A day in the life of... a Business Development Manager (Punch Pubs)

In December 2025, a member of the PCA team had the opportunity to accompany Andy, a Business Development Manager (BDM) with Punch Pubs, on visits to three venues in the Bradford area. Andy has worked as a BDM for Punch for more than two decades, which was evident through his wealth of knowledge about the industry. 

Under Pubs Code regulation 41, BDMs carry out vital regulated functions when discussing rent, rent assessments, repairs or business planning with tenants. These functions are underpinned by the more general Code principle that pub companies must ensure their BDMs deal with tied tenants in a fair and lawful manner.   

The Airedale Heifer, Riddlesden 

First stop was The Airedale Heifer in Riddlesden, a village on the border of Keighley. This sprawling, characterful pub is known locally as a food destination, with a well-designed layout and impressive garden space. It was a pleasure to meet with Mark, who considers the Airedale Heifer his flagship venue, but is a multi-site operator with nine pubs, across several pub companies. His portfolio includes pubs with Punch, Star and Stonegate, all regulated under the Pubs Code, in addition to a free house and a further site with a brewery. Mark’s previous career in construction has proved invaluable in relation to assessing the condition of properties he is to take over. 

Under Schedule 1 of the Pubs Code, pub companies must provide prospective tenants with a schedule of condition before they enter into an agreement, recording the state of repair at the start of the tenancy and forming the foundation for future dilapidations assessments. The pub company must also provide a statement of initial works detailing repairs or improvements that are to be carried out and who has responsibility to complete the works. 

Tenancy at Will agreements were also discussed. Under the Pubs Code, a Tenancy at Will is a short agreement which can be terminated by any party at shorter notice and offers reduced Pubs Code protections. Mark explained his preference for beginning with these arrangements when taking on new sites, describing them colloquially as "try before you buy", allowing him to assess suitability before entering into a full tied agreement. 

Andy explained his practice of providing BDM notes immediately following meetings. The Code states in Regulation 41(4) that notes of any discussions should be provided within 14 days, with tenants having 7 days to respond if they disagree with any aspect of the record. This right also extends to those negotiating for a pub, and the pub companies have agreed good practice with the PCA to extend this to those on short agreements too. 

The Black Horse, Thornton 

The next stop was The Black Horse in Thornton, a village within the Bradford district. The Black Horse is a wet-led pub sitting at the heart of its local community. It was a pleasure to meet the relatively new tenants who have taken over from well-regarded previous operators. Dawn had previously run a Punch pub, while Ben was new to the industry. 

Their energy and enthusiasm were infectious. Dawn and Ben have thrown themselves into positioning the pub as a genuine community hub with live music evenings and a popular fortnightly Sunday evening Games Night. Within the tied model, they are exercising freedom to bring in revenue in the way they best see fit. 

As relatively new operators, the discussion turned to repair responsibilities. Across the six regulated pub companies, the PCA's 2025 Annual Tied Tenant Survey revealed that whilst 68% of tenants understood the repair process, only 45% were satisfied with how repairs were handled. Dawn and Ben spoke positively about response times and were clear about their responsibilities, highlighting the importance of proper information provision at the start of the tenancy under Schedule 1. 

The Junction Inn, Queensbury 

The final visit was to The Junction Inn, in Queensbury. This large family-run venue offers home-cooked food, daily food deals, and regular entertainment. The relatively new operators were utilising various approaches to achieve greater revenue, in addition to placing emphasis on building strong networks with the local community and other small businesses, demonstrating their dynamism within the parameters of running a tied pub.  

They conversed with Andy during our visit about their recent projects, and Andy offered help and support where appropriate. The PCA's 2025 Annual Tied Tenant Survey found that 61% of Punch tenants were satisfied with their overall relationship with the pub company, with satisfaction closely linked to good communication with their BDM, listening and responding to issues quickly, and providing support.  

As relatively new operators, our discussions turned to the onboarding stages of taking on a tied pub. Before any tied tenancy begins, the Pubs Code requires pub companies to provide detailed information including profit and loss projections, and to be satisfied that the prospective tenant's business plan is sustainable before the agreement can be signed. A business plan should evolve with the pub's operation, with ongoing BDM-tenant discussions about business performance forming a key part of managing the tenancy successfully. 

The PCA team would like to thank Andy for his insight and assistance throughout the day. It was an invaluable opportunity to speak with tenants operating very different pub types, at different experience levels, within a very diverse district. The passion and drive of the pub operators was evident, demonstrating that at the heart of every thriving pub is a commitment to serving the local community.