At a packed Great British Beer Festival in London, and after a year of local tasting panels and regional heats leading up to the finals, the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA), has crowned Elland 1872 Porter as the 'Best Beer' in Britain. The West Yorkshire brewed real ale was judged the Supreme Champion over a host of other finalists in 7 different beer categories (Bitters, Best … [Read more...]
Summer 2013 visitor numbers 22.3% up this year
Following a survey by the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions (ALVA) for the Daily Telegraph (Saturday 10 August 2013), they have announced that this summer’s visitor numbers are 22.3% greater than the same period in 2012, 18.3% higher than in 2011, and 21.2% higher than in 2010. ALVA surveyed their 52 members – who are the UK's most popular, iconic and important … [Read more...]
Craft Beer sales worth £225m, stocked in nearly 25% of on trade outlets
New research from food & drink consultants CGA Strategy has generated the first total market view of Craft Beer performance in the GB on trade, quantifying sales now worth £225m with growth of 79% in the last 12 months. Using an exhaustive product coding and category segmentation model, CGA audited all 5,000 beer brands within the GB market to create a definitive … [Read more...]
Stonegate Pub Company acquires The Living Room
Stonegate announced on 12 August the acquisition of 13 Living Room sites from Premium Bars & Restaurants. The price has not been advised. The sites are located in major cities across the UK, including Bristol, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Milton Keynes, Newcastle, Oxford and York. This transaction is in addition to the recent acquisitions … [Read more...]
British consumers push spending up 4.8% in July – 10.8% in pubs, 9.5% in restaurants
Consumer spending in the UK continued to grow strongly in July, according to Barclaycard’s monthly analysis of UK spending. Barclaycard reports that consumers have begun parting with their money more readily, pushing spending above inflation for the fourth month in a row: Prolonged heatwave encourages consumers back out onto the high street, pushing up spending in stores to … [Read more...]