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Brit boozers hit with 'painful' pubs Armageddon as 16,000 are wiped out
Record numbers of boozers have shut their doors since the Millennium due to rising costs and changing habit
A staggering 15,800 pubs have disappeared in the UK since Brits rang in the year 2000, latest figures show.
Revellers toasted a new millennium at 60,800 watering holes, but today the number stands at around 45,000 inns. The struggling sector took the biggest hit in 2017, losing an eye-watering 1,950 boozers - greater than the total number wiped out during the Covid years of 2020 to 2022, when 1,350 hostelries called last orders for the final time.
The decline continued in 2023 and into last year with 500 and 350 taverns vanishing respectively, said the British Beer & Pub Association.
CEO Emma McClarkin said: "These figures are particularly painful, not only because of the staff and communities that suffer when they close, but because it's completely avoidable.
"The British love affair with the pub has been unwavering, but the steady increase in red tape, taxes and bills have wiped out their tiny profits and forced them to shut up shop."
Ms McClarkin called on the Chancellor to throw the industry a vital lifeline by slashing sky-high business rates and employer National Insurance contributions.
Rachel Reeves was also urged to U-turn on Labour's controversial "recycling tax", known as the Extended Producer Responsibility fee (EPR).
Pub leaders claim the levy on packaging will fail to boost recycling rates while fuelling inflation and could damage the economy.
Ms McClarkin told pub trade newspaper The Morning Advertiser: "The only way to halt these unnecessary closures is for the Government to act and act now to reduce the burden pubs are under.
"They must reform business rates, review the chaotic and harsh EPR fees and mitigate the impact of soaring employment costs, so pubs can keep the doors open."
Alex Probyn, the president of property tax at Altus Group, said even more pubs could be forced to close their doors next year as they faced a “double whammy” of extra costs because of inflation and the removal of business rates relief.
Hospitality businesses were given 100% business rates relief by the government between 2020 and 2022 in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. This was then cut to 75%, but will be removed from next April. UKHospitality has estimated that this could cost businesses an extra £928m and lead to bills for some companies quadrupling.
Probyn said: “The last thing pubs need is an average business rates hike of £12,160 next year through inflationary rises and the loss of the discount.”
A spokesperson for the British Beer and Pub Association said: “While we know that brewers and pubs pour billions into the economy, their massive contribution to society is priceless, which is why any closure is devastating. Government must use this budget to cut beer duty, reform business rates, and maintain 75% business rates relief so that pubs can remain a home from home.”
The analysis by Altus found that the north-west of England was the worst hit, with 46 pubs closing during the six-month period. The south-west and the East Midlands were the areas with the next highest closures, with 37 each, while Wales had the fewest closures at 15.
Daily Star Sunday
Record numbers of boozers have shut their doors since the Millennium due to rising costs and changing habit
A staggering 15,800 pubs have disappeared in the UK since Brits rang in the year 2000, latest figures show.
Revellers toasted a new millennium at 60,800 watering holes, but today the number stands at around 45,000 inns. The struggling sector took the biggest hit in 2017, losing an eye-watering 1,950 boozers - greater than the total number wiped out during the Covid years of 2020 to 2022, when 1,350 hostelries called last orders for the final time.
The decline continued in 2023 and into last year with 500 and 350 taverns vanishing respectively, said the British Beer & Pub Association.
CEO Emma McClarkin said: "These figures are particularly painful, not only because of the staff and communities that suffer when they close, but because it's completely avoidable.
"The British love affair with the pub has been unwavering, but the steady increase in red tape, taxes and bills have wiped out their tiny profits and forced them to shut up shop."
Ms McClarkin called on the Chancellor to throw the industry a vital lifeline by slashing sky-high business rates and employer National Insurance contributions.
Rachel Reeves was also urged to U-turn on Labour's controversial "recycling tax", known as the Extended Producer Responsibility fee (EPR).
Pub leaders claim the levy on packaging will fail to boost recycling rates while fuelling inflation and could damage the economy.
Ms McClarkin told pub trade newspaper The Morning Advertiser: "The only way to halt these unnecessary closures is for the Government to act and act now to reduce the burden pubs are under.
"They must reform business rates, review the chaotic and harsh EPR fees and mitigate the impact of soaring employment costs, so pubs can keep the doors open."
Alex Probyn, the president of property tax at Altus Group, said even more pubs could be forced to close their doors next year as they faced a “double whammy” of extra costs because of inflation and the removal of business rates relief.
Hospitality businesses were given 100% business rates relief by the government between 2020 and 2022 in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. This was then cut to 75%, but will be removed from next April. UKHospitality has estimated that this could cost businesses an extra £928m and lead to bills for some companies quadrupling.
Probyn said: “The last thing pubs need is an average business rates hike of £12,160 next year through inflationary rises and the loss of the discount.”
A spokesperson for the British Beer and Pub Association said: “While we know that brewers and pubs pour billions into the economy, their massive contribution to society is priceless, which is why any closure is devastating. Government must use this budget to cut beer duty, reform business rates, and maintain 75% business rates relief so that pubs can remain a home from home.”
The analysis by Altus found that the north-west of England was the worst hit, with 46 pubs closing during the six-month period. The south-west and the East Midlands were the areas with the next highest closures, with 37 each, while Wales had the fewest closures at 15.
Daily Star Sunday