Robinson's launches buying club to help licensees with energy bills

The operator made the move following statistics that revealed the price of electricity had risen on average by 28% in five years - and gas has risen by 38% in the same period. This meant that a licensee on average would have paid £6000 for utility bills in 2010 would now pay nearly £8000.

Robinsons has now decided to support licensees with this increase by committing to purchasing gas and electricity in a bulk purchase over a fixed three-year period - resulting in a lower rate for licensees.

The buying club was launched at the regional brewery’s annual trade show where over a fifth of its entire pub estate signed up on the first day.

David Harrison, director of retail operations for Robinsons Brewery, said: “The cost of utilities are often overlooked by the average pub goer.

"A licensee can spend up to £10,000 per year depending on the size of their pub. We wanted to take some of the pressure off them and offer a solution that can save them thousands of pounds per year.”

Andrew Cook, senior sales manager for UB Services, said: “Since the launch, the incentive has already been a phenomenal success with over a fifth of the estate signed up to the scheme.

"Most members are already seeing a 30% reduction in their tariff with some are saving as much as £4,000 annually. Since the trade show, we are adding 7 to 10 members per day during our follow up visits - it’s been a brilliant start.”