It has often been said that the greatest salesman for the pub trade is
the sunshine. No doubt about it, a sunny day encourages many to pop down
the pub for a refreshing pint. So what do we do when the clocks go
back, the sun stops shining and those dark dreary nights are upon us?
Well, what we do is lay on great events for pub goers to enjoy!
Do
you know that eight out of ten people count themselves as “pub goers”
and that fifteen million (yes million) visit the pub once a week. The
campaign “Its better down the pub” (see my previous blogs) continues to
encourage people to support their 'local' more.
There are some
great dates coming up: Halloween is now the third largest party date in
the pub calendar (after Christmas and Easter), followed by Bonfire Night
- when many pubs lay on a firework display. The month of November is
re-named “Movember” when men across the world grow moustaches to raise
money and awareness for male health charities - much of which happens
“down the pub”. 'Cask Ale Week' happens to promote the quality and
variety of Cask Ale. And then of course the Christmas season. These are
all 'special dates', and so many pubs now lay on really imaginative fun
activities to celebrate them.
So look out for what is happening in your local and get on down there!
Martin Read CMBII
Managing Director of Inn-Dispensable Personal Licence Courses
Friday 27 September 2013
Monday 23 September 2013
Should We Scrap Personal Licences And Risk Lawlessness in UK Pubs?
Personal Licences were introduced as part of the new Licensing Act 2003 (introduced on November 24th 2005) to effectively provide a qualification by way of training and examination, thereby ensuring those who sell alcohol (and authorise others to sell alcohol) actually know the law of the land and how to ensure alcohol is sold responsibly.
Sound thinking and sound rationale, which replaced the previous system where new licencees had to appear before a magistrate's bench and be challenged on their knowledge of licensing laws - with no national standards of interrogation. So far so good. Thousands of bar staff, off-licence staff and supermarket staff, etc, have achieved the required qualification which in turn has given them a foot on the ladder of professionalism in our industry. So why now should HMG believe it is not fit for purpose? Is it because local authorities have been so depleted of resource, they cannot cope with the administration? Is that what is really behind it?
There are flaws in the Personal Licence system, for example a pub could legally get by with just one Personal Licence Holder (who might also be the Designated Premises Holder, the person in overall charge of the day-to-day running of a Licenced Premises) then have another 6 staff who sell alcohol under the authority of the Personal Licence Courses Holder (you still with me?) but those 6 staff would not have need to have a CRB check (part of the Personal Licence requirement) at all and so could be villains galore.
Maybe the answer is that ALL those selling alcohol should have a Personal Licence, not do away with them?
If our industry is serious about raising professionalism, then understanding the Licensing Law is a vital start point. There's no point in studying: customer service, cellar management, financials controls, wine dispensing, menu planning, employment law, marketing, merchandising, chalkboard skills, pricing strategies, competitor activity - and about another 30 items that a real professional licencee or bar person needs to know - if the first thing you do is to serve someone under-age, or someone who appears to be intoxicated, or serve someone outside of permitted hours, only to find yourself heavily fined or sent to Prison!
Once again we see the UK Government looking to interfere where interference is not needed!
Martin Read CMBII
Managing Director of Inn-Dispensable Personal Licence Courses
Sound thinking and sound rationale, which replaced the previous system where new licencees had to appear before a magistrate's bench and be challenged on their knowledge of licensing laws - with no national standards of interrogation. So far so good. Thousands of bar staff, off-licence staff and supermarket staff, etc, have achieved the required qualification which in turn has given them a foot on the ladder of professionalism in our industry. So why now should HMG believe it is not fit for purpose? Is it because local authorities have been so depleted of resource, they cannot cope with the administration? Is that what is really behind it?
There are flaws in the Personal Licence system, for example a pub could legally get by with just one Personal Licence Holder (who might also be the Designated Premises Holder, the person in overall charge of the day-to-day running of a Licenced Premises) then have another 6 staff who sell alcohol under the authority of the Personal Licence Courses Holder (you still with me?) but those 6 staff would not have need to have a CRB check (part of the Personal Licence requirement) at all and so could be villains galore.
Maybe the answer is that ALL those selling alcohol should have a Personal Licence, not do away with them?
If our industry is serious about raising professionalism, then understanding the Licensing Law is a vital start point. There's no point in studying: customer service, cellar management, financials controls, wine dispensing, menu planning, employment law, marketing, merchandising, chalkboard skills, pricing strategies, competitor activity - and about another 30 items that a real professional licencee or bar person needs to know - if the first thing you do is to serve someone under-age, or someone who appears to be intoxicated, or serve someone outside of permitted hours, only to find yourself heavily fined or sent to Prison!
Once again we see the UK Government looking to interfere where interference is not needed!
Martin Read CMBII
Managing Director of Inn-Dispensable Personal Licence Courses
Friday 13 September 2013
Pubs to Drop Drinks Prices on September 25th
The campaign for a VAT reduction to 5% for the pub industry (Tax Parity Day) is hotting up!
The planned day of action looms where thousands of pubs are due to reduce their prices by 7.5% which would mirror the effect of the reduction of VAT to 5%, the anticipated effect of the action days is to see growth in sales of 8%. Sorry about all of the numbers, but it is a mathematical equation to underpin the message that a permanent VAT reduction would see growth of employment and development in the leisure sector.
Tax parity twixt pubs and supermarkets is the goal in all of this, which in turn would likely persuade more people to visit the pub rather that sit lonely at home supping Ale!
Here is the argument; Supermarkets in effect pay little or no VAT on food whereas pubs pay 20%, this enables supermarkets to subsidise their sales of alcohol, this in turns results in a huge gap between pub and supermarket prices. The VAT Club, headed up by Jaques Borel (see my previous blogs) are seeking to have VAT in pubs reduced to 5%, and their case is; Since a pint in a pub is three to four times more expensive than a supermarket the cash VAT per pint levied by the government would be similar in supermarkets and pubs if VAT was reduced as they suggest.
Just one issue, it apparently would cost HMG £12 billion to do it!
Support your pub, visit it on the day of action, put Wednesday 25th September into your diary!
The planned day of action looms where thousands of pubs are due to reduce their prices by 7.5% which would mirror the effect of the reduction of VAT to 5%, the anticipated effect of the action days is to see growth in sales of 8%. Sorry about all of the numbers, but it is a mathematical equation to underpin the message that a permanent VAT reduction would see growth of employment and development in the leisure sector.
Tax parity twixt pubs and supermarkets is the goal in all of this, which in turn would likely persuade more people to visit the pub rather that sit lonely at home supping Ale!
Here is the argument; Supermarkets in effect pay little or no VAT on food whereas pubs pay 20%, this enables supermarkets to subsidise their sales of alcohol, this in turns results in a huge gap between pub and supermarket prices. The VAT Club, headed up by Jaques Borel (see my previous blogs) are seeking to have VAT in pubs reduced to 5%, and their case is; Since a pint in a pub is three to four times more expensive than a supermarket the cash VAT per pint levied by the government would be similar in supermarkets and pubs if VAT was reduced as they suggest.
Just one issue, it apparently would cost HMG £12 billion to do it!
Support your pub, visit it on the day of action, put Wednesday 25th September into your diary!
Friday 6 September 2013
Newcastle Introduce Minimum Alcohol Pricing
"Call me Dave" (Cameron) couldn’t get it introduced, and so Newcastle City Council have gone alone and have introduced a minimum price per unit of alcohol of 50p as a price condition for all new licensed premises - in the on and off trades across the city.
Licensing solicitors John Gaunt suggest that this is not mandatory as the council says that it will 'encourage' compliance and says "it will be interesting to see what happens if and when the Licensing Authority choose to impose such a condition, and whether it will then stand up to the scrutiny of the higher courts".
Newcastle first, the rest of the country tomorrow?
Interesting eh?
Martin Read CMBII
Managing Director of Inn-Dispensable Personal Licence Courses
Licensing solicitors John Gaunt suggest that this is not mandatory as the council says that it will 'encourage' compliance and says "it will be interesting to see what happens if and when the Licensing Authority choose to impose such a condition, and whether it will then stand up to the scrutiny of the higher courts".
Newcastle first, the rest of the country tomorrow?
Interesting eh?
Martin Read CMBII
Managing Director of Inn-Dispensable Personal Licence Courses
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