Camden Town Brewery is launching a beer to celebrate the return to pubs. To The Pub American Pale Ale is a one-off beer, brewed to support and celebrate the pub industry. When pubs reopen the brewer is giving 260,000 pints to its customers for free, so that pubs can make a higher margin on every pint and get more cash in the till to help…

At an emergency press conference today, Boris Johnson and Chancellor Rishi Sunak outlined plans to shore up the economy including money available to the pub and bar sectors, and additional funds to help families struggling with finances as a result of the coronavirus outbreak.  At the conference Johnson promised help for families and businesses but he warned more “extreme measures” may be…

Lidl has announced it is building its first pub, which will also include an in-store off-licence.  The venue will sit alongside the discount supermarket’s Dundonald store, outside Belfast in Northern Ireland.  The pub, which will have a different entrance from the supermarket, will include seating and a bar area and separate toilets. It will also have an off-licence section, where…

Sainsbury’s is ramping up its focus on the low and no alcohol sector by opening an alcohol-free pub. For two days this month the supermarket retailer is taking over The Old Crown Public House in Holborn to create The Clean Vic, which will serve drinks with a maximum alcohol level of 0.5% abv. The drinks menu will include Celtic Soul, a no-alcohol whisky alternative, alcohol-free…

The clocks have gone forward, the sun is out and leading suppliers are rolling out marketing campaigns ahead of the summer trading period. A new multimillion-pound TV ad campaign from Strongbow airs for the first time tonight, featuring friends in the pub singing Together in Electric Dreams. Nielsen and CGA data for the year to January 2019 suggests that Strongbow has a 27% share of…

The off-trade was the big winner in the beer category during the second quarter of 2018 as the sector enjoyed its best performance in eight years. The overall beer category grew 3.6% in Q2 compared to the same period in 2017, but on-trade sales were down by 1%. Many Brits decide to swerve the pub and enjoy their drinks at home, and off-trade beer sales…

Industry campaign There’s A Beer For That is switching its focus to lobby against high beer duty in a bid to safeguard the industry’s future. The campaign, funded by most brewers operating in the UK, has previously sought to educate shoppers on the joys of food and beer matching and raise awareness of different beer styles. But now its “singular mission” will be to stop…