UnitedWeStand

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Plastic straw ban delayed, Government to press on with business rates revaluation bill

29-Apr-2020 By Stuart Stone

The Morning Advertiser takes a look at the impact the Covid-19 outbreak has had on Government legislation and what knock-on effects that could have on the pub sector.

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Matt Hancock signals support for increasing grant scheme

28-Apr-2020 By Emily Hawkins

Secretary of State for Health & Social Care Matt Hancock has said he will ask Chancellor Rishi Sunak about the possibility of extending the hospitality grant scheme to businesses with high rateable values.

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‘Unstable’ marketing approach pays off for London operator

28-Apr-2020 By Ed Bedington

One award-winning operator is refusing to allow the current coronavirus crisis to dampen his spirits and is approaching the situation with a sense of humour.

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‘Some people need pub interaction and that’s been taken away’

28-Apr-2020 By Stuart Stone

Yorkshire publican Calvin Dow explains how he’s helped regulars gather in a ‘virtual taproom’, kept tabs on elderly locals, and even donated a toilet roll or two during Covid-19 shutdown.

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BT Sport suspends billing ‘until further notice’

28-Apr-2020 By Stuart Stone

Broadcaster BT Sport has revealed it will not be charging its pub partners for subscriptions until further notice amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

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16 Hospitality enters administration

28-Apr-2020 By Stuart Stone

Administrators are seeking a buyer for Cheshire-based multiple operator 16 Hospitality after it fell into administration amid Covid-19 trading restrictions.

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Support needed for pubs to survive a soft reopening

27-Apr-2020 By Ed Bedington

Pubs and the wider hospitality industry will continue to need financial support if they are allowed to reopen with social distancing, according to one industry supplier.

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Councils urged to suspend late-night levy fees

27-Apr-2020 By Emily Hawkins

Local authorities have been implored to suspend late-night levy payments for pubs.

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Rainbows on windows and online quizzes: how pubs are fundraising for the NHS

27-Apr-2020 By Emily Hawkins

Publicans have been making the most of their social media links with customers to organise online events, including live music or quizzes to raise money for the NHS.

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Can you take holiday while on furlough?

27-Apr-2020 By Nikkie Thatcher

Full holiday pay must still be paid to workers on furlough, should they take annual leave while on the scheme, the Government has stated.

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Diary of an (empty) pub landlord – a month in Covid-19 lockdown

27-Apr-2020 By Piers Baker

Piers Baker, owner and manager of the Sun Inn in Dedham on Essex/Suffolk border for more than 17 years, details his experience of running a pub since the Government ordered shutdown on 20 March.

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PM tight lipped on when lockdown will be eased

27-Apr-2020 By Nikkie Thatcher

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the Government couldn’t say when lockdown restrictions will begin to be lifted in his first statement back after he contracted coronavirus.

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Financial help falling short for ‘hardest hit and longest suffering’ sector

27-Apr-2020 By Nicholas Robinson

Coronavirus financial support set out by the Government is worryingly not making its way into enough hospitality businesses, a recent poll indicates.

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Craft brewer’s 1,400% shutdown sales boost will help its partners

27-Apr-2020 By Stuart Stone

A 1,400% increase in online sales during Covid-19 lockdown will put independent brewer Jubel in a strong position to support its on-trade partners once pubs reopen, according to its co-founder.

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Ryan Reynolds to donate 30% of UK gin sales to bar staff during Covid-19

27-Apr-2020 By Stuart Stone

Almost a third of Aviation Gin’s online sales will be donated to The Drinks Trust in an effort to support bar staff through the Covid-19 pandemic, actor, producer and the brand’s owner Ryan Reynolds has announced.

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St Austell donates 800 bottles of soft drinks to front-line NHS staff

27-Apr-2020 By Stuart Stone

Cornish brewer and pub operator St Austell Brewery has joined forces with takeaway and delivery service Pub Grub to deliver 800 bottles of soft drink to staff at Royal Cornwall Hospital.

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Weekend new bulletin for pubs - 25 and 26 April

24-Apr-2020 By Ed Bedington

The Morning Advertiser's editor Ed Bedington reviews the biggest news stories from the pub sector after another week in lockdown ahead of the weekend of 25 and 26 April.

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1m jobs at risk without reopening plan

24-Apr-2020 By Nikkie Thatcher

The hospitality industry could see one million jobs lost due to an extended period of social distancing, unless more measures to protect these businesses are put in place, UKHospitality (UKH) has warned.

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Rent statutory demands and wind-up notices banned by Government

24-Apr-2020 By Nikkie Thatcher

The Government is set to temporarily void statutory demands and winding-up petitions issued to commercial tenants amid the coronavirus pandemic.

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Bath Pub Company boss ‘optimistic about the long term’

24-Apr-2020 By Emily Hawkins

The founder of a pubco has described the “galling” experience of his sites not being eligible for any Government grants.

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Community rallies around pub shut three weeks after reopening

23-Apr-2020 By Emily Hawkins

An operator whose pub had only been open for three weeks before the onset of the coronavirus pandemic has said she is grateful for the response from her community.

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Tens of thousands of door staff in need of lockdown support, says night tsar

23-Apr-2020 By Stuart Stone

Night-time economy adviser for Greater Manchester, Sacha Lord, has called on authorities to offer more support for club and bar security staff who have seen work dry up during the Covid-19 shutdown.

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NewRiver directors donate 20% of salary to food bank charity

23-Apr-2020 By Stuart Stone

The owner of Hawthorn Leisure, NewRiver REIT, has announced that its directors will donate one fifth of their salary to the Trussell Trust over the next three months.

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Loungers eyes post-lockdown expansion after raising £8.3m through share placings

23-Apr-2020 By Stuart Stone

After placing more than 9m ordinary shares and negotiating new credit facilities, Loungers – the operator behind the Lounge and Cosy Club brands – believes it has sufficient capital to weather the Covid-19 crisis.

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B&K boss wants tax benefits for shareholders to kick-start investment

23-Apr-2020 By Georgia Cronin, MCA

The hospitality industry needs to see more innovative solutions from the Government, as opposed to just bailouts and loans, if it is to survive and move forward post-lockdown, according to Brewhouse & Kitchen CEO Kris Gumbrell.

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Deltic: let’s focus on the bigger picture

23-Apr-2020 By Finn Scott-Delany, MCA

Deltic CEO Peter Marks has likened the focus on furlough details, such as tronc, to “rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic” and urged operators to see the bigger picture.

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Shutdown is ‘a strange new experience for us all’

22-Apr-2020 By Emily Hawkins

Operator Kevin Shepherdson is usually the one asking customers how they are doing, however, in this uncertain time for pubs, roles have reversed and his regulars have been calling up to check in.

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How can pubs help fans get their sporting fix during Covid-19 lockdown?

22-Apr-2020 By Stuart Stone

There’s no live sport on TV nor a pub currently open to watch it in. But this doesn’t mean operators can’t help fans and customers get their fix during the Covid-19 shutdown

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'Trade-off between public and economic health must be found when pubs reopen’

22-Apr-2020 By Daniel Davies, Rockpoint Leisure CEO and Institute of Licensing chairman

The Government needs to work out a solution to manage a “trade-off” between economic and public health when pubs, bars, restaurants and hotels reopen after lockdown, Daniel Davies explains.

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Trade needs further Government support says industry associations

21-Apr-2020 By Nikkie Thatcher

Pubs need further action from the Government, delivered quickly to help them recover from the Covid-19 crisis, trade bodies have warned.

Publican receives BBC ‘Everyday Hero’ award after Covid-19 response

21-Apr-2020 By Stuart Stone

A Lancashire pub licensee has been recognised as an Everyday Hero by BBC North West following her pub’s community work during the coronavirus shutdown.

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Campaigners demand grant threshold be raised to £150k

21-Apr-2020 By Emily Hawkins

A new campaign has urged ministers to expand the rateable value threshold for pubs from £51,000 so they can access a grant to see them through the closure period.

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Marston’s secures waiver against financial breaches during shutdown

21-Apr-2020 By Stuart Stone

Brewer and pub operator Marston’s has secured a waiver from its financial backers to avoid a breach of loan repayments during the Covid-19 shutdown.

Podcast

From field to fork: how the food and drink supply chain has been affected by coronavirus

21-Apr-2020 By Nicholas Robinson

The coronavirus pandemic has struck every aspect of life across the UK and the world, but what does that mean for our food and drink supplies now – and once some form of normality resumes following the lockdown?

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‘People will remember how we acted during this time’, says McMullen boss

20-Apr-2020 By Stuart Stone

McMullen & Sons joint managing director Heydon Mizon discusses the nearly 200-year-old brewer and pub operator’s response to the Covid-19 emergency – the latest in a long line of historic storms to be weathered.

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Councils disparate over awarding Government grants

20-Apr-2020 By Emily Hawkins

A multiple site operator has shared his “astonishingly” varied experience with different councils in accessing Government grants for pubs.

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‘Hospitality will be among last areas to open’ cabinet minister confirms

20-Apr-2020 By Nikkie Thatcher

Pubs, restaurants, hotels and other hospitality businesses will be one of the last sectors to exit lockdown, minister for the cabinet office Michael Gove has said.

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Liberation Group won’t collect rent during closure period

20-Apr-2020 By Nikkie Thatcher

Channel Islands-based pub company Liberation Group has announced it will not collect any rent from its tenants for the duration of the shutdown, to a maximum term of six months.

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Trade body welcomes furlough scheme one-month extension

17-Apr-2020 By Nikkie Thatcher

A month-long extension of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) – to the end of June – has been met with support from industry organisation the British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA).

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Chestnut to deliver 10,000 free meals to front-line NHS staff

17-Apr-2020 By Stuart Stone

East Anglian pub operator Chestnut has joined forces with Food4Heroes to provide free meals to the region’s front-line NHS staff during the Covid-19 emergency.

My Pub

How the Anchor launched a popular food delivery service

17-Apr-2020 By Gary Lloyd

When pubs were shut down in March, licensees Matthew Crisp and partner Lee Hughes had to act fast, so they set up a food delivery service that is proving hugely popular with locals, who have responded by doing all they can to support the business. Here,...

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What could the lifting of Covid-19 lockdown around the world mean for UK pubs?

17-Apr-2020 By Stuart Stone

As drinkers tentatively return to bars in mainland China and a number of countries announce cautious plans to emerge from lockdown, what can we glean about how and when pub trading could resume in the UK?

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Operators lament 3-week lockdown extension

17-Apr-2020 By Nicholas Robinson

Following the extension of the UK lockdown, preventing non-essential businesses such as pubs from reopening and limiting the public’s activities, operators have raised concerns about the immediate future of their businesses.

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Opinion: wholesalers make plea for bills to be paid

17-Apr-2020 By Darren Goldney

Wholesalers across the UK are asking for operators to pay outstanding credit to “help us help you when your doors open again”, as outlined by managing director of Unitas Wholesale Darren Goldney.

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54% of independent brewers unable to access Government support

17-Apr-2020 By Stuart Stone

Both the Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA) and Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) have called on the Government to offer brewers the same level of support as pubs after a majority of beer makers revealed they’ve been unable to access state support.

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Lockdown extended by 3 weeks

16-Apr-2020 By Nicholas Robinson

The Government has announced a three-week extension of lockdown in a bid to help slow and stop the spread of the coronavirus.

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Furlough scheme cut-off date extended

16-Apr-2020 By Nikkie Thatcher

The eligibility cut-off date for the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme has been extended by almost three weeks to 19 March to ensure more staff will receive furlough payments.

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Insurers ‘must pay out’ FCA warns

16-Apr-2020 By Nicholas Robinson

Insurance providers have been warned by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to pay out on business claims promptly or explain why not to the body.

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Pub rent review negotiations suspended until 30 June

16-Apr-2020 By Stuart Stone

The Pub Governing Body (PGB) has called a temporary halt to ongoing and upcoming pub rental negotiations while venues remain closed due to the ongoing Covid-19 emergency.

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M&B furloughs more than 45,000 staff members

15-Apr-2020 By Stuart Stone

The operator behind high street stalwarts O’Neill’s and All Bar One has furloughed 99% of its workforce in a bid to weather the ongoing Covid-19 crisis.