Pub and club industry must 'man-up'
The trade must "man-up" and take responsibility for drinks promotions amid a return to cheap deals in bars, says the boss of Britain's biggest nightclub company.
Luminar chief Steve Thomas admitted he had been "ashamed" of some deals he'd run in the past — his "dirty secrets". And he gave some support to Oldham council's tough approach to tackling cheap offers, urging councils to take a "stronger hold".
Thomas was speaking at the Responsible Drinks Retailing Conference 2009, run by the Morning Advertiser and sister title Off Licence News.
His comments follow a resurgence in cheap deals at pubs and clubs, including notorious all-you-can-drink promotions.
Thomas said: "We all need to wake up. Anyone who runs a licensed premises in the UK has a dirty secret. Everyone has something we are probably not proud of. We can't go around and pretend we are all innocent.
"We've all done stupid offers. Five years ago Morning Advertiser was having a bash at me for all-you-can-drink. I took it out because I realised it's ridiculous."
He admitted that £1-per-drink deals still exist at some Luminar sites, but is "not pleased" with such offers.
Thomas highlighted two deals he'd noticed at bars — pints for 28p and free drinks until you need the toilet. "Where are we going on this? This is nuts. We can blame the supermarkets. We can do whatever we want. But fundamentally we need to look at our offer to customers.
"I don't have a cure-all. I just think the industry needs to man-up."
Thomas spoke favourably of the controversial approach of Oldham Council, which reviewed 22 bars en masse to force hard-line restrictions such as post office-style queues. Oldham, said Thomas, "probably went about [its actions] the wrong way around, but its intent and passion was correct".
"I think there needs to be a stronger hold because I think the councils of this country are losing regard for their own towns."
In addition, Thomas predicted that anyone who operates after midnight will eventually have to switch to polycarbonate glassware. And he urged more inspections of doorstaff, saying "thugs" are still able to find work as doormen.
