Poor music choice can put women off pubs

A lack of seating, cleanliness and "poor music choice" are among the things that put women off going to their local pub, according to new research.

The survey of 2,000 women, by Bittersweet Partnership, which was set up by Molson Coors to encourage more women to drink beer, also found 31 per cent want to see better quality food and 13 per cent wanted table service.

However around a third of women visit a pub at least once a fortnight, while nearly three quarters (72 per cent) opt for their local, instead of a large or upmarket high-street chain.

Meanwhile, beer appears to becoming more popular with woman as one in five said they choose it at the pub. And eight per cent said they liked a broad selection of beers to choose from.

Kirsty Derry, managing director of BitterSweet Partnership, said: "There's still a huge job to do in terms of getting women to view beer as an acceptable drink option but it's great to see women being offered real choice."

She added: "We're not asking landlords to paint their pub walls pink or put potpourri on the tables - it's just about creating a more welcoming environment, offering better seating areas, giving a once over with the duster and changing the record, literally - probably from the current 1980s mix tape."

Meanwhile, Molson Coors has confirmed it is planning to trial a new beer for women "later this year", under the Bittersweet Partnership banner.

The beer will be developed with women, including consulting them on the name, packaging.

It also has been reported that the new beer will be clear and only be available in bottles to guard against drink spiking, after research among 30,000 women showed this was a concern.