Reopening has gone well but there are still big problems to overcome, says Peterborough pubs boss

A Peterborough pub company director says reopening post-lockdown got off to a busy start - but he still fears there are significant problems ahead for the hospitality trade.
Darren Peachey of Venture PubsDarren Peachey of Venture Pubs
Darren Peachey of Venture Pubs

Darren Peachey, runs Venture Pubs Company with wife Carly, and leases pubs across the region - including The Limetree, Dragonfly, Dragon, Three Horseshoes and Cross Keys in Peterborough.

He says reopening went pretty much as expected - pubs at 55-60per cent capacity - but that as fixed costs rose it posed problems for the industry if income stayed at that level.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

A vaccine was needed for public protection and people needed to spend to avoid a recession.

Venture Pub Company's The Dragonfly at Orton MalborneVenture Pub Company's The Dragonfly at Orton Malborne
Venture Pub Company's The Dragonfly at Orton Malborne

“It has gone pretty much as I expected,” said Darren. “Saturday was busy throughout our entire business. People largely adhered to the social distancing measures and the restrictions that we had placed in the pubs to keep people safe.

“A small minority of people across our pubs were asked to leave as they did not want to follow the rules. Policing the situations was easier than expected as my landlords/landladies all had help from customers that did not want to put up with such behaviours.

“Many of our pubs closed early on Saturday as we could see that people had drank enough by 9pm and we did not want to spoil a good day. Overall we had a good response to the new restrictions.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“Do not be afraid to come out and enjoy yourselves at the pub, all the necessary precautions have been made to keep you safe. Anyone that is clearly not adhering to the rules will be ejected from the premises.”

He said the police visited the majority of the pubs without any incidents and were there to educate and not enforce.

“They were there to remove anyone that was clearly not behaving themselves and for that Venture was very grateful,” he added.

Sunday was a lot slower and low key, and Monday was the same, but Darren said he was hopeful the better weather ahead will change that.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Looking to the future and what lies ahead, he said: “I have since been in meetings with Enterprise Inns and also Heineken and they have both said that across the board, year on year, like for like, we are at about 55-60% attendance. This is exactly where I had anticipated it would sit.”

The biggest threat to the industry at this present moment is time. As we move forward through the year our fixed costs will continue to rise. If our incomes are still at 60% then this will cause significant problems for the hospitality industry. Also, once winter hits and we have to turn more lights on and also switch the heating on then we need to be close to full capacity to be able to survive.

“The only way I can see that this will happen is if we get the vaccine we desperately need so that the vulnerable can be protected and the general public can start to feel safe again. Saying that, we all need to understand that the way to avoid a recession is to spend your way out of it. I think we all agree that as a country we do not need a recession on our doorstep at this current time.”

Related topics: