Now it's official - drinkers short-changed by under-filling glasses by 3 per cent in Britain's pubs

5 December 2011

It is high time that when people order a pint and pay for a pint they should get a pint as under-filling totals up to 148 million pints of beer and cider each year that drinkers do not get with a retail value of £444m says GMB the union for pub tenants

Nick Bish, the top boss of the Association of Licenced Multiple Retailers (ALMR) the association representing pub operators has admitted what pub drinkers have known - that pubs systematically under-fill drinks by up to 3% on average. Mr Bish revealed this in a recent letter to a GMB tied pub tenant who was complaining being unable to make a living.

Dave Mountford, a tied pub tenant in Derbyshire with the support of GMB, is contesting a demand from his landlord Punch Tavern for a 60% increase in his rent. Mr Mountford claims that in calculating his profits Punch do not take full account of the normal wastage that is part and parcel of running a pub. Wastages are due to several factors likes spillages and slops, the amount not sold at bottom of kegs, product drawn off during line cleaning and changing kegs, and kegs not been 100% full when delivered from the brewery. Punch referred to ALMR bench-marking on wastage. Mr Mountford then raised the issue direct with Mr Bish. See notes to editors 1 for exchange with Punch.

Nick Bish responded on 16th November saying that there was no specific line providing for wastage in any of the bench-marking ALMR did. He went on to say that he had consulted the Venners, a major stocktaking firm in the industry, and the feedback he got was that wastage was offset by under-filling. This is what he wrote:

Nick Bish said “I also spoke with Venners. The feedback I got there was that they regard yield as the best measure of efficiency in converting product [draught beer] to cash and believe that yield approaching 100% is achievable – mostly through the under-filling of brim glasses by [say] 2-3% that offsets the entirely reasonable wastage at the bottom of casks and line cleaning of course.”- see notes here.

ALMR represents 96 companies that between them operating 10,423 outlets in the UK.

Paul Kenny GMB General Secretary said “for years beer drinkers have regularly complained about the short filling of particularly beer and lager in certain outlets. It would seem that Mr Bish and his Association have known, and by implication condoned, this illegal practice.

It is high time that when people order a pint and pay for a pint they should get a pint.

There is big problem here. If operators offset wastage by under-filling as Mr Bish says they do then under-filling would total up to 148 million pints of beer and cider each year that drinkers have paid for but do not get with a retail value of £444m at £3per pint.

Mr Bish and his colleagues are making life very hard for the honest and decent landlords who look after their customers and do not cheat or short change them.

This scandal should be ended. Mr Bish should issue instructions to his members to end the practice as should all the other pub operators. There has to be an honest acceptance that given normal wastage a yield of 100% in pubs are simply impossible without short-changing customers.

Property companies that own pubs should make proper allowances for wastages when negotiating rents with tenants. ALMR should have a proper figures for wastage in all the bench-marking data.

Customers who think they are being cheated should challenge this as should local weights and measures officers. Perhaps it is high time to change legislation to make oversized glasses compulsory and make publicans fill to the line.”

The full press release and associated e-mails can be found here:

http://www.gmb.org.uk/newsroom/latest_news/pints_under-filled_3.aspx

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