IFBB

A message from our Chairman

The majority of these pubs are run under the tenanted system, with experienced pub licensees benefiting from comprehensive training and supported by their local brewer. Unlike many pubs these days you will still find the name of the brewery on an IFBB member’s pub, and that name will probably indicate which cask beer is available inside.

By sticking to the highest quality ingredients, brewed and served in a time honoured fashion, these breweries demonstrate the continued demand for cask beers. Nothing beats a classic glass of foaming real ale, and there are currently over 280 different types being brewed all over the country, providing excellent choice for beer lovers everywhere. For those who enjoy beer at home IFBB members also produce 150 different bottled beers..

These brewers source materials and ingredients from the traditional heartlands of malting barley and hop growing. They use local labour, directly providing tens of thousands of jobs, and indirectly supporting many more through suppliers and contractors. With their long experience of investing in people and projects, for good examples of sustainable and integrated business in the community, you need look no further.

Innovation is a hallmark of these companies. Examples of best practice have been honoured with international awards in 2006, from sustainable environmental projects, to state of the art training for licensees and managed house operators. The IFBB leads in many areas of innovation, and will continue to do so in 2007 such as over the ban on smoking in public places, which will inevitably hit some pubs hard and demands investment and planning to assist those individual businesses suffering the most.

Most members will have experienced escalating costs in 2006, from raw materials to fuel and from utility costs to labour. Containing the relentless tide of legislation, regulation and compliance would be a help. The effects of this are as pronounced for the small businesses running pubs as they are for the breweries themselves. Business must be allowed to make a profit if they are to re-invest.

In the end we stand for the enduring pleasures of high quality products, well run pubs and moderate beer consumption, providing discerning customers with products that they choose to buy.

Paul Wells
Chairman of IFBB

A Look Ahead

2006 was a demanding year for the brewing industry and publicans alike, both of whom face testing times, with a number of new challenges on the cards. At IFFB we understand the issues being faced, and are working hard to represent our members’ views with those tasked with the implementation of radical changes such as the forthcoming smoking ban. Change is, however, inevitable presenting challenges that we are determined to embrace to the best of our ability, and to use, where possible, to create new business opportunities.

The Smoking Ban

For many, adapting to the new smoking legislation will undoubtedly involve considerable investment, and we continue to challenge Government and the relevant authorities for more information on exactly how the new guidelines are to be implemented.

The incidence of Binge Drinking

Meanwhile, the pub trade continues to attract unfair criticism for the rising incidence of binge drinking in the UK. What many fail to recognise is the significant change in drinking habits that has taken place in this country in recent years, which has seen more and more people drinking at home. Latest statistics from the BBPA (B (British Beer and Pubs Association) show that in 2005 the volume of beer sold through shops and supermarkets accounted for 41 per cent of all sales in Britain. This is a three per cent rise on the previous year, with the volume of such sales climbing by more than ten per cent in less than a decade.

Discounted offers at the supermarket and high street off licences must, therefore shoulder significant blame for the current binge drinking trend. In contrast high standard hostelries such as ours, offering a quality product in pleasant surroundings, tend not to attract the binge drinking masses.

The Importance of Local Pubs in Rural Areas

Those operating in more rural areas will be well aware of the difficulties facing many such communities in their struggle to survive. Declining local services and the loss of amenities such as shops, post offices and schools are now commonplace. A new Bill currently passing through Parliament seeks to counteract this situation by reducing the reach of Whitehall, providing greater powers to Local Councils, and hence to communities themselves.

The family pubs run by our members are at the heart of many local communities, not only as an important source of employment, but also supporting in numerous other ways. Already in many parts of the country, pubs are taking on new roles, offering local services which might otherwise be lost, and this is a trend that we will continue to promote, support and develop.

A well run local pub can be the hub of community life, and an essential ingredient in any successful community mix. We therefore support the Sustainable Communities Bill which has recently received its second reading and is due to come back before Parliament in the Spring of next year.

For further information on IFBB contact:
IFBB Secretariat, c/o Wells & Youngs Brewing Company Ltd, The Brewery, Havelock Street, Bedford, MK40 4LU
Telephone 01234 272766.