High-street pubs limit extra drinking hours

by Tony Halstead

Major high-street pub operators have limited their new drinking hours applications to between one and two extra hours.

A straw poll of managed house companies reveals that many pubs will only open their doors until about 1am when new hours come into effect in November.

Only a limited number plan to serve alcohol to 2am, with a few selected outlets in high- profile trading areas applying for a later finish. Response from the companies effectively rebuts claims that Britain's town and cities will be awash with 24-hour drinking when the new laws are introduced.

Trade associations have long argued that few companies in- tended to apply for sweeping changes and would only seek one or two hours extra at most.

JD Wetherspoon says that the bulk of pubs in its 600-strong estate across England and Wales have applied to open until midnight or 12.30am. Most of its estate has applied to open their doors at 7am for breakfast, but alcohol will not be served until at least 9am.

'Generally our pubs just want the odd extra hours, although there will be some houses that have applied for longer to suit their specific trading environments, said spokesman Eddie Gershon.

Laurel, which has 420 high-street bars, has, in the main, gone for just an extra hour or two on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. 'We are acutely aware of our social responsibilities, a spokesman stressed.

The Barracuda Group, which operates 160 pubs, said the maj-ority of its estate had applied for a midnight cutoff, although its Barracuda Bars and Varsity outlets are seeking a 1am finish.

'The hours we have applied for depend very much on the specific type of operation, but it would be difficult to produce a business strategy that could justify opening deep into the early hours, said public relations manager Emma Currin.

Britain's biggest managed house operator, the Spirit Group, said it had applied for a 1am finish with an hour's drinking-up time across the majority of its estate.

London brewer Fuller's said the average application made for its managed pubs varied between one and two hours.

Dave Daley, president of pub managers' union NALHM, said he was not surprised to hear details of the proposed hours.

'It was clear long ago that few pubs were going to open way into the early hours and talk of 24-hour drinking was totally ridiculous.

'It is simply not profitable for many pubs to open way into the night and that has clearly governed the thinking on this, he stated.

Federation of Licensed Vic-tuallers Associations chief exec- utive Tony Payne said: 'I think the hours pubs are applying for may surprise people, particularly those who have been so critical of the industry.