UK seaside town ‘too rough’ for Peroni

Several pubs in the English seaside town of Skegness have had their requests to serve Peroni turned down.

A classic poster from the Skegness tourist board

At least three pubs in the Lincolnshire town have apparently been rejected by Peroni’s owner Miller Brands because the venues were “not right for the brand”.

A spokesman for the drinks group told The Sun: “We assess them on the basis of outlet and consumers as to whether or not our brands are right for there.”

One of the publicans turned down by Peroni was Derek Bain who runs the Crown Hotel near the golf course in Seacroft Village.

He told the tabloid that some representatives from Miller Brands had inspected the hotel and, “turned their noses up” at the surroundings.

“They’re saying Skegness isn’t good enough for Peroni and the people up here aren’t the people they like to associate with their brand. It’s obscene,” he said.

Miller Brands told the drinks business: “Peroni Nastro Azzurro is an authentic, imported Italian beer and a draught installation is not right for every outlet.

“We match our products to pubs, bars and restaurants to ensure that our brands are always served to consumers at the highest quality (and to help landlords and landladies maximise their return) and so that we can ensure we match our resources in support of them.”

Skegness is one of the UK’s best known holiday towns. It is particularly famous for its donkeys, which take children for rides on the beach, and for being the site of the first Butlins holiday camp.

The name is said to be Danish in origin and refers to a “bearded headland” or perhaps “Skeggi’s headland”.

“Skegg” meant “beard” in old Norse and “Skeggi” (“bearded one”) was perhaps the name of the Viking who founded the original town.