Pubs Code Adjudicator reveals results of Annual Tied Tenants Survey

The Pubs Code Adjudicator (PCA) has issued the results of this year's Annual Tied Tenants Survey, which highlight tenant sentiment towards and their relationship with the UK's big six tied pub companies: Admiral, Greene King, Marston's, Punch, Star Pubs & Bars and Stonegate. 

The survey gathered the opinions of 1,203 tied pub tenants, who were interviewed about their views on a range of topics. The Pubs Code provides these tenants with important protections to ensure transparency in their business relationships with their respective operators, and the PCA seeks to understand their overall satisfaction with the system via the survey. 

The results

Of the 1,203 tenants interviewed, 63% were satisfied with their tenant relationship, while 21% were dissatisfied. Overall pub company satisfaction has remained stable except for pub chain Star, which has improved tenant satisfaction by 9 points since 2023. 

Respondents listed the following as reasons for their satisfaction: good communication, a strong relationship with the business development manager or area manager, listening and responding to issues quickly, providing information, being fair and transparent, giving freedom and being supportive during the cost of living crisis. 

However, the following issues were flagged as reasons for their dissatisfaction: a lack of support or a one-sided relationship, little to no contact with the business development manager, slow repairs or disputes with repairs and dilapidations on schedules, issues with deliveries and a lack of transparency and communication around changes. 

Marston's, Admiral and Greene King had the highest overall satisfaction, at 79%, 78% and 77% respectively, whereas Stonegate tenants were the least satisfied at 47%. Information given to new tenants at Marston's, Admiral and Greene King was revealed as the most useful compared to that of other pub companies, with Stonegate tenants finding the information least useful. 

With regards to satisfaction with tenancy agreements, 68% were satisfied and 17% were dissatisfied, which marks a year-on-year improvement. The reasons given for satisfaction include: the terms of agreement are fair and transparent, there is good negotiation on rent repairs and investment in the pub. Marston's tenants are most satisfied with their agreement at 83%, closely followed by Admiral on 79% and Greene King on 75%. 

The survey also looked at the awareness of the Pubs Code, which remained unchanged at 78% and awareness of the Pubs Code Adjudicator, who enforces the Code, was also unchanged at 55%. 

Trust in the independence of the Pubs Code Adjudicator has improved this year, particularly in terms of being independent from the pub companies (64% trust, an increase of 7 points from 2023) and familiarity with the rights has remained consistent since last year. 

Fiona Dickie, Pubs Code Adjudicator, says of the findings: "It is great to see evidence that trust in the Pub Code's independence has improved this year, especially in terms of being independent from pub companies themselves and that awareness is at similar levels to last year.

"These results inform our regulatory work, and it is important for the industry to see these pub company comparisons. The highest overall satisfaction results from Marston's, Admiral and Greene King set a standard pub companies should be seeking to attain and exceed. The results give valuable information for the industry, and this annual survey seeks to drive improvements across the board."

Admiral responds

Chris Jowsey, CEO of Admiral Taverns, says of the results: "These are a really encouraging set of survey results for Admiral, highlighting our industry-leading licensee-centric approach across the business. I'm especially please that we scored so highly on overall tenant satisfaction, which is evidenced through the strong relationships between our business development managers and licensees as well as our proactive support over the last year. 

"We have always championed the value of community pubs and worked hard to empower our licensees to create long-term, sustainable businesses that can continue to serve local residents for generations to come. This survey stands testament to the success of our model and our strong pubco-licensee relationships, which we will continue to maintain and improve where possible."

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