WETHERSPOON’S NEWS
Just as the last edition went to print, JDW announced that they were putting a further ten pubs up for sale. None of these however are in London. The chain now has around 815 pubs. Chairman Tim Martin believes that the chain’s optimum size is around 1,000 sites. Both former cinema sites (the Capitol and the Coronet) have now been sold and closed. Three pubs in Ireland, those outside Dublin, have also been put up for sale. Two pubs, the Whispering Moon in Wallington and Wetherspoon’s at Victoria Station, will be closing so that they can be extended. The Victoria site may not reopen until mid-February.
STONEGATE AND CARLSBERG MARSTON
The Stonegate Group, which is the UK’s largest pub company, has agreed a new ten year partnership with the Carlsberg Marston’s Brewing Company (CMBC). From spring 2024, CMBC will also be Stonegate’s ‘logistics partner’, responsible for handling all beer deliveries to Stonegate’s managed pubs. Presumably this means that the majority of beers available in Stonegate pubs will be CMBC brands, somewhat reducing consumer choice.
CMBC are the latest to join the ‘3.4% club’. The ABV of Banks’s Bitter (otherwise known as Amber Ale) has been reduced from 3.8% ABV to 3.4% ABV.
YOUNG’S EXPAND
Young’s have agreed terms with the City Pub Group (CPG) to acquire their portfolio of 47 pubs, 20 of which are in London. The remainder are in southern England and Wales. The purchase price has not been disclosed but the deal puts a value of £162 million on CPG. If they agree to the deal, CPG shareholders will receive cash and Young’s shares worth more than CPG’s current market value. Young’s believe that CPG’s portfolio will fit very easily into their existing estate. CPG’s recent financial performance has been good. Young’s have also recently purchased four rural pubs from Marston’s, including their first in the New Forest, plus one in Clapton (see Pub News).
COMING AND GOING…
Urban Pubs & Bars (UPB) have opened their first outlet at a London station. They have reopened the former Sports Bar and Grill on the balcony area at Waterloo Station as the Victory, taking its name from the entrance arch (see the WhatPub Update entry). Sadly the company has surrendered the lease of the Royal Oak in Harlesden. In an all too familiar story, Nick Pring, director of Urban Pubs and Bars, explained in a Facebook post, “It is terribly sad not just for us and the staff that work here, but also for the community of Harlesden. The business has been incurring significant losses for the past couple of years which we, as a company, have ridden out in the hope that we could turn a corner; however, recent cost price inflation and a 200 per cent increase in the cost of utilities have made the business untenable.” UPB will honour any bookings made in the run up to Christmas and the staff will be offered work at other UPB pubs. A local councillor described the Royal Oak as a ‘fantastic community meeting space’ and Brent Council will do what they can to help keep the site open as a pub.
MEANWHILE IN MUNICH
The Munich Oktoberfest has successfully re-established itself after the pandemic hiatus. This year however there have been reports on social media about complaints relating to increased prices. I saw prices quoted for a 1 litre stein of between €12.60 (£10.92) and €14.90 (£12.92). The customary trinkgeld (tip) of around €1.50 is also expected. This equates to £6.20 to £7.30 per pint, which is comparable to central London pub prices for beers of the same strength. I’ll leave readers to decide which represents the best value.
GENEROUS GREENE KING
Greene King recently made a donation of £50,000 to the charity Switchboard LGBT+ Helpline. The presentation was made at the City of Quebec in Marylebone, said to be London’s oldest LGBTQ+ pub. This is the third year that GK has supported the charity.
PUB PRINTS
This edition we welcome a new advertiser, Pub Scrawls, who produce prints of pubs. Bruce Fisher and illustrator Lilia Mannarini started the project in 2021 with their Hackney Pub Crawl print which featured 25 of the area’s best pubs. The original images were hand-drawn and then photographed and digitised before being produced as lithographs, originally in a limited edition. Bruce, a Hackney resident, explains, “Hackney pubs are the perfect symbol of everything that’s good and vibrant about our borough although, sadly, we have lost many over the years and more have suffered badly during the pandemic. It’s fair to say that a fair bit of ‘live’ research was invested into making the final selection.” 10% of the profit from sales of the Hackney Pub Crawl prints was donated to the Hackney Winter Night Shelter. Pub Scrawls have plans to spread to other London Boroughs, then take the idea nationwide. This started earlier this year with a print of pubs in Camden. The illustrator for this project is Amber Lily Eddy. Again, 10% of the profit will go to charity, this time the Teenage Cancer Trust. As well as the print showing all of the pubs together, you can also buy prints of individual pubs. Dare I suggest possible Christmas presents?
A CELTIC RECORD
On 7 October, Ireland v Scotland met each other in a Rugby World Cup pool game at the Stade de France in Paris. The game saw an off the field record established with 137,000 pints of beer being sold to 78,459 spectators. This easily beat the previous record of 90,000 pints which was set during a Metallica concert. For the record, Ireland won 36-14.