Geronimo reveals details of first “pub-on-the-go”: Geronimo Inns has revealed more details of its first “pub-on-the-go”, The Curious Pig, set to launch on 26 February at St Pancras International Station, London. Open from 7am to 10pm, seven days a week, The Curious Pig customers can self-select from an array of fresh, seasonal packaged dishes or be served ambient pub classics and hot foods from the counter. The Curious Pig is designed to cater for the fast moving commuters, travellers and work force of St Pancras by providing a place to be enjoyed as a quick pit stop, for takeaway food on the move or to purchase produce to share at home. Ed Turner, managing director of Geronimo Inns, said: “This is a first for Geronimo Inns and one that I am very excited about. At Geronimo it’s all about great wine, fresh seasonal food and beautiful design and I am delighted to be able to bring this to the commuters of St Pancras station as a sister venue to our very busy The Betjeman Arms.” The all-day offer will have a balance of health and indulgence, from daily prepared salads and sandwiches, The Geronimo ‘classic boxes’ (such as their ploughman’s and cheese board), pastries, muffins, to daily soups, hot pies and hot dogs. Customers will have the option to “build your own picnic” from a selection of mini salad pots, scotch eggs, pork pies, sausage rolls, cakes, popcorn and treats. Perfect for the daily commute or for a weekend trip to while away a journey in style. There will be a wide range of chilled non – alcoholic drinks, a selection of teas and fresh coffee, half bottles of wine and cans of craft beer to take away, but also wine by the glass and draught beer to enjoy whilst waiting for the train. Geronimo Inns, founded in 1995 by Rupert and Jo Clevely, operates 36 food pubs and is owned by London retailer Young’s.

NewRiver Retail attacked for offering licensees money to co-operate with convenience store plans: NewRiver Retail has been criticised for offering money to licensees at the ex-Marston’s pubs it bought if they co-operate in its attempts to gain planning permission to build convenience stores on their sites. NewRiver bought 202 Marston’s pubs in November 2013 and signed a deal to build Co-op convenience stores on 63 of those sites. Eleven of those pub sites are in and around Dudley in the West Midlands, and the Evesham Journal has now printed a letter it says the company sent to licensees saying it will pay them if they agree to co-operate with the plans and not halt their progress. The letter says: “You will work with us, co-operate with us and give us all the help we reasonably require to obtain detailed planning permission for the construction/creation of a convenience store in a form acceptable to us. You will not do anything which may prejudice or obstruct the submission or progress or any planning application we submit or any planning appeal we make. You will not tell anyone about this letter.” It finishes by offering a sum of money payable six weeks and ten days after the granting of planning permission, provided there has been no appeal. NewRiver told the Journal it could not reveal the amount of money offered to licensees, but it said: “These are standard goodwill agreements which are offered to take account of any inconvenience caused to individual tenants during a planning application process. No-one was forced to sign any of these agreements but most tenants decided they would.” However, the leader of Dudley’s Conservative Party, local councillor Patrick Harley, said: “To treat licensees in this manner – it’s very draconian and unfair.” In January NewRiver said that after “detailed planning and local consultations with respective stakeholders during the latter part of 2014,” the majority of the planning applications for new Co-op stores will have been submitted by the end of last month.