The BII, the leading independent membership body representing individuals working in the licensed trade, has today released the results of its second survey of over 8,500 members, the majority of whom are licensees of pubs.
The report gives a snapshot of the real challenges faced by licensees since pubs were ordered to close on 20th March 2020. Despite the extensive financial support from Government and the potential restarting of the hospitality sector next month, the reality for many licensees is that their businesses are teetering on the edge of survival, with 1 in 4 pubs saying that they will not be able to reopen in July if social distancing remains at 2m.
Chief Executive of the BII, Steven Alton commented:
“We represent a diverse community of licensees and every one of their pubs face unique challenges. Many pubs will struggle to open at all, having traditional pub environments not designed for social distancing. Whilst a number of other pubs have been able to diversify their businesses and offer takeaways, deliveries and other services to local customers, the majority have made very little money through these activities, but were keen to contribute to their communities during lockdown.
18% of our members have had no access to grants as they have rateable values of £51k and over. These pubs, whilst slightly larger venues, are often your locals, who are really struggling to make ends meet during this lockdown.
If there is one common thread running through the results of the survey, it is the uncertainty that our members are facing wherever they turn at the moment. They need clarity and support both locally and nationally to enable them to balance the health and safety of their staff and customers, their livelihoods and future survival, whilst still delivering a great pub experience.
In addition to our own survey, we have been working in association with KAM Media, to conduct a research study into the future behaviours and attitudes of pub customers, which is a real concern to our members. We will be sharing “Return of the Pub” with our members next week, to give them an understanding of what their customers will expect from their pub experiences in these very different times.
Finally, we will continue to use our members’ voices to inform the Government Taskforce at BEIS on the challenges that pubs face, and to call on Government to recognise that our sector needs extraordinary support as we move to the next phase of reopening our pubs.”
ENDS
Notes to the editor:
About the British Institute of Innkeeping:
The BII is the leading independent licensee support organisation for individuals working in hospitality, with over 8,500 individual members running premises across the UK – predominantly tenanted, leased, managed and freehold pubs. The organisation provides integral helplines, online business support, and guidance on key industry issues, face-to-face networking opportunities and savings on a range of supply deals for its members.
For further information please contact:
Molly Davis, Head of Communications
07539 377752
Additional details:
KAM Media produced the The Return of the Pub report in association with BII and supported by Toggle.
The research is based upon 1,113 interviews with UK adults (+18) who visited pubs at least once every 6 weeks, prior to lockdown. Nationally representative of the UK. Research was conducted in May 2020.
For more information contact:
Katie Jenkins
07539 437988
KAM Media
KAM Media is a research consultancy, specialising in hospitality and retail. Our research and insights tools, and services, are designed to give our clients the critical knowledge needed to understand why, where, when and how to create an impactful and engaging customer experience, at every stage of the journey.