Boost for pub managers as closure rate eases

04/02/2010 11:19:26

The rate of British pub closures has slowed from 52 a week to 39 a week, says the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA).

Latest figures from the body found that a net total of 1,013 pubs closed down during the second half of 2009, compared to 1,352 in the first half of the year.

Despite the rate of closures slowing, the BBPA warned that they remain at "historically high levels".

Britain now has 52,500 pubs, down from 58,600 when the Licensing Act came into force in 2005.

But gastro-pubs have weathered the storm particularly well, with 130 closures compared to 883 drink-focused pubs.

BBPA chief executive Brigid Simmonds said: "Pubs make a significant and valuable contribution to both the national economy and community life. It's time for government to work with our industry and put into practice policies that support pubs and local communities."

Community takeovers could play an important role in helping save pub jobs in the UK, according to some experts. Co-operatives UK along with Julian Ross, who led the local takeover of the Old Crown in Hesket Newmarket, Cumbria, were among those recently proposing the strategy as a means of preserving pub jobs.

Pub jobs in the UK

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