Ex-tenant fuming over Samuel Smith's 'bullies'

by Ewan Turney

A former Samuel Smith tenant has accused the company of bullying him into quitting after 22 years' service.

Peter Gaskell left the Swan Inn in Holmes Chapel, Cheshire, on 15 August after a series of bust-ups with the company.

Gaskell claimed the brewery threatened him with increased rent if he continued to sell alcopops.

He said the brewery threatened to punish him by increasing beer prices for three months and tried to triple his rent.

Bosses wanted to turn the pub into a managed house, he claimed. The trouble started when Gaskell continued to stock alcopops against the company's wishes.

'I continued to sell them until the area manager told me if I carried on stocking the drinks, my rent would be increased dramatically,' he said.

However, worse was to follow when the company chose to switch all wines and spirits to its own-label versions.

Gaskell wrote to management informing them he would make the switch after he had shifted his existing stock, which had been purchased from the brewery anyway.

Gaskell claimed brewery chairman Humphrey Smith visited the pub and noted both brands of spirits were on sale.

'As a result, my main selling lines, draught bitter and lager increased by more than £100 per barrel,' Gaskell said.

'This was a punishment, I was told, for continuing to sell wines and spirits other than their own brand, even though they had a letter stating my intentions. I was also threatened, that if I increased the selling price to offset this, the price would go up more.'

Gaskell and his wife cancelled pension payments, dug into savings and arranged a 'substantial' overdraft.

In April Gaskell was told his rent would triple so he quit.

Federation of Licensed Victuallers Associations chief executive Tony Payne said: 'If what he said is true then it is unfair trading as he has had certain conditions put on him that others did not. He could report them to trading standards.'

Samuel Smith's declined to comment.