NEWS

Emma McClarkin, CEO of the British Beer and Pub Association, said: “We are pleased the government has listened to our concerns, and those of publicans, consumers and MPs who rallied to defend our locals. This pub specific package will stave off the immediate financial threat posed by accelerating business costs and will help keep the doors open for many. “This additional support will provide certainty for tens of thousands of pubs, with many seeing their bills frozen or falli

"SIBA welcomes the announcement from Government they're backing Britain’s pubs and the breweries which supply them. On the basis the further 15% cut announced today applies to the business rates bills that were due in April this is good news for pubs and brewers, and will allay some of their worst fears.   At the heart of revitalising hospitality is a rebalancing of the tax burden between online and highstreet businesses and pubs, and as such it is welcome to see recognition

FSA Gold verification across malting barley supply Berwick-upon-Tweed; January 27, 2026: Simpsons Malt Limited, the independent, fifthgeneration malting and merchanting business and Certified B Corporation, has successfully completed SAI Platform’s Farm Sustainability Assessment (FSA) third-party verification process, achieving Gold performance level across its entire UK malting barley procurement.  A total of 678 growers – all directly contracted through agricultural merchan

Please find attached a release following the announcement on Business Rates from Dan Tomlinson in the House of Commons this afternoon.   Notes to the editor:   About the British Institute of Innkeeping:   The BII is the leading independent licensee support organisation for individuals working in hospitality, with over 13,500 individual members running premises across the UK - predominantly tenanted, leased, managed and freehold pubs. The organisation provides expert helplines

Responding to the Treasury’s announcement of extra help for pubs in England with business rates, Ash Corbett-Collins, CAMRA Chairman (above) said:     “This short-term announcement is not the ‘permanently lower business rates’ that pubs were promised. While it is positive that the Chancellor has listened and announced extra discounts for pubs facing the threat of closure, it is short-sighted to think that today’s statement will give publicans the certainty they need.     “The

SUPPORT FOR SCOTTISH PUBS ALREADY FALLING BEHIND ENGLAND Following today’s announcement by the UK Government of increased business rates support for pubs in England, the Scottish Beer & Pub Association (SBPA) has warned that the Scottish Government must now follow through on its commitment to enhance relief north of the border—or risk further pub closures and job losses. Commenting, Paul Togneri of the SBPA said: “Pubs across Scotland urgently need additional support. While w

BEER & PUB ASSOC. REVEAL ELECTION MANIFESTO AS CLOSURE RATE 50% HIGHER THAN ENGLAND Scottish pub closure rate 50% higher than England One pub per week closed permanently in Scotland during 2025 1 in 16 Scottish pubs closed in last 5 years Additional business rates support and reintroduction of alcohol in football stadia key asks ahead of election Industry supports 65,000 jobs and contributes £2.3bn to Scottish economy Ahead of May’s Holyrood election, the Scottish Beer and Pu

According to new figures released today by the  SIBA UK Brewery Tracker , brewery closure rates increased dramatically during 2025 compared to previous years, with a 37% spike compared to the previous year.   The UK now has just 1578 individual breweries as of 1 st  January 2026, compared to 1715 at the start of 2025, 1815 in 2024 and 1828 in 2023 when the brewery tracker started.    The  SIBA UK Brewery Tracker  is compiled by the Society of Independent Brewers & Associates

According to an exclusive  published in The Grocer today, the UK’s first deposit return scheme (DRS), due to launch in October next year, will go under the name Exchange for Change .   According to the article, Russell Davies, chief executive of UK DMO said: “Our new name reflects what this scheme is about: making a simple change that has the power to transform streets, communities and recycling habits across the UK. The brand icon is intended to become synonymous with the sc

Hosted by British Beer Sommelier James Kellow Hamburg, Germany - Riverside Luxury Cruises have announced a beer-focused river cruise for summer 2026 , with British beer sommelier James Kellow  hosting a seven-night voyage through some of the most historically significant brewing regions within Western Europe’s ' Beer Belt' . Titled Hops & Heritage , the cruise takes place from 29 July to 5 August 2026 , following the Rhine from Basel to Amsterdam . Calling at beer cities acro

The BBPA has warmly welcomed the Licensing Hours Extensions Bill passing its Third Reading at the House of Lords today.   The bill, backed by the British Beer and Pub Association, had government and cross party support.   Licensing regulations currently have excessive restrictions which limit the Government's ability to quickly approve extending pubs’ opening hours during moments of national significance when Parliament is in recess - from qualifying sports matches to country

Everards is proud to announce it has raised £10,000 for Age UK Leicester Shire & Rutland, its Charity of the Year, thanks to the generosity of its teams, business owners and customers throughout 2025. The impressive total was achieved through a wide range of fundraising activities across the year, including £1 “invisible” hash browns and chips on the Beer Hall menu, inflatable football darts at the Summer Social, a Race Day auction, raffles, and organised dog walks. Many of t

Pub teams and communities come together to raise over £4m to help fund Macmillan’s Support Line and its network of Macmillan professionals across the country In 2025 Greene King announced it had reached an incredible £25m milestone over its 13-year partnership with the UK’s leading cancer support charity   Greene King is celebrating another consecutive year of record-breaking fundraising for its long-term charity partner, Macmillan Cancer Support, having raised over £4m durin

Pubgoers group CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale, is calling on the Executive to provide support with rising business rates bills to help save local pubs which are a ‘force for good’ in society.    The consumer group says NI can’t afford to see existing pubs close, as outdated licensing laws and the ‘surrender principle’ means a closing pub’s alcohol licence is usually transferred to a new supermarket or off-licence instead of being used to open a replacement pub.    The price

Hook Norton Brewery is set to launch its first seasonal cask ale of 2026, Double Stout – a classic English stout crafted from the brewery’s original 1898 recipe. This historic stout offers a timeless taste that proves some things truly don’t need changing. A carefully balanced blend of black and brown malts gives Double Stout its distinctive character. Black malt enriches the beer with its deep, dark ebony colour and delivers unmistakable toasted notes alongside hints of choc

Northern Restaurant & Bar (NRB) has revealed the first names of its speaker line-up for the upcoming March show, showcasing some of the biggest names in hospitality Northern Restaurant & Bar (NRB), sponsored by Uber Eats, has announced the first names in its speaker programme for its upcoming trade show this March, including leaders from hospitality heavyweights such as Caravan, Hawksmoor and House of Tides & Solstice, with further speakers set to be announced in the coming w

Tring Brewery will raise funds and awareness for Berkhamsted and District Community First Responders throughout 2026.  The Community First Responders (CFRs) scheme was established in 1994, training volunteers to attend local emergency calls, offering life-saving care in the vital minutes before an ambulance crew arrives. Tring will be joining forces with local branch Berkhamsted and District CFR, who were established in 1998 and are trained by the East of England Ambulance Se

In 2025 alone, England and Wales lost one pub per day, with the total number falling from 38,989 in 2024 to 38,623 in 2025. This continues a trend of sharp decline across the country since the pandemic  (1) . ● In London alone, over 30 pubs have closed in 2025 (2) . ● Research suggests that if the current trend continues, Britain’s pub count could fall below 1,000 by 2074.  (3) . ● Independent pubs are anxiously awaiting details of the Government’s business rates U-turn after

In 2026, the International Cider Awards are celebrating this resurgence of cider in the international market We’ve all heard the murmurs in the alcohol industry of sales dropping, of consumers drinking less, and looking to other options besides that standard order of beer or spirits. One of those options seems to be cider. That’s right, amidst a sea of downward data, cider as a category seems to be on the up and up. Cider seems to be topping the charts as a choice due to cons

BeerX, the UK’s biggest beer and brewing trade event which attracts over 3,500 attendees from the beer industry, has today announced new Headline Supporter ekeg - the UK and Ireland's leading keg and cask management ecosystem.   SIBA CEO Andy Slee welcomed ekeg on-board as BeerX Headline Supporter for the next three years;   “The support of our Headline Supporter ekeg is hugely valued by myself and the SIBA Team and enables us to deliver the UK’s very best beer and brewing tr