Who's to blame for pub closures?

[Shimano105]

What with MF's boutique offy and SY's diy approach, one thing can't be denied: boozers are a dying breed. I still go to them but only on an occassion. The days of just nipping down the boozer on a weekday evening seem a long time ago.

I personally blame the breweries, making landlords buy things at an inflated price so there is no margin left. Excluding Wethers, beer seems to have a £3 an upwards ticket now, way too expensive.

I also think that the chains have an agenda as well. They seem to buy failing pubs and run them down. Next thing they are selling them off for building land.

Smoking ban - well it's had an impact, but it is only 1 factor in a chain reaction. Another is that there is just more to do at home these days. You don't have to sit round the telly watching Coronation Street and being bored off your tits, now there is t'web, gaming, tv on demand and so forth.

So pubs are just going to be come occasional places from now on I guess (with Wethers catering for the doleys).

I really resent the breweries trying to pass the buck onto the client with the 'use it or lose it' tag - if we could freakin' afford to we would!

[AtW]

I personally blame the breweries, making landlords buy things at an inflated price so there is no margin left. Excluding Wethers, beer seems to have a £3 an upwards ticket now, way too expensive.

That's the main reason - it should have never been legal to force tenant to buy stuff at inflated prices that is sold to others much cheaper from same place, however they somehow argued that it is not anti-competitive...

Supermarket booze prices are also way too cheap.

[Shimano105]

How can you argue for unrestricted purchasing powers for breweries but want to restrict supermarkets? I say make/leave them both unrestricted.

Pubs should always be more expensive than Supermarkets, the massive differences we see now only serve to highlight how much the breweries are ripping pubs off by.

[MarillionFan]

£3.60 for a Stella at the pub next to my house.
£2.60 at Wetherspoons
£2.40 when I was in Leeds recently.

We're getting seriously ripped off by breweries and by being in the South!

Btw. Did make an offer on a pub a few years back but someone offered more. They're doing really well on their Free of Tie place.

[AtW]

How can you argue for unrestricted purchasing powers for breweries but want to restrict supermarkets? I say make/leave them both unrestricted.

Supermarkets sell a lot of cheap booze at a loss - this should not be allowed as it's unfair competition, also setting minimum sell price for ALL players is not an unfair restriction, say cigarettes are more or less the same price at supermarket and at a vending machine in a pub.

If someone pays lease for something they should not be forced to buy goods from landlord at inflated prices - that's unfair contract.

What really pisses me off is that due to this tulip some good beers like Stella disappearing and instead they get replaced by tulip like St Miguel

[Shimano105]

The £2.40 in Leeds must have been a Wethers or a promotion - I can assure you that most Leeds City centre pubs would be charging £3.50 to £4

[Paddy]

What with MF's boutique offy and SY's diy approach, one thing can't be denied: boozers are a dying breed. I still go to them but only on an occassion. The days of just nipping down the boozer on a weekday evening seem a long time ago.

I personally blame the breweries, making landlords buy things at an inflated price so there is no margin left. Excluding Wethers, beer seems to have a £3 an upwards ticket now, way too expensive.

I also think that the chains have an agenda as well. They seem to buy failing pubs and run them down. Next thing they are selling them off for building land.

Smoking ban - well it's had an impact, but it is only 1 factor in a chain reaction. Another is that there is just more to do at home these days. You don't have to sit round the telly watching Coronation Street and being bored off your tits, now there is t'web, gaming, tv on demand and so forth.

So pubs are just going to be come occasional places from now on I guess (with Wethers catering for the doleys).

I really resent the breweries trying to pass the buck onto the client with the 'use it or lose it' tag - if we could freakin' afford to we would!

Business Rates kill pubs and businesses. The greedy Fuc£ers at the City Council. If on a quiet night a pup takes £300. 30% profit before overheads will leave £100. Business Rates can take £60 out of that leaving £40.

[MarillionFan]

The £2.40 in Leeds must have been a Wethers or a promotion - I can assure you that most Leeds City centre pubs would be charging £3.50 to £4

Sorry. I meant Manchester.

All you Northeners look the same to me.

[Gonzo]

That's the main reason - it should have never been legal to force tenant to buy stuff at inflated prices that is sold to others much cheaper from same place, however they somehow argued that it is not anti-competitive...

This cannot be the cause of the latest round of pub closures because the Breweries acted exactly the same twenty years ago but the pubs did not shut down then.

[HairyArsedBloke]

£3.60 for a Stella at the pub next to my house.
£2.60 at Wetherspoons
£2.40 when I was in Leeds recently.

We're getting seriously ripped off by breweries and by being in the South!

Stella is a bad example.

I was talking to one of the junior managers of a pub in the City. They have a minimum price arrangement with other pubs in the area in co-operation with the police on products like wife beater.

Other products, like your average cooking bitter, are high but not to the same extent as Stella.

I've never really believed that price works as a means to stop excessive drinking. From my observations the more rowdy establishments have the highest prices anyway.