For pub operators
Practical articles from licensees and personal licence holders — chargebacks, stocktakes, GP%, and the stuff that doesn't make the course notes.
I run a pub in Washington. Here are the two grounds that got a chargeback reversed, and what my area manager actually accepted.
Draught Lager up £3,697 while Ale is negative every single time. That's not theft, it's the wrong till button. How to check yours.
Five Venners audits at my pub show why the net result on a stocktake report hides more than it tells you, and what to read instead.
Published UK stocktaking rates for 2026, what drives the price, and how pubco packages compare. Written by a licensee who had to go and find out.
The ‘1-2% of sales’ rule is American and doesn’t hold in a UK cellar. Five real audit results, plus the 5% of every pint that’s legally froth.
Damm UK admits Old Speckled Hen deliveries are running late nationwide. Here is what a delayed delivery does to your next stocktake report.
A stock valuation mixing VAT-inclusive and VAT-exclusive prices misstates your GP% by up to 20 points. How to check which basis your figures use.
A UK licensee compares pub stocktaking software: StockTap, BevSpot, BarBrain, StockLens AI, Growyze.
Real sourced prices for StockTap, BevSpot, BarBrain, StockLens AI, Growyze and MarketMan — what a UK pub actually pays for stock control software.
BevSpot alternative for UK pubs: what BevSpot really costs in 2026, where it fits, and why a UK-built tool tracks stock differently.
What bad pours actually cost a pub, why nobody tells new staff, and the maths every induction should cover on day one.
BarBrain alternative for UK pubs: BarBrain’s real euro pricing in 2026, what’s missing for a UK licensee, and where StockTap fits instead.
Nory alternative for UK pubs: why Nory hides its pricing, what a single pub should expect to pay for stock software instead, and where StockTap fits.
MarginEdge alternative for UK pubs: MarginEdge’s real dollar pricing in 2026, the FX and Toast surcharge risk, and where StockTap fits instead.
Access Procure Wizard alternative for UK pubs: the 36-month minimum contract, what that costs over the full term, and how StockTap compares with no lock-in.
The last real category benchmark data, sourced and dated — plus why draught trails spirits structurally, and what’s actually known vs made up for 2026.
The real average pint price by brand, falling volumes, and what it means for how you price and manage your cellar — including why cask variance eats price rises before you see them.
Growing market, fewer pubs, more rates relief on the way — what Lumina Intelligence’s 2026 figures actually mean if you’re the one behind the bar.
The 35% relief figure explained, who qualifies, what’s still unconfirmed, and how to actually use the money rather than let it disappear into general cash flow.
161 pubs closed in Q1 2026, up 26% on last year — and the BBPA says it’s not because trade is down. Here’s the margin lesson for pubs still trading.
Step-by-step: the count method, the legal measures, the yield maths, and the discipline that separates a proper DIY stocktake from one that’s kidding itself.
Most keg and cask calibration in UK pub cellars isn’t real calibration — it’s a guess. The common mistakes behind bad variance figures, and how to fix them.