It's good to know that the passion's coming back to the pub trade. Last week, Wetherspoon's boss Tim Martin fired a broadside at fellow operators over their handling of licensing reform û and lack of concern for the ordinary publican. (See last week's INSIDE TRACK)
He was back again this week with another attack, though this time balanced by a firm riposte from Punch Group's Hugh Osmond, one of Martin's main targets.
Osmond points out the irony, observed by many, of Tim Martin's new role of champion of the small independent licensee, when the one thing that ordinary publicans say they most fear is the arrival of a new Wetherspoon's on their local high street.
All good knock-about stuff.
But it does seem to have stirred some action from grassroots publicans themselves. There is news that disgruntled Whitbread tenants frustrated at not being allowed to bid for their own pubs may be joining forces with a group of
Punch licensees with the aim of forming some form of national lessees body. Is the old National Union of Licensed Victuallers about to rise from the ashes?
As has been said before, the question at the heart of this debate is who is speaking for and listening to those ordinary publicans, especially lessees and tenants, that Tim Martin appears is so keen to stick up for?
More importantly it is about the fundamental relationship between licensees and their pubcos. And this isn't likely to improve in the short-term as long as the sale of pub sites continues at its present rate.
Financial rather than operational innovation is still leading the leased pub market û a sector that is growing in numbers and importance as a direct result of the sell-offs, with more middling managed houses going over to tenancy.
Nomura looks like completing its purchase of Bass's 988-strong package of bottom-end managed sites û and although there is a ready made management team in place, don't be surprised is a fair number of these go on to change hands again. There's been a queue of companies knocking on Nomura's door enquiring about packages, both from within and outside the existing Nomura pub operating companies.
And the bidding for Whitbread hasn't even finished yet.
• To join in the debate on where the pub industry is going and to get a view of the strategic big picture, make sure you are at next month's Pub Strategy Conference, held on March 14 in London, organised by M&C Report's parent company Martin Information. For information and to book click here .
He was back again this week with another attack, though this time balanced by a firm riposte from Punch Group's Hugh Osmond, one of Martin's main targets.
Osmond points out the irony, observed by many, of Tim Martin's new role of champion of the small independent licensee, when the one thing that ordinary publicans say they most fear is the arrival of a new Wetherspoon's on their local high street.
All good knock-about stuff.
But it does seem to have stirred some action from grassroots publicans themselves. There is news that disgruntled Whitbread tenants frustrated at not being allowed to bid for their own pubs may be joining forces with a group of
Punch licensees with the aim of forming some form of national lessees body. Is the old National Union of Licensed Victuallers about to rise from the ashes?
As has been said before, the question at the heart of this debate is who is speaking for and listening to those ordinary publicans, especially lessees and tenants, that Tim Martin appears is so keen to stick up for?
More importantly it is about the fundamental relationship between licensees and their pubcos. And this isn't likely to improve in the short-term as long as the sale of pub sites continues at its present rate.
Financial rather than operational innovation is still leading the leased pub market û a sector that is growing in numbers and importance as a direct result of the sell-offs, with more middling managed houses going over to tenancy.
Nomura looks like completing its purchase of Bass's 988-strong package of bottom-end managed sites û and although there is a ready made management team in place, don't be surprised is a fair number of these go on to change hands again. There's been a queue of companies knocking on Nomura's door enquiring about packages, both from within and outside the existing Nomura pub operating companies.
And the bidding for Whitbread hasn't even finished yet.
• To join in the debate on where the pub industry is going and to get a view of the strategic big picture, make sure you are at next month's Pub Strategy Conference, held on March 14 in London, organised by M&C Report's parent company Martin Information. For information and to book click here .
