Brewer gives reaction to latest Alcohol Concern survey
Mr Buckley, chief executive of the Evan-Evans Brewery based in Llandeilo, gave his reaction to the Western Mail newspaper today, but his quotes were heavily edited.
Here is what he told the Western Mail -
“Minimum pricing is only one of the key issues that need to be addressed.
“Supermarkets are far cheaper than pubs.
“But the demise of the pub is also due to the fact that pubs have not moved with the times.
“They should have upped their game to match the demands of the consumer.
“Most importantly, they should now listen to what the consumer wants.
“We have, of course, done this at Evan-Evans and the pubs we run in Llandeilo, Brecon and Cardiff.
“As a general point in Wales, many pubs are more professional than in the past.
“But many still do not provide what the customer wants – clean, well-run pubs, with high levels of service and the ability of people to get good well-cooked food with strong local provenance.
“It is a fact that in today’s economy there is a general lack of disposable income.
“This means that the customer is far more discerning than in the past. They only buy what they want.
“Minimum pricing will not stop binge drinkers.
“People who are determined to drink too much will always find a source of cheaper alcohol.
“We need less bureaucracy, not more.
“I am afraid to say that we are going to see a lot more pubs close before this is all over.”
Mr Buckley was reacting to a survey undertaken for the charity Alcohol Concern.
A total of 77% of Welsh publicans, when asked whether they were in favour of a minimum of 50p per unit, said that they supported the idea.
The survey was undertaken in February and March 2012, prior to the recent announcement that a minimum unit price for alcohol will be introduced in England and Wales.
The UK Government is proposing a minimum price of 40p per unit, whilst in Scotland 45p per unit is being debated. The survey results show that many publicans in Wales would back a higher price of 50p per unit.
Results from the research also indicate that a large number of pubs in Wales are struggling, with almost half (48%) of respondents saying their sales of alcohol have decreased during the last year, and 61% of these expecting them to continue to decline over the next 12 months.
Most lay the blame at the door of supermarkets, whose cheap drinks promotions they say are damaging trade; and many believe that the introduction of a minimum price would create a more level playing field between publicans and retailers:
94% think that cheap alcohol sold in supermarkets is responsible for stagnant or declining alcohol sales at their premises, with a majority (56%) citing this as the main reason
91% believe that it is “hypocritical” that supermarkets are allowed to promote cheap alcohol when pub landlords feel tightly controlled.
One landlord who took part in the survey said: “People are coming out to the pubs already drunk. It’s too cheap in the supermarkets”.
Another said: “Cheap supermarket alcohol is one of the reasons our trade is falling. It would be a good thing if their prices were brought more into line with pub prices.”
Prices of alcohol products are so low in the supermarkets that 22% of publicans admitted they sometimes buy their stock from there instead of the cash and carry, with nearly a third (32%) of publicans from free houses (those not tied to a brewery) saying they have sourced their alcohol in this way.
Mark Leyshon, spokesperson for Alcohol Concern Cymru, said: “This survey shows that a large majority of pub landlords in Wales support plans for a minimum price per unit. A minimum price would set a baseline price below which alcohol could not be sold. This would leave pub prices largely unaffected, but would stop supermarkets and off licenses selling very cheap alcohol.”
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