Rising costs and falling sales: the purchasing power crisis is hitting iconic British pubs hard, which last year saw the number of bankruptcies soar by 83% year on year in the sector, according to the British firm of accountants UHY Hacker Young.
“
After a difficult period during the pandemic, many pubs and bars find themselves with very little savings or ability to borrow more
”, and for some, “
the current economic downturn has been the latest push into insolvency
”, explains this Monday the cabinet in a press release.
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During the Covid-19 pandemic, government aid had kept many companies on life support.
But in 2022, 512 pubs filed for bankruptcy, up from 280 the previous year, during a period when energy prices soared, straining business budgets, the statement said.
At the same time, the cost of living crisis "
has affected the habits of consumers, making them less likely to spend on non-essentials
", continues the firm, for which the strikes of railway workers for wages, which have multiplied these last months in the country, have also turned away customers from city center pubs.
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The number of pubs has been slowly declining across the country for several decades, but "
recent shocks like the pandemic and the energy crisis have put (these establishments) under greater pressure than ever
", according to the industry federation, British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA).
Ahead of the presentation of the budget to Parliament on March 15, the organization for its part called on the government to "
invest in pubs and breweries now or lose them forever
", in particular via a more advantageous tax system.
“
After almost three extremely difficult years due to lockdowns, an energy crisis, disruption of supply chains, strikes and
“, the sector is at a turning point, assures the BBPA.
