Brewer and pub retailer Thwaites has put eight pubs up for sale across East Lancashire with restrictive covenants on at least two of them, writes Paul Charity.
The pubs put up for sale are:
• Accrington: The Adelphi, Avenue Parade
• Blackburn: The Plane Tree, Whalley Old Road; Sportsman’s Arms, Shear
Brow; Gibraltar, Gibraltar Street
• Colne: The Commercial Hotel, Skipton Road
• Darwen: The Mill Gap, Bolton Road; The George, Bolton Road
• Padiham: The Victoria Hotel, Burnley Road
Michael Kershaw, from CAMRA East Lancashire, told a local newspaper: “We firmly believe that the market should decide whether a pub is viable.
“The business model at Thwaites may not work with these locals but that does not mean that local entrepreneurs cannot make a success of these pubs.
“They should at least be given the opportunity to do so.”
The restrictive convenents were defended by Licensed Victuallers’ Association representative Geoff Sutcliffe, who is also landlord of the Rising Sun, Whalley New Road, Blackburn.
He said: “A lot of these pubs are in areas that would not be viable anyway. I think we have got to be realistic about this.
“This sort of practice will sort out the weak pubs from the strong because, at the moment, there are too many pubs around.
“This is a business decision. Thwaites would not sell a pub if it was viable.”
The commercial websites selling the Thwaites properties confirm that the Adelphi, Avenue Parade, Accrington, and Victoria Hotel, Burnley Road, Padiham, must not be used as pubs.
