Proactive Investors - World Cup fever might already be beginning to feed through into pub takings even before the Christmas rush.
Soaring prices, higher wages, staff shortages, more employees working from home and a shift in drinking culture have all been put forward as reasons pubs are in for a tough time.
One report suggested that 35% of pubs will close during the winter but England’s thrashing of Iran might just offer a glimmer of light even before the festive period when on average a tenth of a pub’s annual income is earned.
“It’s not about the Christmas bookings it's more about the football. Everyone is trying to book online, unfortunately we haven't got that enough space” revealed the assistant manager at the Kings Arms in Bishopsgate in the City.
“Bookings are close to what we would normally have at this time of year pre COVID. People seem to be coming in bigger groups too.” added Beth Aldridge from Britannia Inn, Headington in Oxford.
London and Oxford, along with Cambridge, are part of the UK’s ‘Golden Triangle, and it’s likely this area is shielded to some extent from problems elsewhere, but the mood does seem different, said landlords.
Fuller’s and Young’s had both reported strong bookings for the end of the year even before the World Cup had kicked off.
“Our strategy of operating premium, individual and well-invested managed pubs is unchanged, and we are confident that it will continue to deliver superior returns,” stated Simon Dodd, Youngs chief executive
Figures from Coffer and CGA also indicated pubs had enjoyed a decent period in October compared to 2021 with sales up 9.5% compared to overall hospitality growth of 4.7%
“We are cautiously optimistic. Bookings are coming in, but they tend to come in a little later these days than they did before the pandemic” stated Kate Nicholls, Chief Exec at UKHospitality.