E.ON boss: sector too 'high risk' to invest in

The Queens Head in Pinner, Uxbridge, which is part of Greene King’s tenanted and leased division, applied for the extension as part of plans to renovate the pub’s garden area.

Licensee Sean White said: “At the moment, we have a 100-amp supply and we're using 97 of those amps, so we needed the additional supply [for heating and lighting].

“But E.ON’s view is pubs and restaurants are all high risk.”

White added Greene King had planned to invest £144,000 into the refurbishment, which would have enabled the wet-led site to service an additional 120 covers, equating to an estimated 9% extra turnover.

In addition, the new garden project would have created two new jobs at the award-winning pub. White also stated he had recently signed a 15-year lease at the site. 

The works were scheduled to start on Monday 11 September this year, having been granted planning permission, however, this has now been postponed and could be cancelled altogether.

Extremely disappointing

White continued: “The plans meant more jobs, more income, the potentials were all positive, there were no negatives.

“It has been extremely disappointing, especially sharing [the news] with my management team who were really looking forward to this project.

“But you can't really open the garden without outdoor heaters and lighting. It's just not going to work.”

When questioned by the licensee as to why the pub’s application was rejected, E.ON claimed the hospitality sector was deemed “too high risk” by its CEO and that after completing a "risk assessment" the company was not taking on any new clients or investing in the sector at this time.  

The energy supplier did not share any additional information with White as to why the sector was deemed high risk, despite the operator having provided evidence of the pub’s takings over the past three years, which he stated totalled around £1m annually.

He added: “I'm not an unreasonable customer and I've been with them for eight years now.

“It is completely unreasonable to select your customers on that basis, it’s a disgrace.”

Profiteering scheme 

“There are good and bad pubs, as we all know, but each one should be viewed on its own merits and that's not the case here with E.ON. It’s crazy”, the operator continued.

Moreover, White added instead of supporting businesses to grow, energy suppliers had opted for “profiteering” and had shown “no concern” for customers, resulting in “stifled” growth for the sector.

He said: “It’s all part of the profiteering scheme we have seen with energy companies.

“Central Government has certainly got to look at how energy companies are dealing with small businesses; it's just completely unacceptable.

“The energy companies are very similar to banks and their attitude is solely a negative one, we're going to have a hospitality industry that will be in the doldrums; it's already suffering and will continue to suffer.”

The Morning Advertiser​ contacted E.ON and Greene King for comment but had not received statements at the time of publication.