Tuppen: rise of cheap pub drinks disappointing
Enterprise Inns boss Ted Tuppen has slammed the rise of cheap drinks deals in the on-trade, such as JD Wetherspoon's 99p a pint deal, as a "disappointing development".
The pubco hit out at Wetherspoon's decision to offer a pint of Greene King IPA or a bottle of San Miguel for 99p but admitted that in times of recession price had taken on a greater significance for customers.
As such, Britain's second biggest pubco said it would continue to offer financial assistance to its pubs to help compete on price.
"There has been some publicity surrounding low price offers for drinks in some pubs," said Tuppen. "This is a disappointing development but with supermarkets continuing to sell packs of beer often at prices below cost, it is sometimes necessary to compete on price.
"In a recession, price does of course take on a greater significance and, recognising the margin difficulties that enforced discounting may cause in some instances, we will continue in the coming year, through our traffic building schemes, to offer financial assistance which can facilitate price reductions where this is appropriate."
However, Tuppen stressed that pubs should not forget that they offer a whole lot more than a place to buy alcohol.
"We should not however lose sight of the fact that, unlike supermarkets which have little else to offer except price, a good pub offers so much more to its customers, providing a safe and sociable environment at the heart of its community," he said.
