Pages

Friday, February 29, 2008

RE: Inbev: UK beer volumes down 10.3%
Stephen,ever wondered why some Pubcos will pay sometimes big amounts of good cash money to buy back supply ties and totally lock themselves into a binding lease contract?Could it be that they are genuinely scared that the tie provisions might be succesfully challenged either in the UK or Europe.Thus they have to spend the money seeking the safety of the protection of a binding lease.Makes you think does it not!

RE: Inbev: UK beer volumes down 10.3%

After I had picked myself off the floor, I told my friend straight away what I thought he should do. I suppose in someway this is just another example of the sheer arrogance of the pubco. My friend is new to the pub trade and he has a lot to learn, he needs to do it quickly because if he doesn’t the landlord will have his pants around his ankles. The pubco BDM knew this and tried to exploit the situation. The offer was a disgrace and very one sided. In the very least my friend should have been told by his BDM to consult professional advice before accepting the offer.

David well said!

If the landlord has 100% of wet sales, how transparent is next rent review? 15-20% of turnover I would think.

No hidden agenda there…

I worked as a consultant for Whitbread (WPP) reporting into the main board inc David Thomas and developed the lease with them and it was without doubt the "best in class".

Graham,

“best in class” is a fabulous statement. Best in class for who?

What was different in the WPP lease to the other ones?

Stephen "best in class" as a lease deal without doubt. I helped and advised on a lease that allwed for a FREE OF TIE GUEST ALE yes my friend FREE OF TIE BEER, also FOT cider, stout, w.s.mins and FOT machine income. Now i challenge anyone to say that i am not on the side of the lessee. This lease contract was agreed by the main board and applied to over 5,000 pubs. If this was not "best in class"as a lease agreement.Stephen do show me a better and fairer deal.

Present agreements have come about due to the failure of pubcos to appreciate the needs of lessess and lessees to act in a fair and trustworthy manner. Argue that one if you can.

RE: Inbev: UK beer volumes down 10.3%

The only fairer deal I have seen is one that does not encompass the ‘tied structure’ on the pretence that the landlord is being hard done by in some shape or form!! If your lease was that great a model, why hasn’t it been adopted by all of the pubcos?? If it was ‘best in class’ why was it soon buried? 25 years in this business, 20 in the free of tie sector and I cant believe the smoke and hot air that has cloaked our beautiful industry……

this post replies to this post

Stephen

Graham's 'best in class' agreement sounds great the reason its not been adopted by all Pubco's is that its rubbish for them, how on earth could they gain such huge profits on rent alone. Without control over product pricing they can not squeeze the blood out of the tenants, as the rent is 'relatively fairly' reviewed under strict lease terms (leaving RPI increases aside). No - if tenants can not be squeezed then, perish the thought, pubs might actually be sustainable, and tenants would earn a living and not go bust. Without failures how would Pubco's prove to planning authorities that Pubs are unprofitable. The possibility of converting that 'land bank' of properties bought at relatively low values, but with huge redevelopment latent values would be lost. Some might think that Pubco's are nothing more than property developers with the tenants simply providing an income stream to sustain their outgoings.

It should be obvious by now that the 67 or more pubs closing a month in the UK are not freehold owner occupied pubs or indeed brewery owned pubs they're Pubco owned pubs, could it be because, contrary to their propaganda, they actually are not in the game to run pubs but to profit from a long term redevelopment program which involves the extinction of the traditional British pub, at the tenants expense, and they can sit back laughing at how ignorant we all are not noticing until it was too late ?

Who do we find is at the fore front of fighting this battle ? If media coverage is anything to go by - individual tenants, like Roxy at the Seven Stars. I am sure this is not right and ALMR, CAMRA, Freedom For Pubs etc. are doing their bit all the time but it seems so 'underground' not even the 'Resistance Movement' know about it, why is it not more public, surely it should be headlines. There must be hundreds perhaps thousands of us out there up for a scrap and only when we get together will anything comStephen

Who do we find is at the fore front of fighting this battle ? If media coverage is anything to go by - individual tenants, like Roxy at the Seven Stars. I am sure this is not right and ALMR, CAMRA, Freedom For Pubs etc. are doing their bit all the time but it seems so 'underground' not even the 'Resistance Movement' know about it, why is it not more public, surely it should be headlines. There must be hundreds perhaps thousands of us out there up for a scrap and only when we get together will anything come about.

As for your mate - DO NOT SURRENDER ANY FREEDOM he will regret the day he does. His sales split shows good proportion of food sales, I would suggest he continues to build on that, and can make his own choice on the wines he offers to accompany meals (instead of the over priced weasel pee no doubt offered by his Pubco). He is only doing 100 barrels which he probably is lucky to make a decent GP on so by all means keep the regulars happy and maintain that trade, but concentrate efforts on increasing food and sales of non tied products preferably by investing in some significant tenants improvements, as the effects of these improvements are more often than not disregarded at rent review so he may not have to pay the Pubco for the increase in turnover. He should check his lease terms carefully though.

P.S. who is the Pubco ?

RE: Inbev: UK beer volumes down 10.3%

Interesting reading:

Enterprise Inns official website

Investor Zone

Results and presentations

2008 Interim management statement

No comments:

Post a Comment