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Landlord promises to put the fizz back into pub life
A LANDLORD is aiming to pull in the punters in his new role as leader of Doncaster's pub trade.
Howard Rimmer has become the new chairman of Doncaster and District Licensed Victuallers' Association taking over from Dave Sissons, of The Spinney in Balby.
And the 59-year-old is determined to reverse the trend of pub closures which is seeing around 50 hostelries closing across the country each week. Howard, licensee of the George and Dragon on the A19 at Whitley, just north of Askern, is determined to increase membership of the LVA, which covers a huge area including Doncaster, Thorne, parts of Rotherham, Scunthorpe, and Newark.
There are currently 40 members, half the total before competition from cheap supermarket drink took its toll on pub numbers.
Howard said: "In recent years there has been a huge turnover of new tenants and people leaving the industry and not keeping up the new tenancies.
"We are the sort of organisation that can offer guidance and advice to new tenants to make sure things don't go wrong for them.
"Tenants need to be in a trade body for when they need help. Our aim is to give professional advice to tenants before they sign up for anything because of the pitfalls they can face.
"People are still taking on pubs without doing their homework and then losing lots of money and sometimes their homes because of the amount they have borrowed. You can't take on a pub and hope that with roses round the door you can just wait for customers to walk in."
As well as pints the George and Dragon offers food, and entertainment, as well as a takeaway service, according to its website.
Howard, who will own the chains of office for two years, says it's not all doom and gloom in the pub trade but it is important for venues to offer something different if they want to survive.
He added. "There are still pubs that are running successfully but because the choice available to people for socialising and eating out is greater that it was, the pub is just one competing for the same pound.
"You have got to offer customers a better choice, cleanliness, character and a good pint.
"It's no good everyone offering two meals for the price of one, there has to be something a bit different.''
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Weather for Doncaster
Friday 10 February 2012
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