Opportunity knocks, but trade is bunkered

By David Elliott

- Last updated on GMT

Related tags Ryder cup Newport

Elliott: i-Draught benefits licensees
Elliott: i-Draught benefits licensees
David Elliott looks back at last week's Ryder Cup and defends Brulines' i-Draught system.

What a fantastic weekend if you are a golf fan! I was lucky to be at Celtic Manor for the duration of the Ryder Cup (all paid for by me) and witnessed one of the greatest sporting occasions.

The tournament is the third biggest sporting event in the world after the World Cup and the Olympics and I struggle to understand why it has not been promoted by suppliers in either the on or off-trade?

Golf is not an elitist sport, it is played by over nine million people in the UK alone, and the coverage by Sky Sports was first class.

We witnessed massive, over-hyped support for the recent World Cup in South Africa and the industry needs to expand beyond football and embrace other potentially attractive and lucrative opportunities.

I called in on a couple of pubs on my return from Newport and both admitted they had underestimated the opportunity to widen the appeal of their pub beyond football by promoting the Ryder Cup.

The industry is faced with declining volumes and customer visits, so grabbing every opportunity is vital. The 2012 Olympics is less than two years away!

Moving from the sublime to the ridiculous, I cannot believe that the GMB is still tempting to encourage/scare licensees into joining it.

These people simply do not understand our industry and also have failed to appreciate the process that takes place prior to people taking over a tenancy or lease and that rents and beer pricing are set out and fully understood on both sides.

The recent improvements to the codes of practice that all pubcos and regional operators introduced now protect licensees even further and therefore there is no place for a union with an interest in gaining fees and encouraging pubs to illegally withhold payments to landlords.

Finally, I note the recent anti-Brulines rhetoric being put about by members of Fair Pint. Prior to retiring from Greene King, I introduced the i-Draught system and the benefits were welcomed by licensees.

The help with yield and quality management is excellent and can add hundreds of pounds to the pub's bottom line, as well as helping with staff planning.

It would be interesting to ask those licensees across all pubcos who have worked with the i-Draught system if they would wish for it to be removed.

I would doubt it very much, other than those who want to cheat on an agreement they have accepted.

David Elliott is chairman of Quercus Pub Co

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