Pubs diversify as recession bites

http://www.morningadvertiser.co.uk/forum.ma/thread-for-post/64383

David, you know as well as I do that this industry, as it stands, is a sick bad joke. And Robert, the surface has been scratched in the last two years but nothing changes, as you know, because the rot is set so deep.

We know who is culpable for the parlous state pubs are in. So do CAMRA; FSB; SIBA; JFL; ALMR; FAIR PINT; BEERCOTT; THE SHEFFIELD REBELS and everyone else in the industry from brewers to wine and spirit suppliers; AWP; dry goods; Draymen to commercial estate agents. The exceptions to the rule are: BBPA; FLVA; BII - SURVEYORS and ARBITRATORS who all know but won't admit it. Bread with butter on two sides. BBPA alone has a budget the other side can only dream of; it's a cliff to climb.

The government IS getting there but of course there's a lot of stuff to distract 'them' and they don't like dipping their toes in markets. It's our job to make sure they intervene because no one else is going to.