Tuesday, 20 November 2012

Mote and beam

More complaints from the usual suspects about how supermarkets are killing pubs. But, as I’ve written before, surely if the pubs were successful in the first place there would be no pressure to convert them to alternative use. And, in most parts of the country, there’s no shortage of pubs for sale, so if there is a demand for pubs such premises will be snapped up, won’t they, even if others have closed?

Perhaps rather than whingeing about the results of the decline of pubs, those pointing the finger at Tesco should be looking at the causes. No amount of tinkering with planning law will save a single pub if the underlying demand is no longer there.

on

7 comments:

  1. Bill20 November 2012 at 19:51

    Down here in the Bristol area, a few pubs have been converted into Tescos and a good few more are in the pipeline. Most of the ones that have gone were failing shitholes which quite frankly aren't missed. However, some of the ones coming up for conversion were decent, well-supported boozers which the pubcos want to offload for short-term cash.

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  2. Sat In A Pub20 November 2012 at 20:23

    No it won't, but the wider point here is to apply the same regulations to everyone. I can't see what's wrong with that.

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  3. Curmudgeon20 November 2012 at 20:27

    Indeed, but all that will happen is pubs standing derelict for longer while the wheels of planning grind slowly.

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  4. nisakiman20 November 2012 at 20:35

    And the elephant has not yet left the room.

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  5. Cooking Lager20 November 2012 at 22:11

    Nice to see the campIng against lager and poor people drinking is at last a campaign for something.

    A campaign for boarded up buildings going derelict.

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  6. py021 November 2012 at 16:11

    Just because that particular landlord or pub co can't make the pub work doesn't make the pub untenable, it just means that it needs to change to keep up with the demands of the consumers.

    Adapt or die.

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  7. Curmudgeon21 November 2012 at 17:06

    Yes, but given that the size of the beer market in pubs has fallen by nearly two-thirds over the past thirty years, it is fatuous to argue that every single pub is potentially viable with a change of format. There are still simply too many pubs for the level of demand.

    ReplyDelete

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