About CAMRA

CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale, is an independent, voluntary, consumer organisation which campaigns for real ale, real pubs and consumer rights. Membership is open to all individuals although corporate entities such as breweries and pubs are not members; we currently have over 100,000 individual members. CAMRA is governed by a voluntary unpaid national executive, elected by [...]

An interesting story by a very experienced operator

We are all told that rent calculation for pubs is a complex calculation based on directions from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). My learned reader and an equally experienced colleague went to view a back street boozer in London, where the previous incumbent had gone belly up with a rent of £40K. The [...]

A Sobering Thought

Can you imagine working for a company that has a little more than 600 employees and has the following statistics. 29 have been accused of spouse abuse, 7 have been arrested for fraud, 19 have been accused of writing bad cheques, 117 have directly or indrectly bankrupted at least 2 businesses, 3 have done time for [...]

New Year Cheer.

I have had a number of phone calls and emails from lessees over the last two weeks, whose businesses are struggling, desperately seeking advice, all being threatened with eviction or foreclosure. The majority are long term, experienced licensees, some too proud to mention that they have been and are now at serious risk of losing [...]

Submitted by Carola of Ballards Brewery

Enterprise Inns are selling the freehold of an historic pub in Midhurst – The Crown Inn, Edinburgh Sq, Midhurst, W. Sussex. The local paper quotes the asking price as £775K. It’s been badly mis-managed and become a trouble spot, but has been well-run and succesful in the past, stocking over 12 real ales at one [...]

Brewers Tales

A change in life style. When I first went into the business, the brewers dray would arrive at 8.00 am, unload, The Driver and his Mate would have a pint each and go on to the next pub for another pint at every stop. Drinking and driving came in, the Driver would have a soft drink [...]