Joe Cussens, Marlborough Tavern

Punch licensees in Bath — what they told Punch executives and the Morning Advertiser.

Joe Cussens, Marlborough Tavern​

Background:​ Signed a lease in March 2006. The pub was in need of TLC — a basic corner boozer. He undertook a £150,000 refurbishment funded by himself, including a total interior redecoration and garden conversion. The pub is now food-led.

Why choose a Punch pub: ​"You can't help but notice the price of beer we would be able to buy if we were free of tie, but the truth is we would never have been able to afford a freehold. While it is not ideal, as a first step in the trade it serves a purpose. Our solicitor at the time told us not to sign the lease as there were too many restrictions, but you don't have a choice really. You either take the lease, warts and all, or you don't have a pub."

Level of support:​ "There are so many different types of pub — some are more like restaurants, there are old boozers and wine bars. How can the one-size-fits-all approach work? Ideally different types of pub would have different kinds of agreements and support.

"We get loads of point-of-sale stuff that goes straight into the bin. We don't need that kind of support. Our previous BRM didn't really understand what type of outlet we were and so we didn't really get great value. He was used to more traditional pubs. But we have recently met with a Punch catering executive and got some valuable advice on GPs and staffing costs."

Rent review:​ "Last year we had a rent review. When we bought the lease and checked it over there was a clause that said that any improvements we made would have to be overlooked by Punch when it comes to rent review time.

"We wanted to make sure that having spent money, Punch couldn't turn around and say 'Hold on, you have a lovely pub now — we want a higher rent'. But that is exactly what happened. When we got down to the nitty gritty, we were told that what the terms of the lease meant by improvements was not what we had done in terms of stripping the pub — it was creating extra trading areas or building something onto the side. So we felt a bit hard done by.

"We were negotiating and we had a choice — we could go to a rent tribunal, but of course if we lost we would not only pay higher rent but we'd have to pay a big fee, £10,000 say. So while in theory you have people you can go to to get a fair arbitration, the truth of the matter is you can't take that. And it is a game of brinkmanship."