OFT threat after IFBB leaves Cains out in the cold

The Dusanj brothers, the entrepreneurs who rescued Liverpool brewer Cains, have been snubbed by the Independent Family Brewers of Britain (IFBB). The brothers (pictured)​ believe the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) need to intervene after the IFBB made them wait a year before rejecting their application.

Said managing director Sudarghara Dusanj: "We believe we have a case under the OFT's anti-competition rules.

"The IFBB has a competitive advantage through group buying, joint promotion and marketing, and therefore we are now at a disadvantage."

The owners of Cains described the IFBB as "antiquated and arrogant". They said that a new rule that says brewers must have been brewing for 10 years, did not form any criteria initially demanded by the IFBB.

"It looks like the IFBB never intended to give us membership and it has closed shop," he said.

"It seems to have specifically introduced a new rule to exclude us and our legal advisers believe we have a case to refer the IFBB to the DTI and the Office of Fair Trading on the grounds they are abusing their position as a trade association."

The company was on its knees when the brothers bought Cains and 10 tied pubs from its Danish owners in the summer of 2002. Less than two years on, the company is back in profit. Cains' application to the IFBB took 13 months to process before being rejected.

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