BBPA celebrates partnership pub model

Hosted by the British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA) and its members, the event shone a light on how pub companies work with licensees to run successful businesses nationwide.

Licensee of the Crown Inn, Carlisle, Cumbria, Dianne Irving said: “It had always been a dream of mine to run a pub, but after a career in education doing it all by myself seemed a bit overwhelming.

Advice and investment 

“Partnering with a pub company has been brilliant and is a real partnership. They offer me support when I need it, but I have my own vision for my pub and what’s brilliant is they can help me make it a reality through advice and investment.”

The event reflected how publicans had been supported by companies, which operate around a third of UK pub according to the BBPA, through the pandemic and in the long-term, with a recent survey by the Pubs Code Adjudicator having shown almost 50% of partnered publicans run their business for 10 years or more with their pub company.

Drive awareness 

Furthermore, research conducted by the BBPA revealed more than three quarters of licensees operating under the partnership model praised​ the support they received from Business Development Managers (BDMs).

Representative for Dudley South and chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Beer Group Mike Wood MP said: “After two years of challenges, pubs are still bouncing back, but what we’ve seen through the pandemic is just how valuable the relationships are between pubs, pub companies and the communities they work in.

“The model allows people with entrepreneurial spirit to run successful businesses in the places they call home. It is absolutely vital we continue to drive awareness and understanding of how this model works and the benefits it has for pubs across the country.”