Monday 27/5/15
EnergyLiveNews: ‘68% of people care about saving energy at work’: A majority of people care about being more energy efficient in the workplace. New research found 68% of employees are interested in saving energy at work and one in five said they care “a great deal”. It also revealed those working in the hospitality and leisure industry care the most, with 82% supporting it. More than 60% of the 1,118 workers surveyed said the businesses they work in have invested in saving energy.Nearly half (43%) agreed their organisation ensures all lights and computers are switched off when not in use and just over a quarter conduct a regular energy audit. According to the survey, 38% of workers in the financial services sector – 12% more than the average – said their company has introduced a paperless policy, which can also help save energy. Brian Stewart, Head of customer experience at British Gas Business said: “It is encouraging to find that employees, in various sectors, think their company is dedicated to being energy efficient, particularly in the financial services sector.”
Propelinfonews.com: Restaurant owner to face crown court over customer’s peanut allergy death: The owner of an Indian restaurant in North Yorkshire will have to appear at Teesside Crown Court over the alleged manslaughter of a man who suffered a fatal allergic reaction to peanuts after eating a takeaway curry. Mohammed Zaman, owner of the Indian Garden, in Easingwold, appeared at Northallerton Magistrates’ Court on Friday charged over the death of Paul Wilson, 38. The court was told that Zaman was charged with manslaughter, perverting the course of justice and an immigration offence. He also faces six offences in relation to unsafe food. The case was adjourned to Teesside Crown Court on 8 May.
Bighospitality.co.uk: Election 2015: Where do the parties stand on cutting tourism VAT?
By Sophie Witts, 24-Apr-2015
Labour and the Conservatives have been accused of neglecting the travel industry following a review of the party manifestos by the Cut Tourism VAT campaign.
PropelInfonews.com: Marco Pierre White’s Norfolk pubs come on the market: Marco Pierre White’s four Norfolk pubs have come on the market through the property agent Fleurets. The properties are being offered for sale on the instructions of the administrator, AlixPartners, formerly known as Zolfo Cooper. They are being offered for sale individually or as a group. The group of three freehold pubs and a leasehold site has been described as “fundamentally good businesses” by AlixPartners, but likely to leave a shortfall on the £7.4m White’s parent company Horatio Inns owes Clydesdale Bank when they are sold. The freehold pubs are the Lifeboat Inn, Thornham, a 16th century historic inn with 13 en-suite letting bedrooms, 70-cover restaurant, character bar and a breakfast room, views across the Salt Marshes to the North Sea and a large car park and terraced garden areas, all in a site of approximately 0.8 acres; for the Chequers Inn, Thornham, a Grade II listed mid/late 17th century property prominently positioned on the busy A149 coast road, with a lounge bar, 70-cover restaurant, 12 en-suite letting bedrooms, separate cottage, studio large car park, terrace and play area on a site of around 0.6 acres; and the Wayford Bridge Inn, Wayford Bridge, Norfolk, a dining pub and hotel business with 15 en-suite letting bedrooms, 120 cover restaurant, bar and lounges in extensive landscaped grounds of around 1.86 acres in the Norfolk Broads National Park. Leasehold offers are invited on the Bridge Inn, Acle Bridge, Acle, a riverside pub and restaurant with 140 covers inside and 200-plus external covers. There are 12 riverside boat moorings and extensive gardens all in 1.57 acres. Simon Jackaman, of Fleurets, said: “I believe that these four properties represent some of the best businesses to have come on to the open market on the Norfolk coast and Broadland area for some time.” For further details of these four properties contact either Simon Jackaman or Bob Whittle on 01787 378050 or visit www.fleurets.com, where the full sales particulars can be downloaded.
Tuesday 28/4/15
Insidermedia.com: NatWest backing for golf club developments: A golf club located on the Somerset-Dorset border with a course in each county has received backing from NatWest to refurbish its facilities and invest in renewable energy technology. Yeovil Golf Club has worked with the bank’s asset finance arm Lombard to secure borrowing for the work.It has redesigned the main club house to allow it to host up to three events at a time, and renovated the lounge and bar areas.It has also installed a new biomass boiler and 29kw solar panel.Secretary Simon Greatorex, who project-managed the improvements with club chairman Richard Stone, said: “Our golfing membership is steady and the leisure industry has come through the recession so we felt now was the time to invest.NatWest relationship manager Simon Bradfield added: “The team have worked very hard on the planning and execution of all the improvements, and with the club house enhancements being the final piece of the jigsaw I see nothing but a bright future for Yeovil Golf Club.”
Propelinfonews.com: Brewery in discussions to re-open Ipswich pub as an ale house: An unnamed Norfolk brewery is in discussions to re-open one of Ipswich’s oldest pubs as a real ale tavern. The Spread Eagle shut its doors last month after its landlady, Sheryl Meshirer, pulled her last pint before moving to New York. A spokesman from Elizabeth Holdings, which owns the property, said the company was in talks with a Norfolk brewery and that it was likely to be back open in two to three months. He said: “We are in negotiation with them to take over the pub and they will be refurbishing it.” The spokesman said there was a possibility that the pub would be transformed into a real ale pub, adding: “They are keen to promote their beers.”
Bighospitality.co.uk: Bar and nightclub operators join together to launch Night Time Industries Association
By Emma Eversham+Emma Eversham, 27-Apr-2015
Operators from within the bar, nightclub and restaurant sectors have come together to form a new trade association which aims to be ‘The Voice of the Night Time Industries’.
http://www.bighospitality.co.uk/Business/Night-Time-Industries-Association-launches
Propelinfonews.com: Old Norwich beer brand Bullard’s revived: Bullard’s, the name of a brewery in Norwich whose beers disappeared 30 years ago, has been revived by a man whose first job was to promote Bullard’s beer. Russell Evans, who worked for the brand’s then owner, Grand Metropolitan, after graduating from university in the early 1980s, has teamed up with Norwich’s Redwell Brewery to revive the Bullard’s name. The Bullard’s brewery itself closed in 1966, after the company was taken over by Watney’s of London, but its beer continued to be brewed at another brewery in Norwich owned by Watney’s and then Grand Met until 1985. The rights to the Bullard’s name were acquired by Evans earlier this year. Now two Bullard’s cask beers have been created, brewed to new recipes designed by Redwell’s head brewer, Dave Jones, which have gone on sale in more than 20 pubs in Norwich and the surrounding area. Patrick Fisher, co-owner of Redwell Brewery, said the company had never planned to brew cask beers, but the opportunity to revive a city institution was too good to resist. He said: “We’ve taken a craft beer approach and thrown all our expertise and hops into these products. It was important to us that we didn’t use old recipes. We wanted to do it justice by creating new, modern recipes that cask beer drinkers would be excited about and would buy. We’re hoping to drive this as a long-term rebirth of Bullard’s, close to its original home.” The two new beers, which are both vegan-friendly, are a 4.2% East Coast Pale Ale called Bullard’s No 1 and a 6% IPA called Bullard’s No 2.
Wednesday 29/4/15
Propelinfonews.com: Milton Brewery opens first new-build pub in Cambridge for 32 years: Milton Brewery has opened Cambridge’s first new-build pub in 32 years. The Queen Edith pub in Wulfstan Way is Milton Brewery’s third pub in the city, replacing the former “tired and redundant” venue, which had stood empty for 18 months before plans were approved for the new building in June 2013. Richard Naisby, managing director of Milton Brewery, said: “There hasn’t been a pub there now for several years. I think the community was pretty pleased to have somewhere to drink. It’s the first new build pub for 32 years in Cambridge – it’s not something that happens every day.” The full Milton Brewery range on offer along with guest beers and a Czech-style lager. The Queen Edith pub joins the Milton Brewery’s two other pubs in the city, The Haymakers in Chesterton and the Devonshire Arms off Mill Road. The firm also operates pubs in London, Peterborough and Norwich.
Golf Club Management: Hamptworth snapped up by local businessman: Carl Faulds, managing director of Portland Business and Financial Solutions, is a member at Hockley Golf Club in Hampshire and has a single figure handicap.He said: “I knew the previous owners for a number of years and I saw the opportunity to breathe fresh life into the club for its members.”The whole transaction went very smoothly and since we completed the painters and decorators have arrived at the clubhouse to freshen it up.”My main priority is to ensure the golf course itself is excellently maintained and provides an excellent course for our members and their guests to enjoy week after week.”The Hamptworth Golf and Country Club hosts weddings and public events and has a members-only gym. It also has a history of hosting top croquet tournaments. Gabor Kovacs, who handled the purchase of the business, added: “It is good to know that Hamptworth will get the investment it needs to ensure it has a bright future ahead of it, and that it can maintain its position as one of the most picturesque golf courses in the region, and a top five facility for croquet. “We were very pleased to be able to assist in the purchase of the business on behalf of Carl Faulds, and we wish him every success in the future.” On Portland’s website, Faulds states: ‘[I have] over 24 years experience at the front line of helping businesses with financial and commercial issues. I formed the Portland group of businesses to offer a different perspective. Whether the issue is a problem with an unsuitable lease, a group restructuring for tax reasons, a cashflow issue including intelligent debt collection or a simple or complex business recovery assignment, we have the dedicated team and financial tools make the difference. ‘I have owned and operated a number of businesses and I know how tough that can be and the blood sweat and tears involved. If you want someone in your corner that not only understands what matters to you, but will support you, is tenacious and has the expertise to help, I am your man. ‘Outside of work, I am a family man with three children, two dogs and a number of tropical fish. I enjoy the occasional game of five-a-side football, but my main sporting interest is playing golf.’
Propelinfonews.com: Pink burgers forced off the menu in Portsmouth burger venue: Burgers served ‘pink’ have been forced off the menu at a burger restaurant in Southsea, Hampshire. Health inspectors from Portsmouth City Council have insisted the restaurant, 6 oz Burgers, in Osborne Road, Southsea, stop serving burgers with their centres undercooked, fearing a public safety risk. Its directors has insisted they will fight the Portsmouth City Council order in the courts. Environmental health managers at the local authority said they are following advice from the Food Standards Agency.
Bighospitality.co.uk: Sustain declares Bournemouth & Poole first Sustainable Fish City
By Emma EvershamEmma Eversham, 28-Apr-2015
Campaign group Sustain has named Bournemouth & Poole the UK’s first Sustainable Fish City after the majority of restaurants and catering outlets in the two towns committed to only using responsibly-sourced fish.
Propelinfonews.com: Alex Polizzi show triples bookings at Lake District hotel: Gilpin Hotel and Lake House has seen room bookings triple after it was featured on the BBC’s new series, Alex Polizzi: Chefs on Trial, The Daily Telegraph has reported. Afternoon tea and dinner bookings have also tripled at the hotel near Windermere in Cumbria , and hits on its website have increased from 100 a day to 25,000 on the evenings that the show was aired. The new BBC Two series followed the efforts of the Cunliffe family, owners of Gilpin, as they attempted to hire a new executive head chef, aided by hotelier and former star of The Hotel Inspector Alex Polizzi. “The short-term spontaneous bookings have trebled and that will continue for a few months,” said The Gilpin’s managing director Barney Cunliffe. “Longer term, people making bookings to come to a hotel like this won’t just decide to go away because they’ve seen the television programme but when they do, they will think of us. I’m expecting to be full for the majority of this year.”
Thursday 30/4/15
The Guardian.com: Novotel opens green hotel in heart of London: A hotel in the heart of London is in the top 10% of sustainable commercial buildings in the UK for its “outstanding” eco-friendly policies. Novotel in Blackfriars has been given an “excellent” rating for its environmental performance and is trying to change the mindset of guests so that sustainability becomes something they actively seek out when choosing a hotel. The Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) rating ranks the hotel among the top 10% of UK new non-domestic buildings. Novotel is one of the Accor Group’s mid-scale hotel chains, among other international brands such as Sofitel, Mercure and Ibis. The Novotel group is market leader in Europe and worldwide has more than 3,700 hotels in 92 countries – it has a total of 480,000 rooms. It is committed to reducing the environmental impact of hotels through its Planet 21 initiative and the new Blackfriars hotel, based in a busy tourist area of London, is a showcase. Planet 21 has seven themes: health, nature, carbon, innovation, local, employment and dialogue. These cover a comprehensive list of sustainability goals ranging from ensuring interiors are healthy, reducing water use and encouraging eco-design, to protecting children from abuse, buying responsibly, conducting business openly and improving the quality of life at work. Half the savings in laundry costs raised by encouraging guests to reuse towels go to reforestation projects. The group has planted more than 2,000 trees a day since 2009. In 2013, Accor Morocco joined forces with Pur Projet to plant 2,000 olive trees with “Femmes du Rif”, a collective in Chefchaouen, Morocco. Now it uses olive oil produced from the trees in local hotels. Three Pullman hotels installed beehives on roofs in 2011 and produce honey that guests eat at breakfast. In Bangkok, the Siam Square Novotel produces spirulina, a micro-organism particularly rich in protein and amino acids. Almost 90% of hotels have excluded endangered seafood from their menus and 95% use ecological products. The group has set a high standard for sustainable hospitality and has awards to applaud hotels’ performance. Four levels (bronze, silver, gold and platinum) encourage hoteliers to bring in sustainability measures. The Blackfriars hotel has a platinum rating. All platinum and gold ratings are on the Accor website, helping guests identify hotels that have a range of external certifications, including BREEAM. BREEAM, the world’s foremost environmental assessment method and rating system for buildings, judged Novotel London Blackfriars “excellent” with a post-construction score of 72.17%. A combined heating power system) is installed in the building, extracting thermal heat from the exhaust ventilation and using the energy to generate electricity and heat water. Other initiatives include low energy lamps for permanent lighting and in bedrooms, energy-efficient refrigerators in bedrooms, energy-efficient boilers and recovered energy from ventilation. Recycling is extensive and includes electrical and electronic equipment and cooking oil. Taps and showers are fitted with water flow regulators, toilets are water-efficient and use rainwater from the roof and guests are encouraged to reuse towels and sheets if they are staying longer than a night. The group buys ecological paper, eco-label and organic products.
Propeilinfonews.com: Thai Leisure Group lines up Cambridge opening for Thaikhun brand: Thai Leisure Group is to open a Thaikhun site in Cambridge on 5 June. The opening, on the city’s Quayside, has more than 500 likers on Facebook already. The brand, which promises street food, salads and soups as well as grills, stirfrys and curries, already has a branch in Manchester. The opening means an Oxbridge double, with an Oxford site due to open imminently. The restaurant will offer Thai cocktails alongside its menu, which has a range of meat and vegetarian options. A separate takeaway menu is also available.
London Evening Standard: Pub must be rebuilt brick by brick, orders council, after developers tore it down to build flats: The owners of a historic London pub who triggered outrage by demolishing it without permission are to be ordered to rebuild it brick by brick.Council chiefs will next week issue an unprecedented enforcement notice to the firm that owns the Carlton Tavern in Maida Vale requiring it to “recreate in facsimile the building as it stood immediately prior to its demolition”. The owners, Tel Aviv-based developers CLTX Ltd, ordered bulldozers in to reduce the early 1920s building to rubble earlier this month after staff were told to stay at home for an inventory. Robert Davis, deputy leader of Westminster council, said he was “absolutely horrified” at the “scandalous” destruction. The enforcement notice is scheduled to be approved by the council’s planning committee next Tuesday. That will stop the owners from selling the site until the building has been restored. It is thought this is the first instance of a local council ordering a building be reconstructed from the ground up. Popular pub: the Carlton Tavern (Picture: Ewan Munro) The council has arranged for the pub to be listed as a non-designated heritage asset, a status which should prevent it being pulled down in future. In January, Westminster threw out a planning application to replace the redbrick pub with flats.
Propelinfonews.com: Batemans launches Big Week of charity activity: Batemans, the family brewer based in Lincolnshire, has unveiled plans for a “Big Week” of activities across its 60 pubs with the aim of raising £20,000 for the Lincolnshire learning disability charity Linkage Community Trust. The Big Week will take place between 25 and 31 May. Pubs across the Batemans estate will be involved, with each landlord deciding for themselves what activities they will be holding to support the cause. As an added incentive, the Batemans pub that raises the most money will win an award for Charity Pub of the Year at the brewery’s annual Rewarding Success lunch. In addition, Batemans will be introducing a new beer for the week, Mr George’s Golden Ale, named in honour of George Bateman, the former head of the brewery and father of the current managing director, Stuart Bateman, who formed the long-standing family connection between the brewery and Linkage, and was chairman of the charity for 25 years. Money from every pint of this beer sold will go directly to the charity, further boosting the amount raised. Linda Green, retail director at Batemans, said: “I’m incredibly pleased to announce the launch of our inaugural Big Week, which we plan to make an annual event going forward. It’s an incredible opportunity to raise a huge amount of money for Linkage’s work, supporting hundreds of people across the county with learning disabilities, and encourage our tenants to give back to the community while having fun with their customers.”
Drinks Business Review: European Parliament to consider sticking calorie labels on alcohol: The European Parliament is pondering over mandatory calorie labeling on all alcoholic drinks. While current EU laws mandate necessary labeling of calories on food with complete nutritional information, alcoholic drinks containing more than 1.2% alcohol by volume are exempted. This is in line with the EU regulations on nutritional labeling effective since 2011, reports BBC. The move is in response to increasing calls by various public health bodies for mandatory implementation of nutritional labeling on alcoholic drinks to curb rising obesity levels. Still at elementary stage, it will take months or years for the proposal to become law if all MEPs vote in favor. MEP for the East of England Glenis Willmott who is advocating the need for compulsory alcoholic labeling, was quoted by BBC as saying: “Europe is still the heaviest-drinking region in the world but many people don’t realize that a large glass of wine contains the same number of calories as a slice of cake. “In order to reduce the burden of alcohol-related harm, we must make sure people are given clear information to enable them to make informed choices.” Industry has reacted with mixed opinions. While few alcoholic-drink producers are already voluntarily sharing nutritional data, others feel the regulation would be detrimental for smaller producers as varying sugar and calorie levels with each vintage will make it expensive for them to provide accurate nutritional labeling. Law firm Eversheds said: “If the purpose is to help people lose weight there is some scientific debate over whether calories from alcohol are treated by the body in the same way as calories from food. “The more obvious purpose is to persuade people to drink less which is entirely commendable. However if this is the real purpose, the calorie-conscious consumer is actually being misinformed – the consumer believes they are reducing alcohol to lose weight when actually they are just drinking more moderately.”
Propelinfonews.com: Carlsberg launches ‘do your own direct marketing’ guide for pubs: Carlsberg has added a “build your own direct marketing campaign” section on its website for licensees, to help pubs promote themselves to current and prospective customers. Licensees can take an on-line course via the website which shows them how to collect and manage their own database of customers, purchase prospect customer data specific to their local area and target market, and create their communications, from flyers to emails to text messages. The initiative, according to James Lousada, chief executive of Carlsberg UK, is part of “a whole series of bundles of activity” now available through the www.carlsbergwedelivermore.co.uk website, ranging from training on how to manage a pub cellar to lower costs for accessing BT Sports, so that “a licensee doesn’t just get their beer from us but they get access to these other packages.” Lousada told Propel: “We see ourselves as a genuine partner for licensees in building their business. We’re not simply about turning up as a wholesale proposition saying, ‘here’s your beer, here’s your wine.’ It’s, ‘here’s Carlsberg, and by the way I can help you with all these other areas of your business.’ That differentiates us.”
Friday 1/5/15
Hunts Post: Hunts Post readers’ choice for name of new Huntingdon pub is ditched after appeal by society: Pub chain Wetherspoon has apologised to Hunts Post readers after making a U-turn on the name of its planned pub in Huntingdon. Despite The Harlequin coming top in a vote run by this paper to name the planned £2.3 million development at the old Post Office, just off the ring road, the company has opted for Sandford House, which attracted very few votes in the poll. Eddie Gershon, a spokesman for JD Wetherspoon, said: “We apologise to any Hunts Post readers who are disappointed as we asked them to choose from a long list of names, including The Harlequin.” In response to an objection raised in a letter from the Huntingdon and Godmanchester Civic Society, the company has ditched The Harlequin name readers voted for. The Society felt The Harlequin, which commemorates a theatre of the same name on the site of the old chapel in the 1800s, had “little or no resonance with the people of Huntingdon”. Mr Gershon said: “Following a letter from the Society, we have now decided to name the pub Sandford House. The Society pointed out that it has a more historical association with the town. “Our aim is for Sandford House to be an important aspect of Huntingdon’s social and economic scene for many, many years and we believe it to be the right name for the pub.” Vice chairman and secretary of the Society, Richard Meredith, said: “Local people I spoke to didn’t know there had even been a theatre there.” The building next the old chapel was originally called Sandford House, a substantial private residence. Built in 1850, the Grade II-listed building went on to house the Post Office. While the Society objected to The Harlequin name in its letter, it does support the development. “Sandford House is a Victorian Italianate villa that has fallen into a state of disrepair,” said Mr Meredith. “And Wethersoon has a good track record of refurbishing buildings like this. They will restore it to its former glory. It’s a great opportunity for that part of town and we welcome it.” The Society has offered Wetherspoon a ‘green plaque’, which recognises buildings of historical interest, but the company has not yet responded to the invitation.
Insidermedia.com: Giggling Squid eyes regional expansion: Thai restaurant group Giggling Squid has set its sights on the Home Counties, Essex and East Anglia following recent openings in the Midlands and Bristol. The business, which introduced the “Thai Tapas” dining concept to the UK in 2009, is looking to have a nationwide string of 70 restaurants within seven years. Following the recent acquisition of a new site in Bath and the launch of new restaurants in Salisbury and Bristol in March, Giggling Squid now has 13 sites. The family-owned chain, led by husband-and-wife team Andrew and Pranee Laurillard, said it was in “advanced legal negotiations” to acquire eight more sites, including one in Essex, one in East Anglia and five in the Home Counties. Giggling Squid currently has restaurants in Brighton, Bristol, Crawley, Guildford, Henley, Horsham, Hove, Marlow, Reigate, Salisbury, Sevenoaks, Stratford and Tunbridge Wells.
Propelinfonews.com: New sustainable Nottingham dining concept becomes Champion of Sherwood: Nottingham’s newest restaurant has become the first eatery to be named a Champion of Sherwood. The Oaks restaurant and bar, on Bromley Place, is due to open this spring, serving handmade sausages and chicken, steaks and burgers, with homemade marinades and sauces. The team of 30 will be working with suppliers from across Nottinghamshire to deliver locally sourced food cooked on a custom-built, cast-iron grill which uses wood sustainably coppiced by the Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust. To celebrate the partnership with the Wildlife Trust, Oaks has become the first restaurant to be named by the trust as a Champion of Sherwood. Oaks has also made a donation to join the trust’s Champion of Sherwood scheme, which aims to restore and protect Sherwood Forest.
Morningadvertiser: Cock and Seaman owner hits back at critics of pub’s risque new name
By Michelle Perrett, 30-Apr-2015
The owner of a pub which has been criticised on social media for its risque new name has told people not to forget that “pubs are meant to be fun places”.