England and Wales losing two pubs a day
Pubs in England and Wales are closing at a rate of two a day, according to Government figures compiled by commercial real estate specialists Altus Group.
In the three months to 30 June, 230 pubs called last orders for the final time, an increase over the previous quarter which saw 153 closures.
This means a total of 383 were demolished or converted between January and June. The overall number of pubs in England and Wales, including vacant units and those on the market, fell to 39,404 at the end of June.
Wales lost the most pubs in the first half of 2023 with 52, whilst London and the North West lost 46 each.
In total, 386 pubs closed throughout the whole of 2022.
In August, The Campaign for Pubs wrote to the Prime Minister calling for an end to the “predatory purchasing and asset stripping of historic pubs”, in the wake of the fire and subsequent demolition at The Crooked House in Staffordshire.
Alex Probyn, president of property tax at Altus Group, called on the Chancellor to provide more support for businesses in the upcoming Autumn Statement, with business rates set to increase by 6% in line with inflation in April 2024.
“With energy costs up 80% year-on-year in a low-growth, high-inflation and high-interest rates environment, the last thing pubs need is an average business rates hike of £12,385 next year”, he said.
This statement echoes sentiments from a number of leading retailers, who have called for a freeze on the business rates multiplier.