Trust Inns to set up smoke-ban budget

Lancashire-based Trust Inns plans to set aside a sizeable budget to help licensees

prepare for next summer's smoking ban.

Tenants who need assistance to develop new facilities will get full support and financial help, the company has promised.

Trust Inns, which runs 447 tenancies across England and Wales, is urging all hosts to make early decisions on a smoking ban strategy.

Business development managers are visiting every pub to discuss what licensees will need in the future.

Managing director Brian King said a brochure had been issued to every licensee outlining the range of support and solutions available. King said many licensees may prefer to finance their own developments but stressed financial help would be available which hosts would repay to the company through increased rent.

"We have not yet finalised how much money will be needed and it may be towards the end of October by the time we have covered the entire estate to determine what our licensees require," he said.

Trust Inns is spending £5m per year across its estate on general capital improvement schemes and ongoing maintenance but anticipates the next annual spend will be considerably in excess of this figure when smoking ban costs are weighed in.

King said it will be another month or so before an accurate picture of the financial requirements became clear.

"We are planning to help our tenants install such things as new awnings, garden furniture, smoking shelters and bespoke smoking areas," said King. "There will be widely differing requirements as no pub is the same, but our licensees will already have a good idea of what they will personally require."

Trust Inns will use the experience gained north of the border, where it has already helped its Scottish pubs prepare for the ban which was introduced in March.

The company currently operates 60 pubs in Scotland and carried out schemes to help 45 houses in advance of the ban.