COMMENT: Locals must get proactive to survive (From Worcester News)

COMMENT: Locals must get proactive to survive

7:10am Monday 15th March 2010 in

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SEVEN pubs in Worcester either closed or up for lease is a worrying statistic for anyone who values the importance of a ‘local’ to communities.

In total there are 15 brewery or management company-owned pubs across Worcestershire in need of new tenants.

The figures are symptomatic of an industry in which smaller pubs are facing a desperate battle for survival.

These businesses have been hit by a combination of the growing number of chain-owned super-pubs in town and city centres, cheap deals on alcohol in supermarkets and the general impact of the recession on the spending power of regulars.

We are sure some will cite the smoking ban – of which we have always been supportive –- as a factor in the crisis facing some pubs but it pales into insignificance when compared to the issues above.

There are plenty of pubs and clubs that are running successfully and profitably despite the smoking ban.

That is because their landlords and landladies are innovative and proactive, reaching out to the community they serve rather than expecting trade to come to them.

Finding people with that level of commitment to take over the pubs seeking tenants is a tough ask.

We believe there is a future for the traditional local but it needs people of vision prepared to embrace change and adapt to the new business models that all pubs need to adopt to survive in the 21st century.

Not all of the county’s pubs will survive. But those that do will be run by people prepared to immerse themselves in their local communities, understand their markets and give their customers what they want.