- In 2024 alone, England and Wales lost more than one pub per day, continuing a trend that has seen the number of pubs across the country decline sharply since the pandemic, from 40,617 in 2020 to 38,989 in 2024 (1).
- Research indicates that, at the current trend, Britain could have fewer than 1,000 pubs remaining by 2074 (2).
- Participation in Dry January increased by over 30% in 2024 compared to 2023 (3).
- To encourage visits after the challenging month of Dry January, the London Pub Explorer and the CityStack London Pub Collection reiterate Support an Independent Pub Day on the 15 of February.
- Each pub participating will set targets for pints to sell, encouraging patrons to help achieve them.
16th January 2025 — To mark the end of Dry January, a group of passionate pub enthusiasts, including the London Pub Explorer and the CityStack London Pub Collection, are joining forces to launch Support an Independent Pub Day on Saturday 15 February, with the aim of supporting local communities.
Dry January has once again occurred in a challenging period for independent pubs. By the close of 2024, the number of pubs in the UK dropped below 39,000, following the closure of over 400 establishments that year – more than one pub a day.
This marks the continuation of a troubling trend that has persisted for the past 25 years.
Last year was no exception for pubs, which faced numerous challenges, including increases in Pay-TV sports channel subscription fees, a Guinness shortage, steadily rising operating costs, and stringent council regulations. Unfortunately, this situation is set to worsen. Starting this year, small businesses, including pubs, will face further strain as business rate discounts are expected to be reduced from 75% to 40%.
Footfall is crucial for all independent pubs to cover these increasing costs, but the growing number of people taking a break from alcohol and pubs in general for Dry January doesn’t help. As a result, January is often a dreaded month for pubs.
This is why the CityStack London Pub Collection alongside writer and pub tour guide the London Pub Explorer, launched Support an Independent Pubs Day last year. This event will take place again this year on Saturday 15 February.
Each participating pub will set a target of pints to be sold on this day, which will be communicated to patrons in order to make the tills ring. All communities will be involved in achieving these targets all day long.
The goal of these pub aficionados? To celebrate and support cherished community hubs that help millions of Britons combat loneliness and enjoy social connections.
This special day seeks to highlight the alarming disappearance of these beloved establishments, which are deeply ingrained in the fabric of UK culture. To encourage people to visit independent pubs, the team of pub advocates will actively promote the event through their social media communities. All independent pubs are invited to join in spreading the word, calling both loyal patrons and new visitors to come together and celebrate the unique sense of belonging these ‘homes away from home’ provide.
The hope is that on Saturday 15 February, local independent pubs will be bursting at the seams with revelling customers, ready to help the pubs achieve their targets of pint sales. This influx of support will not only boost revenue after the challenging Dry January period but also inspire more people to embrace these establishments all year round. The phrase “Use it or lose it”’ has never felt more urgent.
The movement will be joined by many pub enthusiasts, including Phil Carr, a renowned TikTok creator whose community gathers over 987k followers, Historic Pub Crawls, followed by over 154k pub fans on Instagram, and many others.
“Like many, I strongly value the importance of independent pubs in our communities, which is why I think initiatives such as Support an Independent Pub Day and the CityStack London Pub Collection are excellent ways to encourage people to visit these community hubs.” – Phil Carr, TikTok creator
Alistair Von Lion, widely known as The London Pub Explorer, will invite his Instagram community of over 37,000 followers to gather at the Horn of Plenty, a historic independent pub in Stepney Green. Part of the CityStack initiative, this beloved pub, like many others, is grappling with significant challenges brought on by the current economic climate.
Alistair Von Lion, the London Pub Explorer, commented: “The Horn of Plenty is very close to my heart as it carries the sadly vanishing pub traditions of the past in East London. Once there were hundreds of street corner pubs. So many have now closed and often without even a trace of their existence left.
Once a pub closes it’s usually gone forever and publican Hope, like so many, toils stoically to keep these bastions of British culture alive. We need to protect and support these local stalwarts, cherished by their communities, where people can come to break bread and unwind. I want to encourage people to discover these pubs and help keep them alive by visiting them”
Since at least 1838, this site has been home to a pub, originally part of Truman’s Brewery. It has also become a vital hub for local communities to gather, including NHS workers and Masters and PhD students from Queen Mary University.
Hope McPherson, General Manager of the Horn of Plenty commented: “This pub is truly a gem in Stepney Green, where people from all walks of life come for a drink. It provides a space for friends to meet up and for lonely patrons to connect for a few hours. The financial challenges we’ve been facing for years threaten us greatly, and the loss of a pub like ours would cause immeasurable damage to the local community. The importance of a pub in a local community is often underestimated, but we must cherish them! I was delighted when the London Pub Explorer and the CityStack team offered to help us tackle these challenges and encourage people to visit us on Support Independent Pub Day.”
The CityStack London Pub Collection team will also provide all the pubs that are part of this initiative with assets to effectively communicate, create events, and build momentum to drive people to visit their establishments.
Alison Boutoille, founder of the CityStack London Pub Collection, commented: “Thanks to the power of ‘FOMO,’ events are an effective way to draw people into these establishments. We aim to leverage this, alongside our voucher scheme dedicated to independent pubs, to help these establishments attract as many visitors as possible during this quieter time of year. We want this event to be owned by the independent pubs that participate, empowering them to create unique experiences that reflect their individual identities. We will provide them with communication materials but encourage each pub to create its own special events for this day, allowing them to showcase their uniqueness and connect with their communities.”
A key part of this event will be the pint targets each pub sets, aimed at raising awareness of the importance of spending at these much-loved independent establishments to help them survive. Each pub will set its own targets, making it a great occasion for them to discuss their economic challenges with their communities.
The event won’t be only about drinking and spending! Some of the pubs will organise gigs for the occasion, while others will offer special deals so that anyone can join the movement without having to break the bank.
The Gladstone Arms – 64 Lant St, London SE1 1QN
– Target of pints to sell: 100
– Special events for the day: Gig with the rock band Larry Sparkle at 8 pm, free entry.
“With all the challenges independent pubs like ours are facing – rising costs and Londoners having less budget for going out – this kind of initiative is incredibly helpful in bringing people to discover places like ours, which they might not have otherwise!” – Siblings Megha and Gaurav Khanna, landlords of the Gladstone Arms
The Old Ivy House – 166 Goswell Rd, London EC1V 7DT
– Target of pints to sell: 50
– Special events for the day: fundraising for the charity CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably)
“It is such a great initiative, as special events are an excellent way to attract people to visit pubs. Summer enjoys the benefits of international football tournaments and the good weather while the tail end of the year hosts numerous Christmas parties. January and February, until the Six Nations commences, can be painfully quiet.” – Kate Davidson, landlady of the Old Ivy House
The Pelton Arms – 23-25 Pelton Rd, London SE10 9PQ
– Target of pints to sell: 800
– Special events for this day: Gig with the Jonases from 8 pm, free entry.
“We are delighted to join this initiative – such a great way to make people aware of the challenges all independent pubs face!” – Geoff Keen, landlord of the Pelton Arms
The challenges faced by pubs for many years have significantly worsened since the pandemic. Shifts in drinking habits, staff shortages post-Brexit, soaring operating costs, upward-only AGA leases, all create relentless obstacles that intensify the daily struggles and make the situation untenable for independent businesses.
The CityStack London Pub Collection was created to address this situation and encourage Londoners to visit and support independent pubs. This gift for pub lovers is a unique voucher scheme: this £25 London Pub Collection gives pub lovers £100 worth of food and drink at any ten of their 70+ independent pubs across London. The pack comes with a special beer mat to stamp at each venue to get £10 off a £20+ spend. Customers collect ten stamps and save £100.
“Christmas is our busiest season, which is perfect as it encourages people to redeem their discounts shortly after receiving their pack, during the quietest period of the year. Our goal is to encourage people to visit independent pubs and help them socialise while staying within their budget.” – Alison Boutoille, Founder of the CityStack London Pub Collection
This clever system allows pub lovers to discover amazing independent pubs, support these locals and save money at the same time. It’s a win-win!
Over 70 independent pubs are already part of the scheme, with more pubs requesting to join each week.
The London Pub Explorer, the CityStack London Pub Collection and independent pub owners are available at short notice for interviews and to provide commentary about the current situation for independent pubs.
Photos of the event organised at the Northcote and Hope McPherson at the Horn of Plenty. Media kit available on request.
– ENDS –
Contact for media enquiries:
Alison Boutoille
Founder of CityStack
07 385 84 98 24
www.citystack.co
IG: @city_stack
(1) Government figures by property data from Altus, The Guardian, Number of pubs in England and Wales falls below 39,000 for the first time
(2) Togather projections,The Cater Insight, UK pubs could drop to less than 1000 in 50 years
(3) Projections based on the number of downloads of the Try Dry® app, Alcohol Change, Dry January 2024 kick starting a year of change
Contact for media enquiries:
Alison Boutoille
Founder of CityStack
07 385 84 98 24
www.citystack.co
IG: @city_stack
About the London Pub Explorer
Alistair Von Lion started his journey by urban exploring and photographing London’s dead pubs in 2006. He wanted to capture these buildings before they completely vanished from the London landscape and became forgotten. In 2016, he decided to share his passion and created the renowned Instagram account @londonpubexplorer to shine a light on these disappearing corners of our culture and heritage.
In 2021, Alistair launched the London Pub Explorer walking pub tours to curate fascinating journeys around the mysterious backstreets of London. The tours gather curious Londoners and pub lovers eager to learn more about the social history of London’s pubs.
Wishing to share his passion for East End pubs with a wider audience, Alistair teamed up with photographer Tim George in 2023 and created his first book to pay homage to some of the best pubs in East London.
Published by Hoxton Mini Press, East End Pubs: A Celebration of EastLondon’s Most Iconic Boozers is now available online and in most of the capital’s bookshops.
Today, the London pub writer, social commentator and tour guide aims to bang the drum and champion the survival of London’s thousands of pubs.
More information
● Website: londonpubexplorer.com
● Book: https://www.hoxtonminipress.
● Social media: Instagram l Facebook l LinkedIn
About the CityStack London Pub Collection
CityStack was initiated in 2021 by Alison, a pub aficionado, and a group of ten great independent London pubs. Together, they launched a two-week crowdfunding campaign for Christmas, where the target was quickly smashed.
Since then, CityStack has started to generate sales online and in retail independent shops. And more and more pubs have shown an interest in joining the movement.
In 2023, the CityStack team asked their community to recommend the best independent pubs in London and visited hundreds of venues across the city to handpick some of the best hidden gems.
The £25 London Pub Collection now offers Londoners £100 worth of food and drink at any ten of the 70+ independent pubs that are part of the collection. These hostelries include amazing renowned independent pubs such as the Dog and Bell, the Faltering Fullback, the Cleveland Arms, the Crown and Shuttle, Skehan’s, the Kenton and the Pelton Arms, alongside smaller independent community pubs such as the Old Justice, Old China Hand and the Rose and Crown.
These fantastic local pubs are willing to offer exclusive discounts with CityStack because it drives people to visit and discover them. Consumers save money, and the pubs gain new customers.It’s a win-win!
The goal? Allow more independent pubs to highlight why people should visit them and bring people back to the pubs!
As part of the initiative, Alison has started an “Indie Pub Tour” as well as the successful “Support an Independent Pub Day” alongside Alistair Von Lion, pub champion the London Pub Explorer. She passionately continues to champion independent pubs, which she believes are essential to the core of British culture, and has been featured on City AM, Daily Mail Online, Los Angeles Times, France24, The Metro, iNews, The Morning Advertiser, MyLondon, This is Local London, Southwark News, and Beer Today.
More information
● Website: citystack.co
● Social media: Instagram l Facebook l LinkedIn
● Media kit: download the files on this link
Image: Hope McPherson, General Manager of the Horn of Plenty
Contact for media enquiries:
Alison Boutoille
Founder of CityStack
07 385 84 98 24
www.citystack.co
IG: @city_stack
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