ALMR: pub industry must stop squabbling

The industry needs to start working together and stop squabbling over pub closure statistics.

That is the warning from the Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers over the feud boiling between the GMB Union, backed by Fair Pint, and the British Beer and Pub Association, backed by the pubcos.

Both sides claim that recently published closure figures back their relevant position that either the tie is causing closures or it is not.

"Arguing about where the greatest number of pub closures is happening is beside the point and belittles the human misery behind the raw numbers," said ALMR chief executive Nick Bish.

"It also lets the Government off the hook because it ignores the role that red tape, over regulation and legislative costs are playing.

"The fact is that outlets of all types are closing in ever greater numbers. Pubco outlets form part and parcel of the decline in the total pub estate — whether it is a quarter, a third or a half of all closures, you cannot get away from the fact that those outlets are closing.

"The tie itself is not causing pubs to close, but the way in which it is being operated in the current market place is."

The ALMR said it is working with others in the industry and MPs to develop a package of measures to deliver better support for MPs.

Bish added: "We would do lessees and the industry as a whole more of a service if we stopped debating the numbers and started focusing on the solutions."