Pubs to serve 42 million pints over bank holiday weekend

The British Beer & Pub Association says removing all restrictions in pubs is essential to the survival of the sector, with 42million pints expected to be served this bank holiday weekend  – 21 million fewer than normal

The leading trade association representing brewers and pubs has revealed that despite a positive first week of indoor and outdoor trading, current restrictions placed on pubs –including table service only, and parties capped at six people ­– will significantly reduce the number of customers they can host, resulting in 21 million fewer pints being poured than usual over the bank holiday weekend.

According to the BBPA, it means that this bank holiday, pubs will lose out on £80 million in revenue from pint sales – down 34% on the revenue for a normal spring bank holiday weekend. This could be the difference between survival and closure for some UK pubs.

“Despite 95% of pubs having reopened, they cannot stay open and survive under the current restrictions they face. Upwards of 2,000 pubs in the UK still aren’t able to reopen at all because they are too small for social distancing or table service only,” said Emma McClarkin, chief executive of the BBPA.

As more and more individuals across the UK receive their vaccination against COVID-19, the BBPA says all restrictions must be removed in pubs on 21 June – as per the government’s roadmap – if pubs are to have a fighting chance of survival and recovering their trade to viable levels.

“Pubs only have a chance of recovering from more than a year of lockdowns and restrictions if they can fully reopen as normal,” stressed McClarkin.