Cutting your nose off, to spite your face

I was a bit disturbed to read about this local pub in our local rag. I haven't actually been to this pub so can't comment on its merits. It is a pity to see that it is being closed down and sold on with a restriction on its use, apparently the pubco that owns it is concerned that it will compete with their other pubs. As if pubs weren't under enough threat already, they are now using this tactic.

I am not a great fan of negative tactics, they are occasionally necessary, but I think the only message this should send out is how confident they are of attracting customers. Apparently not very!