A round-up of stories and snippets from brewing and hospitality, and the latest business news in brief
The Engine House, Exeter. Photograph: Paul Slater Images
Star Pubs is re-opening The Engine House, in Exeter, after two years. This follows a £542,000 refurbishment that has converted it into a managed operator ‘Just Add Talent’ pub. The company has undertaken 26 major such revamps so far this year, of which The Engine House is the biggest.
In line with 50% of Star’s new JAT sites in 2026, The Engine House is wet only. Previously a leased and tenanted pub called The Angel, it has been renamed The Engine House to reflect its new direction, and location close to Exeter Central Station.
• The Night Time Industries Association has backed calls for a fresh look at the 40-year-old restrictions preventing football supporters from consuming alcohol in sight of the pitch. “Football has changed beyond recognition over the last 40 years, and it is right that we ask whether regulation has kept pace with the modern game,” said chief executive Michael Kill.
“This is not about unrestricted drinking. It is about responsible, evidence-led reform, underpinned by the sophisticated safety, licensing, stewarding, policing and technology that exists in stadiums today. The current rules can have unintended consequences, concentrating thousands of supporters onto concourses at half-time with a very short window to purchase and consume a drink. We should consider whether allowing controlled consumption over a longer period could encourage more responsible drinking and ease pressure on concourses.”
• John Beasley, who has experience with Monster Energy and Red Bull, has been appointed chief marketing officer at BrewDog.
• Bristol-based Guerilla Pub Group has opened its 12th site. The Two Suns is on the site of the former Cider Press, on Gloucester Road in Bishopston, Bristol.
• Punch has acquired The Tiger Inn, in Driffield, Yorkshire. After a refurbishment, it will become part of the pubco’s Unity Social division.
• Siobahn and Catriona Peyton have taken on their third Norfolk pub, The Three Horseshoes, in Warham. They also run Sculthorpe Mill, near Fakenham, and The Ship, at Brancaster.
