January is notoriously a quiet time for the pub trade, so we’d encourage our landlords to make the most of a great opportunity to boost business – Burns Night (25 January).

In a new article, the Morning Advertiser points out that Scottish-themed food, Scottish music, some decorations and lots of whisky are pretty much all you need to host a successful Burns Night party.

Putting together an event to celebrate the great poet doesn’t have to involve a huge investment of time or money from landlords - read the full article to get some top tips on preparing your pub. 

The Government has confirmed plans to allow pubs to sell beer in two-third pints measures.

Pubs will also be able to sell wine in measures under 75ml and fortified wine in under 50ml and 70ml, meaning the new legislation will allow landlords to offer much greater flexibility and more choice to their customers.

The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills said it would be introducing the changes in the coming Parliamentary session.

The Morning Advertiser is looking for feedback on whether landlords think their customers would welcome two-third pints measures - email john.harrington@william-reed.co.uk with your opinions and read the full story on the Morning Advertiser website.  

The Purple Emperor in Harlow has been given a new lease of life thanks to a helping hand from Admiral. The pub on Momples Road has recently undergone a £60,000 refurbishment.

The money has allowed the pub’s landlord Martin Haines, who runs the pub with his wife Susan, daughter Sally and her husband Jamie, to redecorate throughout and extend the garden area to accommodate twice as many customers.

The pub will be celebrating the refurbishment with a festive party on Tuesday 21 December – customers are invited to come along to see the many positive changes to the pub for themselves.

To view some of our other recent refurbishment projects, take a look at our pub showcase. 

We’re reminding landlords who are planning Christmas and New Year celebrations that if they require a Temporary Event Notice (TEN) they need to apply sooner rather than later.

A Temporary Event Notice is required if you wish to operate outside the terms of your existing Premises Licence. With ten working days required between the application for the notice and the event date, the extra bank holidays this year mean any pub requiring a TEN between Christmas Day and 29 December will need to issue the notice to the licensing authorities by today (10 December).

Licensees should remember that two copies of the notice are required by the licensing authority and a further copy for the police licensing officer. Some local authorities also require the notice to be signed by the person making the application.

For more information on TENs, visit the Department for Culture, Media and Sport website.

With the festive season fast approaching, the Morning Advertiser is reminding landlords that there is profit potential in offering customers the chance to enjoy a bottle of celebratory ‘fizz’.

While sales of Champagne have suffered slightly in the recession, sparkling wines are now the best performing category in the on-trade, ahead of beer and cider.

Offering a good selection of sparkling wines like Cava and Prosecco on a bar menu provides a strong sales opportunity for landlords, especially in the run-up to the Christmas season.

Read the full article from the Morning Advertiser to find out more.

The pub industry could be in for an especially prosperous Easter thanks to the upcoming marriage of Prince William and Kate Middleton.

As we’re sure everyone knows by now, the couple will marry on Friday 29 April, creating a unique 4-day bank holiday weekend, and pubs are bound to be busy as the nation goes about celebrating the royal wedding.

It’s also possible that the secretary may deregulate trading hours over this period as was done at the Golden Jubilee, allowing pubs to stay open for longer and boosting trade even further.

We’re encouraging Admiral landlords to start thinking about how they can maximise takings over this important weekend - preparing the pub for a screening of the wedding and putting together a special menu will ensure will draw in customers in their droves.  

Pubs could be missing out on sales by not offering its customers a big enough range of snacks, according to a new article from the Morning Advertiser.

Annual sales of snacks are currently growing by 4.5% per year, and landlords who offer customers a wealth of choice and tempting promotions - like ‘buy one get one free’ – could increase their profits significantly.

Once you’ve got your extra stock in, don’t forget that crisps and snacks need to be visible to customers; they should ideally be positioned above the bar and within 6ft of the till point to maximize sales.

Read more on how to boost your snack sales on the Morning Advertiser website and Admiral Taverns’ landlords should check their latest copy of AGENDA to find out what products we can offer.

We’ve already offered up some tips on preparing a Christmas menu, but don’t forget how important it is to make your pub feel truly festive in every way this Christmas.

Where possible, use new Christmas decorations - if you have any tatty or worn decorations, bin them, as they’ll look dowdy rather than cheerful. If you have fairy lights, make sure they work properly and safely and, if you are having a Christmas tree, ensure it is erected properly without being a hazard to your customers.

Christmas can bring in lots of extra custom, too, so ensure that the pub is up to scratch in general – keep your toilets clean, think about adjusting your table layout to ensure customers can get to the bar easily, and keep the bar well stocked. 

Bar staff can get some top serving tips through a new online training portal.

The Training Team site from Bacardi Brown-Forman Brands (BBFB) includes video demonstrations, blogs, images and a calendar of industry events.

Users can book BBFB training courses through the site, and there will also be a weekly poll to measure bar tenders’ opinions on hot topics, webinars from master distillers, feature articles, weekly newsletters and a rolling drink of the week from leading bars across the UK.

This is a great, fun way for landlords to get their staff to brush up on their serving skills.

Take a look at the website – it’s free to register – and don’t forget to check the Training section of our website for info on other available courses with Admiral.

Ian Wilson and Lynne Comley, landlords of Admiral Taverns’ pub The Black Horse in Princes Risborough, are celebrating after the pub made it into the Good Pub Guide for the third year running, and also secured a place in the Good Beer Guide 2010/2011.

Ian and Lynne, who have been at pub for 11 and 14 years respectively, have worked hard to establish a reputation for excellence.

We’d like to congratulate the pair for their hard work in building the profile of the Black Horse over the years and creating a thriving pub.

For more information on The Black Horse, visit the pub’s website; if you’d like to give running a pub a try, take a look at our pubs to let.