Punch found in minor code breach
In a letter to Mountford, BIIBAS (BII Benchmarking and Accreditation Services), which currently assesses pub companies’ codes of practices, found Punch Taverns in breach of its code of practice in relation to its use of comparables.
The letter states: “It has come to the attention of the steering committee prior to the meeting that one of the comparable data sets used was not authorised from a different pub company. The other pub company have a strict policy regarding the use of their pubs data and Punch Taverns had not requested permission to use such data. In this instance the figures quoted were incorrect and therefore misleading.”
Mountford has been involved in a high-profile spat with Punch over his rent-review terms. The pubco wants to increase his rent from £15,000 to £24,000.
A Punch spokeswoman said: “The code of practice sets out clearly the framework for our relationship with our licensees and we are committed to the standards set out in it. We accept the BIIBAS ruling and will work to ensure this does not happen again.”
New pub for Dave Mountford
Dave Mountford is set to take on his second pub — the Boat Inn at Cromford, Derbyshire, — after it was bought from Punch by one of his customers. He is taking the pub on a free-of-tie lease and predicts it will be twice as profitable as the Rising Sun. It is set to open on 16 March with a local band — “Please Y’ Self” performing.
“We are so excited about the pub and we think it will be twice as profitable as the Rising Sun. We love the Rising Sun and don’t want to leave but we have a back up,” confirmed Mountford. “They’re different pubs and we can do different things with them.”
