Champions League final in Cardiff hits local pub trade

A group that represents the 100-plus pubs and bars in the city centre – the Cardiff Licensees Forum –  surveyed 65 pubs to assess last Saturday’s trade (3 June).

The majority of pubs said that trade was worse than an average Saturday in the city.

Locals told 'avoid city centre'

Local residents were encouraged to avoid the centre of Cardiff on Saturday ahead of the final between Real Madrid and Juventus, which saw more than 65,000 fans flock to the area.

Cardiff Licensees Forum chair Nick Newman said that telling locals to avoid the city centre had an “unusual effect” on the city’s atmosphere and contributed to the poor trade.

“We are very used to major events in Cardiff. The city successfully hosted Rugby World Cup matches in 2015 and I didn't see it as a cause to discourage locals from drinking where they are used to drinking.

“We saw our regulars on Thursday night and then didn't see them again until 5pm on Sunday,” he said of the city’s Brewhouse site, where he is co-manager.

Road closure confusion

Roads around the stadium were closed to traffic, and licensees said this created a confusing situation and contributed to a loss of trade.

Natalie Isaac, who is the area manager for Bar 44 on the city’s Westgate Street, said the pub had forecasted a triple-trade Saturday, but trade was lower than a typical Saturday.

Isaac said that Westgate Street, which is adjacent to the stadium, was closed to pedestrians from 3.30pm on the Saturday afternoon, with customers told to access the pub through a side street and the site’s fire exit.

“It meant that a lot of customers could neither find us nor get to us. We had 29 tables that had pre-booked for food that were no-shows out of the 50 tables in the pub,” she said.

A Cardiff Council spokesperson said that the road closures had been arranged by the FAW (Football Association of Wales), which was unavailable for comment.