FinancialAdvice.co.uk Logo

Qualified advisers answering your
Financial Questions
call 0800 092 1245

OFT to look again at UK beer industry

The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has today confirmed it will reopen an enquiry into the tenanted pub market after legal threats from Camra (the Campaign for Real Ale). The original enquiry was launched back in the summer of 2009 after which the OFT ruled there was no evidence that supply ties were having any impact upon the competitiveness and pricing in the UK pub market. However, Camra immediately launched a legal challenge against the findings of enquiry which were published in October 2009.

Camra believes that alleged anti-competitive agreements between Pubcos and landlords could be inflating UK beer prices by as much as 50p a pint. While the Pubcos have denied these claims, and the initial OFT enquiry found no evidence to support them, it seems as though the threat and cost of potential legal action has made the OFT think again.

It is no secret that the UK pub industry has been under enormous pressure over the last decade due to increased costs, new regulations and alleged anticompetitive agreements between Pubcos and pub landlords. Whether the "new" investigation by the OFT will find any evidence of anti-competitive behaviour remains to be seen but Camra would certainly appear unwilling to give up the fight.

Share this..

Related stories

Financial Guides

Financial Calculators

Our useful calculators can help you get your finances in order:



Latest News

Blogs

Helpful new tax year facts that could affect you and your money


Blog | Seven helpful new 2016/2017 tax year facts that could affect you and your money. Our recent online blog shares a brief outline on how to stay up to date.


Read more

Useful Links

Popular Searches

Please Enter More Details

 
Enter More Details
Continue