How Young’s is shrugging off hospitality gloom Hospitality Like many of his Square Mile customers, Young’s boss Simon Dodd knows how to schmooze with booze. Three years ago, the listed pub chain exec invited rival Clive Watson, the founder of City Pub Group, for lunch at Smiths, the top-notch bar and grill atop Smithfield market, for a steak and a glass of wine. [...]
Family-owned Tottenham brewer falls into administration as industry pressures mount Hospitality A beloved family-owned Tottenham brewery that was a key player in London’s craft beer renaissance has fallen into administration amidst mounting cost pressures on the industry. Redemption Brewing Company, which was the first commercial brewery to open in Tottenham in nearly 100 years, is officially listed on the formal register of new insolvency appointments as [...]
Adnams cuts alcohol content across range in beer overhaul Hospitality Adnams has reported early signs of success in its beer range overhaul after reducing the alcoholic content across a number of products. The Suffolk-based brewer, famed for its 0.5 per cent Ghost Ship low-alcohol beer, took the decision last year to introduce more lower strength beers in a bid to capture consumer demand for lower [...]
Brewdog founder James Watt launches ‘equity punk’ comeback May 23, 2026 Brewdog founder James Watt has launched a comeback after the craft beer firm he co-founded collapsed earlier this year. Watt said on Friday he will launch Second Best, a new crowdfunded beer venture, in a bid to win back the “equity punks” who were left empty handed in Brewdog’s sale. The divisive entrepreneur said he [...]
Old Spanish Hen? Estrella snaps up Greene King beer brand in UK expansion May 19, 2026 The British arm of Spanish beer giant Estrella is set to snap up Greene King’s iconic Old Speckled Hen beer as it continues to expand in the UK. Damm UK, the British arm of Barcelona based brewer S.A. Damm – which owns Estrella – will take on the entire line of Old Speckled Hen beers, [...]
Magners owner hits out at Reeves as hospitality crisis hits sales May 19, 2026 The maker of Magners and Bulmers cider missed its profit and revenue targets this year, blaming Rachel Reeves’ Budget and the “financial stress” it caused pubs and bars. C&C Group, which also owns the Orchard Pig and Jubel brands, said it is seeing resilient demand for cider and beer but plummeting sales of high-alcohol drinks [...]
No, a pint does not cost £10 in London (see for yourself) May 7, 2026 Headlines appeared over the weekend that a London pint now costs £10. This leaves a bitter taste. Granted, look hard enough and you’ll find a private members’ club here, a chichi restaurant there, that has found customers with deep enough pockets to pay a fortune for supermarket lager. But this has always been true – [...]
Does a pint in London really cost £10? May 6, 2026 Recent reports of £10 pints in the capital will have caused many a punter to spit out their bitter in disbelief. Pint prices in London edge higher every year, but the once-distant prospect of paying double figures for a beer has already arrived, according to some reports. Stanley’s Rooftop Bar, perched above a four-star hotel [...]
Tax hikes call time on two pubs a day crushing 2,400 jobs May 5, 2026 The government’s bitter round of tax hikes imposed on the hospitality industry is said to have forced the closure of two pubs a day in the first three months of the year in yet another blow to the already bruised sector. Figures from the Beer Bar and Pub Association (BBPA) showed 161 pubs across Britain [...]
Greene King selling 150 pubs over ‘unprecedented costs’, boss says May 4, 2026 Greene King’s decision to put 150 pubs up for sale was a reaction to the “unprecedented” costs facing hospitality, its boss has said. The pub chain, one of the UK’s largest, revealed plans to put as many as 150 pubs on the chopping block in March and chief executive Nick Mackenzie told City AM this [...]