Pub industry ‘screaming for a reset’ amid wave of closures, says Shepherd Neame boss Hospitality The beer and pub industry is “screaming for a reset”, the boss of the UK’s oldest brewer has warned, as companies brace for more venue closures under the strain of sharp tax hikes and minimum wage rises. Jonathan Neame, chief executive of Aquis-listed Shepherd Neame, which traces its roots back to 1698, said the “real [...]
Pub of the week: The Walrus and Carpenter is pints perfection Life&Style “‘The time has come,’ the Walrus said, To talk of many things: Of shoes – and ships – and sealing-wax – Of cabbages – and kings – And why the sea is boiling hot – And whether pigs have wings.” So reads the most famous line in Lewis Carroll nonsense poem, after which this iconic [...]
Investec awards East London coffee enterprise Well Grounded £60k grant Hospitality Financial giant Investec has awarded £60,000 to social enterprise Well Grounded, which plans to create 10,000 career opportunities in the coffee sector in the coming decade. Well Grounded, based in East London, runs speciality coffee training programmes for jobseekers and has placed over 1,000 Brits into the industry so far. Unemployment rose to its highest rate in [...]
It’s a sad story from brewery to pub February 26, 2026 It was a balmy 17 degrees in the Square Mile yesterday, drawing crowds out for a lunchtime pint in the sun. But in other parts of the country the hospitality sector is still in the grip of winter. Bad news came thick and fast from my native Cornwall yesterday, starting with confirmation that Sharp’s Brewery [...]
London is the best food city in the world – here are 3 reasons why February 25, 2026 A month of Michelin madness in the UK draws to a close. Among the many accolades gifted, my personal highlights were seeing Row on 5’s executive chef Spencer Metzger receive a second star and Gordon Ramsay High joining Craig Johnson’s Angler to be the second restaurant with a star in the Square Mile. The Evolv [...]
Not-so-drastic Dave: Diageo boss defies expectations of slash-and-burn reign February 25, 2026 ‘Drastic Dave’ Lewis, who gained a reputation for cost-cutting and ruthless rationalisation during his time at Unilever and Tesco, was more ‘demure Dave’ when announcing Diageo’s first results of his tenure as chief executive. The spirits giant has been struggling in recent years, with its share price down 22 per cent year-on-year – and Lewis’ [...]
The 18 best pubs in the City of London – picked by experts February 24, 2026 The City of London has some of the best old boozers in the country, from sprawling Victorian gin palaces to squat little drinking dens squirrelled away down forgotten alleyways. We asked the reporters at City AM – who know the Square Mile better than anyone – to name their best pubs in the City of [...]
Brewdog: HSBC could seize brewery if no buyer found February 23, 2026 Brewdog’s sprawling Scottish brewing estate could be seized by HSBC if the craft beer firm fails to find a buyer to steady its finances. Brewdog has agreed for its debts to be secured against its brewery in Ellon, Aberdeenshire, meaning it could lose its huge brewing estate if it cannot pay up. Co-founder James Watt [...]
Brewdog co-founder to plough millons into rescue bid for the struggling brewer February 21, 2026 James Watt, the co-founder and former boss of Brewdog is to plough £10m of his own money into the company in a rescue bid for the craft brewer. According to reports from Sky News, Watt, who stepped down as Brewdog’s chief executive in 2024, is assembling financial backing from external investors for the group. Insiders [...]
Minimum wage is lowering standards of living, argues Wetherspoons boss February 21, 2026 The founder and chairman of budget pub chain JD Wetherspoon has warned that minimum wage is making lowering people’s living standards by limiting companies’ ability to increase pay and hire. Sir Tim Martin argued that rather than serve as a safety net to protect workers, minimum wage is now doing more harm than good, following [...]