Pub tenants enlist FSB support in loosening tie

The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has thrown its weight behind a campaign to get the same protections for Scottish pubs tied to big pub companies as are enjoyed by their English and Welsh counterparts.

It comes as many pub landlords claim they can pay up to two-thirds more than their non-tied competitors for beer supplies from their big business owners, choking investment in the pubs.

The FSB said it was therefore backing Neil Bibby MSP’S Holyrood member’s bill to give Scotland’s 500 tied pubs similar protection to the statutory pubs code and independent adjudicator that governs the relationship between tied tenants and large pub companies (pubcos) south of the Border.

Andy Willox, the FSB’S Scottish policy convenor, commented: “South of the Border, they’ve taken action to protect pubs – they called time on ineffective industry self-regulation and limited the pubcos’ power. Scotland must introduce similar measures.”