The UK Politics and EU Referendum thread - merged

[TightEnd]

The price of a pint of beer in Wetherspoon pubs is being cut by an average of 20p from today as an example of how leaving the Customs Union can reduce costs, the company has announced

I have a couple of issues with this

I really don't understand why the Wetherspoons Board of Directors (particular independent non-executives) is allowing their Chairman to shape business communications based on his personal political hobby horse.

1. The UK has not left the Customs Union;
2. The Custom's Union tariff on beer is 0%.

Did you have a problem understanding the numerous other boards who allowed their senior people to do the same..except from a remain perspective

Not sure they do, do they? This isn't Tim Martin personally making a decision, its a corporate decision, though he is executive chairman.

Thought it was interesting from a corporate governance perspective.

Fine from a marketing perspective obviously if they think it will lead to higher volumes of product sold (at lower margin)

[RickBFA]

The price of a pint of beer in Wetherspoon pubs is being cut by an average of 20p from today as an example of how leaving the Customs Union can reduce costs, the company has announced

I have a couple of issues with this

I really don't understand why the Wetherspoons Board of Directors (particular independent non-executives) is allowing their Chairman to shape business communications based on his personal political hobby horse.

1. The UK has not left the Customs Union;
2. The Custom's Union tariff on beer is 0%.

I guess it’s part of their marketing strategy and a USP?

Given they cater for a certain clientele, the position probably makes sense.

[MANTIS01]

Yeah but the price of this commodity is going down which doesn’t fit the narrative and thus must be unfair or wrong on some level..

Let’s not celebrate it as evenly as we gasp at prices going up.

[TightEnd]

its fine as a marketing strategy, but its not based in fact and as such I wonder about the corporate governance. My only point.

I am weird and possibly ridiculous. I refuse to set foot in a Wetherspoons because of the views of Tim Martin.

So obviously I am not the target market :-)

[arbboy]

its fine as a marketing strategy, but its not based in fact and as such I wonder about the corporate governance. My only point.

I am weird and possibly ridiculous. I refuse to set foot in a Wetherspoons because of the views of Tim Martin.

So obviously I am not the target market :-)

I am a big fan of his business model and his pubs so the total opposite of you.   You get top quality brands and products at a much cheaper price than other pubs (providing you don't want EU drinks).   I think he has proved (according to his articles in the spoons quarterly magazine) by dumping premium brand EU products such as Jager bombs, red bull and champagne and replacing them with UK or non EU cheaper alternatives (who he can screw into the ground on price to get Spoons as a huge volume customer) the company is proving Brexit won't damage their business, increases the use of UK made products which is obviously a boost for our own economy and sending a wider message to other businesses that business will adjust and cope with a no deal brexit and in some cases find cost advantages of doing so.

Imagine the impact on the UK economy is most businesses did the same and started sourcing UK replacements for products they routinely buy from abroad?   Buy British used to be such a marketing tool back in the day but would probably be considered very non PC nowadays with the snowflakes of this world.  The same snowflakes might support the reduced carbon footprint of buying British though.

I also think you massively overthink his target market even knows or cares what TM's extreme brexit views are.   I bet if you did a straw poll in any random spoons and asked the customers most wouldn't care, or have a clue, what the spoons exec chairman's views were.

[MANTIS01]

its fine as a marketing strategy, but its not based in fact and as such I wonder about the corporate governance. My only point.

I am weird and possibly ridiculous. I refuse to set foot in a Wetherspoons because of the views of Tim Martin.

So obviously I am not the target market :-)

So you would walk past a more economical option to spend more elsewhere because of a matter of principle. Cost yourself money because you don’t agree with the philosophy of the people controlling an organisation. Well well.

[BigAdz]

its fine as a marketing strategy, but its not based in fact and as such I wonder about the corporate governance. My only point.

I am weird and possibly ridiculous. I refuse to set foot in a Wetherspoons because of the views of Tim Martin.

So obviously I am not the target market :-)

I am a big fan of his business model and his pubs so the total opposite of you.   You get top quality brands and products at a much cheaper price than other pubs (providing you don't want EU drinks).   I think he has proved (according to his articles in the spoons quarterly magazine) by dumping premium brand EU products such as Jager bombs, red bull and champagne and replacing them with UK or non EU cheaper alternatives (who he can screw into the ground on price to get Spoons as a huge volume customer) the company is proving Brexit won't damage their business, increases the use of UK made products which is obviously a boost for our own economy and sending a wider message to other businesses that business will adjust and cope with a no deal brexit and in some cases find cost advantages of doing so.

Imagine the impact on the UK economy is most businesses did the same and started sourcing UK replacements for products they routinely buy from abroad?   Buy British used to be such a marketing tool back in the day but would probably be considered very non PC nowadays with the snowflakes of this world.  The same snowflakes might support the reduced carbon footprint of buying British though.

I also think you massively overthink his target market even knows or cares what TM's extreme brexit views are.   I bet if you did a straw poll in any random spoons and asked the customers most wouldn't care, or have a clue, what the spoons exec chairman's views were.

Good post

[kukushkin88]

its fine as a marketing strategy, but its not based in fact and as such I wonder about the corporate governance. My only point.

I am weird and possibly ridiculous. I refuse to set foot in a Wetherspoons because of the views of Tim Martin.

So obviously I am not the target market :-)

I am a big fan of his business model and his pubs so the total opposite of you.   You get top quality brands and products at a much cheaper price than other pubs (providing you don't want EU drinks).   I think he has proved (according to his articles in the spoons quarterly magazine) by dumping premium brand EU products such as Jager bombs, red bull and champagne and replacing them with UK or non EU cheaper alternatives (who he can screw into the ground on price to get Spoons as a huge volume customer) the company is proving Brexit won't damage their business, increases the use of UK made products which is obviously a boost for our own economy and sending a wider message to other businesses that business will adjust and cope with a no deal brexit and in some cases find cost advantages of doing so.

Imagine the impact on the UK economy is most businesses did the same and started sourcing UK replacements for products they routinely buy from abroad?   Buy British used to be such a marketing tool back in the day but would probably be considered very non PC nowadays with the snowflakes of this world.  The same snowflakes might support the reduced carbon footprint of buying British though.

I also think you massively overthink his target market even knows or cares what TM's extreme brexit views are.   I bet if you did a straw poll in any random spoons and asked the customers most wouldn't care, or have a clue, what the spoons exec chairman's views were.

This is a decent post I think. It’s just amazing how comprehensive the ideological division is.

[arbboy]

I should retire from posting if Adz and Kuk BOTH think i made a good post!  Just need lolrron now to make it the perfect hat trick.

[bunnydas8888]

The price of a pint of beer in Wetherspoon pubs is being cut by an average of 20p from today as an example of how leaving the Customs Union can reduce costs, the company has announced

I have a couple of issues with this

I really don't understand why the Wetherspoons Board of Directors (particular independent non-executives) is allowing their Chairman to shape business communications based on his personal political hobby horse.

1. The UK has not left the Customs Union;
2. The Custom's Union tariff on beer is 0%.

Does that mean if we actually leave, they take another 20p off? Or is today's price cut just a day long happy hour?

[arbboy]

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/wetherspoon-pint-price-cut-beer-brexit-tim-martin-profits-pubs-a9094066.html

He has taken 20p of only one pint his entry level bitter which he probably sells chunks of and the brewer have probably reduced their price to him alongside short term loss leader wise because of the PR both businesses will receive from it. 

[kukushkin88]

I should retire from posting if Adz and Kuk BOTH think i made a good post!  Just need lolrron now to make it the perfect hat trick.

Obvs a huge insult to be included in that company! I know what you mean though, I think 😊.

The other thing from your post that’s worth expanding on is that huge swathes of society have absolutely no interest in politics and that’s perfectly reasonable. Plenty of the people who have no interest in politics might choose to drink in Wetherspoons.

[RickBFA]

its fine as a marketing strategy, but its not based in fact and as such I wonder about the corporate governance. My only point.

I am weird and possibly ridiculous. I refuse to set foot in a Wetherspoons because of the views of Tim Martin.

So obviously I am not the target market :-)

So you would walk past a more economical option to spend more elsewhere because of a matter of principle. Cost yourself money because you don’t agree with the philosophy of the people controlling an organisation. Well well.

 

[doubleup]

its fine as a marketing strategy, but its not based in fact and as such I wonder about the corporate governance. My only point.

I am weird and possibly ridiculous. I refuse to set foot in a Wetherspoons because of the views of Tim Martin.

So obviously I am not the target market :-)

The governance issue was my first thought.  His shares fell nearly 2%, don't know how that compared to their sector yesterday. Anyway it highlights the danger of buying shares in companies controlled by an individual or individuals (see Ashley, Mike).

[arbboy]

I should retire from posting if Adz and Kuk BOTH think i made a good post!  Just need lolrron now to make it the perfect hat trick.

Obvs a huge insult to be included in that company! I know what you mean though, I think 😊.

The other thing from your post that’s worth expanding on is that huge swathes of society have absolutely no interest in politics and that’s perfectly reasonable. Plenty of the people who have no interest in politics might choose to drink in Wetherspoons.

The typical client base of most of the spoons i go in is rarely anything like the stereotype of customer people who don't frequent the places think it is.   Albeit i rarely go into city centre spoons most are in more rural areas.  Yes you have your piss heads that most pubs have but the vast majority of punters are housewife types having a cheap coffee and chat if you go in for breakfast, business people having meetings/interviews over a drink, families of all generations having lunch/dinner and younger types having a cheap bevvy on a night out.   Their business model wouldn't work too well just selling loss leader type pints like the PR article to 12 pints a day alco's.