Exclusion of independents is pub company policy, supported by the City. The market power of the retail sector is now excessive. Small brewers are confined to the least profitable areas of the market. Independent brewers do not own their routes to market Differential pricing allows larger brewers to undercut independents in the free trade. Loan tying is still commonplace and exists to exclude other brewers.
Brewers are increasingly in competition with wholesalers.
Brewers are increasingly in competition with other independent brewers, but not with larger brewers. Beer duty collection arrangements require independent brewers to advance thousands of pounds of loans to the Treasury every month which ties up capital and incurs costs. Beer duty is a hugely regressive tax. I ndependent brewers are excluded from areas of high population density and per capita wealth. Wholesale prices are falling whilst other costs are rising.