MA250: Entrepreneur calls for beer-tie to be made illegal
Leisure sector entrepreneur Joel Cadbury outlined his views on the beer tie at the Publican's Morning Advertiser MA250 conference.
Asked what he disliked about the industry, the Longshot chairman, who has one leasehold in his Bel & The Dragon country inns estate, said: “I find it tremendously frustrating to have to deal with the concept of the beer tie.”
He compared it to the system of ‘rotten boroughs’ that existed hundreds of years ago, and called for the tie to be made illegal. “I think it’s fundamentally wrong that you can’t buy whatever products you want at fair market value.”
But Punch lessee Craig Minto, of Well Fed Pubs, said that, with little cash injection, the pubco helped the firm grow quickly from two to four pubs, including the Craven Heifer.
“The tie is there but as long as it suits us and suits them we are happy with it.”
