L&E pubs set to ape Tesco model

London & Edinburgh Inns pubs are aiming to become 'the new Tesco' of licensed retailing to counter the impact of smoking restrictions and take advantage of the new licensing laws.

Punters will be able to pick up their laundry, book a holiday and even buy a car from an L&E pub under 'revolutionary' plans revealed this week.

A total of 16 new services will be available to all 750 leased, tenanted and managed pubs in the L&E estate. There are even plans to extend the service to non-L&E venues.

The first three services were launched on Tuesday. They were 'Inn2shop', where pubs can order meat and other products to sell from the pub; 'Inndian Reservation' - high quality Indian food for a takeaway; and 'Inn2swallow', where customers can book a place at a hotel in L&E's Swallow hotels division.

Two other services are expected to be launched by the end of the year: 'Inn2A3', offering licensees kiosks in shopping malls; and 'Folf', a game invented by L&E chairman Alan Bowes, which is a cross between football and golf.

Other services will include 'Inn2motors' car sales, 'Bloominn' flower sales, 'Jacketinn' laundry service and 'Inn2music' music sales.

'We are not talking about being a corner shop. What we are talking about becoming is the Tesco of pubs,' said Bowes.

L&E special projects manager Neil Stokes said: 'The whole idea is to overcome the negative impact of legislation, particularly regarding smoking.

'When the smoking ban comes in, some pubs will do all right and some are going to struggle. We need to give people more reason to come to our pubs.'

He said: 'Some of our tenants will feel they'll find it hard to compete (under the new licensing laws). We are trying to give them whatever edge we can.'

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