Greene King vs Spoons: Who is winning the great British pub battle? May 20, 2025 There are few well-populated areas of the UK where you can’t find either a Greene King or JD Wetherspoon pub. The two titans of the British pubs industry together operate thousands of locations each across the country and are staples of most urban areas. Both are major contributors to the UK economy – providing employment [...]
Greene King: Pub giant calls for ‘urgent help’ after losing £150m May 19, 2025 Pub giant Greene King has issued an urgent plea to the government for help after slumping to a near-£150m loss in 2024. The Suffolk-headquartered group fell to a pre-tax loss of £147.1m during its latest financial year, having posted a profit of £45.2m in 2023. Greene King, which operates around 2,600 pubs, restaurants and hotels across England, [...]
Wetherspoon, Marston’s and Young’s manage to fend off UK pubs crisis – for now May 13, 2025 Some of the UK’s biggest pub chains – JD Wetherspoon, Marston’s and Young’s – have all proved surprisingly resilient in avoiding the hospitality crisis predicted last Autumn. The London-listed companies have all reported better-than-expected trading over the last year, despite very low business and consumer confidence. In an update to markets this morning, Marston’s reported [...]
Champagne Lanson sales fail to fizz as prices rise May 9, 2025 Champagne Lanson suffered a sharp drop in its UK sales in 2024 as drinkers turned their backs on bars and restaurants amid the cost-of-living crisis. New accounts filed with Companies House show the brand’s turnover was slashed from £45.2m to £35.5m last year while its pre-tax profit also fell from £1.7m to £819,000. The champagne [...]
More jobs lost at Dead Man’s Fingers maker as sales fall April 23, 2025 More jobs have been lost at the company behind Crabbie’s Ginger Beer and Dead Man’s Fingers spiced rum as sales fell and it remained in the red. Halewood Artisanal Spirts, whose brands also include Whitley Neill Gin, Liverpool Gin and Samuel Gelton’s Irish whiskey, cut its headcount from 472 to 390 in the 12 months [...]
Rachel Reeves’ tax hikes will cost me £1m – Hooch tycoon March 31, 2025 The founder of the alcoholic drinks empire behind the likes of Hooch and VK has warned the tax hikes announced by Rachel Reeves will cost him an extra £1m. Steve Perez, the boss of Derbyshire-headquartered Global Brands, added that the Chancellor has “stacked the odds” against businesses like his and that he has “no choice” [...]
Echo Falls and Lambrini owner loses over £100m as alcohol duty hikes bite March 27, 2025 The owner of Echo Falls and Lambrini has slumped to a loss of more than £100m as the cost-of-living crisis and alcohol duty hike significantly impacted its finances. The UK arm of Accolade Wines, whose brands also include Hardys and Kumala, has reported a pre-tax loss of £103.8m for the 12 months to 30 June, [...]
Brewdog: James Watt’s brewer names second CEO in a year March 10, 2025 Brewdog has appointed a new chief executive for the second time in the space of a year following the departure of James Arrow for “personal reasons”. Arrow has been succeeded at the Scotland-based brewer by chief financial officer, James Taylor. Lauren Carrol has taken on the role of chief operating officer, Brewdog also confirmed. The [...]
Thatchers: Historic cider maker cheers record sales after Aldi legal battle win February 25, 2025 Sales at family-owned cider maker Thatchers have surged to a new record as they passed the £200m mark for the first time in its 120-year history. The Somerset-headquartered business, which was established in 1904, has reported sales of £203.9m for the 12 months to 31 August, 2024. The new figure comes after the firm’s turnover [...]
Billionaire ex-Tory treasurer ups Chapel Down stake after shares collapse February 24, 2025 The billionaire founder of city brokerage ICAP, Lord Michael Spencer, has upped his stake in English wine maker Chapel Down. The former treasurer of the Conservative party serves as a non-executive director of the Kent-headquartered company and now holds a 27.3 per cent stake. The increase comes after Lord Spencer bought 50,000 ordinary shares at [...]