ABSTRACT
This chapter is divided into two main sections. The first one provides an overview of the UK public house retailing sector as it was at the turn of the 1990s; given the key themes of the book, we concentrate upon the DTI (Department of Trade and Industry) Beer Orders of 1989 and the industry response. The second main section reviews key changes and developments in the sector during the 1990s, focusing upon the changing socio-economic context, market size and trends, changing consumer preferences, pubs and brands, food-led versus wet-led outlets, and investment. A short case study is also presented in this section in order to illustrate some of the points being made.
