Aug 22
For most of us, buying an old campervan normally involved some sort of cash-in-hand deal with a man called Stig and the crushing reality that the reason why a car costs only £100 is because it doesn’t have an engine.
Aug 22
The Publican, Market Report 2007 which covers the changing behaviour of licensees (regarding technology usage) states that licensees use the internet more frequently.
Primarily it is used as a source of information and online purchasing is also growing. 54% of licensees are visiting Thepublican.com for news, services and trade campaigns. 72% of licensees use a computer in their business (mostly to run-off menu’s and do accounts).
Aug 21
Kelloggs been named as the leading grocery brand in the UK, according to a survey.
The report, carried out by analysts TNS Worldpanel and Marketing magazine, also found that brands that have met consumer demand for healthier products have enjoyed strong UK sales in the past year. Kellogg’s saw off competition from the likes of Heinz, Walkers and Cadbury to become the best-selling grocery brand in the UK, according to the study. Kellogg’s take-home sales are projected to top GBP550m (US$1.1bn) this year, a rise of 4% on 2006.
Aug 10
Well, our inaugural night was a rip-roaring success. The stakes were high, the adrenaline was pumping and the foreheads were perspiring.
After Ed H had poured a pint of John Smith’s over the cards and table, the tuition got underway and everyone got the hang of the game quickly. Spinky lulled everyone into a false sense of security early doors, betting cautiously on a four-of-a-kind; then Ed H went gung-ho with nothing whatsoever in his hand at all and was quickly burned!
Aug 09
The £68.1m purchase of the Loch Fyne restaurant chain by Greene King is further evidence that brewers and pub companies are focusing on food as a way of boosting their turnovers and mitigating the effects of the smoking ban.
The seafood chain comprises 36 restaurants, largely in Greene King’s heartland of Southern England and it is believed that the brewer has already identified about 30 of its own edge-of-town pubs into which the formula can be inserted. It plans to double the number of outlets over the next few years although the existing restaurants will not be converted into pubs.
Aug 09
Sainsbury’s is launching an own-brand range of lower alcohol wines labelled Ten%.
So are lower alcohol wines set for growth? Are they not just moving alcohol content back towards the levels of years gone by?
Aug 09
As part of Selfridges £10 million Wonder Room investment at its Oxford Street store, it has unveiled a new generation wine bar called the ‘Wonder Bar’. At the heart of this is the “juke box of win”’, that allows customers to serve themselves with 52 varieties of wine by the glass as well as by the sip.
The bar’s innovative self-service wine system offers 25ml wine sips at prices from 75p to £32, 75ml gulps from £2.15 to £95 and 125ml glasses from £3.45 to £160. For those that prefer, there is table service from a team of expert wine waiters, headed by Selfridges’ new sommelier.
Aug 09
It seems that nothing is sacred in these green times. A shortage in cork led to screw top and synthetic corks and now with carbon footprint the topic of the times we are seeing the first plastic wine bottles in the UK.
Sainsbury’s has announced that it is to trial plastic bottles next month. It will start with two own-brand and Wolf Blass, in plastic bottles shaped like conventional glass bottles, but at 54g, almost an eighth of the weight. The claim is that the move will reduce carbon emissions by cutting the weight of wine packaging and that twice the amount of wine will be able to be transported in each container. In addition to the environmental benefits they are positioned as safer to carry making them ideal for summer festivals, picnics and barbecues. However, if screw caps had wine buffs turning up their nose in displeasure this will surly have them spitting in disgust.
Aug 09
Pernod Ricard’s Jacob’s Creek wine brand has secured further listings for its new Three Vines range in the UK.
The company’s UK unit said yesterday (8 August) that the range of three tri-varietals will be available in Asda, Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Thresher and Spar from this month, and in Greene King pubs and bars from October.
Aug 09
Supermarkets are stocking up on lower-alcohol wines despite Britain’s taste for ever-stronger wines varieties, the Times reports today.