Scotland: Food rises, drink falls
Food sales are surging at Scottish pubs since smoking was banned - but drinks sales and overall trade is lagging well behind England and Wales.
The average Scottish pub serves an extra 91 main meals per week since the stub-out in March, according to AC Nielsen. But liquor sales, by value, have climbed 2.9% at Scottish pubs, compared to a 6.5% increase in England and Wales.
AC Nielsen compared EPoS data from tills at 9,000 managed pubs in England, Wales and Scotland, for the 18 weeks to 29 July with figures from the previous year.
Overall, the ban has cost Scottish pubs three fewer
servings of drink and food per week. Pubs in England and Wales saw an extra 54 weekly servings in the same period.
Last month a survey by the Scottish Licensed Trade Association found wet sales had fallen 11% since the ban.
Your comments
Robert Feal-Martinez via email, 08/09/2006Having read this article I am surprised at the headline. The report may well indicate specific data suggesting an increase in food sales, but two things need to be borne in mind, the first is that the research was EPOS data from Managed Houses. The vast majority of Managed Houses are located in major town centres and will be food led anyway. The second point is that the last paragraph conclusions are at odds with the headline. Unfortunately as Freedom to Choose have discovered Nielsons is client led and whilst we do not question their integrity we wonder who the client was on this occasion. Sadly Freedom do not have the resources to ask for a full survey of rural pubs in Scotland or Ireland but what we do know is that in both instances they are suffering considerable losses. The reality is 'lock ins' of a different type are now the 'norm', somthing neither Government or Trade Bodies are allowed to admit. We are still being spoon fed mis-information from official sources but as Freedom to Chooses leader I am reading dozens of documents weekly, many being internal Government meetings we have acquired under the Freedom of Information Act showing how HMG and the Scottish Executive are 'spinning' using tax payers money to do so. Licensee's need to wake up to one reality, Freedom to Choose have learnt that within a short space of time following the ban the LA's will be gven the powers under the Licensing ACT to 'regulate' pub gardens which currently do not fall within the Act. In other words they will be able to control even those pubs with outside smoking areas that have constructed shelters etc that didn't require planning. And guess what will happen then. You have been warned. Work with us to stop it happening. Freedom to Choose, www.thebigdebate.org
