Really sad to see that the licensees of The Red Lion in the High Street have moved on and that the pub is currently closed.
One of the busiest pubs in the town, it had regular live music and lots of guest ales. Really hope that someone takes it on and that it’s open again soon. All the best to Dale.
Lots of people have been posting on A Little Bit of Stone’s Facebook page about the closure.
Kay Whitehurst said: “It’s a great pub with the best jukebox ever. Had some fantastic times in there. Hope it opens again soon.”
Catherine Britton is unsure whether someone else will take it on. She said: With over 50 pubs closing every week, I don’t think its likely someone will have a go. I know a number of people who have been or are in the pub trade and they all think it’s getting harder and harder to make any profit. When they do, the breweries, who usually own the pub building, just put the rent up and charge more for the beer, so the landlord is in a no-win situation. Also there is too much cheap booze to be bought from the supermarkets and places like Bargain Booze.”
Jane Proudman said: “There used to be many more pubs in Stone. The potential loss of The Red Lion is sad and makes for one less meeting place in a world where communication is done ‘virtually’. It was a proper pub. I hope someone takes it on as real pubs are a dying breed.”
11th July update – click HERE
3 comments
Ian Bradford
The comments above are spot on. But how has one of the busiest pubs in town closed? It was a pubco pub, owned by Punch. Because Punch own the property, the pub is “tied” i.e. it has to purchase its supplies directly from Punch, who charge list price for all products. This means that pubco pubs have to work on lower margins than their opposition, and sometimes – but not all the time – this makes them unsustainable. Punch themselves are in a mess and and seem oblivious to the problem. The good news is that most of the pubs that close DO re-open as pubs. New owners, with better cash flow can rejuvenate a pub. Shame to see it shut.
Jamie Summerfield
Great comment Brad – thank you