Robinsons to trial flexible tenancy agreements
The company is developing a new core tenancy agreement with variations based on different trading styles. There will be a greater focus on helping licensees with compliance issues and more options around the product range.
“It’s about ensuring that we have the right agreement offer in place for the right pub,” Robinson told the Publican’s Morning Advertiser’s sister title M&C Report. “Those agreements are flexible to the different trading styles that exist in our estate. We’ve got a diverse range of pubs in our estate; it’s about making sure our agreement is capable of reflecting that. We’ve tried to keep it very simple and straightforward.”
The firm has been in discussion with around a dozen licensees about the new agreement and the feedback has been “very positive”, he said. The plan is to introduce the first over the summer.
“We have in mind that by the end of this year we will have about 20% of our estate on to the new agreement.”
Optional
The agreement will not be compulsory, he said, but he hopes to have a high take up. He said the company has no plans to follow other tenanted operators and introduce a franchise-style approach.
“It’s very much a straightforward tenancy agreement. We believe that a good, straightforward tenancy agreement is a great model for people to work with.”
The move is separate from Robinsons’ managed sector debut, which is expected this autumn. The company believes 30 of its pubs are ripe for conversion to managed. These will transfer on expiry of current tenancies.
