Breweries !

[nbt]

very suprised that only 8 people have voted out of 297 views. Also very suprised at the count. Do we have some brewers in our midst??

I've been back to check the thread for each new reply, so that's a dozen views right there

[Dave]

You don't need to be a brewer to realise that the situation is not as simple as this post suggests.  Let's take Robinson's for example.  Quite a few Robbies pubs, like those of other brewers and pubcos (the big chains that were set up after the Tories introduced the Beer Orders 20 years ago) have been losing money for a few years now, for various reasons, including the smoking ban, increases in duty, and cheap booze being sold by supermarkets.   Until property values crashed this year, there must have been be a big temptation to cut and run - i.e. sell off for residential purposes some of the loss-making pubs in plush residential areas.  I can think of a few round here which could have been worth a lot of money.   

However, Robbies have held out against any temptation to asset-strip, and are sticking it out for the long term.  And as a result, we still have our pubs as valuable community facilities, subsidised, in efect, by the brewery.

So let's hear it for Robbies!  (And no, I have nothing to do with them - apart from consuming their beer, of course    )

[Barbara]

Hear hear!  As I said before, I wish the new landlord the best of luck.  He has a big job on his hands to get the pub going again, and I hope that we can all support his as much as possible.

[orangewhip]

I'll second that Barbara, best of luck to the landlord.  It's one of the loveliest pubs Marple has to offer, in a superb location for both cinephiles and canal wanderers, so all the best to him. 

I took my aged father there recently for a pint of perfectly pulled ale and he remarked on more than one occasion that the place was precisely what a pub should be; well kept ales, a good bit of banter, and attentive, friendly staff. 

The Navvy and the Hatters (voted Marple's best pub in a recent poll) are indeed proper pubs for proper people and Marple should be very proud to have them.

Cheers!