CLH News #216 September 2018

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Property and Professional

ISSUE 216

CLHNews

SEPTEMBER 2018

Landlords Blame Cheap Supermarket “Booze” for Closures

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Please call David Hunter of The Bowden Group for an informal chat about how we can HELP YOU

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HOTELS, RESTAURANTS, PUBS & CATERING

Cheap supermarket booze rather than alcohol taxes is the main reason why pubs are closing, according to a major new survey of North East landlords – while few have seen any benefit from tax cuts in alcohol duty over recent years. Those are two of the main findings from a major survey of publicans who were asked for their views on why British pubs are under pressure, future prospects for their business, and what landlords think the Government could do to tackle alcohol harm while helping our pubs to flourish. The survey was commissioned by Balance, the North East Alcohol Office, and carried out by independent researchers. With 70% of alcohol sold in the North East now bought from supermarkets and off licenses, it found: • Cheap alcohol in supermarkets and off licenses was the top reason given by landlords as to why they think pubs are closing. • 67% say drinking patterns have changed in recent years, including customers coming out less and more customers pre-loading. • 3 out of 4 landlords said increasing supermarket alcohol prices would help tackle alcohol harm, and 64% say it is the best way the Government could support the pub trade.

• Only 4% of landlords named taxes on alcohol as one of the main causes of pub closures while 89% said that recent cuts in alcohol duty had not helped their business. Just 7% said cuts in alcohol tax have helped. • Around half of landlords support Minimum Unit Price for alcohol – a policy which would tackle the cheapest supermarket alcohol while leaving 99% of pub prices untouched. • Almost half of landlords (45%) think the UK has an unhealthy relationship with alcohol. • 78% said tougher drink drive regulations would help tackle alcohol harm. Cuts on alcohol duty are often presented as a highprofile measure to help pubs, but analysis by the Institute of Alcohol Studies has found they instead accelerate the shift towards supermarkets, making it harder for pubs to compete. Price comparisons for August 2018 show it is possible to buy 30 cans of 4.8% premium lager for £21 from one major supermarket – just 70p a can. In 2017 alcohol duty was cut in real terms for the fifth year out of six. It has been calculated these policies will have cost the Treasury an incredible £8.1 billion by 2023 – enough to pay for either 34 million emergency ambulance call outs, 52,000 social care packages for older people, or 60 million hospital outpatient appointments.

Colin Shevills, Director of Balance, the North East Alcohol Office, said: “Britain’s pubs are clearly under pressure and we wanted to hear what local landlords are feeling. Too often the reasons for closures are put forward by multinational alcohol producers who have as much of a stake in selling it from supermarkets as in protecting the British pub. “Landlords are clearly feeling the impact of cheap supermarket and off license alcohol, and they want something done about it. One of the patterns they have seen over recent years is fewer people coming out and more people pre-loading with cheap alcohol. “The message is clear: it seems alcohol tax cuts are not passed down to pubs or their locals, and landlords want a more even playing field with supermarkets. One way to close that growing gap between on and off trade would be the introduction of a minimum unit price for alcohol in England.” Professor Sir Ian Gilmore, a liver physician and chairman of the Alcohol Health Alliance, said: “At a time when our NHS is facing funding pressures and the Government has promised the NHS an extra £20.5 billion by 2023/24, the question is why we have seen several years of tax giveaways to the alcohol industry. (CONTINUED ON PAGE 3...)

RETURN TO PROFIT

Let us help you put your business back into profit...

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If your business IS profitable, but you need it to be MORE Profitable, David Hunter can do this for you. David will ‘’benchmark’’ your business against the current market, and will tell you what SHOULD and CAN be achieved by that particular and individual business. David will work with you and your Team to deliver that essential improvement in Profitability.

We will tailor a package that is realistic… and practical, for you… Please call David Hunter of The Bowden Group about how we can HELP you…

07831 407984 or 01628 487613

HOTELS, RESTAURANTS, PUBS & CATERING

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