Advice to rural pubs may be misleading
Efforts to revive struggling rural pubs are not working, claims a leading academic.
Guy Lincoln, an expert in the licensed retail sector based at Leeds Metropolitan University, has hit out at recent moves by the trade to encourage rural licensees to adopt other village services in an effort to survive.
His report, sponsored by the European Social Fund, found pubs that were already in dire financial straights simply made the situation worse by taking on other businesses, such as post offices and shops, which they knew little about.
He also found there was a lack of knowledge among licensees and their staff on how to maximise their business and where to get financial help.
Village pubs have been hit by a host of factors including foot-and-mouth, the drop in tourism, a lack of rural transport, stricter enforcement of drink-drive laws and a migration towards larger cities.
Some village outlets now provide other services to try and boost business, and the idea of diversification has been widely embraced through reports such as The Pub is the Hub which was launched by the Prince or Wales and the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA).
But Mr Lincoln warns that, while added services may benefit a small minority of rural outlets, they are not the magic solution many see them as.
Through interviews with pub operators, licensees, trade associations, local authorities, parish councils and villagers, Mr Lincoln identified the problems associated with rural pubs and then looked at six individual village pubs to see where the situation could be improved (see below).
He said: "Rural licensees are struggling and people say to them 'oh, why don't you consider offering other services', but if they are not coping with one business, taking on another one is just going to weaken the whole thing further."
He added that in many cases there were grants and business schemes available that licensees simply didn't know about.
Mark Hastings, spokesman for the BBPA, said the Pub is the Hub guide confirmed Mr Lincoln's finding that there was no "one-size-fits-all" solution for rural outlets but he added that licensees could make diversification work if they researched it thoroughly first.
"Diversification needs to be targeted to the needs of the local community," he said."Our report included a number of case studies that showed that if you ask the right questions before you start you can make it work."
The report on rural pubs by Guy Lincoln recommends licensees should:* only take on other services if the core pub business is stable* research the needs of the local people and area before diversifying* develop a clear and realistic business plan and stick to it* get involved with local community activities * research grants and finance available both nationally and from local councils.
Guy Lincoln is now looking for funding to set up test sites in a number of rural pubs to put his ideas into practice and is asking ministers to introduce a guide for rural licensees offering advice on funding and best practice.
