The British Beer & Pub Association is estimating that 42 million pints of beer will be sold in Britain’s pubs this spring bank holiday weekend. That’s 21 million fewer pints than normal.
The trade association says that, despite a positive looking first week of indoor and outdoor trading, the restrictions currently placed on pubs are significantly reducing the number of customers they can host and the number of pints they are selling.
It means that this bank holiday weekend alone pubs will lose out on £80 million in revenue from pint sales. This is down 34% on revenue for a normal spring bank holiday weekend. Crucially, that revenue could be the difference between survival and closure for so many pubs.
At present, some 95% of the UK’s 47,000 pubs have re-opened. However, they face significant restrictions that greatly limit their ability to trade as viable businesses. These restrictions include table service only, one metre-plus social distancing, table sizes of up to six indoors, and no bar service.
Upwards of 2,000 pubs are still closed, unable to re-open under the current restrictions because they are too small to do social distancing or table service only.
As more and more individuals across the UK receive their vaccination, and with latest updates from the government and newspaper reports on the Indian variant looking positive, the BBPA says all restrictions must be removed in pubs on 21st June. This will allow pubs to have a fighting chance of survival and recovering their trade to viable levels.
BBPA chief executive, Emma McClarkin, said: “We estimate Brits who go and support their local this bank holiday weekend will buy 42 million pints. Whilst that is better than being closed with no trade at all, it is 21 million pints fewer than normal for the spring bank holiday.
“Revenues for pubs this bank holiday weekend will be £80 million lower than normal when it comes to beer sales. That is a huge amount of money and could be the difference between surviving or thriving for thousands of pubs in communities across the country.
“Despite 95% of pubs being open, they cannot stay open and survive under the current restrictions they face. Upwards of 2,000 pubs in the UK still aren’t able to reopen at all because they are too small for social distancing or table service only.
“As more and more people get their vaccine, and if reports continue to suggest that the Indian variant is less prevalent than originally believed, all restrictions must be removed in pubs on June 21st as per the Government’s own roadmap.
“Pubs only have a fighting chance of recovering from more than a year of lockdowns and restrictions if they can fully reopen as normal.”
