Number Of Pubs In England and Wales Falls To Record Low

The number of pubs in England and Wales has dropped to lower numbers than ever before, according to an analysis which sheds light on the long term impact of the coronavirus pandemic and soaring business costs.

The total number of pubs had dropped below 40,000 during the first six months of 2022, which is a fall of over 7,000 when it gets compared with the numbers of a decade prior.

Pubs that have disappeared from communities have been demolished or rebranded and converted into alternate buildings such as homes and offices, which real estate advisors have alleged.

The hospitality sector has faced huge challenges over the past couple of years with national health matters being at the forefront and having global pandemics, which resulted in national lockdowns that caused closures and reduced demand.

However, the research has suggested that while pubs managed to battle through Covid-19, they are now facing a new, fresh challenge because of record-high inflation and an energy crisis.

Robert Hayton, Altus Group's UK president, claimed that :"While pubs proved remarkably resilient during the pandemic, they're now facing new headwinds grappling with the cost of doing business crisis through soaring energy costs, inflationary pressures and tax rises, Robert Hayton, Altus Group's UK president, said.

Around 200 pubs vanished from communities from the end of 2021 up to the end of June.

The biggest drop in number of pubs came in the West Midlands – which was 28 in only 6 months – followed by London and all counties east which both lost 24 pubs.

According to research from the British Beer and Pub Association, the British Institute of Inn-keeping, and UK Hospitality, only around 37% of hospitality businesses, and mainly pubs, create profit.

The rising costs of energy, goods and labour have been identified as the biggest factors behind falling profits, and thus making many businesses shut.

The hospitality industry has called on the government to provide more support & intervene to try and save some businesses from going down.