Cask seen again as saviour for pubs

Cask ale: unique to pubs

Cask ale has once again been hailed as a real force for good for the pub trade with 80% of licensees expecting sales of Britain’s national drink to rise over the coming year — although 35% believe they are still in for another tough 12 months.

The research comes from Molson Coors, whose acquisition of Cornwall’s Sharp’s Brewery in February marked a major step change for nat-ional brewers in recognising the potential for cask ale.

The survey of 300 pubs, however, offered a fairly bleak outlook for the pub industry in general, as over a third (35%) of pub owners believe their prospects for the next five years are either ‘poor’ or ‘very poor’. This is compared to only 28% who felt that prospects are either ‘good’ or ‘very good’.

Pub owners continue to be frustrated by increased regulation limiting their ability to compete. Moves to give local residents more control over licensing decisions were seen as threatening by 61% of those surveyed and further restrictions on drink promotions were seen as threatening by 40% of pub owners.

The findings nevertheless showed that the industry is very willing to innovate to try to counteract a trend of at-home drinking.
Over three quarters (78%) saw an opportunity for using websites and apps to promote themselves and help potential customers find them easier and quicker. Of those that serve food, 80% believe a more enticing food offer would build business.

“It’s no surprise, given the assault on pubs from all corners, that publicans feel pessimistic,” said beer expert Pete Brown.

“But this survey stresses yet again where the signs of hope come from. If you’re offering the drinker nothing different or more interesting from what he can get in the supermarket, they won’t come to your pub.

“But cask ale is unique to pubs, and the Cask Report has demonstrated repeatedly that cask ale works for the publican and not just in terms of cask sales. It in-creases overall turnover and footfall because cask drinkers visit pubs more often, and when they do they bring non-cask drinkers with them, and they spend more money while they’re there.”

Simon Cox, independent on-trade sales director for Molson Coors (UK), said: “It is obviously a challenging time for the on trade but we’re committed to working with our customers to help them provide the atmosphere, the products and the experience that will enable them to thrive even in this tough market.

“It’s no coincidence that very similar or identical products found in pubs are easy to find on supermarket shelves, allowing very direct price comparison. By contrast, the products that are less easy to replicate seem to offer the best prospects for the on-trade. The clearest example of this is cask ale and successful food led outlets.”