Marston’s accused of being ‘significantly deficient’ over rent and beer sales

Wolverhampton pubco Marston’s has been accused of charging a tenant too much for its beer and rent and has resisted calls to issue compensation, according to reports.

The Times said that the Government’s pub code adjudicator has judged Marston’s was “significantly deficient” in its treatment of a tenant, Edward Anderson of the Railway Inn in Cheltenham

Marston’s told The Times the findings will have “no consequence” across the industry after the adjudicator found that the company had failed to provide Anderson with the correct information on how much of the beer it supplied was saleable. Marston’s sells beer by the cask rather than how many saleable pints are in it.

A spokesperson for Marston’s said: “Sediment in beer and operational wastage are just two of many factors that are taken into consideration when negotiating a pub tenant’s rent.”

The spokesperson added that the adjudicator wouldn’t be taking any action against the company, which employs 14,000 people and has 1,400 pubs.