More confirmation (as if it's needed) of the dire straits we're in — the rate of pub closure is accelerating, says the Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers (ALMR).
Last year we said goodbye to 1,400 pubs. This year it'll be 2,600 that go. And the years after that? Who's to say it won't be many thousands more the way the stock market's crashing, and the impact economic winter is having on consumer confidence and spending.
Some banks' dramatic rises in overdraft rates for small businesses seem designed specifically to create more failures in the business world, with our trade likely to be among the worst hit, given the parlous state of so many licensees' finances.
Yet some pubs still thrive and many are having their best-ever year. Even in the same area, the contrast in fortunes between one pub and another can be striking.
It shows, again, the power of the individual licensee. And how important it is for the struggling licensees to get out and visit the best pubs to see how they do it. Far too many never bother to study the competition, let alone talk to other licensees. It seems madness not to, particularly if you want to see what tricks you're missing.
It also helps to talk to other licensees if you're not sure whether you're paying the right rent. Speakers at the BII's excellent rent review seminars taking place across the country recently, with full Morning Advertiser support, have pointed out the value of chatting to fellow hosts to see how your rent compares to theirs. And whether they're receiving the kind of pubco support that you could do with a bit of yourself.
That's the micro way to help improve things for the trade. At the macro level, our trade leaders continue to bash away at the politicians. The ALMR's new pub manifesto calling for duty relief, less red tape, a ban on below-cost selling and the scrapping of taxes on empty pubs makes all the points that Government must heed.
And there are signs Government is starting to listen. Sally Keeble's private member's bill that Gordon Brown backed this week at Number 10 would crack down on supermarket discounting if it ever made it into law. Drink-driving limits are to remain at current levels, after Government signalled last year it wanted a complete ban on drinking even one pint before driving. And the Pub is the Hub initiative has been given official Government backing, which could lead to far more rural pubs getting help.
These are the first victories we've had for a long time. They show that our trade lobbyists can persuade politicians to take a more sympathetic view, although the Home Office seems intent on inflicting tighter regulation on pubs, as we report on p5. So let's get behind the trade leaders as much as we possibly can over the next few months as we enter the run-up to the Budget. That's the really big next test.