ALMR – multi-site operators report like-for-likes up across the board in the past year: Evidence of market stabilisation, with a return to growth across the board for the first time since the recession, has emerged in the seventh annual survey of multi-site operators by the Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers (ALMR). Of its Benchmarking Survey, ALMR strategic affairs director Kate Nicholls said: “The sector as a whole recorded like-for-likes of +5.8%, the largest reported growth since the survey began and the first year in which all trading styles reported positive growth. For the fourth year in a row, food-led operators and small multiples with estates of fewer than ten sites significantly outperformed the market – recording average like for likes of +7.5%. With CPI during the period running at 2.2% and with gross margins stabilising and even recovering last year’s -6% dip, this shows the sector as a whole well-placed for real growth. Payroll costs have increased, showing employment and job creation is back on track after a double dip in 2009 and 2011. The fact that this increased spend is being directed at site management shows that this is really about investment in people, training and skills to grow and develop the business, rather than being fuelled by legislative costs. This positive trend is reinforced by a doubling of capex to over 5% of turnover in the past year – investment has almost returned to pre-recession levels, having dropped to just 2% of turnover in 2010. Whilst there have been increases in payroll and entertainment costs – as operators look to reinvest in their offer and trade their way out of recession into growth – the biggest spike in costs, which has fuelled this increase, are those operating costs directly attributable to legislation. These increased by over 7% last year. Such unsustainable cost increases put pressure on margins and profitability, hampering operators’ ability to sustain this level of investment in people, property and businesses and, most importantly, generating jobs and growth in local communities. This is a key message for us to communicate not only to government but also leading suppliers – and we will be making it loud and clear.” Some 83% of surveyed companies operated 50 or fewer outlets, typically representative of ALMR’s core membership. 64% of respondents had fewer than 20 outlets, again reflecting the wide participation in the survey. The median respondent company had 11 managed outlets.

YO! Sushi launches revolutionary frozen beer: YO! Sushi ‘frozen’ riverside beer garden in Southwark will see the launch of a ground-breaking new beer product – Kirin Frozen. The beer is created by using a brand new dispenser that adds a whipped and frozen top to the original Kirin Ichiban beer and keeps it extra cold for an estimated 30 minutes longer than normal. YO! Sushi’s frozen beer garden, complete with tables, chairs and benches all made from ice, will see the launch of the new beer from 12pm today until 4pm. Kirin Frozen Beer is available exclusively at participating YO! Sushi restaurants. Sarah Mahoney, brand manager at Wells & Young’s, which manages and brews the beer in the UK, said: “Our new frozen variety is the same great beer, but with an added extra – a whipped top which is frozen to minus five degrees to keep the beer colder for longer.” Katie Crossfield, marketing manager of YO! Sushi said: “Kirin Frozen Beer tastes amazing, looks amazing and is great fun – it’s perfect for the summer months.”

Energy bomb sales still rising in Britain’s pubs and bars: A third of all outlets in the UK now serve ‘energy bombs’ – including two thirds of bars and almost 50% of all pubs. Food and drinks consultancy CGA Strategy has reported that the high energy serve is still experiencing growth, with rates of sale in stockists continuing to rise, up 9% year-on-year. The best-selling bomb remains the Jägerbomb, a shot of Jägermeister liqueur submerged in a larger glass of energy drink Red Bull. But Glitterbombs (Goldschlager and Red Bull), Skittlebombs (Cointreau and Red Bull) and other variations on the theme now feature on bar menus nationwide. Consumer research by CGA has shown bombs are now far more than a student phenomenon, with bomb-drinking now firmly entrenched mainstream market behaviour. In a survey, CGA found that 82% of respondents, including 91% of 18-24 year olds surveyed, had ordered a bomb on at least one night out, with a fifth of respondents (and almost a third of 18-24 year olds) ordering the serve in the last week.

VisitBritain spotlights the tourism appeal of pubs: Tourists visiting Britain spend a third more if they include a pub on their trip, new figures reveal. Some 14 million people, almost half of people travelling to the UK, spend time in a pub while they are here. Tourism agency VisitBritain has launched a new campaign promoting pubs around the world. According to official data pub fans spend £676 during a holiday in Britain compared to £502 for those who avoid supping a pint. One in ten people who visit the UK for just a day make sure they include a pub on their whistle-stop trip. Three-quarters of all visitors from Australians and New Zealand buy a round, compared to two-thirds of tourists from Canada, America, Sweden, Iceland and Ireland. Four in ten overseas visitors say they get ‘warm and tingly vibes’ from visiting a pub. VisitBritain’s Patricia Yates said: “Our pubs are seen as one of the most positive experiences for people visiting Britain – and for good reason.”

BII and CPL Training join forces: The British Institute of Innkeeping (BII) and the CPL Training Group – two of the leading education and training organisations in UK hospitality – are to collaborate on several forthcoming key industry initiatives as part of a new alliance. The partnership will see the two people-development powerhouses combine forces on new training qualifications, training delivery methods such as new e-learning platforms, and educational aids. The first project to go to market is a jointly produced licensing course handbook – an ultimate guide – aimed at Personal Licence Holders in Scotland. This includes individuals who are studying for their first licence qualification plus all existing licence holders, who, because of new laws are now required to take refresher training before 2015, and every five years thereafter. Hulme said: “As leading providers of professional qualifications and training, the alliance will deliver huge benefits to our industry, so it’s an exciting development for all.” The two organisations are already working on the development of a new e-learning platform for BII’s Pre-Entry Awareness Training programme, PEAT. Hulme said: “The new PEAT will be available from October 2013 and as a result of our alliance with CPL, their technical expertise has underpinned the BII technical role.” Daniel Davies, chief executive of CPL, added: “PEAT is an exciting collaborative project for CPL and BII because it is mandatory training for those wishing to take on a lease or tenancy. This is the first step in the development of a complete e-learning solution, which will make available a suite of e-learning courses to the whole of the licensed retail sector. These courses will cover a range of subjects including compliance and due diligence issues such as age verification, craft training in things like coffee skills and the perfect serve, as well as ‘soft skills’ such as customer service.”

Booker chief executive to feature at next Arena lunch: Booker’s chief executive Charles Wilson will be interviewed by ITN’s Alastair Stewart at the next Arena lunch on Monday 30 September, to be held at The Dorchester, London. Tickets cost £145 + VAT for members and £185 + VAT for non-members. To find out more about the Arena Face2Face Interview & Lunch 2013 contact Lorraine Wood on lorraine@arena.org.uk or 0203 087 2378. To book tickets or tables visit www.arena.org.uk.

Revere Pub Company retro-fits pizza offer: Revere Pub Company, the premium pub offer being developed by Marston’s, has retro-fitted wood-fired pizza ovens, imported from Italy, at two of its sites, after the success of the offer at The Curious Pig in the Parlour in Copthorne, near Crawley. The pizza oven is the model used originally at independent pub The Bull’s Head in Repton – managing director Colin Sadler was so impressed with the quality of the pizza at The Bull’s Head he added an oven at The Curious Pig. Pizza sales have built steadily at The Curious Pig and have doubled since the opening period. Now Marston’s has added pizza ovens at The Libertine in Bournemouth and The Saracen’s Head in Balsall Common – at The Libertine, Marston’s has created an enclosed restaurant area called The Forge. “Pizzas are flying out,” Sadler told Propel. “It’s just a fantastic addition to the Revere offer. It’s early days at Balsall Common, but pizza sales have already matched those at The Curious Pig.” Meanwhile, Sadler is also looking to expand the company’s Pitcher & Piano estate after a Que Pasa re-opened last night in Hitchin, Hertfordshire, as the first new site in five years. “The brand has been very successful with nearly double digit sales growth each year since 2009. We’re now looking to add sites in primary and secondary towns.” The Hitchin Pitcher & Piano, the twentieth in the estate, features design by Concorde BGW and a number of menu tweaks, including a premium hot dog, a premium burger and chicken skewers.

TLC Inns set to complete on second Grand Central diner site next month – reports 14% like-for-likes in July: TLC Inns, the six-strong pub and restaurant operator headed by Jo and Steve Haslam, is set to complete on its seventh site, a free-of-tie lease, in early September. The company is planning to open an evolved version of its diner concept Grand Central, which it opened two years ago on the site of a former Outback Steakhouse in Basildon. The company is also looking at a 12,000 square foot site to open the third and largest Grand Central. Haslam said: “Each Grand Central will have different design – the second one will have a mountain shack theme.” News on expansion comes after the company saw like-for-like sales up 14% in July, with one of its destination country pubs achieving a 60% uplift. Added Haslam: “One site saw sales above £50,000 gross for three consecutive weeks in July. What’s particularly pleasing is that the work we’ve done on ensuring better conversion of turnover to profit has produced results, with some stonking managers’ net profit levels.”

Geof Collyer – Enterprise Inns heading towards a seminal moment: Deutsche Bank analyst Geof Collyer has raised his price target for Enterprise Inns by 40% to 190p – and argued that the company is set to report positive news at its third quarter results on 8 August. He said: “We think that the current very clement weather should help propel Enterprise a long way towards its second half target of flat to positive like-for-like net income. We have the group returning to modest profit before tax and earnings per share growth in the 2014 financial year – its best performance since 2007. In readiness for this next phase of the group’s rehabilitation, we have tweaked our valuation metrics, tightening the discount to Net Asset Value from 55% to 40% to reflect progress and the shares remain a very cheap property stock. We have raised our Target Price 40% from 135p to 190p. After the return of some proper summer weather, we believe that Enterprise has its best opportunity in six years to report some positive trading news. The first six weeks of the second half saw like-for-like net income at -3%. We believe that in the latest 12-week period, like-for-like net income will have turned positive. It will be a seminal moment.”

Simon French – we’ve upgraded the Wetherspoon Target Price: Panmure Gordon leisure analyst Simon French has upgraded his Target Price for JD Wetherspoon shares to 806p. He said: “Wetherspoon will require circa 3% like-for-like sales growth to offset cost inflation so near-term earnings growth is predicated on new site openings; the increase in guidance to circa 30 per annum is therefore the key driver of our upgraded forecasts. Openings in the 2014 financial year are anticipated to be more evenly weighted over the course of the year compared to more back-end weighted opening programmes of recent years. We are increasingly optimistic on the outlook for the pub and restaurant sector, given that consumer confidence is at its highest since April 2010 and household disposable income is holding up.” French added that Wetherspoon shares trade on an “unwarranted discount” to Mitchells & Butlers shares.

Frederic Robinson re-launches troubled pub as cask ale house: North west brewer and retailer Frederic Robinson has relaunched the troubled New Inn pub, in the Market Place, Buxton, as a cask ale house. It will be run by Sam Fraser and Lorraine Orwin, who have successfully run pubs in Stockport for nine years. Fraser said: “Our previous pubs have been live music venues so The New Inn is a bit of a departure for us as the pub will be aimed at cask beer drinkers and ale enthusiasts predominantly.” The police appealed to High Peak Borough Council to revoke the licence of the premises following a public disorder incident in January. Since then the brewery has worked hard to turn it into a cask ale pub, with open fires, classic decoration and oak bars. Alan Chapman, of Frederic Robinson, said: “We’ve made a significant investment in The New Inn because we believe it has the potential to be a fantastic cask ale pub with an ever–changing range of real ales, craft bottle beers and quality wines.”

Simon French – we’ve trimmed our Marston’s forecast: Panmure Gordon analyst Simon French has trimmed his forecast for Marston’s earnings per share growth and set a Target Price of 135p after last week’s results. He said: “The market remains concerned that there is little discernible uplift in Marston’s profitability despite over £200m capital expenditure. In essence incremental profit from new managed pub openings is only just offsetting profit erosion from pubs being sold out of the leased and franchised divisions.”

Tasty extends debt facility: Wildwood operator Tasty has renewed and extended its existing debt facility by £1.5 million. The amended facility is for £4 million, consisting of a £3 million three-year revolving bank facility and a £1 million three-year term loan. The facility provides an additional finance stream, in addition to the company’s existing cash resources, to allow continued expansion of the company’s restaurant estate.

Walthamstow’s first gastro-pub is sold: Walthamstow’s first gastro-pub, The Castle, on Grosvenor Rise East, has been sold by agent Davis Coffer Lyons (DCL) to first time operator Adam Phillips. Charlotte Wild, of DCL, said: “Walthamstow has recently become incredibly popular with homebuyers and property investors and this shift has also been evident in the pubs market. The Castle is a spacious building that has been stunningly refurbished so it is no surprise that we secured a buyer so quickly. We are currently progressing the sale of another pub in the area, which we hope to complete very soon.”

Ossett Brewery amends logo for Leeds United pub: Yorkshire-based Ossett Brewery has amended its logo at its new pub, The Old Peacock, opposite Leeds United’s Elland Road ground, a Greene King site. The firm’s logo normally includes a sizeable amount of red – the colour most closely associated with Leeds’s archrivals Manchester United. The design on show at The Peacock, however, has dropped the red and instead only features Leeds’s traditional colours of white, yellow and blue. Ossett Brewery’s joint managing director Jamie Lawson said: “Our subtly-altered logo is now displayed in all its glory on the left hand side of the pub, and we are very proud to have it there. Along with many of the team, I’m a big Leeds fan, so this venture fulfils a boyhood dream.” Renamed The Old Peacock Real Ale House and Kitchen, the pub now has a separate restaurant area. It will serve nine hand-pulled real ales, including an exclusive 1919 beer – named after the year Leeds United were founded.

Stonegate refurbishes two more Yates’s sites – and introduces cask ale offer: Managed operator Stonegate has re-opened Yates’s sites in Bury and Walsall after refurbishments. Bury general manager Harry Higgs said: “The pub is much lighter and brighter. We have a new late night opening time of 2am on Thursdays and 3am on Fridays and Saturdays meaning Yates’s is still the best party venue in town.” New to the Bury Yates’s is three cask ale pumps so that customers can enjoy two national ales and a regularly rotating guest ale, starting with Black Sheep Brewery’s Black Sheep Ale, at the pub.

Mick Norcross – ‘I’m still in negotiations with Spirit over Leigh hotel lease’: Reality TV show star Mick Norcross has reported that delays to the start of a £4.5m scheme to turn The Grand Hotel in Leigh, Essex, into an upmarket spa, restaurant and hotel are down to protracted legal negotiations with Spirit Pub Company, which owns the lease. Norcross, who owns Sugar Hut in Brentwood, said he hoped to start work on the building, expected to take 18 months to complete, just as soon as the lease is signed.

Côte streamlines recruitment process: French restaurant brand Côte has streamlined its entire UK recruitment process through implementing an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) from PeopleBank, the recruitment software specialist. Since implementing the ATS, Côte has reduced the time involved in processing up to 2,000 CVs per month and has slashed administration by 65%. With over 40 restaurants nationwide and a recruitment team of four spanning all regions, Côte required an automated system that would remove the administrative burden associated with manual processing. Having previously relied upon an email based approach, the recruitment team required a central system that could accurately filter, store and retrieve historical information on potential candidates. Scott Williamson, head of recruitment at Côte, said: “We receive up to 500 applications a week for various vacancies throughout the organisation and our email based system could not cope with such a large volume.”

St Austell embarks on historic three-year archive project: St Austell Brewery in Cornwall has begun what could be one of the biggest ever archive projects in the brewing and pub trade in an attempt to document its 160-year history. The company has appointed dedicated archivist Chris Knight to catalogue every item of brewery correspondence, estate documentation and brewery-related items from cupboards, safes and attics around the Victorian site, in the first phase of the project which is likely to take up to three years to complete.

Rosa’s Thai café group to open fourth site in September: Rosa’s, the family-owned London-based Thai café group, is launching its fourth site in September on Ganton Street, located just off Carnaby Street. Overseen by husband and wife team, Alex and Saiphin Moore, Rosa’s Carnaby will be serving a brand new menu including 15 freshly developed dishes, inspired by Saiphin’s recent trip to Bangkok and Hong Kong. The 1,250 square foot restaurant has 80-covers with an intimate bar area found on the ground floor, a basement area for 31 and an alfresco courtyard seating eight. This site will be the flagship to its three restaurants in Spitalfields, Soho and Westfield Stratford.

Boston Tea Party to open fifth Bristol branch: Fast-growing Bristol cafe chain Boston Tea Party is to open its fifth cafe on Gloucester Road in Bristol in September – and will expand its original shop in Park Street. Sam Roberts, managing director of the cafe chain, said: “We have been looking for a suitable location to open on Gloucester Road for a few years now, and the building has bags of character and individual features which will look fantastic once completed. The cafe will provide space for local artists to play or display their work and, if our existing cafes are anything to go by, will become a hub for the local community to meet and enjoy themselves.” The company already has branches on Park Street, Whiteladies Road, Clifton Village and Cheltenham Road.

Heartstone Inns reports loan to value ratio of 44%: Heartstone Inns, the operator of ten pubs led by James Birch, has reported that loan to value ratio of the company was 44% at its year-end on 31 December 2012, with company debt standing at £3,278,086. The company ran five freehold pubs and acquired the four pubs in Heartstone Inn, two in mid-May with a tenth pub bought since. Ebitda was £310,823 prior to merger. It also reported its £750,000 investment in a 100-cover restaurant at The Hare and Hounds, Devon is producing a 25% increase in like-for-like sales.

Acapulco opens second site: Mexican brand Acapulco has opened its second site. Entrepreneur Patricia Carson has opened her second Acapulco Mexican restaurant in Ballyhackamore, Belfast, Northern Ireland with funding by First Trust Bank’s Business Support Fund. She developed the concept with her first restaurant in Dublin. “I was looking for the right opportunity and a great location for us to bring the authentic Mexican experience of Acapulco to Belfast,” she said. Marc Ashby, of First Trust Bank, said: “Patricia is so passionate about her restaurant and brought with her a lot of proven experience. Once we looked at her business plans we were keen to support her expansion into a location we are very familiar with.”

West Park snaps up pub number eight: West Park Assets, which was founded by Thirsk-based businessman Richard Sykes, has bought its eighth North Yorkshire pub in two years. The company has acquired The Angel at Topcliffe, near Thirsk, from Hartlepool-based Camerons Brewery, for an undisclosed sum, and Sykes has said he is now seeking further Yorkshire licensed premises to buy. West Park Assets bought its first North Yorkshire pub when it acquired The Moor & Pheasant at Dalton, near Thirsk, in the summer of 2011. West Park Assets is a sister company to West Park Services, also based in Thirsk, which Sykes founded in 2004. The latter provides property services, including full grounds maintenance, litter picking, window cleaning and replacement, plus property care.

Angela Hartnett to open two restaurants in two months: Chef Angela Hartnett is set to open two restaurants in two months in the autumn. She will open a, as yet unnamed, new restaurant in London’s St James’s in October this year, taking over the premises of 33 St James’s Street to launch an 80-cover restaurant. It will include a stand-alone bar serving aperitivi and antipasti. The restaurant will offer “regional focused dishes at an accessible price-point”, in a relaxed environment. The October opening will follow the opening of the Merchant Tavern in London’s Shoreditch set for September.

Blunos takes over kitchen at Seaham Hall: Michelin-starred chef Martin Blunos has taken over the kitchen of the five-star Seaham Hall Hotel in Country Durham. The venue has undergone a £2m refurbishment to re-establish the venue. Blunos told a local newspaper: “Twelve years ago this was the place to be, then it became like a toilet. Now it can only go up, like a phoenix rising from the ashes – I’m excited to be part of that.”

Greene King introduces executive pay changes: Greene King has moved to change the way it pays and incentivises its executive directors. Changes include a re-weighting in favour of long-term performance incentives and clawback provisions. The changes come as the company annual report discloses chief executive Rooney Anand earned a £442,000 bonus on top of his £530,000 basic, lower than the year before. Finance director Matthew Fearn earned a bonus of £240,000 on top of his basic of £335,000. Chairman of the remuneration committee Lynne Weedall told shareholders: “The committee has made some amendments to the remuneration policy to ensure it both supports and motivates our senior team whilst at the same time continues to align them to the company’s strategic objectives and to achieving long‑term growth for shareholders. We have consulted with a number of our major shareholders in relation to these proposals and have been pleased with the generally positive responses received. The key changes are as follows: it was determined that the balance between short term (annual bonus) and longer term (LTIP) should be re‑weighted in favour of long‑term performance and that the performance conditions in the annual bonus and new LTIP should have a slightly different emphasis; the annual bonus potential for executive directors will be reduced from 150% of salary to 100% of salary through the removal of the deferred share bonus scheme; the LTIP grant level will be increased and LTIP awards will be subject to stretching EPS and ROCE targets, measured over three financial years; and executive share ownership guidelines and clawback provisions – applicable to both the annual bonus and LTIP – are being introduced, in line with best practice. The committee is conscious of the current climate on executive pay and is comfortable that this modest increase in the executive directors’ incentive opportunity does not raise total remuneration above mid‑market levels, particularly given the longer‑term focus of the package and the challenging targets that will apply to the enhanced LTIP awards.” In addition to the annual bonus figures above, £130,000 (2012: £110,000) of bonus will be payable to Rooney Anand and £82,000 (2012: £46,000) to Matthew Fearn under the terms of the economic profit deferred share bonus scheme introduced in 2010. Additional economic profit of £3.7m in excess of the strategic plan was achieved against a maximum target of £7.5m. This resulted in a payout of 49% of the economic profit element of the bonus scheme, equating to 24.5% of each of Rooney Anand’s and Matthew Fearn’s salaries, compared with a maximum payout of 50% of salary.