Hit by new social habits, the nation's public houses are being sold off at the stunningly shocking rate of 50 a week, snapped up by developers who are turning our Red Lions into Chinese restaurants, offices, supermarkets, doctors' surgeries or car sales lots. The represents a massive increase in closures since this time in 2008, with things set to accelerate even faster, making huge inroads into the UK pub stock. 57,000 pubs remain, with 50 leaving the stats every week.....

The pub business, battered by recession and changing social trends, is on the rack and a third of the pubs currently changing hands are calling time on beer and skittles and finding a new lease of life as something completely different.
Two factors are driving the conversions - the social trend away from drinking in pubs, which has left over 80% of pubs simply unable to trade profitably, and financial pressure on the big pub companies to cut their multibillion-pound borrowings.
Punch and Enterprise - which own one in four of Britain's pubs and owe £4.6bn and £3.5bn respectively - are now being forced to sell pubs one by one in a bid to cut their debts.


Things have never been so bad in the entire history of the great British tradition of the Public House. Last orders please? or is it time at the bar! I do suggest if you value your own personal local, that unless you start to support it, it is likely to disappear in a cloud of demolition dust.....

Is it not a case of "survival of the fittest"? The pubs I frequent are always busy and full, mainly because they do good food and good ales.

The ones I visit which are scruffy and offer the "big three" (Carling, Guinness and John Smiths) never get a return call from me.

Is it not a case of "survival of the fittest"? The pubs I frequent are always busy and full, mainly because they do good food and good ales.

The ones I visit which are scruffy and offer the "big three" (Carling, Guinness and John Smiths) never get a return call from me.

True to some extend, but perfectly good and busy pubs are being swept away too, as the companies receive offers for the value of the land which is worth much more than a few sales of beer as a short cash flow fix....remember the pub companies owe billions of £'s and they are under immense pressure to start repaying this massive debt by disposing of whatever stock they can get a good re-development price for...a pub may make the company a profit of £5K a week, but if they can get £600K for the freehold sale, all they want at the moment is short term fixes to service their incrediblly vast bank loans....its mainly the companies who own the pubs who are forcing out tenants, one way or another, and not just that people are giving up 'dead' pubs......

Is it not a case of "survival of the fittest"?

have to agree with that. GoldenFleece, Your pubs always seem very busy and popular, surley this re-enforces the point that poeple will come and spend the money if they beleive they are being given good value for money?

This is reflected in the retail industry too, many chains and independant shops are now closing as they no longer have customers with money burning holdes in their pockets. Rather than changing their business models to adapt to this reality,some pubs prefer to blame unchangable factors, such as the ban on smoking.To survive in a competative marketplace, you need innovation and the willingness to change to reflect your customers needs.

have to agree with that. GoldenFleece, Your pubs always seem very busy and popular, surley this re-enforces the point that poeple will come and spend the money if they beleive they are being given good value for money?
This is reflected in the retail industry too, many chains and independant shops are now closing as they no longer have customers with money burning holdes in their pockets. Rather than changing their business models to adapt to this reality,some pubs prefer to blame unchangable factors, such as the ban on smoking.To survive in a competative marketplace, you need innovation and the willingness to change to reflect your customers needs.

Again a very true point, but as I say in the other post, its now the fact that the Pub Companies are selling whatever is worth anything as a freehold re-development opportunity, in a bid to reduce their staggering debts.......the only building work that seems to be happening in the Uk at the present in the midst of this recession is demolition!!!

Value for money is a very tricky issue....pub companies dictate the prices, so most people dont believe they get good value from Pub company owned sites. Thats why the independants are flourishing, as they can seriously undercut the Pub Co run venues......I consider myself very lucky indeed that the Dove and Rainbow, a Pub Co owned site, still actually exists, and is open for business, because we are seriously bucking the National trend of old school pubs in City Centres......

Many other pubs have not been so lucky, and are no more than cleared or waste ground, apartments or office conversions......or boarded up eyesores on the edge of town.......

Value for money is a big factor. I'll go into one pub and fine a nice ale on sale but get charged £3.50 for it. I'll drink up then go elsewhere.

But if they charged a more reasonable price I would stay in and drink more. Same with pop or non alcoholic drinks. I've seen J2O sold for £2.90 in some places. I think you can buy four bottles for less than that in the supermarket.

Value for money is a big factor. I'll go into one pub and fine a nice ale on sale but get charged £3.50 for it. I'll drink up then go elsewhere.
But if they charged a more reasonable price I would stay in and drink more. Same with pop or non alcoholic drinks. I've seen J2O sold for £2.90 in some places. I think you can buy four bottles for less than that in the supermarket.

This is down to the Pub Companies are not the tenants. They fix the retail price by selling overpriced stock to the pubs, for which they have no option to buy cheaper from elsewhere. The sheer greed of the Pub Co's gobbling up the majority of the pub catalog in the UK is a principle factor......these are not really 'pub companies' interested in people and providing a quality local for the public, but companies interested only in capital assets and exploitation, and having a stranglehold on the market..

perhaps the Government should compulsory purchase every pub company site in the country and see if they can do a better job? It may help a few MP's with their expense claims too!

Again a very true point, but as I say in the other post, its now the fact that the Pub Companies are selling whatever is worth anything as a freehold re-development opportunity, in a bid to reduce their staggering debts.......the only building work that seems to be happening in the Uk at the present in the midst of this recession is demolition!!!

Value for money is a very tricky issue....pub companies dictate the prices, so most people dont believe they get good value from Pub company owned sites. Thats why the independants are flourishing, as they can seriously undercut the Pub Co run venues......I consider myself very lucky indeed that the Dove and Rainbow, a Pub Co owned site, still actually exists, and is open for business, because we are seriously bucking the National trend of old school pubs in City Centres......

Many other pubs have not been so lucky, and are no more than cleared or waste ground, apartments or office conversions......or boarded up eyesores on the edge of town.......

What a pity that the pubcos would rather sell a pub with a covenant preventing its use as a pub than sell on an open market.

If you want to take action boycott the pubs owned by such pubcos.

What a pity that the pubcos would rather sell a pub with a covenant preventing its use as a pub than sell on an open market.

If you want to take action boycott the pubs owned by such pubcos.

Unfortunately thats around 75% of pubs in the UK.....not practical

I've seen J2O sold for £2.90 in some places.

That's one of the many reasons I stopped going to pubs many years ago (I don't drink) as it was costing me the same for a non alcoholic drink as for a pint (and the soft drink was less than half a pint).

I think you can buy four bottles for less than that in the supermarket.

To be fair, you can do the same with alcohol now:(.

For whatever reasons our drinking holes are disapearing fast, it is such a shame! Its like the whole country has changed though. Cricket was once the nations sport now its football, Fish an chips was the staple of the working people now its chicken tikka masala go around the car boots on sunday morning english is not the only language spoken, Please and Thank you are not quite so often said! Newspapers carry stories of drive by shootings where once it was national news to hear of a murder,but back to pubs they were once a part of british culture a place where ordinary folk could voice there opinion over a pint......SHAME!

We got out just in time, selling the lease of our lovely country pub two years ago . Ours was owned by a smaller family brewery but even they charged us astronomical prices for our ale , wine and spirits , making a profit was nigh on impossible and many customers who complained about oue prices were staggered when shown the proof of what we had to pay .
Business rates were also sky high and going up every year and as for the smoking ban , it would have ruined us had we not been lucky and sold . I can understand the ban but when pups have a snug , as we did , far away from the eaters and the main bar , seperate entrance etc. where was the harm in allowing smoking to continue in these areas only ?
I feel very sorry indeed for " tied " landlords , its a thankless task .
Kate

I was shocked to see the five archers knocked down.

The represents a massive increase in closures since this time in 2008, with things set to accelerate even faster, making huge inroads into the UK pub stock. 57,000 pubs remain, with 50 leaving the stats every week.....

So what was the 2008 figure?

Is this:

(a) pubs closing - pubs opening = 50

or

(b) pubs closing = 50
pubs opening = not stated?


Ta

Unfortunately thats around 75% of pubs in the UK.....not practical

It is for me.:confused:

Value for money is a big factor. I'll go into one pub and fine a nice ale on sale but get charged £3.50 for it. I'll drink up then go elsewhere.

But if they charged a more reasonable price I would stay in and drink more. Same with pop or non alcoholic drinks. I've seen J2O sold for £2.90 in some places. I think you can buy four bottles for less than that in the supermarket.

That is why Wetherspoons are getting more and more popular, :D