Reacting back in 2020 to the news of new sweeping lockdown measures, Emma McClarkin, Chief Executive of the British Beer & Pub Association, said: “As a sector we are of course devastated to have to close our pubs and are fearful for their future, but we recognise the situation and that the spread of Covid-19 is serious." Adding: “Make no mistake, this could be the final straw for thousands of pubs and brewers".
Now, with the threat of lockdowns seemingly behind them, pubs are facing a new crisis: The soaring cost of energy. In an open letter to the prime minister, the British Beer & Pub Association warned that "energy price increases have come at a time when the pub and brewing sectors had just begun to piece together their recovery from the pandemic, with many venues still carrying debt accrued from this time. Without Government support, all of the positive work done to support the sector during the pandemic could be wasted, as unprecedented costs tip many pubs and brewers over the edge."
As figures from the BBPA show, the number of pubs in the country has been steadily decreasing over the past few decades. In 1980 there were 69,000 open drinking establishments in the UK and after years of erosion the figure had fallen to just 47,200 in 2019. At the end of 2021 the figure had dropped to 46,350.
