Property

Milestone: Little Door & Co to open fifth site (Pictured: Kamran Dehdashti and Jamie Hazeel)

Little Door & Co to open 'milestone' fifth site

By Rebecca Weller

London-based house-party inspired late night bar and restaurant concept, Little Door & Co., has announced it will open its “milestone” fifth bar this summer.

Licensees: publicans Chris Walsh and Beccy Keddie are dealing with extra costs

Rising costs hurting small pub businesses

By Gary Lloyd

Improving trade but ever-escalating bills is an issue several pubs are experiencing three years after sites were allowed to start serving again after the pandemic forced the on-trade to close its doors.

Estate numbers: Punch has around 1,300 pubs across the UK

Punch expands its growing estate

By Nikkie Thatcher

Punch Pubs & Co has acquired a trio of Leicestershire pubs from Steamin' Billy into its leased and tenanted division.

Financial results: despite losses, RedCat has seen turnover more than double (credit: Getty/PeopleImages)

RedCat posts £31m loss

By Gary Lloyd

RedCat Pub Company has posted a pre-tax loss of £31m for the year in its latest annual report.

Pub operators urged to look for positives

OPINION

Trading is tough but we need to start sharing the positives

By Ed Bedington

It’s a little too easy to allow ourselves to wallow in pessimism, (particularly when you record a podcast with a fully qualified professional moaner), but sometimes we need to take a step back and appreciate some of the positives out there.

Alarming rate: number of NTE firms in the UK drops by 15.5% (Credit: Getty/SolStock)

Number of NTE firms drops by 'staggering' 15.5%

By Rebecca Weller

The number of night-time economy (NTE) businesses in the UK has dropped by a “staggering” 15.5%, new research from Night-Time Industries Association (NTIA) has revealed.

Business results: the trading update from JD Wetherspoon covered the 26-week period to 28 January 2024 (image: Getty/PeopleImages)

JDW ‘has potential for 1,000 sites’

By Nikkie Thatcher

Pub giant JD Wetherspoon (JDW) identified the possibility of increasing its estate by just under a quarter (23%), in its latest trading update.

Trading update: Sarah Willingham-led Nightcap acquired The Piano Works in February 2024

Nightcap positive despite tough trading in 2024

By Gary Lloyd

Nightcap – the operator of about 50 bars under brands including The Cocktail Club, Barrio Familia, the Adventure Bar Group and The Piano Works – expects trading to continue to be tough in 2024 but is positive for the future.

Corner plot: North Laine Brewhouse is stand-out pub in Brighton

Laine’s flagship Brighton pub building on market

By Gary Lloyd

The freehold site of Laine Pub Company’s flagship pub has been placed on the market – but the pubco insists the sale won’t affect the pub and it will be business as usual.

Who is behind lesbian bar La Camionera London

Meet the founder of London’s new lesbian bar

By Amelie Maurice-Jones

The founder of a new east London lesbian bar, which has hit its fundraising target of £50,000 to launch a permeant venue, has opened up about future plans.

Freeze ends: Chancellor Jeremy Hunt (fourth from left) has taken no action on business rates (credit: UK Parliament/Maria Unger)

SPRING BUDGET 2024

Business rates to go up as freeze ends

By Gary Lloyd

Despite the hospitality sector’s calls for a reduced business rates burden in the Spring Budget, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s lack of action on the subject means companies in England will endure a combined tax hike of £1.66bn from 1 April.

Business landscape: the figures looked at the closures in the sector last year (image: Getty/Anukoon Supawong)

194 pubs lost forever in 2023

By Nikkie Thatcher

Some 194 pub buildings were lost due to conversion or demolition last year, new figures have found.

New horizons: Two exciting sites open in the capital and there are also openings elsewhere

PROPERTY ROUND-UP

New bars open in the capital

By Amelie Maurice-Jones

An Italian seafood bar is set to open in the capital, while a Welsh pub reopens under new ownership and Inception Group launches a new site.

Latest acquisition: The Piano Works concept is now in the Sarah Willingham-led Nightcap portfolio

Nightcap acquires The Piano Works

By Gary Lloyd

Nightcap – the operator of 46 bars under brands including The Cocktail Club, Barrio Familia and the Adventure Bar Group – has acquired live entertainment concept The Piano Works.

Come and tech a look: technology is now vital for smooth service across all aspects of the on-trade

FEATURE - Technology

FEATURE: Finding the right tech to fit your pub

By Fiona Griffiths

Pub operators everywhere are facing challenging times but choosing the right technology solutions can help your business to survive – and even thrive.