The BARREL DREGS: What's Really STILL Going on in the Tied Sector.

Can't understand kevin drolly calling me General - I have not any troops save for my fifteen employees. The truth is kevin and I, and most other contributors here are in the same business and share essentially the same concerns about our livelihood and prospects.

I will argue, given my TIED situation of course, that I cannot compete with free of tie operators and make a living because I set the benchmark for prices locally and, in fact, Wetherspoons use my price list as a comparison to sell themselves as being good value - along with the prices of the local M&B outlet and the Enteprise leased George Canning which, incidentally, closed last Saturday for the third time in a year having failed yet again due to too high rent and beer prices.

I am one of the founders of the Fair Pint Campaign because I learned over years that I am not able to make a profit out of my business - due to the overbearing costs of my tied lease. My pub is very busy by any comparison with local competition and I have the busiest pub in the area. This is the only reason I'm still here, albeit earning nothing out of it, I run the busiest pub in the area. All the other pubs, bar one tied who's in a much better footfall position than I am, have churned at LEAST three times in the fifteen years I've been here. Most of them more than that. Some have been well funded and well set up but they have all gone bouncy breasts with erect nipples up. The simple reason for this is they are all over rented and they all pay double what they ought for their beer - their pubcos take all their potential profit, leaving the pub with nothing to invest in the business which is needed to sustain repeat trade year in year out.

It's Ground Hog day. I posted the Barrel Dregs because it was there. I could have done it with an alias but what for? I post as I am - and anyone can find me if they want - just as with kevin.