Legal

New appointment: Chris Welham will succeed Jim Brewster as CEO of the Licensed Trade Charity

New CEO for the LTC

By Nikkie Thatcher

The Licensed Trade Charity (LTC) has announced Chris Welham has been appointed as the organisation’s new chief executive officer.

Licensing hub with Poppleston Allen: right to refuse service and denying entry? (Credit:Getty/SolStock)

LICENSING HUB - LEGAL WITH POPPLESTON ALLEN

Right to refuse service and denying entry?

By Elizabeth Varley, trainee solicitor, Poppleston Allen

You may have faced some challenges over the festive period with customers or potential customers challenging you or your staff if you have decided to refuse them service or entry and you may now be questioning whether you made the right decision or are...

Positive step: UKH welcomes measures to ban drip pricing (Credit: Getty/istankov)

UKH welcomes measures to ban drip pricing

By Rebecca Weller

UKHospitality (UKH) has welcomed new Government legislation banning drip pricing as “important features” to help pubs with rooms are excluded from the bill.

Support an Independent Pub Day: London Pub Explorer urges people to support their local pub in the face of challenging economic headwinds (Pictured: Tuesday Roberts at the Northcote Arms)

EXCLUSIVE

Support an Independent Pub Day launched

By Rebecca Weller

The London Pub Explorer has launched ‘Support an Independent Pub Day’ in a bid to raise awareness of challenges and closures across the hospitality sector.

Call for help: UKHospitality Scotland has urged the Scottish Government to introduce a 75% business rates relief scheme (image: Getty/selamiozalp)

Scottish venues £110k worse off

By Nikkie Thatcher

A lack of support from the Scottish Government has left hospitality venues more than £100,000 worse off than their counterparts in England, figures have shown.

Property refurbs: this week's round-up features Brotherhood, Shepherd Neame and Inn Collection Group

PROPERTY

Brotherhood bars invests £500k into refurb

By Rebecca Weller

This week's property refurb round-up includes investments from sports bars operator Brotherhood, pub with rooms brand Inn Collection and Shepherd Neame.

Government support: NTIA calls for VAT cut

NTIA calls for Gov to slash VAT

By Amelie Maurice-Jones

The Night Time Industries Association (NTIA) has urged for VAT to be cut for all businesses in the Spring Budget to save the night time economy from collapse.

Stop the rot: BBPA urges Gov to secure sector's future as 509 pubs shut in 2023 (Credit: Getty/ dmbaker)

More than 500 pubs closed in 2023

By Rebecca Weller

More than 500 pubs closed their doors for good last year, data from the British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA) has revealed.

Progress being made: Be Inclusive Hospitality CEO Lorraine Copes says there is more data now on the understanding of inclusivity

OPINION

Progress in EDI is on the horizon for 2024

By Lorraine Copes, CEO of Be Inclusive Hospitality

Our industry has all the essential ingredients to stand as the beacon of inclusivity and opportunity – becoming the industry of choice where individuals from diverse backgrounds can develop and flourish in their careers.

Mouse trap: operators have been urged to be robust in their attitude to food safety to avoid potential issues around rodents (image: Getty/Andyworks)

LICENSING HUB - LEGAL WITH POPPLESTON ALLEN

Mice on the move

By Graeme Cushion, partner, Poppleston Allen

While I do not profess to be any kind of expert on the behaviour of rodents, I have heard anecdotally that the various lockdowns which we have all experienced may have had a knock-on effect on the rodent population as well.

Fleurets Survey of Pub Prices January 2024: pub numbers expected to continue declining (Credit: Getty/onfilm)

Number of pubs expected to decline in 2024

By Rebecca Weller

The total number of pubs in the UK will “continue to decline” as more than a third of freehold sites sold in 2023 no longer operate as pubs, according to the Fleurets Survey of Pub Prices January 2024.

No surprise: UKH urged Gov to mitigate costs for sector to avoid further fuelling inflation (Credit: Getty/The Good Brigade)

UKH: 'inflation rise no surprise'

By Rebecca Weller

Hospitality firms will have “no choice” but to pass further costs onto consumers without “action to mitigate costs”, further fuelling inflation.

Vacancy drop: UKH's Kate Nicholls said the figures were 'encouraging' (Credit: Getty/Hispanolistic)

Vacancies fall by 35k

By Amelie Maurice-Jones

There were 112,000 vacancies in hospitality at the end of 2023, new figures from the Office for National Statistic have revealed.

Call on Government: BII CEO Steve Alton (left) with The Morning Advertiser editor Ed Bedington

BII demands Gov support for pubs in Budget

By Gary Lloyd

The British Institute of Innkeeping (BII) has demanded Government investment in pubs in the upcoming Budget as more than six out of 10 pubs reported revenues losses or flat trade in 2023.

Finding more ways to prosper: Professor Victoria Wells

OPINION

Pubs have had to diversify to survive

By Victoria Wells, Professor of Sustainable Management School for Business and Society, University of York

As a pub researcher I’m almost always given pub (or beer) related gifts for Christmas and birthdays – Christmas 2023 was no exception.

Pub support: The second reading of the private member's bill will take place on 19 Jan (Credit: Getty/G Trade)

BBPA supports licensing hours extension bill

By Amelie Maurice-Jones

The British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) was proud to support an MP’s drop-in event ahead of the second reading of her bill that will help pubs extend opening hours during national events.

Too late: tube strikes suspended at the

Tube strike cancellation 'too late' for sector

By Rebecca Weller

The damage done to hospitality businesses by tube strikes is “undoubtedly too late to reverse” as planned tube strikes in London are cancelled at the “eleventh hour”.

The Morning Advertiser's Lock In Podcast episode 70

The Lock In Podcast

New Year, new opportunities?

By Ed Bedington

The Lock In team take a look ahead to see what 2024 has in store, both the opportunities and the challenges and how you can embrace both.

Hitting the target: darts is enjoying a boost in popularity and Alex Tomlinson (right) has advice for pubs (credit: Getty/Jovan Doncic)

Darts – what are the rules for pubs?

By Alex Tomlinson, solicitor at Poppleston Allen

This week, we saw 16-year-old Luke Littler compete in the PDC World Darts Championship final before losing 7-4 to Luke Humphries.

(image: Getty/Drazen_)

LICENSING HUB - LEGAL WITH POPPLESTON ALLEN

Tying up loose ends – changes to licensing law in 2024

By Andy Grimsey, solicitor, Poppleston Allen

So, welcome to 2024. We usually write a piece at this time of year looking forward to likely changes in the licensing landscape over the next 12 months, and this year is no different.

How has the pub sector fared in 2023?

Farewell 2023, here's to 2024

By Ed Bedington

There's a strange feeling of deja vu as I sit down to write my thoughts on the year and hopes for the year ahead.

What will 2024 hold for pubs part two

New Year 2024

Industry hopes and fears: part two

By Ed Bedington

In the second part of our look ahead we spoke to a number of leading industry figures to get their thoughts on what 2024 will hold.

Advice provided: questions around refurbishments and bingo are answered (image: Getty/IvanWuPI)

LICENSING HUB - LEGAL WITH POPPLESTON ALLEN

Q&A: notifying councils about refurbs and under 18s playing bingo

By Imogen Moss, associate solicitor, Poppleston Allen

Poppleston Allen answers questions about having to notify local authorities about changes to a property and looks at the rules around under 18s playing bingo.

Looking back: pubs code adjudicator Fiona Dickie reflects on the past 12 months

OPINION

Looking back at 2023 and forward to 2024

By Fiona Dickie, pubs code adjudicator

As we approach the new year, it is an opportunity to review some of the key milestones for the pubs code and the pubs code adjudicator (PCA) during 2023.

What does 2024 hold for pubs?

New Year 2024

Industry hopes and fears: Part one

By Ed Bedington

With 2024 looming, we spoke to a number of leading industry figures to get their thoughts on what the year ahead will hold.

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KENT - HIGH QUALITY FAMILY FRIENDLY PUB

£ 60,000 - Leasehold

Busy location on coastal main road Extensively renovated detached public house Five trade areas (100)  Sizeable refurbished 4-5 bedroom accommodation Newly created beer garden (125) Established and popular business...

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