Pub bosses implore January teetotallers to not avoid local after dry Christmas
Hospitality leaders have called on customers to keep visiting the pub this month, after venues lost out on sales this Christmas.
Pubs, particularly in city hotspots, faced waves of cancellations this Christmas while office workers were also instructed to work from home under Plan B Covid measures.
Now, bosses have urged customers to keep supporting their locals even if they are participating in Dry January and abstaining from alcohol this month.
UKHospitality CEO, Kate Nicholls, said pubs had “suffered the devastating blow of massively depressed sales” over the key Christmas trading period.
The British Beer & Pub Association estimated that pubs would have sold 37m fewer pints and missed out on £297m in trade this Christmas, due to Covid measures.
Emma McClarkin, chief executive of the BBPA, said pubs had endured a “torrid” Christmas and would need the support of their punters in the difficult months to come.
“The range and quality of non-alcoholic beers in the UK has never been better. Some are now available on tap in pubs, making them the perfect option for those doing Dry January who are thirsty for a pint,” she added.
Some 7.8m pints of non-alcoholic beer are estimated to be sold in pubs this month, with publicans urging teetotallers to make a trip to venues to explore alternative tipples.