PCA: 21% unhappy with their pubco, Marston’s gains top satisfaction score

17-Jul-2024 - Last updated on 17-Jul-2024 at 14:46 GMT

Tied tenants have their say: pubs code adjudicator Fiona Dickie

More than one fifth of tenants (21%) of the ‘big six’ pub company are dissatisfied with the relationship with their pubco, according to the pubs code adjudicator (PCA).

The results of the body’s Annual Tied Tenants Survey highlight tenant sentiment towards, and their relationships with, the UK’s big six tied pub companies: Admiral, Greene King, Marston’s, Punch, Star Pubs and Stonegate.

Despite 21% of the 1,203 tied pub tenants who gave their opinions on a range of topics voicing their unhappiness, 63% stated they were satisfied with their tenant relationship.

Overall pub company satisfaction has remained stable except for pub chain Star, which has improved tenant satisfaction by 9 points since 2023.

Marston’s, Admiral and Greene King had the highest overall satisfaction at 79%, 78% and 77% respectively, whereas Stonegate tenants were the least satisfied at 47% while Star Pubs (64%) and Punch (61%) were both above the 60% mark.

Important protections

Information given to new tenants at Marston’s, Admiral and Greene King was revealed as the most useful compared to the that of the other pub companies, with Stonegate tenants finding the information least useful.

The pubs code provides tenants with important protections to ensure transparency in their business relationship with their pub company and the PCA seeks to understand through this survey their overall satisfaction in that relationship and to look in depth at a variety of key areas.

Those surveyed listed the following as some of the reasons for their satisfaction: good communication and the relationship with the business development manager (BDM) or area manager, listening and responding to issues quickly, providing information, being fair and transparent, giving freedom and being supportive during the cost-of-living crisis.

However, the following issues were flagged as some reasons for dissatisfaction: a lack of support or a one-sided relationship, little to no contact with the BDM, slow repairs or disputes with repairs and dilapidations schedules, issues with deliveries and a lack of transparency and communication around changes.

With regards to satisfaction concerning the tenancy agreement type, 68% were satisfied and 17% were dissatisfied, which is an improvement year-on-year. The reasons given for satisfaction include: the terms of the agreement are fair and transparent, there is good negotiation on rent or repairs, and investment in the pub. Marston’s tenants are the most satisfied with their agreement at 83%, closely followed by Admiral on 79% and Greene King on 75%.

Trust in PCA rises

The survey also looked at the awareness of the pubs code, which remained unchanged at 78% and awareness of the PCA, which enforces the code, was also unchanged at 55%.

Trust in the independence of the PCA has improved this year, particularly in terms of being independent from the pub companies (64% trust, an increase of seven percentage points from 2023) and familiarity with the rights has remained consistent since last year.

Pubs code adjudicator Fiona Dickie said: “It is great to see evidence that trust in the pubs code’s independence has improved this year, especially in terms of being independent from pub companies themselves and that awareness is at similar levels to last year.

“These results inform our regulatory work and it is important for the industry to see these pub company comparisons. The highest overall satisfaction results from Marston’s, Admiral and Greene King set a standard pub companies should be seeking to attain and exceed. The results give valuable information for the industry, and this annual survey seeks to drive improvements across the board.”

For more detailed information, visit https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/pubs-code-adjudicator.