- Kill demand for its products
- Tax it
- Regulate it
Which is exactly what has happened to the British pub. Two years ago pubs were closing at the rate of 2 a week. Last year it was 27 a week and this year it is 52 a week. Given that businesses do not go belly up overnight (although the recession is clearly a factor), this decline has its roots in changes that have happened over the last 5 years.
In that time there has been:
- A ban on smoking in enclosed public places (although a pub is a private premises)
- A 35% increase in tax on a pint of beer
- A new Licensing Act that limits licensed entertainment
You know who to blame if your favourite pub closes.
5 comments:
Good spot and well said. This government's knee-jerk reaction to over-regulate (in the wrong places) and over-tax has a lot to answer for.
There is also the issue about how pubs are no longer pubs but property investment opportunities that can create a cash flow to be maximised and used as a basis for leverage. This has affected prices and the nature of pubs. So after 50 years of devoted pub going, I now drink at home.
Demetrius:
I don't really buy that line. The brewing / pub industry was in a little back water of its own making, but when big international firms started forming it was inevitable that there would be some restructuring and realignment of assets and brands.
A good pub is still a good pub, even though we may all have different tastes and views about which pubs are the "good" ones.
"You know who to blame if your favourite pub closes."
I think the word blame is key here. It's easy to do. Yes we are in a recession, money is tight therefore businesses will go bust. Rather than blame a good business will adapt A lot of pubs still leave a lot to be desired. There are some really fantastic pubs out there that are busy on a regular basis but there are still too many not willing to raise their game!
"Money is tight therefore businesses will go bust."
True, but 95% of those that do go bust are drinking only estalishments. Pubs that sell a lot of food aren't failing as much. If what you want is an honest to goodness pub, its business model may have been killed off.
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