Monday 8/2/16
Propelinfonews.com: Fenland council steps in to save third area pub: Fenland Council has added a third pub to a collection of pubs it has saved after rejecting a Marston’s bid to turn the Anchor at Wimblington into a convenience store. The council stuck to a policy that has also stopped the Black Hart at Thorney Toll and the Ship at Purls Bridge, Manea, being converted to homes. Public opposition in Wimblington to Marston’s closing the last pub in the village involved 205 objections, including the parish council. Now Fenland Council has applied its viability criteria and rejected Marston’s claim of a “lack of well-funded and experienced operators” prepared to take on the Anchor. The council also said Marston’s view of diminishing trade does not accord with the evidence of the pub having only been closed on few occasions since 2007 and significant investment in the business since 2013. The council concluded “there is insufficient evidence to demonstrate that the use is no longer viable” and indeed the fact it remains open “and seemingly vibrant” does suggest good usage. “The pub has also not been marketed and there is also significant support for it,” said the council. Marston’s were told that if the Anchor closed it would lead to an “unbalancing of the facilities within the village centre” which is not acceptable. Earlier last week, a government inspector backed the council’s strict rules on pub closures by telling the owners of the Black Hart at Thorney Toll – closed four years ago because of falling trade that they have not done enough to prove the pub is unviable. The ruling backed the refusal by Fenland District Council to allow its demolition and replacement with six homes. Karen Baker, the inspector who conducted an appeal, said: “There is insufficient substantiated evidence before me to justify the loss of the public house.” The pub, which sits alongside the A47, was closed in 2012 and later sold off by Elgood’s – it had been offered for sale with a guide price of £120,000. The appeal heard that there was no major concern by the parish council to retain it as a pub and they had backed the plan to build houses there. But the inspector agreed with Fenland Council that “insufficient evidence has been submitted to show that the public house has not been financially viable and has been marketed appropriately”. The decisions follow an earlier refusal to allow Wayne Bishop of the Ship at Purls Bridge to turn it into housing.
Tuesday 9/2/16
Morning Advertiser: ‘Tinder for licensees’ to be launched by Enterprise and BSF
By Daniel Woolfson, 08-Feb-2016
Enterprise Inns and British Street Food are set to launch a new ‘matchmaking’ app that will allow Enterprise licensees to connect with street-food vendors and arrange residencies. Read More
Wednesday 10/2/16
Morning Advertiser: Younger staff or fewer opening days: Licensees mull national living wage options
By Oli Gross, 10-Feb-2016
National living wage requirements are fast approaching, and for many pubs “something’s got to give” as licensees weigh up their options to compensate for extra costs. Oli Gross spoke to pubs up and down the country to discover the industry’s plans and concerns for the upcoming changes. Read More
Propelinfonews.com: Cambscuisine to relaunch Crown and Punchbowl gastro-pub in March: Cambridge pub and restaurant operator Cambscuisine will relaunch The Crown and Punchbowl gastro-pub in Horningsea following a major refurbishment on Wednesday, 2 March. The eight-week revamp included opening up the front entrance, building a conservatory to cover seating at the rear, refurbishing the five guest rooms upstairs, and restoring original features. A Cambscuisine spokesman said the aim was “to make the place more convivial and to welcome people in for just a drink – the bar area will be bigger, more appealing and will serve real ales straight from the cask”. Four further rooms will be added in a year’s time.
Propelinfonews.com: City Pub Company submits plans for third Cambridge pub: City Pub Company, led by Clive Watson, has submitted plans for a new pub in Cambridge – its third in the city. The company has applied to the city council to convert the former Howes Cycles site in Regent Street it acquired last year, reports the Cambridge News. It has already been granted a licence to run a pub at the venue and has now lodged a planning application, which includes a number of quirky features to reflect the site’s cycling heritage, such as a vintage style delivery bike mounted to the front of the pub. The bulk of the space available to drinkers and other customers will be on the ground floor with a private dining space on the first floor. City Pub Company previously said: “The market we’re trying to go for is not the traditional pub market. There’s lots of traditional pubs in Cambridge. What we feel there isn’t is the mid-market food and drink market, unless it’s the large chains, which we feel are boring and haven’t moved with the market.” The company already runs The Mill and The Cambridge Brew House in the city.
Thursday 11/2/16
GolfClubManagement.net: Participation slumps again as more golf clubs close: The number of rounds of golf played in the UK in the final quarter of 2015 was down significantly on 2014’s levels, as more golf clubs have closed for good. Two golf clubs have already closed this month alone, although one has suggested it may only be a temporary measure. Sports research company SMS INC has revealed that in England, Scotland and Wales the last three months of 2015 saw a participation drop of seven percent compared with 2014, probably partly due to the wet weather much of the UK experienced in December. Overall the number of rounds played for the whole 2015 was similar to 2014 – the industry’s best year since 2010 – but this hasn’t stopped more golf clubs closing down.Whitekirk Golf and Country Club in Scotland closed at the beginning of February, when guests were asked to leave and the power was turned off. A notice on the club’s Facebook page reads: ‘Due to circumstances outwith our control, it is with regret that we have to inform you that the facilities will be closed with immediate effect for what we hope is a short period. ‘We will keep you informed of any progress and thank you for your support and patience. ‘We have had some legal and power issues which we are hoping to have resolved over the coming days. ‘Then an engineer will need to visit to sort the power. Direct debits will be taken this month as they have been processed already. These will be refunded following collection by way of compensation for the closure.’ Local newspaper the Courier has reported that some staff have not been paid since before Christmas. Also in Scotland, Rutherford Castle Golf Club, which closed down in 2015 due to a declining membership, is now set to be turned into an upmarket holiday park. Read More: http://www.golfclubmanagement.net/2016/02/participation-slumps-again-as-more-golf-clubs-close/
Morning Advertiser: A fifth of pubs lost in a decade of closures
By Oli Gross, 10-Feb-2016
Pressure on Government to cut beer duty has intensified after revelations that a fifth of pubs have been lost in the past decade and beer sales continued to fall last year. Read More
Propelinfonews.com: Michelin star pub operators sell second pub to locals: The owners of the Oliver Branch in Clipsham, Rutland, which has a Michelin star, have sold their second pub, The Red Lion at Stathern, Leicestershire, to regulars. Ben Jones and Sean Hope have sold the Red Lion to local Vale of Belvoir residents Wayne and Karen Hammond – the couple have been loyal Red Lion customers for around 20 years. The Red Lion – Good Pub Guide Leicestershire & Rutland Dining Pub of the Year 2015 and 2016 – will close for refurbishment from 15 to 26 February, reopen for drinks only from 26 to 28 February and be back to serving food as normal from Monday, 29 February. Jones said: “After 14 years and many awards, serving wonderful customers and employing wonderful staff, we are no longer the owners of the Red Lion Inn at Stathern. The brilliant team led by Mark Barbour and head chef Luke McGowan, who having been running the pub for us over the past year, will continue but under new ownership. We will continue to grow The Olive Branch and maybe spend a bit more time with our families.”
Propelinfonews.com: Chestnut Group takes first leasehold site: Cambridgeshire-based Chestnut Group, which was established in May 2012 by former banker and corporate financier Philip Turner, is to take on the management of The White Horse Inn at Easton, near Framlingham. The 18th-century pub on the small village green is owned by Alastair and Sian Kerr, whose main business, the Easton Grange wedding venue, opened two-and-a-half years ago. The extended Kerr family also own and operate the popular tourist and family attraction, Easton Farm Park. On taking on a long-term lease on The White Horse, the Chestnut Group is entering a new phase in the group’s development and the pub will be the first operation in a wider strategy of identifying properties that can deliver further potential following investment. Turner said: “It made sense to build the group on the strong, asset-based foundations of a number of freehold properties. However, businesses diversify as opportunity knocks and this was certainly the case when we were offered the option to manage The White Horse and the chance to work in partnership with Alastair and Sian. The Chestnut Group is not just about property; it is now an established hospitality brand with a strong central management team and a reputation for great service, food and drink. The White Horse has the perfect location as in terms of geographic spread, we were looking for opportunities to the east of the county. The village location, the structural layout of the pub itself and the established local food focus, all make it a perfect fit for the Chestnut portfolio. The White Horse will benefit from some investment and attention to detail to bring the interiors up to the Chestnut’s customers’ expectations and we look forward to reopening the doors in May.” The White Horse is the first “lease” agreement for the group, which has a stated intention to seek out other similar opportunities. Chestnut Group worked with Everard Cole, a property consultancy specialising in the leisure industry, to develop the innovative lease structure. Tom Nichols, founder of Everard Cole, said: “It was refreshing to work with Philip and Alastair in developing a really exciting product that works for asset owners looking for a ‘partnership’ with a great operator and brand, we are confident that now we have the structure in place we will identify other opportunities for the group.”
Morning Advertiser: Licensee accuses medical experts of ‘eroding pub culture’ after his takings drop 50% in January
By Emily Sutherland, 11-Feb-2016
A Charles Wells licensee has accused chief medical officer Dame Sally Davies of failing to understand the role pubs play in local communities after a combination of Dry January and the new lower drinking guidelines saw his takings drop by 50%.
Friday 12/2/16
Propelinfonews.com: Turtle Bay applies for licence to open site in Norwich: Caribbean restaurant Turtle Bay has applied for a licence to open a site in Norwich. The company wants to convert the grade II-listed building that was formerly home to Fabric Warehouse on the corner of Bedford Street and Swan Lane, reports the Eastern Daily Press. It has applied to Norwich City Council to open the restaurant between 10am and 12.30am from Sunday to Wednesday and 10am to 1.30am from Thursday to Saturday. Last orders would be midnight between Sunday and Wednesday, and 1am from Thursday to Saturday. Turtle Bay, which is backed by Piper Private Equity, was formed by Las Iguanas co-founder Ajith Jaya-Wickrema in 2010 and has 26 sites across the UK.
Propelinfonews.com: Azzurri Group set to convert ASK Italian to Zizzi in Welwyn Garden City: Azzurri Group is set to convert its ASK Italian restaurant in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, into its Zizzi brand. The company has applied to Welwyn Hatfield Council to put up new signs at the site in Howardsgate. The new Zizzi restaurant is expected to open in May, reports the Welwyn Hatfield Times.