Pubs blame discounts for beer sales slump

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Title – Pubs blame discounts for beer sales slump
Source – www.ft.com
Date – 28th July 2008

It’s a familiar story and one we have been covering in this blog for some time now; the decline of the ‘Great British Pub’. With an estimated 27 a week going under; tax rising; and the migration from pubs to supermarkets; even the bosses of some of the biggest listed ‘pub chains’ are now asking for more legislation. That is not something I ever thought I’d hear and reflects exactly how much the sector is suffering from what they see as ‘unfair’ competition and what some see as the increased burden of legislation without compensation.

Pubs have had a rough ride over the past few years. What many outside of the industry thought might be a ‘windfall’ when licensing was ‘relaxed’ under the 2003 Act never materialised as almost everyone in the sector predicted it wouldn’t; in many cases it actually added to the legislative burden on licensed retailers. The smoking ban came along and dealt another serious blow, as it led to a decline on on-sales and large reductions in income from certain activities such as gaming and all the while beer consumption has declined by 1.2 million pints a day, just in the last year.

On top of all of this, pubs are being blamed for many of the ills of society generally. Few of even the people within the sector will argue that alcohol consumption does not play a part in crime; but that they are being held culpable for so much of it, is what really is difficult to take. In the 1970’s when 90% of alcohol was consumed in licensed premises the argument that they had to burden much of the blame for any related social disorder held some weight, but in a age when within the next few years alcohol consumption outside of licensed premises will account for less than half of all alcohol consumed, the focus has to shift. It for this reason that the call has gone out for the introduction of ‘sensible legislation’

We have long been advocates of ‘sensible legislation’ and a more proactive approach by local authorities and government. We would welcome a more flexible approach that rewards responsible alcohol retailers and uses the already significant legislation available to stop those retailers who hold the vast majority back through their irresponsible practices.

Our Portfolio of Courses including the National Certificate for Personal Licence Holders (NCPLH) and the Award in Responsible Alcohol Retailers (ARAR), which are the first steps to training staff in best practice and creating responsible retailing practices. Responsible Alcohol Retailing allows you to stand out in a crowded and challenging business environment. The sector as a whole may be selling less beer, but the outstanding retailers are bucking that trend and taking a bigger slice of the pie than those that allow their businesses to run into ruin through poor practices.

Our Consultancy Service can help you to take a fresh look at your business and develop business actions plans to turn around or re-invigorate your business and place you squarely above your competition.

Please visit our website please visit at www.btbl.co.uk