Part of my remit for my articles is to discuss the demise of the great British Pub and as we do a huge amount of pub insurance here at Comparecrazy, I thought that today being day one of my attempt to stop smoking, it seemed to be a good time to discuss whether these newfangled ‘E-cigarettes’ are of benefit to the pub trade or not as I have been chugging away relentlessly all day on one!
It has transpired that several of the bigger pub operators such as JD Wetherspoon, Mitchells & Butlers and Fuller’s have all placed a blanket ban on ‘vaping’ in their pubs, as it has become known. Their reasoning for this is that, well, at least in Wetherspoon’s case, they think that the ‘pretend’ smoke that comes from these ciggies look like the real thing and that their staff are obliged to investigate when they see anyone who looks like they’re smoking when they actually should be doing something else. Having many years ago ran bars and nightclubs, I can categorically tell you that if there’s no smell of smoke and the cigarette has a bright LED light on it, I think these staff are being heavily patronised but hey!
I have never been in agreement with the smoking ban in the first place which came into effect on 1/7/07 for several reasons but that’s another story and if anyone wants to question my reasonings, I’ll give you them if you like! Feel free to comment!!
I’m sure the bigger managed pub operators can implement this politically correct nonsense as they have the money not to care, but what about the sole trader? The tenant whose rent is exorbitant and is tied in to buying beers from the brewery at a fixed price without having the opportunity of the free market such as a freeholder? Well, there is some good news…
It has come to light that Enterprise Inns, one of the larger Pubcos, has done a deal with Nicolites that will give them a new revenue stream for their 5,000 odd tenants. Even the tobacco industry is jumping on the bandwagon with firms such as British American Tobacco offering Vype, on the ‘if you can’t beat them join them’ train, having just announced that they will be ceasing production of cigarettes in the UK leading to the loss of 500 jobs in their Nottingham factory.
The fact is this, in this day and age when the great British Pub is sadly on the decline from social change, the government telling us all how we should live our lives due to pressure from the need to get voters and the fact that the only people who vote these days are the righteous politically correct barmy army (for the most part, let’s be honest, there’s not much of a turnout these days for the democracy our forefathers fought and lost their lives for) I really don’t see the problem with a licencee making his own mind up whether people should be able to ‘smoke’ something which has no bearing on anyone else’s health around them, is better for their own health than a traditional cigarette, and if it brings back the multitudes of smokers to their traditional hunting ground, the great British Pub, and keeps them in there for a couple more beers, it can only benefit the industry.
Sadly I can’t have any bearing on any of this, but the guys here at Comparecrazy can when it comes to pub insurance. The savings to be had can equate to the couple of pints a few ‘vapers’ would have had, especially in Wales now there’s a complete blanket ban across the whole country but let’s not go there! NO, I didn’t mean it like that! I meant it like that! From Neath to Swansea, Cardiff to Llandudno, pro vapers of the UK unite! Tell your local landlord. For pub insurance come to Comparecrazy.com. The business insurance comparison site!
