Intervention in the Modern UK Brewing Industry

This is the story of the radical intervention carried out by the Thatcher administration in response to 1986-89 Monopolies and Mergers Commission inquiry into brewing. It describes the creation of big brewers, the official investigations into what many sa

  • PDF / 1,577,683 Bytes
  • 339 Pages / 396.96 x 612.24 pts Page_size
  • 20 Downloads / 204 Views

DOWNLOAD

REPORT


This page intentionally left blank

Intervention in the Modern UK Brewing Industry by John Spicer Chris Thurman John Walters Simon Ward

© John Spicer, Chris Thurman, John Walters and Simon Ward 2012 Foreword © Anthony Hilton 2012 Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2012 978-0-230-29857-6

All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication may be made without written permission. No portion of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted save with written permission or in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, or under the terms of any licence permitting limited copying issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency, Saffron House, 6–10 Kirby Street, London EC1N 8TS. Any person who does any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages. The authors have asserted their rights to be identified as the authors of this work in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. First published 2012 by PALGRAVE MACMILLAN Palgrave Macmillan in the UK is an imprint of Macmillan Publishers Limited, registered in England, company number 785998, of Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS. Palgrave Macmillan in the US is a division of St Martin’s Press LLC, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010. Palgrave Macmillan is the global academic imprint of the above companies and has companies and representatives throughout the world. Palgrave® and Macmillan® are registered trademarks in the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe and other countries. ISBN 978-1-349-33478-0 DOI 10.1057/9780230355583

ISBN 978-0-230-35558-3 (eBook)

This book is printed on paper suitable for recycling and made from fully managed and sustained forest sources. Logging, pulping and manufacturing processes are expected to conform to the environmental regulations of the country of origin. A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. A catalogue record for this book is available from the Library of Congress. 10 21

9 20

8 19

7 18

6 17

5 16

4 15

3 14

2 13

1 12

Contents List of Figures and Tables

vii

Notes on the Authors

ix

Acknowledgements

x

Foreword

xii

Introduction

xiv

1

The “Big Six” Brewers and the Early Investigations

1

2

Milestones on the Road to a Monopoly Reference

18

3

The State of Affairs in 1985

31

4

The OFT Prepares its Case

41

5

The Conduct of the Inquiry

51

6

The MMC Receives the Evidence

58

7

Radical Change Proposed

73

8

Mixed Reactions to the Report

92

9

The Government Confronts the Recommendations

103

10

The Beer Orders Emerge

119

11

Complying with the Orders

128

12

Four More Reviews

139

13

The Big Brewers Fall into Foreign Hands

152

14

The Regionals React

165

15

Pub Companies and Licensees

173

16

Prices and Choice

184

17

The Beer Market

195

18

The Beer Orders are Revoked

205

19

Pubcos Move Centre Stage

210

20

Summary and Conclusions

221

What if…?

245 v

vi Contents

A