Locals Save Their Pub By Buying It

[Doc]

CAMRA must be happy about this.

Maybe in the future I can see AHB.com members buying a Micro :lol:

Doc

Rather than cry in their beer, patrons band together to buy their local
Regulars at a 15th-century British pub said yesterday they had bought their drinking hole to save it from being converted into houses. A group of 21 customers raised $990,000 to buy the Swan Inn pub in Cheshire, northwest England, after Ian Edmondson, the landlord, announced he was planning to close the former coaching inn to redevelop the site. "We were upset when we heard he wanted to close the pub because it is a viable business and we didn't want to lose our local," said Matthew Barnes, who helped organize the purchase. "It is only a small village and the pub is the key feature where people can come together to chat and exchange stories," Mr. Barnes added, noting the community had already lost its post office.

 

[Backlane Brewery]

That is good news, Doc.
Was looking at CAMRA's website recently (see the links page) and saw that they have gone a couple of steps beyond just saving the odd pub: 5 MILLION POUNDS worth of investments in brewers & pub chains.
And we thought we were doing well getting some donations together to help pay Dane for the upgrade!

CAMRA Investment Club
Have you ever wished that you owned part of a brewery or one of the many pub chains that have emerged recently? Well now you have the opportunity of turning that dream into reality. If you are an existing member of CAMRA , you are eligible to join the CAMRA Investment Club.
For a minimum of five pounds per month you could start making an investment in the many companies in which the Club holds shares. These include: Adnams, Belhaven, Black Sheep, Brakspears, Duvel Moortgat, Enterprise Inns, Fuller's, Gales, Greene King, Hardys & Hansons, Heavitree, Honeycombe Leisure, Interbrew, Jennings, Mitchells & Butler, Punch Taverns, Shepherd Neame, Scarisbrick Hotel, Thwaites, Wadworth, J D Wetherspoon, and Youngs.

The Club operates like a unit trust and members can pay in a fixed sum each month from 5 up to a maximum of 83. Payments can also be made annually, (60 minimum and 1,000 maximum) all by standing order from your bank. The amount can be altered at any time and, if necessary, can be stopped and you investment left to "ride". Alternatively your investment can be cashed in.

At the end of January 2005 the CAMRA Investment Club held shares in breweries and pub chains worth 5,048,778 the highest it has ever been. The unit value was 2.805 also an all time high..

By holding a growing share in a particular company, the Club's votes at their annual general meetings could make a difference to either a take-over bid or other hostile actions. Having a voice in the Boardrooms of the pub owning groups, could help influence their beer policies which is becoming increasingly important in the market where the smaller breweries are competing with the giants.

Dividends received from the profits of all companies are reinvested in more shares. All rights issues are normally taken up to maintain our holdings.

For members benefits, the CAMRA Investment Club organises tours of breweries in which it has shares. These visits normally present the opportunity of meeting the Directors of the company as well as viewing their brewing operations. .

A quarterly report is distributed free to all members of the Club. This includes details of the investments that we hold, updated unit price, financial news, forthcoming purchases, brewery visits and dates, and other interesting information, including the opportunity for members of the club to voice their opinions.

* Please note that the value of shares can go down as well as up and any investment should be regarded as medium to long term.*

 

[Doc]

BB, for some reason that CAMRA idea is really appealing to me. Being part of an organisation that owns breweries and pubs. Am I awake or dreaming

Doc

 

[Backlane Brewery]

They are happy to accept overseas residents as members Doc, only 22 pounds a year.
You would end up owning shares in Fullers, Duvel, Shepherd Neame, Black Sheep, Youngs...imagine the freebies you could scam on your trip OS!

 

[Doc]

They are happy to accept overseas residents as members Doc, only 22 pounds a year.
You would end up owning shares in Fullers, Duvel, Shepherd Neame, Black Sheep, Youngs...imagine the freebies you could scam on your trip OS!

[post="46328"][/post]​

Oh man that is so tempting.
I wonder what the tax implications are on overseas investments ?

I can hear the pitch to my wife now.

me: I think it is time we started some new investments
wife: thats probably a good idea
me: I think I've found a good opportunity
wife: really, what ?
me: some offshore diversification
wife: yeees
me: in an expanding non-depleting market
wife: mmmm, yesss
me: a group that owns production facilaties in Europe
wife: really, what sector
me: ummm, food and beverage
wife: BEER
me: sort of
wife: BEER. I should have guessed
me: they own breweries and hotels
wife: BEER
me: It could work well as a tax write off for European holidays
wife: Are you going to take me back to Europe ?
me: suuureee, honey
wife: mmmm <mumble beer, mumble, beer mumble>
me: London, Belgium and they are expanding all the time
wife: yeah yeah, do whatever you want (starts walking away)
me: thanks honey, you're the best , love you.

:lol: :chug:

Doc

 

[Sean]

CAMRA itself doesn't own any shares - they are owned by the CAMRA investment club - a relatively small sub-group of members who choose to go that route.

CAMRA tried owning pubs in the past (including being the part owner of a brew pub) and it was something of a disaster, so the organisation itself has steered clear of that since.

 

[dicko]

LOL Doc :lol:
That is absolutely spot on!!!!!!!
Cheers

 

[Doc]

LOL Doc :lol:
That is absolutely spot on!!!!!!!
Cheers

[post="46376"][/post]​

Just showed my wife the post, and she was laughing. Perfect synopsis of the proposed conversation.

Beers,
Doc

 

[Plastic Man]

The DIY super fund just found a new investment !!!!!!

 

[Gerard_M]

I tried to buy a pub in Surrey. The Half Moon.It is a Camra pub. We tried to buy it one pint at a time. It didn't work out.

 

[Plastic Man]

a liquid investment as they say...

 

[kook]

I know this may seem a little strange coming from such a lover of beer, but I dont think CAMRA is helping the long term fight for real ale. I'm in the process of writing an article (ok really a rant) about it, which you will see in the next couple months.

I honestly think CAMRA is one of the reasons that cask ale is dying. The image of the organisation from the perspective of a young person is a bunch of old trainspotters. The truth is, they're not very far off.

Anyway, rant for another time.....

 

[warrenlw63]

Then it could also be argued if it wasn't for CAMRA Real Ale would have been dead 35 years ago or so.

Cuts both ways.

Warren -

 

[Backlane Brewery]

That's true to a certain extent Kook - I well remember a visit by a bunch of touring CAMRA nerds to a country pub I worked at in Dorset, all beards & tasting notebooks, deadly serious, no chance of them just HAVING A DRINK for PLEASURE- but I think they deserve some credit. How much is arguable, the UK pub ownership laws changed in the 90s and probably had a bigger impact on pubs, as did the rise of new chains like Wetherspoons. Let alone the changing tastes of young people everywhere with their Budweiser & alcopops...see I'm sounding like an old fart myself!