Let's work together in 2009

This unprecedentedly bad year, this achingly terrible year for many, many licensees, pubcos and suppliers has so little to recommend it that it cannot end soon enough. It really has been a nightmare for thousands of pubs and their licensees — the worst in living memory. And next year holds out few hopes for being much better.

Yet there are positive signs. Many food pubs, and pubs with good food offers, are standing up well to the recession. In fact, of the 50,000 or so pubs in England and Wales, analysts reckon over 50% , and perhaps as much as 75%, are not doing too badly at all, given the times.

That's great — and it's a reward for hard work, high standards and really knowing and engaging with their customers.

And there's another equally positive sign. The savage downturn for the leased and tenanted pubs not doing so well is actually forcing their pubcos to spend more time with them and help them get out of this mess. New ways of working together are emerging, and they are pointing the way to how the pubco model should operate.

Better discounts, lower rents, strong deals, more support, greater business focus. All these types of packages are being created by enlightened pubcos, with Marston's this week (see pages 5 & 12) in the vanguard and showing how much it identifies and aligns its interests with those of its licensees.

The candid way Marston's has faced up to the fact that far too many of its licensees don't stand a chance of making money under the old ways of working is highly commendable. It's an example all pubcos are looking at as they wonder how far down that road they should, or are able to go.

But it works both ways. For a pubco to be truly effective in helping its licensees, the people in the pubs need to be open and more trusting with their pubco. It's no good if the pubco's trying to change, but the licensee remains closed, suspicious, or even defiantly continues to ignore the tie.

With such a long legacy of bad practice and distrust, these kind of attitudes will not change overnight. But change they must if pubco and licensee are to stop the next few years being even greater disasters for the trade than 2008.

Cask Marque​

One of the other success stories this year has been real ale, which has bucked all the other beer trends. So it's no surprise that licensees attending the Punch roadshows flocked to the Cask Marque stand and asked for information about how they can join in the real ale fun.

That's a tribute to Cask Marque as much as to the joys of ale. Which is why we've devoted so much space this week to celebrating its 10th birthday. Well done Mr Nunny and all your team. And here's to a wonderful Cask Ale Week next April.