Punch injunction over sweet rebellion
A Punch host has been giving away free beer to customers buying sweets - in an attempt to buy out of his tie without breaching his agreement.
But Punch has now served an injunction on him claiming he has breached his lease terms.
LoopholeNeil Cox, at the Original Masons in Walbottle, Newcastle claims Punch's beer prices are so expensive he was forced to look for a loophole.
Cox has been serving free pints and halves with sweets - but Punch has served an injunction against him.
He said: "Punch were charging us £203.71 plus VAT for a 22 gallon barrel of Carling - they buy it for £65 so that's a 188% mark up. In our agreement it says we can only sell alcohol bought from them - at the moment we don't sell alcohol - we dispense it as a free gift."
No salaryCox said he and his partner had not taken a salary from their business and struggled to meet their £72,000-a-year rent.
"The only way they have offered to help is to help us sell the lease, but then this will happen to someone else and we're going to fight them all the way. Lots of customers asked if they could contribute to a fighting fund," said Cox.
A Punch Taverns spokesperson said: "It is with regret that we have applied to the courts for an injunction against the Original Masons retailers, Mr Cox and Ms Bates. Despite offers to help with their business Mr Cox and Ms Bates have chosen a course that is clearly in breach of the terms of their lease." Your comments Mike Hallet via email 16/03/2006 "With regard to the article I have just read on the morning advertiser website about the landlord giving away free beer as a gift when you buy sweets I have this to say brilliant!!
I manager a small family run wholesale company in Yorkshire and get told by Coors that my beer prices are at top level discount (about 60.00 for an 11 of carling). Yet if this is so how are the pub cartels oops I mean companies able to get such huge discounts (65.00 for a 22 of carling) when
We should be living in an open market place.
If we lived on the continent my prices would be the same as everyone else's, thus not creating a closed market.
I get letters from the pub cartels, sorry companies threatening to sue me if I set foot in one of their pubs. Yes you read it right threats to sue! If we lived on the continent we wouldn't have the large pub cartels, oops there I go again I meant companies tying up licensees with everything down to the last piece of toilet roll because they just wouldn't put up with it.
A landlord cannot possibly make a living out of the trade any more if he has to buy his beer at £1.35 a pint and this is cheap I have customers who are paying £1.65 a pint from the cartel, sorry company they rent from, and are being charged sky high rents. The drinking population are not prepared to pay nearly 3 quid a pint, because their local landlord is being screwed. These people are getting desperate for things to change. The licensed trade is on
Its knees and pubs are shutting down by the dozen. Its time the monopolies commission took a long look at the trade and sorted it out.
Let me give you a quick analogy. I have a shoe shop that I rent, if the landlord of the building told me I had to buy my shoes from him he is closing down free trade. He cannot do this so I am free to buy my shoes from whomever I like.
Free trade! Why then are the pub companies sorry I do mean cartels allowed to dictate where the landlords stock comes from. A rent-paying tenant is not an employee of the pub cartel.
He works for himself yes that's right self employed this means that he cannot be told where to buy his products
From neither is he at liberty to allow cellar inspections or have the lines metered.
This is an infringement of human rights.
I have one piece of advice for anyone thinking about taking on a leasehold or tenanted pub doesn't.
You will be screwed out of every penny you invest and then thrown back out onto the streets with nothing. Please print this letter lets get the ball rolling and invite other people to voice their opinions on the subject." To comment on this or any other story email us by clicking this link
