More pubs going part time
Part-time pubs are becoming more common as venues struggle to make a profit on quiet days, new research has revealed.
Nearly one in 10 licensees told data-collection specialists CGA Strategy they decided to shut up on Mondays and Tuesdays this year because staying open costs them money.
And 8.5 per cent of the 1,400 pubs quizzed have decided to close on Wednesdays.
Jon Collins, chief executive of CGA, said: "Twenty years after pubs first got the right to trade all day and just three years after the advent of 24-hour licensing, the part-time pub is rising again."
However, he warned that while pubs could be saving money in the short-term the move could have long-term consequences.
"Passing custom may assume the venue is permanently shut or in trouble and therefore stay away from them on future nights out," he said.
Paul Heward, licensee of the Smith's Arms in Hartlepool, Durham, is considering closing on quiet days after Christmas.
"I have seriously thought about it," he said, "but the problem is if you are shut one day people think you are shut permanently.
"I am considering shutting on Mondays and if things don't pick up it could be a few more days too."
Tony Payne, chief executive of the Federation of Licensed Victuallers' Associations, urged licensees who want to close to discuss the issue with other pubs in the area.
"If trade is quiet and there are two or three pubs in the village why not speak to them and agree on separate days to close, that way people can get a day off," he said.
CGA's research also revealed around 20 per cent of pubs are experimenting with opening before or at 10am to cash-in on breakfast trade.
Time gentlemen please!
The most recent figures from CGA show that most pubs (64 per cent) still close at 11pm on weekdays. However 22 per cent close at midnight and 13 per cent later. Meanwhile around four per cent now close at 10pm or earlier.
