Official Brewery website - pubs mention has gone

[DarkieBoy]

Is it me or has the "Pubs" section/link been removed from Samuel Smith's Brewery official website?  If so, it was a bit short-lived!  Did it's mention and discussion on here rattle some cages in Tadcaster?

http://www.samuelsmithsbrewery.co.uk/

DB.

[OnTheDrink]

Is it me or has the "Pubs" section/link been removed from Samuel Smith's Brewery official website?  If so, it was a bit short-lived!  Did it's mention and discussion on here rattle some cages in Tadcaster?

http://www.samuelsmithsbrewery.co.uk/

DB.

Nope, it's gone!

Edit: having a closer look, the link has gone from the link bar but the page is still online at http://www.samuelsmithsbrewery.co.uk/pubs.html

[DarkieBoy]

Is it me or has the "Pubs" section/link been removed from Samuel Smith's Brewery official website?  If so, it was a bit short-lived!  Did it's mention and discussion on here rattle some cages in Tadcaster?

http://www.samuelsmithsbrewery.co.uk/

DB.

Just tried the link myself too and it works.  I've noticed that on the home page it mentions "in the region of 200 pubs".

DB.
Nope, it's gone!

Edit: having a closer look, the link has gone from the link bar but the page is still online at http://www.samuelsmithsbrewery.co.uk/pubs.html

[OldBreweryDrinker]

Sounds as though we hve may be rattled the cages of Samuel Smith's old brewery. Now they have changed their mind and keeping it all secret again. Looks as though it was changed this morning, but the source code is still there

Strange thought they were starting to go public

[bigjim]

"Starting to go public." Excuse me while I PMSL! One page with misinformation "the brewery operates in the region of 200 pubs" hardly counts as a public information exercise! But there again - under the strange laws of economics, public relations and business management practiced at SSOB HQ it probably does. Maybe we ought to consider a press release? LOL I think Anne Widdecombe is still smarting from the lack of response to her outburst in her newspaper column over the Windsor Castle. Could be good for a laugh. 

[OldBreweryDrinker]

It was a small step, but about as public as we will ever get with SSOB. It is strange laws and business practices excercised by SSOB HQ.Maybe we should publish a press release to make sure everyone knows how many pubs SSOB really have. Anne Widdecombe will be waiting along time for any response from SSOB

[OnTheDrink]

Well, this may be controversial but I don't care if Sam Smiths want to hide how many pubs they've got. and frankly that's one aspect of the odd way the business is run that we have no right to comment on or try to interfere with, because it hurts no-one, customers or employees.

Where we can and should comment are the aspects of the business that do affect the customers and employees.

[OldBreweryDrinker]

I know it's nobody's business really, how many pubs that the group have but is useful to know. If members are in the area and want a pint of SS. Obviously as loyal customers of the pubs and business we can comment and do so.

But why hide the pubs, is this jsut becasue Humphrey doesn't want customers to visit the pubs.

[ian]

Well, this may be controversial but I don't care if Sam Smiths want to hide how many pubs they've got. and frankly that's one aspect of the odd way the business is run that we have no right to comment on or try to interfere with, because it hurts no-one, customers or employees.

Where we can and should comment are the aspects of the business that do affect the customers and employees.

Has a customer that is part of the fun for me, trying to find one we don't know about is the holy grail. . That is why I started to visit them.  Everywhere I go I ask if there is one nearby.  I sent 2 hours in Bridgnorth on Saturday visiting pubs (has you do) and asking about any Sam Smith's pubs.

ian.
 

[DarkieBoy]

I for one have been at the forefront of finding Samuel Smith's pubs, and in particularly the map (http://www.jamesgretton.co.uk/samuelsmiths/).  As an incidental consequence, a number of just over 300 has materialised.  I seriously doubt that there are many missing.  The importance of knowing how many pubs there are is related to the status of the company that the top management put on it:

"small independent brewery"
"in the region of 200 pubs"

Many of us suspect that the pub side of the Brewery was bigger than "small" and the latest "revelation" from the brewery of stating a figure appears to be an attempt at confusion and therefore is just nonsense and a distraction from the truth (of over 300 pubs, including clubs).

DB.

[OnTheDrink]

All good points, well made!  320ish pubs puts Sams somewhere in the middle of the scale compared to the other remaining regional brewers such as Fullers, who have around 360 pubs or Thwaites who have around 400, and, say, Charles Wells who have around 250 pubs, but nowhere near as small as say Batemans who have just 67 pubs. Then again, there's Marston's, with over 1700 pubs.  Still, the brewery has nothing like the amount of free trade and packaged volume that most of the other independent or family-owned brewers of any size have so maybe they can just about claim to be small?

[DarkieBoy]

The Publican's Morning Adverter awards 2010 split pub companies into 20 - 199 and over 200 for their two award categories.  FYO, the winners for 2010 are as follows:

Pub Company of the Year 2010 (Everards)

?leased/tenanted 20 ? 199 pubs?


Pub Company of the Year 2010 (Charles Wells Pub Company)

?leased/tenanted 200 + pubs?

On this basis (and I can image a number of pitfalls) then Samuel Smith's would be batting with the big boys.

DB

[OnTheDrink]

The Publican's Morning Adverter awards 2010 split pub companies into 20 - 199 and over 200 for their two award categories.  FYO, the winners for 2010 are as follows:

Pub Company of the Year 2010 (Everards)

?leased/tenanted 20 ? 199 pubs?


Pub Company of the Year 2010 (Charles Wells Pub Company)

?leased/tenanted 200 + pubs?

On this basis (and I can image a number of pitfalls) then Samuel Smith's would be batting with the big boys.

DB

But like I said, those companies supply far more volume into the free trade and other markets than they brew for their own pubs, and Sams has by comparison a tiny amount of free and packaged trade.

[DarkieBoy]

The Publican's Morning Adverter awards 2010 split pub companies into 20 - 199 and over 200 for their two award categories.  FYO, the winners for 2010 are as follows:

Pub Company of the Year 2010 (Everards)

?leased/tenanted 20 ? 199 pubs?


Pub Company of the Year 2010 (Charles Wells Pub Company)

?leased/tenanted 200 + pubs?

On this basis (and I can image a number of pitfalls) then Samuel Smith's would be batting with the big boys.

DB

But like I said, those companies supply far more volume into the free trade and other markets than they brew for their own pubs, and Sams has by comparison a tiny amount of free and packaged trade.

I think that we have barely scratched the surface on the free trade side of Samuel Smith's Brewery.  However, I do agree that the likes of Bateman's and Charles Wells have a well-establish free trade and supermarket bottled beer sales, and no doubt greater than Samuel Smith's.  I think that over the last twenty years Samuel Smith's Brewery have lost a significant proportion of their free trade.  I know of a club locally with Samuel Smith's memorabilia on the walls, but no  Samuel Smith's products.

DB.

DB.

[OldBreweryDrinker]

DB i do know quite a few places that either don't stock Sam's anymore or order alot less than they use to do. I am sure that there are alot more free trade pubs around the country that we don't know about yet. Plenty more detective work to do yet.