‘Pubs remain bedrock of communities’

The research was undertaken by Opinium on behalf of brewer and pub company Greene King and surveyed 2,000 UK adults.

It showed eight in 10 (82%) of Brits recognised pubs as important to local communities while 64% understood pubs support the local economy.

Moreover, the research stated pubs continued to play a central role in Brits’ day-to-day lives with 43% of over 18s going to the pub at least once a month.

Greene King is expecting to pull about 1.8m pints across its 1,600-strong managed estate across the coronation weekend.

Warm, welcoming spaces

Furthermore, the research showed more than a quarter (27%) of 18- to 34-year-olds were planning to visit a pub during the bank holiday weekend.

Greene King chief executive Nick Mackenzie said: “Our pubs have witnessed more than 200 years of British history and evolved alongside British society over this time.

“The pub experience in 1953 will be unrecognisable to many of today’s customers and we pride ourselves on creating warm, welcoming spaces for millions of people of all backgrounds.

“We are now looking forward to welcoming customers through our doors as we come together to celebrate the King’s coronation.”

Undeniable impact

The pubco boss went on to call on the Government to help the sector amid the challenges currently being faced.

“The social and economic impact of pubs is undeniable. Alongside the great career and training opportunities available in communities up and down the country, many pubs also provide vital services and act as hubs, which support people in their local areas, Mackenzie said.

“The range of services, fundraising events and other community programmes organised by our general managers and tenants never ceases to amaze me and I am delighted to be able to showcase a handful of our fantastic pubs and the teams behind them in our new report.

“However, we must not forget the future of the great British pub is far from certain. We have been through some challenging times over the past few years and we cannot afford to take pubs for granted.

“We need the Government to create a regulatory environment that encourages investment – particularly through fundamental reform of business rates, which represent the highest regulatory cost burden for pubs – to enable us to continue to serve our communities, create jobs and contribute to the country’s economic growth.”