Brulines, the beer flow monitoring company, predicts it will see c.1,000 fewer pubs in its core Leisure business across the financial year due to closures and disposals.
The number of sites in the division fell by a net figure of 660 in the six months to 30 September and chief executive James Dickson told M&C Report: “I guess you budget in the region of 1,000 from an installation base in this year.
“The first half has been 660, the third quarter hasn’t been too bad. I think no one in their right mind will shut a pub leading to the festive period.”
Brulines this morning reported a decline in profit and turnover on the back of pub closures and disposals. The firm is focusing on offering greater value iDraught installations to offset the decline; it fitted 361 system in H1, reducing losses to the equivalent of 160 sites by monetary value, Dickson said.
Last month Enterprise Inns agreed to roll out iDraught to another 500 pubs and Dickson said Brulines has “a number of other commercial partnerships on the way”. Overall, he expects to have “somewhere close to a couple of 1,000” iDraughts installed by the year end, and already has “about 1,600/1,700”.
As for Nucleus Smart Tills, Brulines’ new electronic point of sale system, Dickson said: “Our goal at the start of the year was to get to somewhere close to 500 by the year end. I would be disappointed if we’re not within 100 or so of that. We are pleased with the progress and feedback has been tremendous.”
Dickson said the company has formalised its plan to install its systems in 1,000 sites in America by the 2014 financial year. There are currently “north of 60” systems in place in the US, with a “further 100 in the potential pipeline.”
