Beer fear: CO2 shortage could lead to state-backed beer at World Cup April 16, 2026 Brits face drinking state-backed beer during the Fifa World Cup as CO2 shortage fears leave breweries and boozers reliant on government gas. The war in Iran has caused chaos across Gulf shipping lanes with government analysis suggesting a closure of the Strait of Hormuz for a long period of time could lead to shortages of [...]
Brewdog could mount $1bn resurgence, new owner says April 16, 2026 The new owner of Brewdog has said the craft beer brand can be worth $1bn, as the firm tries to “rebuild” the brand to its former glory. Tilray, a US-based cannabis and alcohol products firm, said it plans to pile significant investment into Brewdog to make it profitable next year and propel it towards a [...]
Energy bills threat recedes but retail and hospitality remain on brink April 8, 2026 Retail and hospitality leaders are optimistic that the Iran-US ceasefire could spare them from the worst energy bill shocks, but are urging the government to address an array of other cost pressures. British businesses had warned that the soaring energy prices caused by the war in the Middle East could be devastating if the conflict [...]
Two-thirds of hospitality firms to cut jobs as April tax rises ‘suffocate’ sector April 1, 2026 Two-thirds of hospitality businesses will be forced to cut jobs and one in seven will shut altogether as a direct result of “suffocating” April tax rises, leading trade bodies have found. More than half (51 per cent) of hospitality firms will cancel investment plans and 42 per cent will reduce trading hours, according to a [...]
Guinness Index: How much is a pint of the black stuff in your borough? March 25, 2026 While the ONS has added hummus and dog grooming to its sample shopping basket in a bid to move with the times when tracking inflation – City AM prefers a cooler metric: the Guinness Index. Nothing encapsulates British consumer habits like Guinness’ meteoric rise: taking stout from the preserve of grey-haired aficionados to an ever-present [...]
Where is London’s cheapest pint? March 25, 2026 Drawn out of the office and into the City’s pubs by the springtime sun, Square Mile workers will face a bitter taste when they pay for their pints. The City of London is one of the 28 London boroughs where the cost of a pint has surged over the past two years, with the price [...]
Wetherspoon boss Tim Martin hits back at Miliband ‘warm beer’ advice March 20, 2026 The boss of the UK’s best-known pub chain has hit back at Ed Miliband after he issued guidance which sparked concerns that pubs will have to serve warmer beer to keep energy bills down. Tim Martin, chairman of JD Wetherspoon, told City AM pubs will be swiftly overtaken by supermarkets if they opt to cut [...]
Wetherspoon shares tumble as profit disappoints March 20, 2026 Shares in the country’s best-known pub chain have tumbled after profit failed to meet expectations even after they were downgraded. Pre-tax profit at JD Wetherspoon fell by 32 per cent to £22m for the first half of this year, and operating profit fell 18 per cent to £53m, below analyst expectations of an eight per [...]
Greene King to put 150 pubs on chopping block March 18, 2026 Pubs giant Greene King is considering selling 150 of its pubs and offloading dozens more to franchisees, as its managing director quits. The pub operator, which has 2,500 premises in the UK, has said it will put around 300 of its managed pubs into a separate unit – with 150 of these intended for sale [...]
Shepherd Neame braces for energy price shock as Iran war drives up costs March 18, 2026 Shepherd Neame has become the latest pub company to express concern over the spectre of rising energy costs after the war in Iran sent the price of oil soaring. The Kent-based brewer, pub and hotel group, which is listed on the Aquis stock exchange, said its energy was “heavily hedged” into the next financial year [...]