Pubs to sell 37m fewer pints and lose out on £297m this Christmas

17-Dec-2021 - Last updated on 17-Dec-2021 at 11:07 GMT

Government must take responsibility: Pubs estimated to sell 37m fewer pints and lose out on £297m in trade this Christmas (Credit: Getty/ Ezhukov)

Pubs have been predicted to sell 37m fewer pints and lose out on £297m in trade this Christmas, according to the British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA).

The stark figures come after the trade association revealed last week alone more than 3m pub visits were cancelled.

Although no new restrictions have been announced, the message to the British public to avoid socialising is just as damaging for pubs, and cancellations are expected to continue increasing.

BBPA chief executive Emma McClarkin said: “The Government’s message to avoid socialising is a hammer blow to our sector, it will shake public confidence dramatically to go out and visit the local.

Plea to the Chancellor

“This is one of the most important trading periods of the year for pubs and a time we should all be able to enjoy the local. Instead, pubs are in purgatory; allowed to stay open without restrictions, but with people essentially told to avoid them.”

In response to the crisis faced by the sector, the BBPA has written to Chancellor Rishi Sunak, pleading with him to deliver financial support to pubs and the wider hospitality sector.

The letter said: “Should further measures be introduced which will impact our trade further, it goes without question that more support will be needed, specifically to support and protect jobs.

“We have been hugely grateful for the support of Government through the pandemic and it is critical that all this support does not come to nothing in what is hopefully the final phase of pandemic and related trading restrictions.”

The letter informed the Chancellor of the 9,000 pubs surveyed by the BBPA, trade across the sector this Christmas was expected to be down by at least 25%, which is below the break-even point for the vast majority of pubs.

Government must take responsibility

A drop of at least 25% could mean a reduction in trade of £6,300 against a typical Christmas period for a pub, equating to £297m lost across the sector as a whole over a two-week festive period.

McClarkin added: “The Government must take responsibility and step in to save pubs this Christmas.

“We’ve written to Chancellor Rishi Sunak as a matter of urgency to provide the vital furlough and grant provisions our pubs need, in addition to VAT and Business Rates support; without support pubs across the UK have a real fight on their hands for survival.”