Pubco bosses believe all-out smoking ban is 'inevitable'

All sides of the pub trade are now preparing for an all-out ban on smoking in public places, including pubs, within five years.

Meeting at the first Publican Industry Leaders' Forum in Oxfordshire, the bosses of the biggest companies in the pub trade said they believed an all-out ban was now "inevitable".

And with government consultation on a ban due out within days, the challenge, they agreed, was to ensure that the journey there was a smooth one.

The industry chiefs, who included the bosses of the three largest tenanted estates in the country - Ted Tuppen of Enterprise Inns, Giles Thorley from Punch and Ralph Findlay from Wolverhampton & Dudley Breweries - agreed that the industry must:

• continue to engage with the government on the issue
• maintain the five-year plan for self-regulation agreed by the British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA) last year
• press for more action from the government to get more people to quit smoking before it is banned in pubs.

Scott Waddington, chief executive of Cardiff brewer SA Brain, said it was now clear a ban was going to happen countrywide.

"But how do we get there and at what pace?" he said. "We'll prepare, but certain channels, such as the freetrade, will really suffer. Look at Ireland for example - the centre of Dublin is doing OK, but out in the villages sales are down as much as 20 per cent."

Fuller's chief executive Michael Turner said the trade needed to carry on the good work that had already been done by the BBPA and the Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers to work with the government.

"If we don't engage, the sudden bans that are happening in Scotland and Wales will happen here. Once they've made their mind up it will be too late," he said.

For the time being the trade was maintaining the BBPA plan - and was on-track to deliver on its first pledge, a ban on smoking at the bar by the end of this year, claimed Ted Tuppen. "The industry plan is where we are and we are sticking to that," he said.

Mike Bramley, managing director for Mitchells & Butlers Pubs and Bars, added: "We are carrying on with the plan. If a total ban is inevitable we need to act together in a controlled way."

Mr Bramley likened the situation now facing the pub trade to the one which faced aeroplanes in the past. "The airlines progressively moved smoking to the back of the plane, and it became less of an issue when it was banned altogether."

But if the government was going to bring in a blanket ban, the pub chiefs agreed that it needed to deliver on its own aims to get people to quit smoking.

Mark Jones, the former chief executive of Yates, added: "We would like to see more of the government getting people to quit smoking before they start banning it in our pubs."

Pay for policing - should others pay too?​

In the week that alcohol disorder zones moved a step closer, the industry leaders wondered why pubs were being asked to pay for policing - and football clubs weren't.

Spirit Group chief executive Karen Jones said: "Football clubs get people unbelievably hyped up, with or without alcohol, before they throw them out on the street. And they don't pay for it! Why should we?"

Giles Thorley, chief executive of Punch Taverns, added: "It's unacceptable to suggest we pay more when we already pay so much in taxes."

Ex-Yates chief executive Mark Jones said the ongoing consolidation among the high street operators would help clear up some of the more irresponsible promotions that could lead to violence.

"The high street has given the pub trade a bad name and it needs to get sorted out. As soon as there are just one or two owners in the high street, the government can haul them in and say 'Stop!'"

The Publican's first Industry Leaders' Forum - June 7, 2005​

Attendees:

• Rooney Anand, chief executive, Greene King (pictured at the event with Ralph Findlay)​
• Jeremy Blood, chief executive, Scottish & Newcastle Pub Enterprises
• Mike Bramley, managing director, Mitchells &Butlers Pubs & Bars
• Stephen Crawley, managing director, the Caledonian Brewing Co.
• Ralph Findlay, chief executive, Wolverhampton & Dudley Breweries
• Karen Jones, chief executive, Spirit Group
• Mark Jones, former chief executive, Yates
• Jonathan Neame, chief executive, Shepherd Neame
• Ian Payne, former chief executive, Laurel
• Giles Thorley, chief executive, Punch Taverns
• Ted Tuppen, chief executive, Enterprise Inns
• Michael Turner, chief executive, Fuller's
• Scott Waddington, chief executive, SA Brain
• Paul Wells, managing director, Charles Wells.