13/10/2026 09:35:00
Admiral Taverns has acquired community pub operator Mountain Pub Company from investment manager Downing, writes Pub & Bar. Led by Helen Standing, Mountain Pubs operates a portfolio of 10 wet-led, operator managed community pubs across the north of England, including The Southport Coaster in Southport and The White Hart in Todmorden. Upon completion of the acquisition, the Mountain Pubs portfolio will sit as part of Admiral Taverns' Proper Pubs business, its wet-led division led by Nathan Wall.
Newly-formed hospitality business Common Table Group has announced plans to buy 57 former Beefeater, Brewers Fayre and Cookhouse restaurants from Whitbread. The deal, for an undisclosed sum, also includes one Premier Inn hotel and will create 700 new hospitality jobs, in addition to the team members transferring from Whitbread, Restaurant Online reports. Common Table Group says it will invest in refurbishing its restaurants, developing its people, and creating new menus. The sites will remain restaurants at heart with an all-day food and drink menu for hotel guests, alongside a new speciality barista Rodeo coffee offer from its sister company Rodeo group. The company aims to get all sites fully trading again as soon as possible, with the first due to relaunch from mid-November 2026.
A levy on Newcastle's pubs, bars and clubs that funded safety measures across the city has been repealed by the city council, The Caterer reports. More than 280 venues across the city which were licensed to sell alcohol between midnight and 6am had faced an annual charge ranging from £299 to £4,400 as a result of the levy, which has raised in excess of £3m since its introduction in 2013. But in a meeting last Wednesday Newcastle City Council scrapped the levy with immediate effect in a bid to relieve some of the wider financial pressures faced by local hospitality operators. The scheme will officially be retired on 31 October, but no new bills will be issued between now and then - although operators with outstanding payments will still need to settle them. Council leader Colin Ferguson said: "The late night levy was a measure introduced when the character of the city's nightlife was different to what it is today. "Now, at a time when our pubs, bars and clubs are under so much pressure, it is no longer fit for purpose and places an unfair burden on a small number of licensed venues in the city."
Generator has announced the acquisition of Novotel London Greenwich, which will mark the second London location for the brand, Boutique Hotelier reports. The four-star Novotel London Greenwich will transition to Generator London Greenwich from 1 January 2027, ahead of a phased renovation beginning in spring 2027. Once complete, it will bring Generator's established hybrid hospitality model to Greenwich, with a mix of private and shared accommodation. The property will also deliver 'design-led communal spaces' and F&B concepts 'built around social, connection and community'.
Almost 300 UK pubs have permanently shut in the first nine months of the year with a predicted 360 victims by year-end, unless the Government delivers on its promises for hospitality, the Morning Advertiser reports. The figures come from the British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA), which added the closure of 360 sites would result in about 5,000 job losses - more than half of these roles are currently being filled by under-25s. The BBPA added the average pub contributes approximately £200,000 to HMRC and the Government would therefore lose almost £72m in tax receipts including employment taxes, beer duty, business rates, corporation tax and VAT, by the end of the year if pubs are not spared.
Licence to pour: Daniel Craig has become co-owner of the Horseshoe in Clerkenwell, London, alongside Soho House founder Nick Jones and hospitality operator Charlie Carroll, the Morning Advertiser reports. The move marks Craig's first pub venture, although he has family links to the trade, with both his father and grandparents having previously run pubs. The Horseshoe had been run by Pauline and Richard Tucker for 36 years. Andy Frisby, Director - Head of Central London Agency acted in the deal on behalf of Pauline and Richard.