The trading environment for Britain’s pubs has never been tougher. According to the Campaign for Real Ale, 29 pubs close every week in the UK, with pubs selling approximately a third of the number of pints that they used to sell in the late 1970s.
Against this backdrop, insolvency practitioners need to be aware of the potential issues with UK licensing laws when accepting an appointment over any business that holds an alcohol licence, which could include a pub, a shop, a hotel, or event space. Breaches of UK licensing laws are punishable by an unlimited fine and/or up to 6 months’ imprisonment.
We have authored an “On the Edge” guide for Lexis PSL on liquor licensing law for insolvency practitioners. Lexis PSL is a resource for professional support lawyers in private and public practice, providing guidance, precedents and other tools.
This article was first published on Lexis®PSL Restructuring & Insolvency on 29 January 2016 and is available to download on our website.
