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Tuesday, October 04, 2011

Peter

You may think this is the result of paranoia but if you think about the MA website rationally; having had a fairly OK stab at a working site before and with the experience of the Publican forum being a day out all the time because it was totally moderated (badly moderated) MA have had plenty of opportunity to get it right and what they've come up with is shite. I think the forum has been tucked up like that deliberately to stifle open responsive free flowing debate - the pubcos absolutely hate it and do have a lot of influence over what happens in publications - and it's worked because barely anyone posts anymore.

Thanks for offering your encouragement - it's all very interesting, not sure where it will end up but I'm going to keep pushing hard everywhere I can to get the PPP going.

As you are planning to get into the pub trade - you will find it hard to find out anything concrete about these pub companies Peter, believe me, they make it deliberately so - they don't want people knowing what they get up to. Seriously, they are secretive because so much of what they do is dubious and over the edges of any form of contemporary acceptable business practice. They are in it for cash only and nothing else, The pubcos that are part of family brewers are exactly the same (until proven otherwise) except the Families believe they have a god given right to shaft tenants so they can keep their thousand acre estates and striped blazers in good nick. With the other pubco's it's just employees earning bonuses and running on hamster wheels trying to make shareholder value stack up - and they're all being dragged down by their own unsustainable business behaviour they are in denial about. It's all very schizophrenic.

I strenuously recommend that you avoid any form of tied agreement whatsoever. Wellington are by default not such a bad pubco because it's without tie. I've seen several Wellington sites in pretty good locations - far better than the Sun and Doves - and their rents have been a lot less than mine but I cannot comment on their ethics or anything else. I'd rather have a fot lease with them than a tied lease with anyone ever.

If you's like to talk anything through sometime - do give me a call. I can probably put you in touch with people who can help with pretty much any aspect of pubs whatever comes up.

Be careful out there!

Best

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