Punch: no pressure on brewers to enforce tie

Titanic Brewery has claimed a computer error rather than pressure from Punch Taverns to enforce the tie led to it failing to supply an off-site beer festival ran by a tied tenant.

Carol Ross of the Roscoe Head in Liverpool, ran a beer festival on 19 September at a premises in the same street but not at her tied pub.

However, Ross was originally told by Titanic Brewery that it could not supply her unless she ordered through the Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA) Direct Delivery Scheme as she was a Punch tenant and they feared being struck off the SIBA list.

This was despite the event being hosted away from her pub and away from her contractual obligations to Punch.

"I informed them that my prices would be cheaper than the pub and it was a one day only event so it was nothing to do with the pub," said Ross.

"They then asked for my business relationship manager's (BRM) number, which I gave to them. Needless to say they did not send me the beer."

Delivery error​

However, Titanic Brewery boss and SIBA chairman Keith Bott said that the company had simply wanted to clear with Punch whether it was OK to supply Ross, fearing she may have been trying to buy outside of the tie — especially as the beer was due to be delivered to the pub.

"We phoned the BRM and he gave us permission to do so and we arranged to deliver the beer," said Bott. "However, it looks like the beer didn't get delivered because of a computer error here — we have just had a new system installed.

"We fully intended to deliver and were not put under any pressure by Punch — nor are we ever — to enforce the tie."

OFT complaint​

A Punch spokeswoman said: "There is no truth in the allegation that Punch Taverns or Titanic Brewery refused to supply beer for this event. Indeed, we believe that we acted fairly in authorising the delivery of beer for the festival, even though this is outside of our normal supply agreement with our partner."

The GMB has written to the Office of Fair Trading to lodge a complaint over the influence Punch holds over small brewers. Punch added: "We dispute any suggestion that we attempted to influence the company to refuse this request."