COMMENT: What’s to happen to our pubs? (From Worcester News)

COMMENT: What’s to happen to our pubs?

7:59am Wednesday 5th March 2008 in News

THE plight of the traditional pub in Worcester is such that half of them should close to give the rest a chance of surviving.

The stark warning comes not from some dry business consultants' report, but from the man who represents the city's landlords.

Mike Stevens, chairman of the Worcestershire Licensed Victuallers Association, says there are too many pubs in the city. He claims that a combination of the smoking ban, worries over the economy, and cheap alcohol in supermarkets means many landlords are fighting a losing battle to stay open.

It is a grim message. But we would question whether it is a realistic one. There are more than 100 licensed premises in Worcester. That is a huge number for a city of Worcester's size but is a cull required or will the basic laws of competition create a natural order?

We tend to favour the latter theory. Plenty of similarly sized towns and cities have large numbers of pubs and clubs. The most popular survive; the ones that spot a gap in the market survive. It is those who do not do enough to attract and maintain custom that struggle.

Mr Stevens' stance is surprising given his role as the key representative of the licensed trade in the city. Yes, pubs are facing problems. We happen to think the role of supermarkets selling beer cheaper than water is a bigger issue for landlords than the smoking ban.

But there must be a more positive way of tackling these problems than suggesting a mass closure of our public houses.