Looking back on lockdowns: ‘Rollercoaster year we'll never forget'

The Prime Minister ordered pubs to close on Friday 20 March 2020 and announced a full national lockdown just three days later on Monday 23 March 2020.

This was followed by a plethora of restrictions across the past year including two further lockdowns, the tiered system alongside a curfew for pubs when they were permitted to reopen from Saturday 4 July, rules around a ‘substantial meal’ and a ban on takeaway alcohol.

The British Beer & Pub Association estimated some 2,000 pubs have been lost forever, 2.1bn pints in beer sales and £8.2bn in trade has been wiped out as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Looking back on the pandemic and the measures that have been imposed, Star Pubs & Bars managing director Lawson Mountstevens said: “The anniversary of the first lockdown is a time to mark the real achievements of our industry during what has been the most challenging trading conditions seen in generations.

“There is much to be proud of. I, for one, am hugely proud of the resilience of licensees, their can-do spirit as well as the fantastic work they have been doing to support their communities.

“I’m also very proud of our colleagues who have been working under difficult circumstances to help support licensees over the past year.

“Another real positive is the increased valued placed on the leased and tenanted model, which has been strengthened by the much-needed support pub companies have provided to tenants during this difficult year.

“Looking forward, research indicates a good summer ahead on the back of pent-up demand. Our rent reductions over the past 12 months – an investment that now totals more than £60m – means our pubs are well positioned to benefit from this.

“However, to ensure any recovery is sustained, we need the Government to look to the long-term and in particular, to reform business rates and reduce duty on beer and cider. As for 12 April, I am looking forward to the first of many pints this year in some of our great pubs.”

Hash of a response

JD Wetherspoon boss Tim Martin has previously criticised the Government’s response to the pandemic.

On marking a year since the first lockdown was announced, Martin said: “The Government has made a hash of its response to the pandemic, with constant changes of direction.

“The first lockdown ‘to flatten the sombrero’ so as to help the NHS was justified. Once pubs reopened around July, as more information became available, it was apparent pubs were not centres of transmission of the virus.

“Even so, the Government introduced curfews, ‘substantial meals’ and no-standing rules, tiers and lockdowns that gradually killed the industry.

“Sweden’s Professor Johan Giesecke says handwashing, social distancing and trusting people are the right strategy. The Government should have listened to that advice.”

The trade has been battered more than most other industries, UKHospitality chief executive Kate Nicholls said.

She added: “There is no mincing words. The past year has been horrific for pubs. We’ve been hit harder than any other sector and the consequences have been dire and we are still not out of the woods yet.

“In some respects, the hard work is now just beginning. The endurance and determination of the sector has shone through though. Pubs have been in the eye of the storm but they have taken stock, adapted and come out fighting.

“They have effectively been asked to pick up the slack to ensure other sectors survive. It is not fair but it a task that perhaps only they could have risen to and they have done so admirably.”

Sector resilience

A spokesperson for Mitchells & Butlers described the past year as a “rollercoaster” that has tested the resilience of the pub company’s business and teams.

“From the shock of forced closure last spring through to the elation of reopening and the surge in optimism from Eat Out to Help Out in the summer, only to be slowly crushed by a bewildering array of rules and restrictions imposed in the autumn and then the desperate lows of winter lockdown,” they added.

“All in all, it’s been a year we’ll never forget but one we are determined to put behind us as we now prepare for a successful and hopefully sustainable reopening this spring.”

Greene King CEO Nick Mackenzie echoed Star’s Mountstevens’ comments around the support pubs continued to show their communities amid the pandemic.

He said: “It’s hard to believe it has been a year since we first closed our pubs. Looking back, we had no idea of the challenges we would face including three national lockdowns, tiered and regional reopening strategies, a myriad of different trading restrictions as well as the financial impact on the business.

“While many of our 40,000 team members have been furloughed and struggled with the uncertainty, I have been continually amazed by their positivity, resilience and sense of community.

“The stories of how they have pulled together throughout the crisis, in particular supporting their local communities and volunteering for good causes have been inspiring.

“The past year has taught us how important pubs are to communities, and I know our customers are keen to reconnect with their friends and family over a pint or a meal, so it is imperative that we are able to operate without restrictions from 21 June so we can all enjoy the summer.

“While there will still be challenges in the months ahead, we stand ready to open our doors and welcome people back to the great British pub experience they know and love.”