Why are we losing so many pubs.

My first topic hope its not been done before.
my brother lives in plymouth and between last year and now twenty two pubs have closed.
Whats going on? is it big tellys and cheap supermarket beer? or breweries getting too greedy? i love going in pubs and hate seeing one derelect.

The no smoking ban?

I tend to drink at home now.I made the mistake of going on a night out with some younger workmates last year and it put me right off. Dancing on tables,swearing,running down the street semi naked,covered in sick.How could they let that happen to me!!

I prefer cafes.

Starbucks is my idea of a watering hole these days. Too many 'Theme' pubs now.

Most folk have gone T-total now?  

No smoking ban and shops like bargain booze where beer and spirits are cheap as chips.

Plus you're not in danger of getting your head kicked in by some stupid bastard in a town centre after a good night out.

To be fair it is a mixture of things as to why pubs fail but to continue to blame the smoking ban is a joke considering the rate of closure in the last couple of years is far higher than when the ban was initially introduced.  Also as each country within the Kingdom have different laws  with regards to the smoking ban means that it isn't really a prominent factor especially as Wales and Scotland, who have a much lax law the pubs have closed at a faster rate.

What we need to see is why certain pubs are flourishing.   Firstly it is mainly the Freehold pubs and the Micro-brewery pubs that are flourishing or pubs that cater for certain markets (such as The Moses Gate or Dog & Partridge specialise in live indie/rock tribute bands). 

Micro-brewery owned (such as Bank Top's The Tap) are working well because they are a niche pub that are filling a gap which is wanted by many locals - decent local beer with good taste and also serving guest ales, very little, or no, music and they are not tied to conglomerate breweries who charge both heaven and earth for the beers and the rent.

Used to love the Dun Mare in Little Hulton. Is it still going?

boltonbonce wrote:Used to love the Dun Mare in Little Hulton. Is it still going?

Yep.

It's been up for sale for a couple of years and it's gone right down hill, if I'm honest.

Used to go in there a lot about ten years ago because Mrs B's family live nearby but haven't been in for a while.

Used to be a cracking pub at one time.

It was a good pub Bread. We used to start out the evening there,then move on to the Antelope,then the Shamrock and finish up at either the Stocks or the Cock.

There is a pub right near where I work, in the heart of Q'ranburn, and the landlord is a Bolton fan!!!  So that is definitely a must go to when there is a match after work I want to watch!   - Brownhill Arms

bwfc71 wrote:There is a pub right near where I work, in the heart of Q'ranburn, and the landlord is a Bolton fan!!!  So that is definitely a must go to when there is a match after work I want to watch!   - Brownhill Arms

I have heard they do very decent pub grub at the Brownhill Arms but I haven't tried it yet.

People need a good reason to go to the pub when things generally cost 3-4 times as much as they do in the supermarket.

I suppose economies of scale is big a factor too; there's a lot more pubs that are part of a chain now. The best example is a pub near me called Last Orders where you can get a pint of bitter for less than £2. It's always packed and a lot of the more independent pubs in the area can't compete, even though the bar staff are basically bastards.

Until the greedy breweries drop their prices pubs will continue to close. Most rely on weekend trade to scrape by.

bwfc71 wrote:To be fair it is a mixture of things as to why pubs fail but to continue to blame the smoking ban is a joke considering the rate of closure in the last couple of years is far higher than when the ban was initially introduced.  Also as each country within the Kingdom have different laws  with regards to the smoking ban means that it isn't really a prominent factor especially as Wales and Scotland, who have a much lax law the pubs have closed at a faster rate.

What we need to see is why certain pubs are flourishing.   Firstly it is mainly the Freehold pubs and the Micro-brewery pubs that are flourishing or pubs that cater for certain markets (such as The Moses Gate or Dog & Partridge specialise in live indie/rock tribute bands). 

Micro-brewery owned (such as Bank Top's The Tap) are working well because they are a niche pub that are filling a gap which is wanted by many locals - decent local beer with good taste and also serving guest ales, very little, or no, music and they are not tied to conglomerate breweries who charge both heaven and earth for the beers and the rent.

Spot on. Real ale is the way forward and the only beer in pubs with growing sales. Thanks CAMRA.

Given the choice of Last Orders on Halliwell Rd and The Ainsworth at the top there's only one winner there.
One sells piss the other sells nectar!!!

You can't beat a good pint of Timothy Taylor's Landlord. Any pub that looks after their pumps will not go far wrong selling this marvellous tipple. Last night, I sampled the Bishops Finger on draught. It went down a treat.

That's exactly what happens in The Ainsworth with Dunscar Bridge beer.
Landlord is top ale, not keen on Bishops Finger, but each to his or her own. 
Beer is like music, personal preference.

Reebok Trotter wrote:

bwfc71 wrote:There is a pub right near where I work, in the heart of Q'ranburn, and the landlord is a Bolton fan!!!  So that is definitely a must go to when there is a match after work I want to watch!   - Brownhill Arms

I have heard they do very decent pub grub at the Brownhill Arms but I haven't tried it yet.

Not tried it myself, yet.  Mainly due to fact that we are not supposed to drink at lunch!!

Less than 5 mins walk from my office :-)