Dalzell joins Marston's leased division

Peter Dalzell, the operations director of managed pubs for Marston's Inns & Taverns, the brewer and pub retailer's managed division, is to move across to the company's tenanted arm to oversee the introduction of its new Retail Agreement.

The company has pledged to convert up 600 of its sites, over a third of its tenanted estate, onto the new retail agreement — which sees licensees earning 20% of turnover and Marston's buying everything centrally, plus paying all other bills.

Dalzell will take operational responsibility for its leased outlets.

Marston's Inns & Taverns — the group's managed arm, already operates all back room functions for the new retail agreement pubs, including marketing, EPOS, accounting and other logistical roles.

The company is understood to have thought that Dalzell's experience would help as it develops its tenanted pubs onto the new agreements.

It is understood that the company is close to recruiting a replacement for Dalzell to work under Derek Andrew, the highly experienced managing director of Marston's managed division.

A decision from a shortlist of four candidates is due to be announced within the next few weeks.

Alistair Darby, the managing director of Marston's leased and tenanted arm, said that it was planned to have 300 pubs using the new agreement by the end of 2011.

To this end, the company has recently started to recruit a further five business development managers.

The rest of Marston's Retail Agreement team is made up of: Barry Newnes (general manager), Iain Jackson (director of estates), Natalie Ives (business development manager) and Carl Traill (team leader).