Food sales bring cheer to Marston's

Increased food sales, following the introduction of the smoking ban helped reduce the effect of the summer floods at brewer and pubs group Marston’s.

Midlands based Mar­ston’s saw 150 of its pubs affected by the floods and chief executive Ralph Findlay said sales increased after the company spent £20million on outdoor smoking areas and catering to increased demand from diners.

Food now accounts for a third of sales at the company’s 520 managed pubs, including the Pit­cher & Piano chain but diners also spend on drinks. Food was a significant source of income for four-fifths of its 1,720 tenanted pubs too,Findlay added.

He said, “We are cautious about the outlook for consumers but what gives us some confidence is that because we offer good value we tend to perform better than more expensive restaurants.”

He added, "Interesting menus helped. You can have the traditional steak pie or try something new such as citrus roast lamb."

Group profits for the year to September fell following £3.3million costs for the takeover of rival Eldridge Pope while sales were up nearly 10 per cent to £652million.

Profits from managed pubs rose 5 per cent to £66.7million and from tenanted pubs by 13 per cent to £90.8million.

Source: The Daily Express, 03 December 2007
Link: http://tinyurl.com/34zg66

Hong Kong: 9m illicit cigarettes seized

Custom officials have seized 14.4 million US dollars worth of illicit cigarettes from a mainland river trade vessel.

Customs officers found 9.575 million sticks of illicit cigarettes in a container bound for Malaysia, which was declared to carry decorative lights. A syndicate had attempted to smuggle the cigarettes to Malaysia via Hong Kong and profit from selling the haul in Southeast Asia.

Source: News,gov.hk, 03 December 2007
Link: http://tinyurl.com/2npgf4

Death of the vending machine

Cigarette vending machines in pubs and clubs will be banned next year, claims a report in The People.

Labour's war on cancer also includes proposals to downsize tobacco counters in retail outlets and print picture warnings of diseased lungs and other smoking related diseases on cigarette packets.

The proposals will also include recruiting more agents to tackle the flood of cheap tobacco smuggled into Britain.

An additional £130 million will be spent on radiotherapy treatment and reducing the age of breast screening from 50 to 47.

A health source revealed: "We have made the country smokefree and we want to go even further."

The anti-smoking charity ASH welcomed the ban on Britain's 96,000 vending machines saying that's where one in five children buy cigarettes.  
Amanda Sandford added, "This will make it that little bit harder for kids to get their hands on cigarettes."

Simon Clark, director of pro-smoking group FOREST, branded the ban "utterly ridiculous" and stormed: "The idea children are breezing into pubs and clubs to use vending machines is utter nonsense."

The action plan against cancer, Britain's leading killer along with heart disease, will be announced by Health Secretary Alan Johnson.

He said, "the extra money for radiotherapy and expanding breast screening, will enable us to develop world-class services and cut waiting times."

Source: The People, 02 December 2007
Link: http://tinyurl.com/2aalwa

Children allowed to buy cigarettes from vending machines in pubs

Pub landlords allow children as young as 14 to purchase cigarettes from vending machines.  

Staff at the Black Horse in Locks Bottom, Kent, did not raise an eyebrow as 14-year-old Zak Suffing-Noir purchased a  16-pack of Benson & Hedges.

Zak entered the pub with a journalist and easily obtained the cigarettes despite the machine being next to the bar.

He slotted in £6.20 as a staff member walked past. The new minimum age for buying fags is 18. The Black Horse belongs to the Ember Inns group, which prides itself on being a chain of family orientated pubs.

Zak said, "I can't believe how easy it was. I personally hate smoking but some of my friends smoke and if they knew how easy it was to buy cigarettes in a pub, that's where they would get them."

A spokesman for parent company Mitchells & Butlers said: "There are clear signs on our machines. Our pub teams are as vigilant as they can be."

Source: The People, 02 December 2007
Link: http://tinyurl.com/26aeun

We can beat cancer

Below is an extract from The People:

The bad news is that one in three of us will get cancer, and one in four of us will die of it.

The good news is that many cancers nowadays are both preventable and treatable.

Which is why Health Secretary Alan Johnson's cancer strategy is so welcome.

His plan is to encourage lifestyle changes by banning cigarette vending machines and coin operated sunbeds.

And he will improve survival rates by pouring £130 million into radiotherapy to make it better and faster.

We may be some way off a cure for cancer. But this makes us nearer than we were.

Editorial Note: The new cancer plan is being launched today. Further news coverage of this will be included in tomorrow's daily news

Source: The People, 02 December 2007
Link: http://tinyurl.com/2zj9t8