Pubs losing out to armchair drinkers

Research has revealed that people are drinking less in pubs and more at home.

Business information company Datamonitor reported that for every visit to the pub in 2005 customers consumed an average of 2.2 pints, which is down from 2.4 in 2000.

Home Drinking​"Going out is becoming less and less about drinking, and alcohol consumption is becoming something that people do at home," ​said John Band, author of the report.

British consumption per occasion is falling closer in line with the levels seen on the Continent ​ John Band, author of report.

"British consumption per occasion is falling closer in line with the levels seen on the Continent."​

Leading Europe​The UK still leads Europe in pub drinking, with Germany and Spain second and third.

Better news for pubs in the report comes from the fact that, in the UK, women will account for 38% of all on-trade drinking by 2010, up from 32% in 2005. The smoking ban will also have a positive effect on female drinkers.

"The growth in women's on-trade drinking has been driven partly by them getting married at a later age,"​ said Band.

Smoke Ban​"The compulsory banning of smoking in pubs will serve to make venues more attractive to faster-growing consumer groups such as women and middle-aged consumers, and will spur further growth in the already fast-growing food and soft drinks categories".​

Mark Hastings from the Beer and Pubs Association believes that licensees are prepared for the changes in consumption, he said: "Pubs have started to adapt what they offer, selling more coffee, food and soft drinks."​

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Your Comments​Robert Feal-Martinez​ via email 07/04/2006 "It never fails to amaze me how so many organisations know more about how to run a successful pub than Licensees. The assertion that smoke free will attrack more women flies in the face of the fact that the female smoker has been growing year on year (including young females) when Male cigarette smoking has stabilised and is at it's lowest level since 1970. All of which makes a mockery of the claims that deaths are increasing, which if true means they are not from smoking, as the turn around point for decline was 6 years ago ie 25 to 30 years according to the BMA. Nice to see Mark Hastings talking for Licensees again. Shame he has no authority to do so."