This is a ground breaking move by Batemans – one which smashes the conventional mould of a landlord/tenant relationship – and is believed to be an industry first.

The Lincolnshire Brewer and Retailer under the sound stewardship of Stuart Bateman, Managing Director and Jaclyn Bateman, Marketing Director, renamed its tenanted pub estate Profit Partnership in 2006. The new department – headed up by Rob Jones (ex Scottish & Newcastle Pub Enterprises) has undertaken a root and branch review over the last two years with the primary objective of ensuring that the tenant is put first.

Recent Initiatives include:
• New goodwill agreements rewarding entrepreneurial endeavour
• Reduction of manager to pub ratio of 1:20
• Eyes Wide Open – a new code of practice endorsed by BIIBAB (Association awarding qualifications for Licensed Retail)
• Individual tailored marketing funds, bespoke to each pub
• Free in-house training for its tenants
• Free of charge cost saving initiative via Pro Eco
• Building Insurance paid by the Brewery and not recharged to tenants
• A dedicated Legislation & Regulations resource

Rob Jones, Profit Partnership Director says:
‘These are challenging times for the trade and we feel passionately that our tenants need as much support as possible to help steer them through the choppy waters. We’re very excited about the ‘Fixed Rent Agreement’.
This allows tenants to have complete certainty about their future, and work in the knowledge that their endeavours will not be ‘rewarded’ by a significant upwards rent review. If hard-working and entrepreneurial people have been responsible for increasing their business, we do not believe that the Brewery should then be entitled to take a larger share. Landlords use the ‘fair maintainable trade’ card to suit their own interests, we believe a fair rent on day one means a fair rent in years three, six and nine as well…”

Stuart Bateman, Managing Director Batemans Brewery says:
“Any normal business partnership has two partners who work closely together and have ultimate trust in each other. However, the perception of many tenancy agreements is that one partner seems to consider the other as dishonest and the other seems to consider the other as a policeman. How can this result in the two partners optimising the business?”