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Tag: nightlife

  • Sydney Plans 20 Entertainment Zones to Boost 5,000 Nightlife Businesses

    Sydney Plans 20 Entertainment Zones to Boost 5,000 Nightlife Businesses

    The Council of the City of Sydney plans to establish more than 20 special entertainment precincts. The zones will support approximately 5,000 hospitality, dining and cultural venues across the city.

    Public consultation on the live music and late-night trading zones runs until November 26. Councillors will consider final endorsement after the review.

    Tailored Sound Rules and State Incentives

    Designated precincts will let the local council tailor sound rules and trading hours to individual streets. Operators inside the zones can also qualify for NSW Government incentives. These perks include extended trading hours and discounts on liquor licence fees.

    City leaders want to reverse foot traffic losses after Sydney dropped behind Melbourne in national nightlife rankings. Noise regulation will shift away from individual resident complaints. Clear precinct-level thresholds will replace them.

    “Special entertainment precincts are about supporting the live music, cultural and hospitality venues that make Sydney a global city, while ensuring residents continue to enjoy a high quality of life,” said Lord Mayor of Sydney, Clover Moore AO.

    Operating Pressures Across Commercial Districts

    Hospitality venues across Australian metropolitan centres face high rents, wage costs and restrictive licensing laws. These pressures have curtailed late-night patronage over the past decade. Blanket limits have also depressed commercial yields for landlords and food and beverage tenants during weekday and late weekend trading windows.

    The overhaul gives operators certainty to schedule live performances and extend dining shifts without facing sudden noise penalties. Execution risk centres on municipal coordination. Inconsistent enforcement across neighbouring council boundaries could dilute patron traffic.

    Enforcement Shift After Lockout Policy Repeals

    State and municipal authorities have spent years adjusting regulations to rebuild nighttime activity following the repeal of Sydney’s lockout laws. Previous piecemeal reforms struggled to deliver uniform foot traffic recovery across fragmented commercial strips.

    By grouping venues under statutory precincts, municipal planners now treat nightlife infrastructure as a commercial asset rather than a residential nuisance.

    Council Decision and Newtown Expansion

    Following the close of public feedback on November 26, the proposal will return to the Council of the City of Sydney for a final vote. The authority will then begin joint consultation with Inner West Council in early 2027 to establish a separate special entertainment precinct along King Street in Newtown.

  • The Beer Café’s 40th outlet at Delhi with new concept

    The Beer Café’s 40th outlet at Delhi with new concept

    The Beer Café, India’s largest alco-beverage chain, has opened its 40th outlet at Delhi’s Aerocity. Enhancing the beering experience for its patrons, this brand-new outlet is the only place in the city to offer a whopping 16 varieties of the fresh and delicious ale on tap. With a food menu that perfectly complements the golden brew and an energetic and lively ambience that is a hallmark of the brand, The Beer Café is definitely the new must-visit spot for beer lovers in Delhi/NCR.

    Aerocity is fast emerging as one of the most posh and upmarket locales in the Delhi-NCR region. Not only has it become the hub for some of the most vibrant F&B brands in the city, it is also a hotspot for a variety of lifestyle and cultural events. Further, its easy connectivity to the airport and other bustling locations in the city such as Gurgaon, Vasant Kunj and Dwarka made Aerocity the perfect choice for the newest The Beer Café in the capital.

    The brand has been a pioneer of casual, inviting, neighborhood hangout spaces in India. The innovations in providing superior consumer experiences have played a key role in establishing its domain leadership in India.

    With this 40th outlet that serves more beers on tap than any other bar or hangout space in the city, The Beer Café has elevated the benchmark for social drinking experiences in the city yet again.

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  • Vietnam’s largest brewery, foreign-owned, refuses to humor taxman

    Vietnam’s largest brewery, foreign-owned, refuses to humor taxman

    While Sabeco is still at loggerheads with the taxman over alleged back taxes of $135.73 million, it has not provisioned for it. Its 2018 accounts make no mention of the amount in dispute though the HCMC Tax Department has claimed it owes that in taxes and fines and even tried to seize the money from the company’s bank account. Vietnam’s largest brewer, Saigon Beer Alcohol Beverage Corporation (Sabeco), claims it has accurately declared and paid taxes based on guidance from the Ministry of Finance and tax authorities.

    A month ago the department said it would seize VND3.1 trillion ($135.73 million) from the brewery’s bank account for overdue special consumption tax payable between 2007 and 2015 and penalties for administrative violations. But there was reportedly no money in the account.

    Le Duy Minh, deputy head of the tax department, said the account has been temporarily blocked.

    “We have asked Sabeco to provide details of other bank accounts, but it has not fulfilled that request.”

    Sabeco general director Neo Gim Siong Bennett said in a statement on December 30 that Sabeco had not violated any tax regulations.

    Thus, the enforcement action by the tax department was a violation of Vietnamese laws since it was taken “without a valid administrative decision” and “contradicts the written guidance issued by the finance ministry, General Department of Taxation and the city department itself.”

    Speaking about the dispute, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc earlier this month asked the tax authorities to desist from action and wait for related ministries and other agencies to come to a decision.

    Mai Tien Dung, Chairman of the Prime Minister’s Office said that government agencies are scrutinizing the case as it involves “foreign elements.”

    Sabeco’s revenues last year rose 5 percent to more than VND36 trillion ($1.56 billion) but higher expenses and falling profits at its joint venture and affiliate companies caused its profit after tax to fall by 11 percent to VND4.4 trillion ($191 million).

    In December 2017 Thai Beverage acquired a 53.59 percent stake in Sabeco from the Ministry of Industry and Trade for $4.84 billion through a local entity, Viet Beverage (VietBev).

    Sabeco now has a 42.8 percent of the beer market, according to the Ho Chi Minh City Securities Corporation. It produced nearly 1.85 billion liters of beer last year.

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  • Vietnam liquor maker makes a loss, 4 years in a row

    Vietnam liquor maker makes a loss, 4 years in a row

    Nation’s leading liquor maker Halico has reported a loss of VND75 billion ($3.22 million) for 2018. With Vietnamese consumers moving towards foreign brands, the 120-year-old liquor maker, in which Vietnam’s second biggest brewery Habeco has 54.29 percent ownership and British multinational Diageo holds a 45.5 percent stake, Halico has reported losses for the fourth year in a row.

    It reported a loss of over VND20 billion ($859,780) in the fourth quarter of 2018, raising the total annual loss to VND75 billion ($3.22 million).

    In its annual statement for 2018, Halico’s board expressed doubts that the company can continue operating, with Vietnamese consumer tastes shifting to imported beer and foreign alcoholic products. It conceded that it has failed to capture younger consumer segments.

    In addition, Diageo has been unable to negotiate any substantial supply contracts with foreign partners, so the company has not been able to do well in exports.

    Furthermore, management costs have risen to over 60 percent of revenue. Despite a 30 percent rise in sales in 2018 (VND155 billion or $6.66 million), the difference was not able to compensate for expenses incurred.

    The Hanoi Liquor Joint Stock Company was originally a Hanoi winery, founded in 1898 and equitized in 2004 with initial charter capital of nearly VND50 billion ($2.15 million).

    In early 2011, Diageo Plc, a British multinational alcoholic beverages company, acquired an 18.67 percent stake in Halico for a total of VND800 billion ($34.4 million) from investment fund VinaCapital.

    Diageo is the world’s biggest liquor company, owning famous brands such as Johnnie Walker, Bailey and Smirnoff. It bought another 26.83 percent stake in 2012, hoping to cash in on the growing consumer market.

    Halico’s accumulated losses at the end of last year topped VND330 billion ($14.19 million), 1.6 times higher than its current charter capital at VND200 billion ($8.6 million).

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  • Knows more : Rahul Singh, Founder & CEO, The Beer Café India

    Knows more : Rahul Singh, Founder & CEO, The Beer Café India

    With multiple awards like; Images Coca Cola Golden Spoon Award, India Restaurant Congress Award, Times Nightlife Award and ET Now Business and Service Excellence Award, the consumer and industry has recognized this startup as a blockbuster. Singh is the recipient of the TiECON 2010 Entrepreneurial Award for Excellence and holds the position of the Honorary Secretary for the NRAI (National Restaurant Association of India). He was also bestowed with the Prestigious Entrepreneur India 2015 Award in F&B services.

    Before he started The Beer Café, Singh was CEO, Greg Norman Collection India from 2007-09. In that role he spearheaded the brand’s operations involving sales, marketing and manufacturing.

    Prior to 2007, he was the Executive Director at Reebok India for 8 years and was a part of their leadership team, also setup a robust sourcing base for exports from South Asia.

    As a textile engineer, he brings in an analytical approach to each line of enterprise that he gets into. He has undergone training in draught beer technology at Micromatic Institute in Florida, USA.

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  • Kenanga Malaysia raises earnings outlook for Carlsberg

    Kenanga Research has increased its FY18 and FY19 earnings for Carlsberg Brewery Malaysia Bhd on the back of improved contributions from Lion Brewery in Sri Lanka.

    “We increased our FY18E and FY19E earnings by 4.3% and 3.5% respectively as we improved contributions from Lion Brewery. Additionally, we increased our Malaysian demand assumptions following the stronger results,” it said in its report today.

    For the nine months ended Sept 30, the group reported core Patami of RM205 million, which amounted to 82% of Kenanga Research’s full-year expectations.

    “We deem this to be above but within our consensus estimates, mainly due to better-than-expected contribution from its Sri Lankan associate, Lion Brewery. Malaysian sales were also better than expected, subsequent to our previous adjustments for softer demand post-Sales and Services Tax (SST),” it said.

    Moving forward, it expects Carlsberg’s on-trade sales (at food and beverage establishments) to be dented by Sales and Services Tax finally kicking in, as these establishments would have to bear the brunt of both taxes.

    “We anticipate demand to be skewed towards the off-trade market (retails, supermarkets), albeit being a lower margin channel. Still, the group’s continued emphasis on its premium mix could bolster the overall performance in the local scene,” it said.

    Meanwhile, HLIB Research does not expect any hike in alcohol excise duty as the structure is already the third highest globally.

    “We opine a hike in excise duty would result in growth in the illicit market at the expense of the legal volumes, which will result in reduced tax collection. For this reason, a hike in alcohol excise duties is unlikely,” it said in its report.

    It expects the government and Royal Malaysian Customs to continue their efforts to fight contraband and strengthen the legitimate tax paying portion of the beer market in Malaysia and hence the government’s revenue collection of excise duty.

    On the recent increase in the minimum age for purchasing alcohol to 21, it expects this to result in lower industry volumes due to a smaller pool of legal consumers.

    HLIB Research maintained its “buy” call with an unchanged target price of RM22.70.

    Carlsberg’s share price fell 1.62% or 32 sen to close at RM19.40 with 51,600 shares traded. It was one of the top losers on the bourse this week.

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