It’s a new week and, thankfully, there have been no new restrictions on hospitality in England.
Covid, however, continues to play a big part in the lives of operators because of absenteeism among staff. A local pub near me continues to be affected.
The Sunday Times reports that, at the Chapel House, in Gornal, in the West Midlands, landlord James Stevens was forced to shut the doors last Monday after three of his four staff tested positive.
The Holden’s Brewery licensee said: “If it was going to happen any week of the year, I’m glad it happened in the first week of January, because it’s our slowest.”
“We’re a meeting place,” he added. “For some [customers] it’s their only point of socialisation, the only place they can come for couple of hours a day. We feel a duty of care to them.”
Restrictions remain in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, where socialising is being kept to a minimum and there are rules including table service and maintaining social distancing.
UKHospitality welcomed the reduction of self-isolation from ten to seven days. “However, with no easing of restrictions or reversal of closures until at least 17th January, today’s announcement leaves the future of jobs and livelihoods remain hanging in the balance,” said the organisation’s executive director in Scotland, Leon Thompson.
The Welsh Beer and Pub Association has revealed that, on average, pubs in Wales lost £16,000 in revenue over the two-week festive period, down 34% on the same period in 2019. During the second week, between Boxing Day and New Year’s Day, the revenue performance in Welsh pubs was particularly bad, performing 13 per centage points worse than pubs in England.
‘Devastating for pubs and brewers’
The organisation’s chief executive, Emma McClarkin, said: “The festive period has been devasting for our pubs and brewers in Wales, who had targeted this time as an opportunity to recoup some of the losses they have experienced over the past 21 months. The restrictions in place are significantly impacting trade at a time which is already extremely difficult for the sector.
“It is imperative that a timeline is put in place for the removal of these restrictions enabling the sector to navigate the challenges ahead. Should alert level two restrictions remain in place, it is evident that additional financial support will be needed to support the sector already at breaking point.”
Labour, meanwhile, has called for business rates to be abandoned to help businesses cope with increased energy costs. This would certainly go down well with a lot of brewers, many of whom have not had lots of government help over the past two years.
And SIBA (the Society of Independent Beers) said it was reassuring for small independent breweries that the prime minister had committed to no further changes to restrictions in England.
“But for independent brewers and pubs, the situation was and continues to be massively affected by the mixed messaging in December, which is normally the most important month of the year for hospitality,” said chief executive James Calder.
“Pubs have proven they can operate safely, and now, in January, brewers and pubs need peoples’ support more than ever after a devastated December. So whether you are popping in for a lunchtime meal, a post-work pint, or for a non-alcoholic option and a catchup with a friend, support pubs and breweries this January because, without this trade, many will not survive.”
The Beer Today message is the same. If you can, get out and support your local pub. Greg Mulholland, director of the Campaign for Pubs, posted this tweet with a very clear message we can all get behind.
