Latest news with #AdmiralTaverns
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Chancellor's tax raid spells last orders for rural pubs
Thousands of struggling village pubs could be forced to close next year because of a punishing tax raid by Labour. Bosses have warned that the Government must intervene to stop smaller taverns, which are vital to rural communities, from being dragged into paying business rates for the first time. This extra tax burden could be the 'last straw' for many venues and could see villages bereft of their local boozer, said Chris Jowsey, the boss of Admiral Taverns, which runs 1,600 community pubs across the UK. Meanwhile, TV star and landlord Jeremy Clarkson, pictured inset, told The Mail on Sunday the looming tax raid had left publicans 'like Butch and Sundance at the end of the movie – taking fire from absolutely everywhere'. Business rates are a levy based on the notional rental value of a commercial property, meaning High Street shops and pubs often pay a premium compared with online giants such as Amazon. But 38 per cent of pubs in England and Wales – or 15,000 venues – currently pay no business rates, as their property values are too low. However, they could be forced to pay the levy from April 2026, as an upcoming review will see these values reassessed. This is because the valuations are calculated on a pub's sales, which are likely to have risen as the price of a pint has soared since the last review almost a decade ago. It will pile even more pressure on taverns, which are already struggling with higher energy costs and paying more for staff after Chancellor Rachel Reeves increased the minimum wage and National Insurance Contributions for employers in her Autumn Budget last year. Jowsey has called on Labour to raise the threshold for business rates, so that properties with an estimated rental value of £17,000 a year would be exempt – up from £12,000 a year, in line with inflation over the past decade. This would protect the most vulnerable venues from being whacked with rates bills, which he estimates could be £6,000 a year for the average tavern. Jowsey said: 'The Government is sleepwalking into a crisis for England and Wales' much-loved community pubs, as punitive business rate increases threaten their viability. This means many of these pubs will be dragged into paying business rates for the first time, even if their profits are falling.' He added: 'Unfortunately, this may be the final straw for many hard-working licensees and their pubs, depriving communities of vital social amenities that help overcome loneliness and isolation.' Jowsey said he was alarmed that despite the looming decimation of Britain's pub sector, he could not 'see anyone in the Government talking about this'. He is concerned it will accelerate the closure of pubs, which would 'do a lot of damage' to the country's social fabric. He said: 'If Westminster acts, we call on the Welsh Government to follow suit and protect Welsh pubs too.' An industry forecast last week showed that one pub could close every day this year across Britain. It comes after Britain's hospitality industry was hit by a £500 million-a-year rise in business rates in April alongside a barrage of other costs imposed by Labour. Before the Budget, small businesses had called for a Covid-era discount of 75 per cent on business rates to be extended to give them breathing space. But the Government cut this to a 40 per cent discount, capped at £110,000 per pub. Kate Nicholls, the chair of industry group UK Hospitality, said the Government should 'deliver permanently lower business rates' for the sector in this autumn's Budget. Clarkson highlighted the crisis facing Britain's pub sector in the latest series of his reality show Clarkson's Farm, which chronicled the challenges faced by the former Top Gear host as he tried to reopen a derelict Oxfordshire boozer, which he has dubbed The Farmer's Dog.
Yahoo
16-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Annual Alexandra Classic bowling tournament gets under way
Bolton's Ross Hatzler is through to finals night This year's £1000 Alexandra Classic bowls tournament, sponsored by Admiral Taverns and Sue Ainsworth got under way last weekend. Saturday saw two players qualify on their first visit to the green - Owen Cookson and Steven Bolton. Advertisement Finals night takes place on Sunday, July 27. Results Saturday: Round One - Owen Cookson (Winsford) 31 Dave Fairless (Silsden)15, Craig Rammel (Accrington) 31 Clair Louise Russell (Colne)25, Steven Bolton (Freckleton) 31 Kevin Buckley Mellor (Warrington) 25, Eamon Doogan (Alexandra) 31 Chris Wilson (Silsden) 12; Round Two - Steven Bolton 31 Eamon Doogan 21, Owen Cookson 31 Craig Rammel 5. Bolton drew 'six' and Cookson drew 'seven' for finals night. Sunday: Round One - Andy Webb (Wakefield) 31 Daniel Warrington (Bury) 30, Stephen Garswood (Blackburn) 17 Ross Hatzler (Bolton) 31, Ped Yates (Lostock) 31 Robin Ellison (Blackburn) 15, Alan Manuel (Warrington) 22 Mick Lee (Blackburn) 31; Round Two - Mick Lee 24 Ped Yates 31, Ross Hatzler 31 Andy Webb 25, Hatzler drew 'five' and Yates drew 'three' for finals night. Advertisement Line-up for this weekend's qualifying sessions (6.30pm start): Saturday - Ged Bennett (Bolton), Phil Cookson (Ashton), Peter Hawkes (Preston), Dave Worthington (Lytham St Annes), Eamon Hernan (Lytham St Annes), Tony Robinson (Wigan), Billy Speed (Wigan), Paul Kissock (Kendal); Sunday - John Metters (Preston), Andrew Uttley (Lower Darwen), Simon Hargreaves (Bamber Bridge), Vincent O'Donnell (Blackburn), Callumn Wraight (Shrewsbury - last year's winner), Dan Williams (Shrewsbury), John Hanson (Chipping), Paul Sutcliffe (Blackburn - three-time winner).
Daily Mail
13-07-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Pub rates misery blights summer, according to bosses
Pubs are struggling to turn a profit despite the sunny weather as Labour drags its heels on tax reform, bosses have said. Drinkers are flocking to beer gardens for a pint but industry leaders say business rates mean takings are being drained away – despite pledges by Labour to change the system. Chancellor Rachel Reeves has piled on further pain with a rise in employer national insurance contributions that took effect in April. An industry forecast last week showed that one pub could close every single day this year across Britain. Chris Jowsey, the chief executive of Admiral Taverns, said: 'On the face of it, pubs are doing really well because people are spending lots of money but none of it is translating to the bottom line. 'Rather than layering on cost after cost, if they're not careful they're going to make hospitality extremely uninvestable. It's really important that [Labour] do the rates reforms.' Simon Dodd, the boss of chain Young's, said: 'It has gone quite quiet on rates reform, which would help the whole sector. 'Labour came to power with this five-point plan for growth and the thing we would like sorted out is this. All we are asking for is a fair playing field.' He said his 230 pubs in London and the South East are 'really, really busy' thanks to the scorching weather. Dodd added: 'We have broken records, the sun has really helped. The great British pub is alive and kicking. 'That said, if you are an independent operator at the moment, it is very, very hard.' Simon Emeny, chief executive of Fuller's, said: 'An overhaul of our archaic business rates is long overdue, and the truth is that the whole system is not fit for purpose. It was created and introduced at a time when the digital economy was not even a pipe dream and for 14 years the Conservatives put it in the 'too difficult' box. 'We are still awaiting the full details regarding the changes made by the Labour Government at the last Budget – but if the Chancellor thinks this is 'job done', she is a long way off the mark.' Business rates are a local levy based on the value of a commercial property, meaning shops and pubs pay a premium compared to online giants such as Amazon. The hospitality industry was hit by a £500m increase in business rates in April alongside a barrage of other costs imposed by Labour. That included the NI hike and a sharp increase in the minimum wage. Before the Budget, small businesses had called for a Covid-era discount of 75 per cent to be extended to give them some breathing space. But Labour reduced this to a 40 per cent discount, capped at £110,000 per pub.
Leader Live
12-07-2025
- Sport
- Leader Live
Pubs in Wrexham and Flintshire search for pool champion
The event, hosted by Proper Pubs - the award-winning community wet-led operator division of Admiral Taverns which operates more than 200 pubs across England, Scotland and Wales – is set to uncover the best new talent in the pool world. In Wrexham, the Long Pull will be taking part alongside Y Pentan and The Griffin in Mold. They will join two other pubs in Wales, the Vale of Rheidol in Aberystwyth and the Six Bells in Rhyl. Sponsored by Fosters, the tournament is currently in its first round of pub heats, which will run until August 3. There is no limit to how many nights a week each pub can host matches, meaning that the heats can run across multiple nights per week. Winners from each pub heat will advance to the pub finals, taking place during the week of Monday, August 4. The champions from these finals will then progress to the regional finals, held during the week commencing Monday, August 18 at a venue near their local pub. The competition will culminate in a grand final on Sunday, September 7 at a Proper Pub in Preston, where the overall winner will take home £1,000. MOST READ Nikki Greenhalgh, operations director at Proper Pubs, said: "It's been great to see all the fantastic events our operators have hosted for their communities so far and how much uptake the pub heats have already had. "At Admiral, we are always looking for ways to support our operators and equip them with the tools they need to create thriving social hubs that sit at the heart of their communities. "That's why we launched our Proper Pubs pool competition, as well as our 'Meet a Pro' evenings across both our Leased & Tenanted and Proper Pubs estate, to give our operators an easy, free way to drive footfall and most importantly, bring people together."
Leader Live
25-06-2025
- Business
- Leader Live
Proper Pubs shortlist for Mold's Y Pentan pub at gala
Proper Pubs, the award-winning community wet-led operator division of Admiral Taverns, has launched its first ever 'Proper Pubs Awards Gala', to celebrate the achievements of its pub operators across its estate of more than 200 pubs in England, Scotland and Wales. The gala will take place in Chesterfield on Thursday, July 31 and will present nine prestigious awards including Best New Proper Pub of the Year; Sports Pub of the Year; Marketing & Social Media Pub of the Year; Community Pub of the Year; Audit Pub of the Year; Sales Performance Pub of the Year; Entertainment Pub of the Year and Gaming Pub of the Year. There will also be an Outstanding Achievement Award. Y Pentan, in New Street, is up for Sales Performance Pub of the Year. Each category features a selection of finalists (listed below), who have been nominated by their Business Development Manager for going the extra mile in supporting the communities they serve. In addition, one of the pubs will be crowned the overall 'Proper Pubs' Pub of the Year'. Mark Brooke, managing director at Proper Pubs, said: 'Our pubs sit at the heart of their communities. 'They are constantly going above and beyond for customers and residents, from charity fundraising to hosting brilliant entertainment, so it's only right that we acknowledge these incredible achievements. 'Our operators are the face of Proper Pubs and we are so proud of all the work they do day in and day out. 'I'd like to extend my thanks to all our pubs and to congratulate every single operator for all their incredible hard work. Read more 'On behalf of myself and the whole team at Proper Pubs, I'd like to wish the very best of luck to all the finalists and I look forward to celebrating with them next month.' Proper Pubs is always looking for ways to support its communities through an annual schedule of events and fundraising initiatives and in March 2024, it was crowned Community Pub Operator at the Publican Awards. Most recently, the group collected more than 20,000 Easter Eggs to donate to communities in need and raised nearly £100,000 in just three months for various charities across the UK. Last year, Proper Pubs also successfully donated enough food to local foodbanks across the UK to feed 1,300 people for a week and has also been recognised UK-wide defibrillator installation campaign which has already saved 11 lives.
