One in five publicans mulls selling up

ONE in five Scottish publicans has considered either selling up or closing down during the past six months as the industry remains under pressure from tough economic times and changing consumer trends.

Research released today reflects the negative state of mind across the sector, with 52 per cent of licensees ranking the industry’s outlook as either “poor” or “very poor” for the next five years.

Meanwhile, nearly half of consumers surveyed said they now visit the pub less often than they did in 2009. The figures, produced by CR Consulting on behalf of brewer Molson Coors, suggest there is no end in sight to a decline that has seen more than 150 closures annually since 2005. As of March 2010, there were 5,873 outlets trading as pubs in Scotland, versus 6,641 five years earlier.

Publicans aged 55 and older were most likely to be contemplating an exit, with 43 per cent saying they were considering their options.

Although 47 per cent of consumers said they believed pubs played a positive role in local communities, nearly as many (46 per cent) also admitted to visiting their local less frequently than two years ago.

The decline was most pronounced among lower-income groups and students, who were most likely to cite economic reasons for staying out of the pub. Across all groups, a lack of disposable income was the most common reason given for not going out, followed by those who said they were “put off” by the price of food and drink at the pub.

KRISTY DORSEY