Pubs must trade responsibly or face government action

Pubs must follow the lead of suppliers and operate more responsibly or face government intervention, according to the chairman of The Portman Group's...

Pubs must follow the lead of suppliers and operate more responsibly or face government intervention, according to the chairman of The Portman Group's complaints panel.

Lord Condon, the former Metropolitan Police commissioner, told The Publican the biggest problem facing the pub trade was the fact that drinks retailers did not face the same stringent rules as drinks producers do through the drinks watchdog's Code of Practice.

He said: "It is not sustainable to have this wild discrepancy. There really needs to be harmonisation between the on-trade and drinks producers and this requires a tougher response from the on-trade. If these issues are not addressed soon then things may move towards legislation."

Earlier this year the Scottish Executive took legislative action against the Scottish on-trade by banning promotions in pubs.

Mark Jones, chief executive of Yates Group, said he agreed with Lord Condon's key message. "There needs to be a pulling together of the big industry bodies, possibly under the banner of The Portman Group," he said.

However, Mr James believes arguments over names of products were detracting attention away from the core problem. He believes an enforced code of practice on promotional activity is needed. "I would love to see drinks producers getting tough and refusing to supply retailers if they act irresponsibly," he said.

Last year the complaints panel, which makes judgements on whether alcoholic products are in breach of the Code, upheld a complaint against Charles Wells' pre-mixed Muse cocktail Sex on the Beach. However, pubs and bars are still allowed to use the name when bartenders make the cocktail up on the premises.

Simon Kaye, commercial director at Regent Inns, said: "Ninety-nine per cent of products that we sell are other people's products. The one category where we are effectively selling our own product is cocktails. There is a case for extending the remit of The Portman Group to cover cocktails."