Wetherspoon shares dive as pub chain warns on profit again July 22, 2026 JD Wetherspoon shares slumped after it issued its fourth profit warning this year, as the pub chain grapples with surging food and energy costs and a rising business rates bill. Tim Martin, founder and chairman of the UK’s best-known pub chain, said: “Profits for the year are likely to be below market expectations, with marginally [...]
Burnham: I’ll be a pro-business Prime Minister July 17, 2026 Andy Burnham has vowed to be a pro-business Prime Minister who will reindustrialise Britain and support the country’s small businesses. Speaking after he was crowned Labour leader on Friday, the former Manchester mayor railed against “four decades of neoliberalism” which he said had seen political power concentrated in Westminster while “economic power was privatised”. In [...]
The real winner of the Fifa World Cup? Beer July 17, 2026 Whatever happens in Sunday’s final, one World Cup winner is already clear: beer. For generations, football fans around the world have gathered at their local, celebrating victories and consoling one another after defeats with a pint in hand. Beer does not simply accompany football, it transforms watching a match into a shared experience. This summer’s [...]
James Watt eyes entire Brewdog UK business in comeback swoop July 17, 2026 James Watt’s shock comeback bid for Brewdog would see him take control of the craft beer firm’s entire UK and Australian operations, City AM has learned. The Scottish entrepreneur, who co-founded Brewdog, has proposed to buy back the company’s entire operations excluding its US arm. Watt’s bid marked a new twist in the dramatic Brewdog [...]
James Watt offers to buy back Brewdog July 15, 2026 Brewdog founder James Watt has launched a bid to regain control of the craft beer firm he founded, just months after it was bought by a US rival. The Scottish entrepreneur said on Wednesday that he has submitted a formal offer to buy Brewdog from Tilray Brands, the US cannabis and craft beer firm which [...]
UK’s biggest pub firm probed over treatment of tenants July 15, 2026 The UK’s biggest pub landlord is being probed by the industry watchdog over concerns that it is mistreating its tenants. Stonegate, whose 4,500 UK sites include the Cannick Taps on Cannon Street and the Cheshire Cheese on Tower Hill, is facing an investigation from the Pubs Code Adjudicator (PCA). The watchdog said it had “reasonable [...]
Tom Kerridge: No good restaurant has ever been run by accountants July 14, 2026 No good restaurant or pub has ever been run by accountants, celebrity chef Tom Kerridge told City AM as he pushes for a VAT cut for hospitality firms. The TV personality and restaurateur has spearheaded lobbying efforts for the government to slash VAT for hospitality companies, a move which he says would offer the struggling [...]
Burnham urged to go further to fix ‘broken’ business rates July 14, 2026 Incoming Prime Minister Andy Burnham must broaden his plans to reform the “broken and unsustainable” business rates system, hospitality and retail industry leaders have warned. The former mayor of Greater Manchester has already pledged to slash business rates for high street firms but a coalition of trade bodies has urged him to go further. Ros [...]
‘Brutal onslaught’: Brewery McMullen’s takes aim at Reeves’ tax hikes after pub sell-off July 13, 2026 One of the UK’s biggest family-owned brewers has taken aim at Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ tax hikes after it sold off more than a quarter of its pub estate. Hertfordshire-based McMullen’s, which owned over 100 pubs before offloading 30 of them in January, has warned it is likely to struggle to stay profitable in the years [...]
Pubs to pour five million extra pints during England v Norway World Cup clash July 10, 2026 Pubs are set to score their biggest boost yet for the World Cup when they pour more than five million extra pints during England’s game against Norway this Saturday. As many as 5.5m more pints will be served to thirsty England fans while the Three Lions face off in the quarter final in Miami, bringing [...]