Pub takes on supermarkets
A West Yorkshire licensee has rebranded his bar and will offer special deals in a bid to beat cheap supermarket booze.
Tesco's has already admitted it will be more "aggressive" than ever before in its Christmas discounting. Lager is now available for 22p a can in some supermarkets.
Andy Longman has rebranded Otley's Surburban Style Bar Drinker's Delight in a bid to salvage something from a "dreadful year".
He said: "It's general knowledge that the national supermarkets are selling alcohol at below cost, with a report in January from Camra pointing out that Sainsbury's was selling beer at an equivalent of 54p a pint, while a 750ml bottle of water sells for the equivalent of 57p.
"The pub trade has had a shocking summer weather wise, and combined with the smoking ban it has left a lot of licensees in a dire situation.
"Otley has a population of around 14,000 people, and you only need to walk around, even at the weekend, to see just how empty some pubs are.
"We will soon have three supermarkets in the town plus a Wetherspoons, so we feel we have to come out fighting now if we are to survive."
Drinkers Delight will be offering discounts on some of its drinks but has vowed not to drop its service level.
"We may be dropping our prices in certain quarters, but not our standards. We are keen to promote sensible drinking, and have already been commended for our drinks menu which gives details of alcohol units and tips for a good night out."
