‘This is war - pubs will die off if we don’t do something’

Jan 17 2008 by Joanne Douglas, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

A PUB firm owner has vowed to fight the supermarkets to help keep his industry alive.

Tony Brookes, the managing director of the Head of Steam company, says he will not run out of steam in his crusade.

But he says the pub trade is facing its toughest year ever and has warned landlords to take on the supermarkets if they want to survive.

The Head of Steam company manages the Huddersfield railway station pub, along with three in Newcastle and one in Liverpool.

Mr Brookes, of Emley, said: “It is generally recognised in the trade that this year is looking to be the toughest year ever.

“It’s not just us who are suffering, it is everyone.

“There is a whole series of factors against us, such as the smoking restrictions and the impact of the supermarkets.

“People have less disposable income, interest rates are high and people have sky-high mortgages.

“Unfortunately we are at the bottom of the pile when it comes to how people choose to spend their disposable income.”

The Head of Steam company launched the Stuff the Supermarket campaign last year, to highlight the problems the pub trade faces from supermarket chains selling alcohol at what it calls “irresponsible prices”.

In the past some supermarkets have sold beer at 50p a can, often making a loss in a bid to undercut pubs during major sporting events.

Mr Brookes, a former Emley publican, said: “This is war and the pub will die off if we don’t attempt to do something.

“We are the only company which has tried to do something about the problem and we won’t stop.

“Loyalty is a big thing for us. At the Head of Steam in Huddersfield we have people coming from York and Manchester because they love the pub.

“We have to reward our customers for their loyalty.

“Pub operators can’t afford to just sit back and do nothing.”

Mr Brookes hit back at cheap supermarket promotions, saying some were selling alcohol at “irresponsibly low prices” and fuelling the binge-drinking culture.

He added: “We believe the way to tackle the problem of irresponsibly cheap alcohol is to tackle the large off-trade operators.

“Pubs need to find the exact facts about their competition and survey their nearest supermarket to find the prices of the items that really influence their trade.

“It is estimated that about 2,000 pubs will close over the next two years. But I think 2,000 out of the 60,000 pubs in the UK could shut this year if we don’t do something.

“I am a great believer that we should not take our customers for granted. I have always thought that and I always will, but we need to do more – now.”