UK: Beer firm spends Ј4 mil on smokers
London Pride brewer Fuller, Smith & Turner has said it is spending Ј4m to cater for customers forced out of its pubs by England's smoking ban, BBC announced June 8.
Money will be spent on improving the outside areas of its premises - and on erecting canopies, large umbrellas, and "more permanent structures".
The ban on smoking in enclosed public places, which already applies in the rest of the UK, begins on 1 July.
Fuller's announced a pre-tax profit up 23% to Ј22.1m in the year to March 31.
This did not include the contribution of its rival beer and pub company, Gales, bought in 2005, which took the profit up to Ј42.3m before tax.
At the end of March, Fuller's had 201 tenancies, 156 managed pubs and six hotels.
08 June, 2007
