Magnify Marketing

The El Bulli restaurant, in the town of Roses, north of Barcelona, winner of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants awards a record five times, is to close for good, according to The Independent on Sunday

The ‘celebrity’ London members’ club, Paramount, has struck a deal with creditors to stave off administration. The club, whose shareholders include Graham Norton and Stephen Fry, narrowly avoided collapse by wiping out 70% of its £1.4m debt after creditors agreed to a company voluntary arrangement (CVA). The Sunday Times

JD Wetherspoon is backing plans to move the UK into the Continental time zone – in the hope that longer, lighter evenings will encourage increased trade. Mail on Sunday

According to the M&C Report, James Horler, the former chief executive of La Tasca, has thrown his hat in the ring to buy the tapas casual dining business after news broke that a formal sale process is to be launched.

The High Court has rejected PPL’s attempt to block payback of music charges. Subsequently, pubs across Britain are to share £20m in refunds following the ruling. The Publican

Violent crime has been cut by almost 50% across two Lancashire towns over the past four years thanks to a local Pubwatch scheme. morningadvertiser.com

Albert Roux who last year launched brasserie concept Chez Roux at luxury hotel Rocpool Reserve in Inverness, has signed deals to launch two more restaurants at Scottish hotels, the first of the two new Chez Roux restaurants will launch at the Inver Lodge hotel above Lochinver in Sutherland. caterersearch.com

and finally…moneysupermarket.com the price comparison website, wants to hear from pubs about special offers in order to promote them to customers in the local area. The website has introduced a ‘voucher search’ facility and now plans to expand the free service to local entertainment venues.

Site of the week

This week I wanted to highlight a pub concept created by M&B which are appearing in affluent parts of Surrey.

Everyone often says that the big guns cannot create a quality concept but the regular queue for a table tells a different story. A pub for the time it offers a quality restaurant experience but never tries to be overly “gastro”. Price wise everyone feels comfortable but you always spend more than you planned!

They have created the image of an experienced independent operator – and it works!

http://www.thearklemanor.co.uk/

Wentworth MP and Minister for Housing and Planning, John Healey, has reportedly been handed his dream job in government – Minister for Pubs. Press over the weekend suggested that Healey had been appointed to aid the UK’s 53,000 recession hit pubs. M&C Report

According to a survey conducted by the Sunday Mirror, pubs are charging up to 60p more for a soft drink than a pint of beer. The survey revealed that a pint of standard bitter is cheaper than an equivalent amount of non-alcoholic drink such as cola and lemonade in almost half of Britain’s pubs.

Guy Ritchie is opening a British pub in New York in a move that will help him to maintain ties with his children. It is thought that Ritchie will recreate his London pub, The Punch Bowl, in New York’s Tribeca area. Mail On Sunday

The UK could be in line for its most blistering economic recovery in almost 40 years, according to an authoritative measure from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. The Daily Telegraph

According to a survey conducted by British Beer & Pub Association the tide is turning on the rate of pub closures. The latest figures showed that closures were down to 39 a week, having peaked at 52.

The Capital Pub Company has reported an improved trading performance against last year as the London market remains buoyant. The announcement came as the operator confirmed the acquisition of two pubs: the Havelock Tavern in Brook Green, W14 and the Uplands in East Dulwich. morningadvertiser.com

The latest figures from figures from hospitality research company STR Global, revealed that hotel revenue per available room rose by 5.8% in London but fell by 7.8% across the regions in the week ending 16 January 2010. caterersearch.com

…and finally. We were amazed to get an email this morning informing us that as a previous victim of an internet based scam, we’re eligible for a share of $8m compensation. All we need to do is send our bank details to the company handling the claims. We’ll let you know how we get on.

NEWS

British Pub Week 2010 has been launched. Previously known as National Pub Week, the event will take place between the 30th October and 6th November 2010.The week aims to promote and celebrate all that is good about the Great British Pub.

Figures released by the British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA) reveals that the market is showing small signs of recovery. Its Quarterly Beer Barometer shows that while sales are still declining, the rate of fall has dropped. For the last three months of 2009 sales were down 3.6 per cent – the lowest fourth quarter fall since 2006. The Publican

Marco Pierre White opened his second pub last week. The Swan Inn, in Aughton, Lancashire, is the first venue to open under the partnership of White and Sanguine Hospitality. morningadvertiser.co.uk

Jamie Oliver is expanding his high street restaurant chain, Jamie’s Italian, with four new sites set to open in as many months. caterersearch.com

Marston’s has announced that it is on track to fulfill its target of building and opening 15 new food-led pubs in the current financial year. The Publican

According to the latest HotStats survey from TRI Hospitality Consulting, London hotels enjoyed a strong boost to profitability during December 2009. The gross operating profit per available room (GOPpar) grew by 23% as a result of cost-cutting strategies, combined with a growth in revenue. caterersearch.com

Whitbread has told investors and City analysts that it plans to open 60 pub restaurants and expand its room stock by 13,300 rooms to 55,000 rooms in the next four years. M&C Report

and finally…we thank the Morning Advertiser for this week’s gem, as they reported on JD Wetherspoon founder, Tim Martin’s take on the issue of under-age drinking. He argues that “our nation’s pubs are the instruments of imperial hypocrisy.” Adding: “For example, at a round table on binge drinking at the Guardian newspaper last year, all the participants agreed that they started using pubs before 18, at an average age of about 15, with the ‘winner’ being the Government minister at 13, beating Mrs Hazel Blears by a narrow margin.”

Site of the week

Whilst up in Leeds last week I visited a great neighbourhood bar called Kobe in Horsforth.

If I did not have a window seat I could well imagine this quality of venue would be in a prime location in a leading city.

Attention to detail every every area and staff that serve you because they are passionate about their jobs and clearly enjoy being at work (unlike Cafe Nero – please see blog at the Magnify Marketing website)

Bars this good are a rare fine and for a neigbourhood venue it sets new levels

http://www.arcinspirations.com/kobe/