Woolworths has acquired the businesses and associated assets of 31 hotels and one detached bottle shop in New South Wales. Through its hospitality company, ALH Group, Woolworths is taking out long-term leases on the 31 establishments. Woolworths already operates 27 hotels in New South Wales. In a four-paragraph media statement released today, Woolworths said the acquisitions have the capacity to achieve good trading growth. ALH Group Chief Executive Officer Bruce Mathieson Jnr said, “These hotel... ...Read more »

Research published today by market research organisation, IBISWorld, predicts that Australians will spend A$25.4 Billion on alcoholic beverages in 2011-12. According to the research, Australians are increasingly choosing premium alcoholic drinks over traditional beers. The report predicts that alcohol spending in Australia will increase by 15.3% over the next five years, reaching A$29.3 Billion in 2016/17. IBISWorld General Manager (Australia) Karen Dobie said that while Australia’s alcohol consumption... ...Read more »

Concerns that regulations are tightening on venues come after The West Australian today reports that a pub in Perth’s city centre will not be permitted to serve alcohol mixed with energy drinks in the closing two hours of operation on weekends. The ban comes from WA Liquor Commission and could be extended to other venues. The pub, Impact Bar has been banned from serving alcohol mixed with energy drinks between midnight and its 2am closing time on weekends. The restriction came with the pub’s... ...Read more »

The High Court of Australia has overturned a ruling by the Full Court of the Tasmanian Supreme Court that found a publican was responsible for the death of an intoxicated driver. The driver had given the publican the keys to his motorcycle and told him not to return them if he got drunk. The High Court of Australia failed to find that the publican was responsible for the actions of the drinker. The case extends on a trend of the current High Court in favour of personal responsibility, but a legal... ...Read more »

The latest survey of wine drinkers commissioned by the UK’s Wine and Spirits Trade Association (WSTA) shows consumers are continuing to cut back spending on wine, with over a third either buying cheaper wines or buying less. The findings of the Wine Intelligence poll of 1,000 regular wine drinkers reinforced market data suggesting a growing number of low spending consumers are being forced out of the wine category altogether. Asked about the impact of the economic climate, half those surveyed... ...Read more »

A ban on ‘all you can drink’ promotions in pubs and bars and on certain supermarket discounts are among a range of new measures announced today by British Home Secretary Jacqui Smith and Health Secretary Alan Johnson.Following an independent review, which reportedly discovered a number of retailers not abiding by their own voluntary standards for responsible selling and marketing of alcohol, the government intends to introduce a new mandatory code of practice to target “the most... ...Read more »

Pub owners are enhancing their food offering to counter the impact of smoking bans and falling consumer demand on gaming revenues and patronage, according to a recent survey. A survey by Colliers International of pub/hotel operators in October discovered that gaming had taken a hit in the past year, with operators strengthening their food offering to make up for the lost revenue and improve their revenue mix. The survey found bar sales remained the key to most businesses, with gaming trailing in... ...Read more »

The impact of higher inflation, interest rates and fuel costs is beginning to become apparent on restaurants and cafes, but pubs appear to be galvanised by the economic concern. A relatively low priced local meal in a smoke-free room has, according to the latest figures, lured increasingly time-poor Australians back to the pub for a meal. A Westpac report on the outlook for food retailers indicates that sales of food and alcohol at pubs and clubs increased by 8.9 per cent in the twelve months... ...Read more »