Punch vows to cut rogue recruitment firms from its list

Punch Taverns has unveiled a new plan aimed at ensuring rogue recruitment firms keep their hands off its pubs.

The pub company's action follows complaints about the role of pubcos in allowing dubious firms to lease multiple sites within their estates.

This comes after a Publican investigation found licensees had been misled by a raft of companies offering training and the promise of a placement in a pub, in return for a payment of thousands of pounds.

Punch launched a probe into these companies - and in particular its relationship with Barber Lettings and its sister companies including Greyfriars Taverns.

Barber Lettings went into administration last February leaving a number of licensees in Punch pubs high and dry.

Now Punch is implementing a new range of safeguards to ensure these rogue companies are weeded out before they can take on the lease of any of its pubs. It has also carried out checks on all the multiple operators it leases pubs to already.

Francis Patton, customer relations director at Punch Taverns, said: "It doesn't do anyone any good to have these operators. It gives the industry a bad name.

"We are absolutely adamant we are going to stamp these companies out."

He confirmed that the majority of multiple tenants operated well, but said Punch wanted to target the small number of rogue recruitment companies which have been taking on its tenancies.

"We have to make sure these type of operators do not exist. It is in everyone's interest to rout out any of these people," he said.

Licensee of Punch pub the Queen Edith, in Cambridge, Paul St. John Campbell, lost £4,000 to Greyfriars Taverns. He said: "It's nice to hear Punch is doing something about it but its a bit late.

"I would like to see these companies stamped out."

New checks by Punch Taverns​

• Companies House checks to be made and accounts checked
• VAT certificates to be requested
• Individual checks on company directors and senior managers
• A new manager form so the company can monitor the turnover of managers per pub
• Area managers to visit the individual managers in these pubs and not just deal with the multiple operators direct
• Punch will get a copy of the employment contracts of each manager.