Bleak outlook for Northern Ireland pubs
May 1, 2008 by knutalbert
Northern Ireland’s pubs and bars are facing a “bleak outlook” a year on from the smoking ban, according to the Publican.
Stephen Kelly, chief executive of the Federation of the Retail Licensed Trade Northern Ireland, said he expects the country to lose seven per cent of its pubs over the next two years.
Figures released earlier this year revealed that like-for-like sales in the on-trade have dropped seven per cent since the ban a year ago today. Ninety-three pubs and bars closed between 2005 and last December, the Mintel figures also showed.
Kelly said: “As a piece of health public policy the ban has been a success. But the much promised march of non-smokers has not materialised.”
I’m reminded of Stonch’s usual point about UK pub closure statistics: it’s overwhelmingly the bad ones that go to the wall. Northern Ireland can well afford to lose 7% of its pubs.
Depends on where they are, I suppose. But it won’t make any difference to beer culture worldwide, that’s for sure…
I saw this on the local news the other night…
I don’t know where these pubs are that are closing… i can’t think of a single one that has closed since the smoking ban was introduced…
I’ll bet you it’s all dodgy-as-hell sink-estate boarded-window drinking dens and dead quiet middle-of-nowhere roadside lounge-bars which haven’t seen a lick of paint since the showband era.