he boss of Metropolis Pub Group at present took goal at dynamic pint pricing after it emerged some pub chains have been elevating costs at peak buying and selling hours to spice up their margins.
“I simply suppose it’s improper,” Clive Watson informed the Commonplace.
“We generally change the reserving charges for occasions relying on how far out individuals e book. However on the precise evening, whenever you’re having an excellent time, altering the drinks costs is just not clear.”
Slug & Lettuce and Yates’s proprietor Stonegate final week stated it deliberate to ramp up costs by as a lot as 20p per pint throughout its busiest occasions.
However Metropolis Pub Group stated intra-day pint value strikes was not an choice it was contemplating.
The agency at present reported a 14% rise in like-for-like gross sales to £31.7 million for the primary six months of the yr, because the proprietor of the Bow Road Tavern in Covent Backyard and the Cock & Bottle in Notting Hill hailed resilient demand regardless of poor summer time climate and continued rail strikes.
Watson stated demand had additionally been boosted in London by followers of the Rugby World Cup, whereas bookings for Christmas occasions have been considerably larger than on the similar level final yr.
The enterprise stated it was in talks to amass a number of new websites and was on target to hit its goal of reaching a 60-strong pub property, however Watson refused to say the place they have been positioned. “I don’t need Fuller’s or Younger’s to nab them,” he stated.
Metropolis Pub Group shares rose 1.2% to 87p.