Licensing costs top £750,000 at Young's
by The PMA Team
The licensing reform process has cost London brewer Young's around £750,000, figures show.
Visits from fire officers as part of the applications process is set to cost at least £200,000 because of the safety work completed at many of its pubs.
Retail director Patrick Dardis said: 'The fire officers haven't got around all our pubs yet but the cost is going to be pretty significant - I'd be surprised if the fire work ends up costing less than £200,000.
'We had to move all the staff out of one pub at a day's notice to fit new fire doors. We didn't expect fire officers to be so pro-active.'
Young's also criticised the 'inconsistency' in the way councils have interpreted licensing laws.
The company has been involved in 54 contested local authority hearings and is set to appeal to magistrates over the hours granted at nine pubs.
The on-going review of the future of the Ram Brewery cost another £211,000 in the 26 weeks to 1 October.
Chief executive Stephen Goodyear said: 'The issues are complex and we have a one-off chance to get this right.'
It is 'impossible' to put a timescale on when the issue will be resolved, he added.
He denied, however, that the focus on the future of the brewery was causing Young's to miss out on acquisition
opportunities.
The company's turnover increased by 2.7% in the 26 weeks to 1 October with pre-tax profits of £4.9m, down 3%.
Moving its share to the Alternative Investment Market was the largest exceptional cost during the six months, costing £350,000.
