Pubs Code Adjudicator’s 2023 Survey

Yesterday saw the release of the annual Pubs Code Adjudicator’s(PCA) survey https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/pubs-code-adjudicator

This looks at the relationship between the Big 6 pub companies and their tied tenants. It is the PCA’s largest ever survey canvassing the opinions of a record 1,206 tied pub tenants.

The key areas raised were:-

• the transparency of obligations imposed by the Pubs Code
• overall satisfaction with their pub company
• happiness with their type of tenancy agreement
• their relationship with their Business Development Manager and Code Compliance Officer
• sentiment on the information provided to them.

The survey indicates that 62% of tenants are happy with the current relationship they have with their pub company, this is the same as last year.

The data reveals that tenants at Marston’s have the highest overall satisfaction rates at 85%, a +12 percentage point increase on last year. This is followed by Greene King (75%, +8 year-on-year), Admiral (75%, -5 YOY), Punch (60%, +13 YOY), Star (55%, -5 YOY), and Stonegate (50%, -9 YOY).

Fiona Dickie, the Pubs Code Adjudicator, said: “It’s encouraging to see overall tenant satisfaction is in line with last year’s survey, despite the increasingly challenging and demanding market conditions that continue to plague the industry. There is, of course, some way to go to improving this figure from 62%, with some individual pub companies having more work to do than others, but we’re confident that, with the PCA’s support, they will be able to increase this figure.

“While it’s certainly a positive that such a high proportion of tenants are aware of the Pubs Code, at 84%, it is more concerning that only 54% are aware of the PCA and the support we’re able to provide. The fact that only 37% of tenants are happy when it comes to repairs and dilapidations at their pub is a core area of concern that needs to be analysed and improved upon, and is an example of something the PCA can help tenants with.”