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Greene King launches first smoke free pubs in UK
Pub operator, Greene King, has admitted that it is currently looking at the possibility of banning smoking at all of its food-led pubs in the UK.
The company, which is in the midst of taking over the neighbourhood pub business of its rival, Laurel, is expected to ban smoking at all of its family-orientated Hungry Horse and the Old English Inns pubs.
It has already introduced smoking bans at five of its pubs, including the Rushbrooke Arms, which is located in the company’s head office town of Bury St Edmunds.
Adam Collett, marketing director, said: “With a smoking ban being almost inevitable, our policy is to increase the space devoted to non-smoking throughout our estate.
“We want to ensure all food order points are non-smoking, move to completely smoke free environments in family pubs and encourage growth of 100 per cent smoke free businesses.”
The announcement follows talks last week between the hospitality industry and health minister, John Reid, at which it was decided that a UK-wide ban was preferred to the option of letting local governments decide on their own bans.
By taking a head start and issuing a ban at its food-led properties, Greene King’s latest announcement directly snubs the warnings of Tim Martin, the outspoken non-executive chair of pub operator, JD Wetherspoon.
While Martin has publicly supported an all-out ban, claiming that a number of regional bans would lead to confusion and an uneven playing field, he also strongly warned the industry against individuals breaking ranks and going it alone in the smoking debate.
He said: “I believe that a total ban would be the best way forward and would avoid the situation where customers can smoke in a pub in, say, Newcastle but not in nearby Gateshead.
“However, it would also be commercial suicide for a pub company to prohibit smoking in the absence of a nationwide ban by the government. Going it alone, in my opinion, is not a viable option in the pub world.”
Greene King operates a 550 managed pub division. Details: www.greeneking.co.uk