It is set to be the driest January in living memory. Drinks sales in pubs and bars have plunged. Rising numbers of people are drinking low or no-alcohol. And new data indicates that even older people are joining teens and twentysomethings by giving up booze. With three days to go, this has been a grim month for publicans.
The British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) says pubs must adapt quickly by stocking more “lo-no” options and opening their doors more regularly to give community groups a cosy welcome on winter days.
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Market researcher CGA tracks drinks sales in pubs and bars every week and in the last fortnight sales have been down by at least 7% compared with last year, with a 19% fall in sales of spirits last week.
The bad weather and the economic climate are partly to blame, but the company’s managing director Jonathan Jones said Dry January was also “making this a hard month for pubs and bars”.
I bloody love a good night out, but I am really not a fan of being rinsed. I know it’s London prices and whatever, but the closest pub to me is £6.70 for a pint that isn’t Carling, and something nuts like £8 for a double voddy. Couple that with a pack of cigs (£15) and maybe a cheeky little kebab at the end of the night (£10) and you’re looking at an easy £75 - £100 for one fun night.
It’s rough, because I really do love to socialise. Nowadays I don’t drink or smoke for the first half of the year because they’re too expensive as habits. If I want to go out in the evening to wind down after work and catch up with friends, I don’t want to pay £20 to sit in the pub for an hour or two and then go home - but I can’t reasonably afford to do much more than that – so sod the whole thing.