A leading City analyst has claimed there is an “overwhelming case” for retention of the beer tie.

In a research note that is sure to raise the hackles of anti-pubco campaigners, Douglas Jack of Numis Securities said that beer tie opponents such as Fair Pint and the BEC report had “failed to prove that tenants are worse off than they would be as free-traders”.

As well as paying rents below the commercial property market average, tenants were also getting numerous benefits that are not available to free-of-tie operators, Jack said.

These benefits included “low cost of entry; business support; training; the broadest purchasing range available in the market; bulk purchasing discounts in non-tied products and capital investment support”.

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