BII annual report shows decline in membership
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Prime Minister promises aid for ‘ community assets ’
PUBS
L ast week , Prime Minister David C a m e r o n announced a funding package that would enable people to take over and run buildings and institutions of local interest - a move which could help safeguard pubs , bingo halls and even amusement arcades .
Of the £ 250m that will be made available by the Big Lottery Fund and Society Capital over the next ten years , £ 50m will go into a “ Community Assets Fund ” providing loans and grants to start projects that could be commercially viable over a period of time .
Neil Walker , a Campaign for Real Ale spokesperson , said : “ CAMRA ’ s List Your Local campaign aims to get 300 pubs listed as ‘ assets of community value ’ around the UK - meaning should the pub be put up for sale the community has six months to generate the funds to buy the pub before it is sold off , or even worse , converted into flats or a supermarket . We hope this £ 250m fund will be made easily available to communities looking to save their local pub and will have a positive impact on the number of community pubs being lost across the UK .”
Kate Nicholls , strategic affairs director , Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers added : “ Access to funding and investment is an acute problem across the sector as a whole and we support any measures which can help businesses maintain their vitality and viability where they are responding to real consumer and market demand .”
Brigid Simmonds , BBPA CEO , concluded : “ We ’ ve always supported the community right to bid in the Localism Act , to keep valued community pubs open . Grants and loans could help local residents with this process .”
B BJUNE 14 - JUNE 20 , 2013
BII annual report shows decline in membership
PUBS
he number of British Institute of Innkeepers
Tmembers declined from 11,816 to 10,432 in 2012 - a net reduction of 1,384 . Some 2,299 new members were recruited during the year and 3,683 were lost , many of whom , the BII reported , were licensees leaving the industry .
In his foreword to the Annual Report and Financial Statement issued in advance of this week ’ s AGM , BII chairman Bernard Brindley said :“ The UK economy has been weak in recent years with growth flat since 2010 and a recent double-dip recession which was the longest and deepest for 50 years between Q4 2011 and Q2 2012 . This has been a difficult time for our industry and for the Institute with a continuing high level of pub closures that reduces the number of potential members .”
Membership income fell by 9.4 per cent from £ 0.939m to £ 0.851m and income from the sale of qualifications declined by 7.2 per cent from £ 2.351m to £ 2.182m . Total income fell from £ 4.374m to £ 4,219m ; and while total expenditure was reduced by more than £ 550,000 to £ 4.305m , including a cut of more than £ 300,000 in staffing costs ( employee numbers fell from 50.4 full-time equivalent employees to 39.8 ), the BII still incurred a deficit of £ 86,048 .
Brindley said :“ Whilst it is disappointing to have incurred a deficit at all this is a significant improvement on 2011 ( deficit of £ 484,563 ) and on 2010 ( deficit of £ 296,396 ). Cash resources decreased by only £ 31,203 in the year . It is the intention to at least break even in 2013 .”
Profits up for Fuller ’ s
PUBS
Brewer and pub operator Fuller ,
Smith and Turner has reported a five per cent rise in full-year profits , boosted by new pub acquisitions .
According to the group , pre-tax profits for the year to March 30 totalled £ 31.7m , up five per cent on £ 30.3m in 2012 .
The profit rise comes after the acquisition of more sites that helped boost the group . Fuller ’ s now has around 400 pubs , located primarily in London and the south-east .
New pubs boosted the performance of its largest division , managed pubs and hotels , with total sales rising nine per cent in the period .
“ Trading for the current year has started positively and like for like sales in our managed pubs and hotels were up seven per cent ,” said Fuller ’ s chairman , Michael Turner . “ We look forward to the prospect of a year less blighted by the weather .”
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