Batemans opens classic Victorian parlour pub with no pints or halves on sale: Lincolnshire brewer and retailer Batemans has opened a site in Boston, Lincolnshire as a classic Victorian parlour pub that only sells cask ale in one-third and … view

Propel to launch conference series in 2013: Propel Hospitality, the publisher of the Propel Morning Briefing, is to launch a free-to-attend conference series for operators in 2013. The conference series, called The Propel Multi-Club, will … view

Charles Wells reports sales up, profits down: Brewer and retailer Charles Wells has reported sales up £1m to £189m with profit after tax of £6m in the year to 29 September - down from £6.6m the previous year. EBITDA was up four per ce … view

Convivial London Pubs hits £1m pre-tax profit: Seven-strong Convivial London Pubs, headed by Kris Gumbrell, has reported pre-tax profit has increased by 111 per cent to hit £999,022 for the year to 29 September on sales of £5.1m. The s … view

Fleurets - Bottom-end freehold pubs dominate market activity in 2012: Bottom-end freehold pubs – pubs without accounts and invariably in a ‘forced sale’ scenario - have continued to dominate market activity in 2012, property agent F … view

Large … view

Bob Ivell – minimum pricing doesn’t solve anything; retail foodservice operators need to back the ALMR: Mitchells & Butlers (M&B) non-executive chairman Bob Ivell has voiced his opposition to minimum pricing in the wake of new chief e … view

Douglas Jack – we’re expecting quoted companies to hit targets in January updates (or better): Numis Securities leisure analyst Douglas Jack has reported that he expects that “trading updates in January to be either in line or sligh … view

Whitbread eyes new growth opportunities for Costa Express: Whitbread has opened more Costa Express machines in the past year than Coffee Nation, the business it bought as a growth platform, did in its 11 years of existence, chief executiv … view

Las Iguanas targets 40 new openings: Latin American restaurant chain Las Iguanas, led by Eren Ali, has identified another 40 potential locations in the UK beyond its current 36-strong site pipeline. The company has funding to grow from it … view

Yum! Brands to invest £20m in expanding delivery store network by 100 sites: Yum! Brands has unveiled a plan to invest £20m in expanding its network of delivery stores by 100 sites within two years in an attempt to catch-up with market … view

Yellowhammer Bars sells three sites after 18 per cent drop in like-for-like sales across its 20 venues: Yellowhammer Bars, the operator of Groove and Bliss nightclubs and three style bars branded as Chilli White, has undertaken a strategi … view

Novus reports £25m war-chest to buy new sites: London bar and restaurant operator Novus has reported that it has a fund of £25m to buy new sites. The fund has sanctioned by its new owners LGV Capital and Hutton Collins, who acquired the … view

London and Edinburgh Swallow Group boss Alan Bowes makes pub sector comeback: Alan Bowes, who previously ran the London and Edinburgh Swallow Group (LESG) managed and tenanted pubs and hotels business, which went into liquidation in 2006, … view

Luminar to appeal Kingston licence revocation: Nightclub company Luminar is to appeal against the decision to repeal the licence of its Oceania venue in Kingston in the wake of a fatal stabbing. The venue, which has been the company’s m … view

Greene King like-for-likes up 4.3 per cent; 20 sites added to managed division; Hungry Horse to hit 200 sites: Suffolk-based Greene King has reported its managed division has grown like-for-like sales by 4.3 per cent in the 24 weeks to 14 … view

Marston’s lines up pipeline of seven self-operated motels: Midlands-based Marston’s has a pipeline of six or seven own-operated motels, finance director Andrew Andrea has told Morning Briefing. Previously, Marston’s has worked in p … view