Just another hurdle for NI publicans
I told you about my dream of running a pub many moons ago.
it can be tough to balance that with raising a family, and even now with my kids grown up, there are still challenges. And with the pandemic and rising living costs, it’s only getting harder.
And to make matters worse, if you are in Northern Ireland, a law has come into force that makes things even more difficult for pub owners.
It is now illegal to offer loyalty points on alcohol or allow those points to be used to buy alcohol It’s supposed to address alcohol-related issues, but it’s affecting small pubs and restaurants that rely on local support to stay afloat.
This doesn’t just affect supermarkets, but also pubs and restaurants, which is bad news for many pubs, especially those that are run by families in small villages.
Loyalty schemes were introduced to give back to the customers who support their local pub. They were never meant to encourage excessive drinking but rather to create a sense of community.
Unfortunately, the law has unintended consequences that the government didn’t see or appreciate.
And this is also true when it comes to all the rules governing your marketing and advertising. These can apply in different ways depending on who you are and what you do.
So if you need any common sense legal help with this, you know whom to ask. ?
Well, I’m off for a well-deserved glass of red. ?