‘How deep is your love?’, Wetherspoon asks punters Hospitality JD Wetherspoon has hit out at the rising cost of pints in pubs relative to supermarkets, challenging punters to continue visiting their local despite higher prices. Sir Tim Martin, chairman of the pub firm, told shareholders on Wednesday that recent Conservative and Labour governments have worsened the existing price disparity between pubs and grocers by [...]
‘The government needs to take us seriously’: Pub landlords brew plans to bar MPs – again Hospitality Pub landlords across the country are poised to launch a fresh ban on hundreds of MPs after a campaign to cut VAT on hospitality fell on deaf ears in the House of Commons. Andy Lennox, who led a ban on Labour MPs following the surge in business rates bills caused by last year’s Budget, told [...]
Pint prices to rise as Healey hikes beer duty Hospitality The price of a pint is set to rise by 2p after John Healey announced plans to hike beer duty, saddling pubs with more costs despite a commitment to cut their business rates. The Chancellor said alcohol duty, which is charged on every pint sold, will rise in line with Retail Prices Index (RPI) inflation, [...]
John Healey is a beer man. Does this spell good news for pubs? October 27, 2026 Geoffrey Howe sipped a gin and tonic, Nigel Lawson quaffed a wine spritzer, while George Osborne and Gordon Brown stuck to mineral water. Ahead of his first Budget, one of the many decisions weighing on Chancellor John Healey’s mind will be whether to get a little squiffy at the despatch box. If he does, it [...]
Greene King boss: Pub industry ‘reaching breaking point’ October 20, 2026 The finance boss of Greene King has warned that soaring taxes and employment costs have pushed the UK’s hospitality industry to “breaking point”. Jonathan Fearn, finance chief of the privately-owned pub chain, said decisions taken by the Labour government have “created a cocktail of costs, which have made it ever harder for a pub to [...]
Marstons shares soar as pub firm bets on sports bars October 13, 2026 Shares in Marstons soared on Tuesday after the hospitality firm said it would ramp up efforts to convert more than 100 of its pubs into sports bars. The London-listed pub company said its new “Grandstand” format, which offers big screens and match-based food and drink offers, has been its “standout” performer this year. The World [...]
One pub shuts every day as Burnham tax cuts ‘not enough’ October 12, 2026 A pub is set to have closed its doors every day this year, as hospitality leaders say Andy Burnham’s tax cuts for hospitality have not gone far enough. About 360 pubs are expected to have called last orders in the whole of 2026, with 295 watering holes having shut for good so far this year, [...]
Wetherspoon boss blasts Soho’s ‘barmy’ vertical drinking crackdown October 4, 2026 JD Wetherspoon boss Sir Tim Martin has blasted Westminster Council’s “barmy” curbs on vertical drinking, which he said are “inhibiting business”. Martin, the chairman of Britain’s best-known pub chain, has waded into a row over the Council’s restrictions on so-called “vertical drinking” in Soho and an effective ban on new pubs and bars in the [...]
Wetherspoon boss attacks Labour for ‘high street dereliction’ as profit falls October 2, 2026 Pub chain Wetherspoon has hit out at the government for causing “high street dereliction” by hiking taxes, as the company’s profit slipped by a quarter. The London-listed pub group saw revenue jump by five per cent to £2.2bn in the year to July – in line with analyst forecasts – though pre-tax profit fell further [...]
Can Brewdog get ‘equity punks’ onside in bid to move on from James Watt? September 30, 2026 Craft beer giant Brewdog has launched a reset under its American owners Tilray. Felix Armstrong explores whether the company can truly move on from James Watt Dessert-flavoured beer, provocative ad campaigns, waxy-mustached artisans – much about Brewdog’s long-anticipated reset feels familiar, as if the recently-collapsed craft brewer is really getting back to its roots. But [...]