The Publican’s Morning Advertiser spoke to several young licensees following a study last week by Barclays bank which found there has been a 25% increase in the number of pub owners aged between 25-34 in the past three years, who now run about one in every seven pubs overall.
Alex Greig, 29, took over a retail outlet in Kent’s Tunbridge Wells to set up his pub, Fuggles Beer Cafe. He attributed the boom in younger operators to the growing surge of popularity of craft beers.
Greig told the PMA: “The industry is attracting a younger demographic thanks to changes in the beer market over the past few years. Fuggles, for example, focuses on selling specialist British and Belgian beers. Pubs have become much cooler and fashionable, which makes it seem like a more viable career option for young people.
“The resurgence of British beer and the effect it’s having on good pubs is always going to seem attractive to people thinking about moving into the industry.”
He added: “I’d watched a fairly broken pub trade for 10 years, then saw something exciting developing in the larger cities which made me want to get involved.”
Josh Phillips, 27, who took over Marston’s lease the Ship Inn in Solva, Pembrokeshire, four years ago, has also used consumers’ growing interest in craft beer to his advantage.
He said: “People don’t expect me to know about craft beer or real ales when they come into my pub because of my age. They’re surprised by how knowledgeable I am and it
becomes a talking point about my pub.”
Phillips also said that the desire to run his own business had been a key factor in his decision to take over a pub while only in his early 20s. “When I graduated from university, it was difficult to find a job and I wanted the freedom of running my own business.”
Industry leaders said the emergence of successful role models — such as Great British Pub of the Year award winners Joel Czopor and Susie Clarke, who run the Grafton in Kentish Town, north London — could act as an inspiration to others.
The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) added that the growth in numbers of young licensees and renewed interest in beer were positive signs for the future health of the sector.
A spokesman said: “Like any industry, the pub sector needs young blood to help it thrive in the future. Increasingly, we are seeing young people showing an interest in craft beer and real ale, which has already led to a boom in growth for microbreweries.”
Barclays surveyed more than 8,000 pubs and analysed trends from 2012-2015. As well as a rise in younger licensees, the survey also found one in four pubs are now solely owned by women.