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Eight Thwaites pubs in East Lancashire put up for sale
3:10pm Tuesday 24th November 2009
BREWERY giant Thwaites has put eight pubs up for sale across East Lancashire.
But the Campaign for Real Ale has accused the Blackburn-based firm of imposing strict rules for would-be buyers which mean the sites can no longer be run as pubs.
The pubs put up for sale are:
Accrington: The Adelphi, Avenue Parade.
Blackburn: The Plane Tree, Whalley Old Road; Sportsman’s Arms, Shear Brow; Gibraltar, Gibraltar Street.
Colne: The Commercial Hotel, Skipton Road.
Darwen: The Mill Gap, Bolton Road; The George, Bolton Road.
Padiham: The Victoria Hotel, Burnley Road.
Michael Kershaw, from CAMRA East Lancashire, said: “We firmly believe that the market should decide whether a pub is viable.
“The business model at Thwaites may not work with these locals but that does not mean that local entrepreneurs cannot make a success of these pubs.
“They should at least be given the opportunity to do so.”
However, such convenents were defended by Licensed Victuallers’ Association representative Geoff Sutcliffe, who is also landlord of the Rising Sun, Whalley New Road, Blackburn.
He said: “A lot of these pubs are in areas that would not be viable anyway.
"I think we have got to be realistic about this.
“This sort of practice will sort out the weak pubs from the strong because, at the moment, there are too many pubs around.
“This is a business decision. Thwaites would not sell a pub if it was viable.”
Earlier this year, the House of Commons Business and Enterprise Select Committee criticised pub chains for selling on premises with restrictive covenants.
It led Enterprise Inns and Punch Taverns to scrap the practice.
The commercial websites selling the Thwaites properties confirm that the Adelphi, Avenue Parade, Accrington, and Victoria Hotel, Burnley Road, Padiham, must not be used as pubs.
The firm selling the other six pubs does not reveal such terms online.
Andrew Buchanan, director of pub operations at Thwaites, said: “The company does not make decisions to dispose of pubs lightly.
“It does not employ restrictive covenants lightly either.
“In every case where Daniel Thwaites has employed a restrictive covenant, it has done so after much soul-searching and deliberation.
“The only motivation for Daniel Thwaites in this regard is to ‘de-pub’ areas where high pub density is detrimental to the survival of the trade as a whole.
“In conclusion, we can confirm that the pubs highlighted are being marketed with restrictive covenants.
"However, this does not necessarily mean that they will be sold with a restrictive covenant.”
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Your Say YourLancashire
MerlinTheVoiceofReason, Ramsbottom says...
6:03pm Tue 24 Nov 09
De La Rosa wrote:Don't be an A1 prat!
Not surprising to see that the areas those pubs are in are dominated by the ethnic minority.
A shame to see that these pubs, once of grandeur will probably never open their doors again to welcome those in for a nice refreshing pint of Thwaites finest.
Since when has the Mill Gap in Darwen been surrounded by asian people?
Grow up!
Kevin, Colne, Colne says...
6:13pm Tue 24 Nov 09
Geoff Sutcliffe hit the nail on the head: some places are simply over-pubbed.
Stone Island, Blackburn says...
6:44pm Tue 24 Nov 09
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Just because Thwaites can't make a success of these pubs, doesn't mean no-one else can.
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I am a Thwaites tennant and would like to buy my pub, but they won't sell it at a reasonable price, because it's trading well. Therefore i would like the opportunity to possibly buy one of these pubs up for sale, but there's no point if i can't re-open it as a public house.
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I know for a FACT that i could run one of these pubs successfully. I could certainly sell the beer a lot cheaper, as i could buy it from where i wanted far cheaper than i can buy it now.
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I guess thats why they attatch 'restrictive covenants' to these buildings, i would then become a competitor. But whats wrong with a bit of healthy competition anyway?
happycyclist, Darwen says...
6:49pm Tue 24 Nov 09
MJ Rover, Blackburn says...
7:12pm Tue 24 Nov 09
Having said that, I don't think Thwaites should be telling potential buyers they can't run them as pubs. Apart from anything, it will make it much more difficult to sell them.
I don't think being in an area mostly populated by ethnic minorities really has anything to do with it. The culture has changed over the past 20 years or so, from locals to more town-centre pubs. Young people today don't want to go and sit in one pub all night, every night. They want to go to several places which have different atmospheres, where they can dance, or whatever.
burner, blackburn says...
8:37pm Tue 24 Nov 09
pipsters, Burnley says...
8:40pm Tue 24 Nov 09
alcypop, lwr darwen says...
9:26pm Tue 24 Nov 09
Sox, Blackburn says...
9:31pm Tue 24 Nov 09
Not sure if you have been into the town centre recently but even Saturday night is now dead. Ten years ago the town centre was a buzzin. Twenty years ago it supported 5/6 night clubs!
Personally I have a big issue with restrictive covenents. Might be better for in the long term for Thwaites themselves to go "belly up". They have too much of a dominant influence.
jackmetickler, Plymouth says...
8:44am Wed 25 Nov 09
Depends if your for the independent or you feel sorry for the landlords of thwaites pubs.
Whichever way you look at it - it is the greedy brewerys who have killed pubs.!
GenghisRover, Ramsbottom says...
1:10pm Wed 25 Nov 09
Grizzly, Darwen says...
1:58pm Wed 25 Nov 09
Look at The Park just up the road from the mill gap. that kept closing down time and time again because of the brewery. i once enquired about it and they wanted 20k plus for the lease, then it wa 50/50 on profits and you had to buy the beer from them. now it is a freehouse and the ale is cheap and good and it is always busy.
independently run pubs can work more viable than a brewery owned one. simples. but the brewerys know this and are restricting small businesses from developing. w@nkers.
doctor hoo, Darwen says...
3:52pm Wed 25 Nov 09
As for The Park, it was a bad pub with a lot of problems but since it has been sold on to a new pub company it has spent a lot of money doing up the property and clearing out the deadwood and bringing some cheap ale and cheer to some folk. (could do with a pool table though) Well done. Makes a change to have a pub stopping open rather than shutting like the Thwaites ones.
Grizzly, Darwen says...
11:46am Thu 26 Nov 09
doctor hoo wrote:hey Doc, there's an application in to convert the barn at the back and extend the pub. that will be the gmaes room!!
I agree with Grizzly above. The breweries are greedy and they always want a bigger slice of the cake when you do well. As for The Park, it was a bad pub with a lot of problems but since it has been sold on to a new pub company it has spent a lot of money doing up the property and clearing out the deadwood and bringing some cheap ale and cheer to some folk. (could do with a pool table though) Well done. Makes a change to have a pub stopping open rather than shutting like the Thwaites ones.
bankhall, burnley says...
12:58pm Thu 26 Nov 09
RAyzer, BURNLEY says...
9:51am Sat 28 Nov 09
SirSteve, Blackburn says...
2:09pm Sat 28 Nov 09
retired one, Blackburn says...
4:15pm Sun 29 Nov 09
Walter Carey, Simonstone says...
4:17pm Mon 30 Nov 09
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It would appear that whilst the growth of the micro brewery continues (i.e. real ale) our local brewery is struggling.
THE MILL GAP: Bolton Road, Darwen
SPORTSMAN’S ARMS: Shear Brow, Blackburn
THE adelphi: Avenue Parade, Accrington
THE VICTORIA HOTEL: Burnley Road, Padiham
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De La Rosa, Blackburn says...
5:32pm Tue 24 Nov 09
A shame to see that these pubs, once of grandeur will probably never open their doors again to welcome those in for a nice refreshing pint of Thwaites finest.