Public houses, or pubs, are a form of drinking establishment strongly associated with British culture and society. Traditionally serving a social purpose, as well as a pint, pubs have more recently become synonymous with bars and restaurants, with many now selling food in addition to alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. For many establishments, adapting to changing tastes has been a matter of survival, as more pub businesses are forced to close each year. The
was approximately 46,800 in 2020, down from 55,400 ten years earlier. Following this trend, the
fell by 5.6 percent between March 2020 and December 2021. Meanwhile, food-led premises, such as those that primarily serve food rather than beverages, saw a 9.1 percent decline during this period.
Key players in the UK pub market
A large proportion of pubs in the UK are now managed, branded, or franchised. These tend to bring in more
revenue to the UK pub industry than independently owned pubs. Some of the
largest pub companies in the UK by number of units include Stonegate, Mitchell & Butlers, and JD Wetherspoon. In terms of the largest UK pub companies by revenue, the
annual revenue of Mitchell & Butlers exceeded one billion British pounds in 2021, while the
annual revenue of JD Wetherspoon amounted to 772.5 million British pounds. As the third most prevalent pub company in the UK, JD Wetherspoon operates its popular pub chains as a single brand. In 2021, there were 861
Wetherspoon pubs in operation across the UK and Ireland. Although this number has fallen over the last few years, the number of Wetherspoon outlets is still higher than ten years ago.
How much money do Brits spend on alcohol in the UK?
The declining number of pubs in the UK was exacerbated by the onset of the
coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in 2020. Despite the lack of pubgoers that year, total
consumer spending on pubs, bars, and clubs in the UK increased considerably in 2021. A countrywide survey looking at the
average weekly household expenditure on alcoholic drinks consumed away from home in the UK found that all household spent on average 1.6 British pounds a week on alcoholic beverages in 2021. Brits aged 50 to 64 spent an average of 2.10 British pounds a week on alcoholic drinks, which was the highest among all age groups. Beer turned out to be the most consumed alcoholic drink at pubs in Great Britain in 2021, and the
share of Brits who drank beer at pubs in Great Britain was highest in England.
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