Scotland’s hotels are outperforming the rest of the UK, according to PKF’s latest monthly snapshot of hotel occupancy levels. In May, occupancy levels rose by 0.6% to 77% compared with the same time last year with England reporting 73.3% occupancy rates and Wales 74.9%.Yield per room also increased by 3.1% to £55.83 in Scotland. The [...]

Belhaven Brewery, one of Scotland’s oldest breweries, has launched an new permanent cask ale Belhaven IPA.  Belhaven’s Head Brewer George Howell says: “Belhaven IPA, our new cask ale is an exciting new development for us. Consumers are buying in to the fresh, natural and crafted nature of cask ale. As cask is one thing drinkers cannot [...]

Castle Leisure Group (CLG), the Stirling-based pub group owned by brothers Paul and Stephen Smith, has gone under. The group which was established in 1981 operates venues in Edinburgh, Falkirk, Stirling, Dumbarton and Dunfermline. These include the City and Sportsters units as well as two units the group purchased last year after Dark Star went [...]

Brugal, the Caribbean’s number one selling rum, is launching Brugal Blanco Especial (40% ABV), a new class of white rum that has been taking the Caribbean by storm. In contrast to other white rums on the market, Brugal Blanco Especial is made from golden rum that has been double distilled and then triple filtered to [...]

Publicans across the UK will be able to offer drinkers a new measure of beer – 2/3rds of a pint – from October 1 this year. The measure is popular in some parts of the world, including Australia, because it is less likely to grow warm in the sun. The 2/3 pint will be allowed [...]

Although there’s plenty of choice when it comes to soft drinks in the off-trade, when it comes to the on-trade are we stuck in a rut? Susan Young takes a look at the market. Coke, Irn Bru, Red Bull and Schweppes splits – licensees were buying these brands for their customers a decade ago, and [...]

Wholesalers Wm Morton has revealed that they have acquired Inverarity Vaults, in a deal that was concluded on Friday (1st July).  Although no price was revealed, the deal will bring Wm Morton’s turnover to around £50m.  Says Sales Director John Gilligan, “This is an exciting deal. It’s great that two private Scottish companies have come [...]

Brother cider have launched a new TV commercial as part of a £5m annual marketing campaign. Brothers MD Matthew Showering said, “This new commercial is a massive statement about our brand and our commitment to building sales wherever it is stocked. This is a key part of our biggest marketing spend to date and with [...]

Greene King sales have topped a £1bn for the first time in the company’s 212 year history. The company’s latest annual results reveal that total revenues rose 6%, driven by a rising demand for pub meals. This led to a 14% rise in pre-tax profits to £140m. Greene King’s chief executive, Rooney Anand. although reporting [...]

Maxxium UK is giving Maker’s Mark an extra push this summer with the launch of a new marketing campaign, Bourbon & Bespoke. The promotion, which kicks off nationwide in the on-trade this month, encourages consumers to order a Maker’s Mark drink in participating bars, for a chance to win the £5,000 ‘hand-picked’ style allowance, as [...]