It never fails to amaze me at the lunacy of a certain pubco boss for he seems oblivious of people’s feeling, financial worries, the community involved or even the people his pubs supposedly entice!
Yes, I’ve got to name names so, Mr Ted Tuppen please step forward and accept this accolade from me, an ex-punter of Enterprise Inns. I say ‘ex’ for having watched your pathetic antics in agreeing with the smoking ban in the first place you condemned the majority of your house of cards estate to the dustbin for without smokers you were bound to fall from grace & favour. Certainly, the only proof needed is to observe your dramatic share price fall over the past 4 years. Some, who foresaw the obvious pending doom, sold their shares as fast as they could as there was only one-way shares could possibly go as 68% of customers, the core base, departed for shores supermarket!
The absolute greed of the pub-co has been well advertised since the smoking ban amplified the great disparity between ‘tied’ house and non ‘tied’ houses-which is exactly why freedom2choose fully support the actions of Justice for Licensees & Fair Pint-who both want the tie obliterated.
The news today from Huddersfield shows all the above up in its most miserable ‘glory’ as Tuppen has decreed that rental increases of £5,000 per year. Quote: – Enterprise Inns are hiking up rents by £5,000 a year – meaning Alan and Elaine Jarvis, of the White Swan in Kirkburton, may have to close their doors.
Now correct me if I am wrong here but the pubs are struggling since the smoking ban was implemented. In fact so are the clubs, So are snooker halls and Bingo halls as people are forced to go outside every time they fancy a cigarette. In fact, for ‘Father Ted’s’ information, 9,000 businesses have fallen by the wayside over the past 4 years-many of them once appertaining to Enterprise Inns themselves!
£5,000 per annum is roughly £100 per week-OK, for the pedantics among us it is actually £96.153846 per week extra in rent. Where does Tuppen think this not inconsiderable amount is going to come from now that he has already readily disposed of his best customers-smokers?
To top matters up Alan Jarvis added, “Per barrel of Carling or Tetley’s, they are charging us £200 more than what it would cost if I bought it free trade.”
That, to me, tells the whole story-Tuppen has had an offer for the premises, the land, whatever so forcing the tenant out in these cash strapped times is easy-peasy for it is not difficult to make a pub unprofitable these days-just ensure the beer they sell (or try to) is the dearest in the area!
I would simply suggest that Alan & Elaine simply pack their bags and move on, cut their losses and save themselves an awful lot of heartache for Tuppen has a heart of stone-he’s already proved that! You would think that having made one almighty business bloomer (the smoking ban) the man would hold his hands up and fight against that which he originally agreed with that will now put him out of business as it is very doubtful that debts can be totally cleared!
Alan’s fight against the rent rises means that he will have to quit the pub he loves by September 26.
Having watched Tuppen’s dismal performance over the past 5 years I’m afraid I wouldn’t even wait until the executioner’s date-I would walk away and leave Tuppen to it, just another once good, solid local boozer down the swanee. People like Tuppen really should be charged with criminal negligence-mind you, government should be prosecuted for purposeful business destruction on the whim of a hysterical health lobby organisation acting on the most dubious of evidence!
Too many good, honest little boozers have gone to the wall, as well as subsidiary businesses but government doesn’t seem to care at all. All they seem to care about is keeping the health lobby happy-WHY? They will be the architects of our demise without a doubt. They want us all to believe we will live to be centenarians but don’t give a damn that no country/government can afford a generation of such people!
What the health lobby will produce is a nation of miserable, poor people, frightened to death of longevity-for they will not be able to afford to maintain themselves – but they will still smoke if they so wish and they will wistfully think of the days when pubs were the norm!