OFT asks hosts to get in touch on beer tie
The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) is accepting submissions from individual licensees as well as stakeholders for its new investigation into pubcos.
Disgruntled licensees can have their say
The OFT is currently examining pubcos and the tie following the "super complaint" submitted last month by the Campaign for Real Ale. The OFT has 90 days to study Camra's complaint — which criticised pubcos around areas such as rent setting and beer prices for tenants — and then decide what action to take.
A letter, seen by the MA, from the OFT to a licensee who enquired about the probe said: "The OFT is currently considering the issues raised in the super-complaint, in order to establish whether any feature, or combination of features, in a relevant market is or appears to be significantly harming the interests of consumers. The OFT will publish a response within 90 days.
"The OFT would like to hear from all interested parties in this market. If you therefore wish to submit evidence in relation to the issues raised in Camra’s super complaint, please send an email outlining your evidence by 17 August 2009, to the following address: CAMRAsuper-Complaint@oft.gsi.gov.uk."
A spokesman for anti-pubco group Fair Pint said it has been approached by the OFT as a stakeholder to submit information for the super complaint and to meet the authority's market investigations team.
The MA revealed last week that the OFT has already held meetings with pubco chiefs about the process.
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