On an altogether sadder note there’s been another murder in our neck of the woods:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/7811827.stm

Cambria am byth.

By and large I think Wetherspoons are a good thing and Tim Martin an inspiring down to earth entrepreneur… I don’t like their style or ambience at al because they lack a certain bucket load of charm, wit, quirkiness and individuality but they do a good job of what they are designed to — serve edible food and decent drink at rock bottom prices.

But their existence to a large degree was made possible by there being a voluminous gap in the retail beer market between independent privately owned free of tie pubs charging good money for well kept beer being served in well kept premises and thousands and rapidly expanding pubco model pubs where individuals lease a pub from a property company and have to pay a lot for beer supplied through a ‘tie’ with the freeholder; The freeholder buys huge amounts of beer from brewers and gets rock bottom prices but does not pass these discounts onto their lessees and so the lessees have to charge good money to make even a modest profit.

It is impossible not to generalise but essentially, before Wetherspoons there was no cheap, decently priced, well kept good beer available in clean, professionally run pubs anywhere from John O’Groats to Land’s End and the tradition of the beer drinkers’ pub was not being adequately served by anyone.

Tim Martin saw this: Buy big freehold buildings and turn them into big pubs with low prices in areas where there are few decent pubs selling decent beer at decent prices; Ideally buy buildings which are not licensed and get change of use; once they are licensed the freehold value will at least double.

Build a lot of them all selling a lot of beer and you can buy your beer at rock bottom prices (like the pubcos) but (unlike the pubcos) pass this enormous saving on to customers and still make a respectable profit. People come to you because you are better value (cheaper) and better run than your competition can ever be.

Clean well run pubs mop up all the local trade and each individual Wetherspoons thrives because no one else can afford to compete at that price level…

Specialist high end pubs can compete with Wetherspoons because they do such different things and attract a totally different customer demographic but your average boozer cannot.

A £3m Wetherspoon refit? Clearly no expense is spared in making their places look uniformly horrible! Must admit though that I’ve been tempted in on more than one occasion — the good, cheap beer and no music policy can make for a pleasant change.

All the best this week Mark.

By the way it’s time we got together again what with the new year and all. How about a soiree or matinee at Sun and Doves?

Allez-y aux noix, Marc!

A friend of mine has just lost 10,000 quid on the design of a new Wetherspoons in a small Shropshire town, which has just been scrapped.

Viva!

Vauxhall Viva!

Caramba, Camberwell!

I spent 2008/09 midnight on a flight from Havana to Gatwick after ten days in Cuba. Of course I did get most of my photographic gear stolen; my last act of charity for 2008. Havana soooo reminded me of Camberwell. At least the people reminded me of here. IN good and BAD ways. Camberwell’s generally in MUCH better shape than Havana. First time I’ve ever been really pleased to come back home. But paradoxically I want to go back there now.

There’s a battle to be fought and it starts Monday. I will be representing myself in High Court. I intend to roast some nuts. And, also paradoxically, I feel that my visit to Cuba as a result of the generosity of my girfriend’s mum, has given me the courage to fight longer and harder than before. S&NPE you just watch your little nutties they are going to be nipped hard.