Tied pub pint can be 80p more than JDW
The price of a pint of lager in a tied pub can be up to 80p more than a pint in a JD Wetherspoon managed house, according to a new GMB study.
However, in some regions of the country, the gap between the two is as little as 7p a pint. In a nationwide study, undertaken by CGA Strategy, the trade union found that tied houses charge between £2.16 (Granada) and £3.06 (Meridian) compared to the Wetherspoon range of £1.78 (Tyne Tees) and £2.31 (London) for a pint of lager.
The analysis will form part of the GMB's submission to the Office of Fair Trading's investigation into the beer tie following the Campaign for Real Ale's super-complaint.
"This GMB analysis shows that the big pubcos, which dominate the pub industry in the UK, are forcing tenants to charge an average of between £2.16 and £3.06 for a pint of standard lager," said GMB national organiser Martin Smith.
"This is translating into higher retail prices for the customers and into poor living standards for the tenants. GMB is campaigning to end the tie to secure lower prices for customers and a better living for the pub tenants."
The GMB study said that the average price of a pint of lager in the UK is £2.50, the average price of a pint of bitter is £2.24 and £2.54 for a premium bottled lager.
Samuel Smith managed pubs in Yorkshire are selling the cheapest pint of standard lager in Britain at an average of £1.68 a pint with Intercontinental Hotel Bars the most expensive at £3.53 in London. Young's had the second most expensive pint at £3.25 in London.
Recent conflicting evidence from the British Beer and Pub Association said the average pint costs the same in tenanted/leased pubs — £2.66 — as in independent venues.
