An Edinburgh pub has become one of the first in Scotland to leverage the newly-implemented Scottish Pubs Code which frees them to stock beers of their choice.
The Green Room in the city’s West End also says the code will enable it to cut prices by up to 25% and could provide a lifeline to many pubs.
The Scottish Pubs Code, which recently came into force, is intended to create a fairer operating environment between tenants and landlords, reduce costly disputes and help safeguard the future of Scotland’s tied tenanted pubs and bars.
It was introduced through new legislation that means pubs are not obliged to supply stock from the pub owner.
The code was part of the Tied Pubs Bill brought forward by Labour MSP Neil Bibby to bring Scotland into line with England and Wales where regulations prevented licensees from buying their beer on the open market.
The issue came to public attention when Heineken’s pub arm, Star Pubs and Bars was fined £2 million by England and Wales’ Pubs Code Adjudicator for serious and repeated breaches of the Pubs Code. But despite being headquartered in Edinburgh, Heineken’s Scottish tenants did not enjoy similar protections.
Anna Lagerqvist Christopherson, co-owner of The Green Room, commented: “The Scottish Pubs Code is a fantastic initiative, but it is currently a hidden gem that many struggling pub and bar owners across Scotland don’t know about.
“Breaking free from the tie of stock we have to supply has been transformative for us. It also allows us to offer fair, competitive prices to our customers while being able to stock a wider selection of drinks.
“Scotland would have a significantly more vibrant pub and bar culture if knowledge of this law were more widespread.
“We are seeing venues close every week. If more owners knew they had the right to break these restrictive ties, we would see more businesses surviving, more employees kept in jobs, and more taxes paid into the local economy. This isn’t just about cheaper beer, it’s about the survival of the pub.”
To celebrate the milestone, The Green Room is holding a ‘Freedom Party’ on 11 February to showcase the bar’s expanded range of beers.
The Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA) has launched a new portal designed to help pub tenants navigate the Guest Beer Agreement facet of the code. Tenants and lessees can find the portal at guestbeer.co.uk
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