Tony Brookes, from Hexham, is the managing director of the Head Of Steam chain of pubs, which currently has a portfolio of nine bars including the Head Of Steam in Newcastle and Durham and The Cluny in Newcastle.

 

Because he’s had enough of supermarkets and off-licences selling cheap alcohol, Tony has decided to back a campaign that aims to encourage the Government to introduce a minimum price per unit of alcohol.

 

Having worked in licensing for 31 years, Tony has seen a lot of ups and downs in the business, but believes that the situation at present is very damaging to the health of the pub industry – and the health of the region.

 

One of the main problems, he says, is pre-loading, which is when people get drunk before they even go to a bar, usually from cheap alcohol they’ve bought from a supermarket.

 

“Recently, I’ve noticed two strongly linked phenomena which are that more people are going to bars later at night and more people are going there already under the influence.

 

“Even as little as five years ago, people would arrive into town at approximately 8pm but now it can be 10pm or even later. This is a direct consequence of alcohol being sold cheaply in supermarkets and off-licences, as people purchase it from there and then drink it in their houses before they head out for the night.

 

“Unfortunately, this often means that they are already drunk by the time they arrive in town and they are past the point at which they should be served.”

 

Tony insists that for this reason, it’s unfair that bars and pubs are often labelled as the villains. He says that the media regularly portray them as the bad guys who encourage irresponsible drinking, which then leads to trouble in licensed premises.

 

“In terms of alcohol sales, the pub industry gets a far smaller proportion of the trade and yet we get a reputation – usually from the media – as the main culprit of selling booze to drunks. What’s more, most trouble occurs not in the pubs and clubs but out on the street.

 

“So not only is the majority of alcohol not sold in bars but most trouble occurs away from them too. It seems totally unfair therefore, that there is now a debate underway about the introduction of a levy, which bars must pay to cover the cost of policing on a weekend. Will supermarkets, which sell far more alcohol than pubs, get charged this too? Probably not.”

 

Tony thinks the problem has been compounded by the recession and suggests that because there is pressure on people to be more reserved with their spending, the trend of buying cheaply from supermarkets will continue. 

 

“People’s spending throughout the recession has remained cautious and if the bleak economic climate continues or even worsens, then costs will inevitably go up and supermarkets will likely maintain their low-cost campaign.”

 

Tony insists that the Government needs to act to improve the situation and retailers must be prevented from selling alcohol at below cost. 

 

“At present, supermarkets are saying that they will support the Government’s stance of not selling alcohol below cost, but their interpretation of this excludes production costs. However, this is unacceptable and would not be an effective measure.

 

“The introduction of a 50p per unit minimum price would be the most successful resolution and I’m totally in favour of this. It would reflect that a product could be socially harmful and remind consumers and retailers alike that is should be drunk with restraint.”