Market Report 2005 reveals upbeat mood of pub trade

Pubs are in an upbeat mood, with nine out of 10 licensees expecting to see business boosted or maintained in the year ahead.​

The Publican Market Report 2005, published today, has uncovered a new wave of optimism sweeping the trade.

Three out of 10 licensees say they expect to see a significant increase in sales as the new licensing regime kicks in.

Only 11 per cent of respondents say they expect to see sales drop significantly over the next 12 months - down from 55 per cent last year.

The UK-wide survey of licensees found that despite facing a government onslaught on issues such as binge-drinking and smoking, publicans are acting increasingly responsibly and remain buoyant about future prospects.

In spite of all the negative publicity, only a small minority of pubs have actually experienced problems with drunkenness and drugs. Only 17 per cent of licensees claim they have had problems with serious drunkenness - down from 22 per cent last year - and only three per cent with drug dealing.

Although the government is threatening a crackdown on promotions, only 13 per cent of licensees say they run any cut-price or happy hour offers at all.

More than six out of 10 (62 per cent) of licensees say they now have some sort of smoke-free area in their pub.

Andy Brooks, licensee of the Laughing Fish in Uckfield, West Sussex, said: "Pubs are feeling quite buoyant and I am looking forward to the next year.

"With the Licensing Act and what the government has been trying to do publicans cannot fail to have got the message that we have to be responsible. We have got our part to play."

Danny Scott, of Rick's Bar in Greenwich, London, agreed that licensees were sharpening up their acts. "Licensees are acting responsibly and serving alcohol in a controlled environment," he declared. "Any responsible licensee wants to run a responsible house, it's just as simple as that. I have never run any happy hours."

Tony Payne, chief executive of the Federation of Licensed Victuallers' Associations, said: "The licensed trade is doing a lot to keep its house in order. The government needs to recognise the amount of work the trade does to help the police to keep crime down.

"Licensees have been working under difficult conditions over the last 12 months but they have always been resilient."