 May. The brand already has a site in London’s Elephant and Castle which has been operating for several years. The new site in Bromley BR1 will host a 400 capacity…
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19 May
Six pubs ‘vanished’ a week during pandemic
Around six pubs “vanished” a week in the UK during the coronavirus pandemic, according to real estate adviser Altus Group. The group states the pubs were either demolished or converted into offices and homes over the lockdown period. At the time of the first lockdown last year (20 March 2020),…
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19 May
Marston’s posts £105m H1 pre-tax loss
Pub operator Marston’s saw its H1 FY21 losses before tax widen to £105.5m, up from pre-tax losses of £31.1m the previous year. Moreover, the group’s revenues for the six months ended 3 April 2021 plummeted 84% to £55.1m, a sharp decline from H1 FY20’s £343.3m revenues. Marston’s was, however, able…
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17 May
Shepherd Neame to recruit more than 300 new staff members
Shepherd Neame has revealed that it will be bolstering its team by recruiting more than 300 new members as it prepares to reopen its entire estate in the next few weeks. The Faversham-based brewer and pub company has a total of 312 pubs and hotels, of which 65 are managed…
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14 May
Drake and Morgan reveals CVA plans
Restaurant and bar group Drake and Morgan has announced that it intends to enter a company voluntary arrangement (CVA). The decision follows a strategic review of the business, which found that action was needed for the company to continue trading and secure the long-term future of the business. In turn,…
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12 May
Nightcap raises £10m to fuel further growth
Nightcap, a hospitality group formed by investors Sarah Willingham and Michael Toxvaerd to back the UK premium bar sector, announced it has raised £10m to further its investment strategy and roll-out its latest acquisition, Adventure Bar Group (ABG). The £10m figure raised is “significantly higher” than originally planned owing to…
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12 May
Marston’s appoints new CEO
Marston’s has announced the appointment of Andrew Andrea as the new CEO with effect from 3 October 2021. The news follows the group’s previous CEO Ralph Findlay’s decision earlier this year to step down at the end of the current financial year. Andrea is currently the group’s CFO and corporate…
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11 May
WBPA urges first minister to deliver grants for pubs
Companies representing hundreds of Welsh pubs and brewers, alongside the Welsh Beer and Pub Association (WBPA), have written to the newly re-elected first minister Mark Drakeford urging him to deliver grants for pubs and a roadmap ahead of re-opening. In a letter to Drakeford, the group stated that although it…
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11 May
Beer and Coffee Co open its fourth leased pub
Beer and Coffee Co has announced the opening of its fourth leased pub with Star Pubs and Bars following a £160,000 refurbishment. The pub will join the group’s pug brand and has been renamed The Lazy Pug to mark its new direction. Other venues include The Black Pug in Warwick…
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