Lewes Arms controversy

The Lewes Arms controversy involved a dispute between the Greene King Brewery and the regulars of the Lewes Arms pub in Lewes, East Sussex, England from 2006 to April 2007, when the brewery withdrew from sale a local beer.

The dispute prompted a change in Greene King's policy that may well have repercussions for other pubs that have lost the right to sell local beers. One of the Greene King directors (Mark Angela) left the company amid a shake up of all Greene King houses in which the managed house operations were split into two divisions. [ [http://www.caterersearch.com/Articles/2007/03/26/312353/mark-angela-to-leave-greene-king-in-reorganisation.html caterersearch.com] ]

Background

Greene King decided to stop selling the locally produced Harveys Sussex Best Bitter at the Lewes Arms in December 2006.

The Harveys brewery is approximately half a mile from the pub and is a major local employer. The 220 year-old [http://lewesarms.blogspot.com/2007/01/friends-of-lewes-arms-press-release.html FRIENDS OF THE LEWES ARMS press release] pub in the centre of the town had been acquired by Greene King in 1998. The seasonal Harveys ales were withdrawn in 2004 but the Best Bitter remained on sale because of its popularity - outselling Greene King's cask ales by a factor of 4 to 1. The decision to finally withdraw the Best Bitter turned into a public-relations disaster [http://www.thepublican.com/story.asp?sectioncode=7&storycode=54885&c=3 The Publican: Greene King set for U-turn on Harveys] .

The protest

A petition of 1200 signatures was collected. The Mayor of Lewes and the local MP Norman Baker [http://www.normanbaker.org.uk/press_releases/2006/061010_Harveys.htm Norman Baker] spoke out against the withdrawal.

Following the withdrawal, the regulars of the pub staged a well-publicised boycott [ [http://lewesarms.blogspot.com/ LewesArms.Blogspot.com] ] with a regular vigil outside the pub at peak times to explain the situation to casual visitors [ [http://www.lewesarms.org.uk/ www.lewesarms.org.uk] ] [ [http://lewesarms.blogspot.com/2007/03/lewes-arms-first-100-days.html Lewes Arms: The First 100 days] ] . The boycott resulted in an estimated loss of trade of 90% [http://www.guardian.co.uk/g2/story/0,,2041086,00.html The Guardian: Last Orders. How big businesses wrecks our pubs] . The campaign was covered on the internet [http://www.brookston.org/beer/lewes-arms-boycott-reaches-100-days-greene-king-still-clueless/ Lewes Arms Boycott Reaches 100 Days, Greene King Still Clueless] and the licencing trade press (i.e "The Publican" [http://www.thepublican.com/story.asp?sectioncode=16&storycode=54733 Greene King gets it in the neck] and the "Morning Advertiser" [http://www.morningadvertiser.co.uk/news_detail.aspx?articleid=29516 Lewes residents are still conducting anti-Greene King protests] ) prompting a wider discussion about the power of the larger brewers over the consumer choice. It gained national coverage in "The Guardian", "The Mail on Sunday", "The Financial Times", BBC Radio 4's "Today" and "You and Yours" programmes, "Private Eye", "The Observer" and the "Evening Standard".

Outcome

After a 133-day boycott, a highly critical article in "The Guardian" [http://www.guardian.co.uk/g2/story/0,,2041086,00.html The Guardian: Last Orders. How big businesses wrecks our pubs] and a corporate reorganization in March involving the departure of Mark Angela as the head of the managed house operations, the company announced on 20 April 2007 that it would reinstate a range of Harveys ales at the Lewes Arms. In what "The Independent" described as an 'humiliating climbdown' Chief executive Rooney Anand admitted that the company had greatly underestimated the depth of feeling about its initial decision. [http://www.thepublican.com/story.asp?sectioncode=7&storycode=55097 Harveys set to return to the Lewes Arms] stating that "The Lewes Arms is a very special local pub with a unique place in the life of the town ... the decision to return Harveys to the bar is the right one." [http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/this_britain/article2472149.ece The Independent: Drinkers win Battle of Lewes]

ee also

*Greene King Brewery
*Lewes
*Harveys (brewery)

References