This month marks three years since the smoking ban was first introduced, and it seems the effects of the ban haven’t been as negative as first predicted.

In a recent survey by the Morning Advertiser, 51% of the landlords quizzed said that they opposed a total reversal of the ban, and 46% said the ban had actually had either no discernable effect or a positive effect on their business.

And, while three out of four landlords would support the introduction of a separate smoking room, the marked increase in the number of people choosing to give up the habit in light of the ban may well mean that there aren’t many customers who would wish to use it…

With pubs expected to be a great deal busier during the World Cup, the London Fire Brigade is warning licensees to check their pubs are safe from fire this summer.

The law places the responsibility for fire safety in the hands of employers and other people who have control of premises such as landlords, so having an understanding of fire safety and the role they have to play is at the heart of good business management. The safety of customers should be of paramount importance to landlords, and they face prosecution if their pub falls foul of fire laws.

Licensees can find out more about fire legislation from their local fire safety regulation team; visit the London Fire Brigade website to find your local team or contact the Admiral team if you have any other queries.

Landlords need to get moving if they want to stay in the money, because the old style £20 are due to expire very soon.

Notes featuring composer Sir Edward Elgar (see picture below) are being withdrawn on 30 June, to be replaced with a new note featuring Adam Smith and boasting several enhanced security measures to prevent counterfeiting.

We’re urging all our landlords to make sure they check their AWP machines, note acceptors and till points are emptied of the old style notes before the end of June.

But all is not lost if you find a spare old style note lying around; for several months after, most banks, building societies and post offices will be accepting the old style for customer transactions.

If you’re thinking about running your own pub in 2010, then it’s advisable to do a bit of research both about the trade and about your local area before you come to any final decisions. 

If you’re not sure where to start, then we have a list of 10 things you should do before entering the pub trade which you should find helpful. Admiral Taverns will also be on hand at these upcoming open days to offer you advice on running a pub:   

Thursday 21^st January from 11:30am – 2:30pm at the British Oak, 155 Willenhall Road, Wolverhampton, West Midlands, WV1 2HU 

Thursday 28^th January from 11:00am – 4:00pm as West Ham United Football Ground, Boleyn Ground, Green Street, London, E13 9AZ 

Tuesday 9^th February at the Lamb & Flag, Sway Road, Morriston, Swansea, West Glamorgan, SA6 8DS  

 More details of upcoming open days can be found on the homepage. Click here to download your copy of our Top 10 tips or find out about our pubs to let.

Since we reported on our latest Admiral Taverns Achievement Award winner The Nag’s Head in Reading (below), the online version of the story at getreading.co.uk has attracted lots of positive comments from locals pleased to see the pub getting the recognition it deserves.

Pub regulars have highlighted the friendly welcome and the superb range of beers and great food on offer as the reasons that they return to the pub again and again.

It’s great to see that people still appreciate a good community pub. 

Read more Nag's Head customer comments or find out about Admiral Taverns pubs to rent.

Admiral Taverns landlords have been doing their bit to raise much-needed funds for local charities. 

Wendy Sowerby, of the Angel Inn in Coleorton, completed a grueling half marathon and raised over £1,600 for the cancer ward at Burton Hospital (pictured with barman Joe Peace below). 

Meanwhile, Alex Fallon, who runs Admiral Tavern’s The Fox pub in Stanton Harcourt cycled from London to Paris – a distance of around 312 miles - in aid of Lupus UK.

Wendy and Alex’s fantastic fundraising efforts typify the kind of people who we look for to run our pubs; people who are committed to their community.

Find out more about opportunities with Admiral here.  

The landlords at The Fox & Hounds in Waterlooville are delighted that they will soon get the chance to flex their culinary muscles.

Alan Farrington and Sarah-Jane Gormely are set to open their brand new kitchen - which will allow them to serve food at the pub for the first time - thanks to a helping hand from Admiral.

The couple are now looking forward to getting started on creating their own menu with the help of Mypubfood.co.uk 

Read more about Alan and Sara in this article from The News (Portsmouth) and find out more about opportunities with Admiral.

Annette and Chris Price, who run The Hare & Hounds pub in Luzley, have been presented with an Admiral Taverns Achievement Award in recognition of all their hard work. 

Annette and Chris have focused on offering good food made from locally sourced ingredients, and have transformed the pub into an extremely popular local.  

Read more about Annette and Chris here or find out more about opportunities with Admiral.

We're pleased to announce the successful completion of a financial restructuring which provides a stable foundation for the future. 

This move marks an end to recent speculation about Admiral Taverns' future and places us on a firm footing. There will be no impact on the day-to-day operations of the Group; business will continue as usual and the current management team will remain in position.

Our main concern throughout these negotiations has been to minimise disruption to our staff, partners and suppliers and we are happy to say that we have achieved this.

Landlords, tenants, suppliers and contractors should also be unaffected, and will continue to do business with is as they have previously.