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Factors combine to hit pubs hard
A COMBINATION of the rising cost of living, the smoking ban and cheap supermarket alcohol has led to several pubs closing in the area, whilst others fight to survive.
The Plough and The Drovers Call in Gainsborough now stand empty as does the Ship pub in Saxilby, but the story seems to be different from place to place.
Gainsborough’s Pubwatch chairman Tracey Benson says smokers are complaining about not being able to smoke in the area’s pubs, but says it is only in the winter months when it becomes a real problem.
”The ban has affected trade,” said Tracey. ”People will stay at home, especially when we have bad weather.”
“I talk to drinks’ reps a lot and they report they see around 10 less customers than they used to, all in this past year.”
Others admit the smoking ban has been bad for business since it came in a year ago, as is cheap drink sold by supermarkets.
“The ban is taking at least 200-300 a week out of our takings,” said Ben Langdale, landlord at the Eight Jolly Brewers in Gainsborough.
“And cheap booze sold by supermarkets definitely ties in with it.”
“I know of one family in Misterton who have set up a ‘bar’ in their own home. Thankfully, we have got a niche range of specialist beers that you won’t see elsewhere on sale, which helps to attract customers and stop them going elsewhere.”
Another town pub is also experiencing a dip in trade.
“Trade has gone down here a little, we had a few customers who used to come in a lot and they’ve not been in for a while,” said Amanda Smith, manager of the White Hart Hotel.
“It’s a combination of things – with household bills going up, perhaps people haven’t got as much money to go out with.”
Not all landlords feel the same however. Viv Wallas, landlord of The Peacock, on Corringham Road, Gainsborough said: “We’ve seen a lack of trade in the day because of the ban, but we are quite busy at night.”
“We have a quiz and karaoke on two nights of the week and people make the effort to come out to these events.”
Mr Wallas suggested that perhaps the stronger pubs who adapt to the challenges faced by the industry will stay open despite others closing.
“If you have a pub that has no music, no events and simply gets by on beer, you will probably struggle at the moment.”
Similarly the Elm Cottage on Church Street, Gainsborough, has reported a change in takings after the ban, but landlady Cam Krakow does not agree the ban is to blame: “We’ve had to adapt very little to the ban.”
“We’ve put up a shelter for smokers outside but people are staying at home because of price increases and you can see the difference since last year.”
“We’ve been here eight years and this one has been the most difficult so far.”
Even chain pubs are being affected in a small way: ”Overall, we supported the ban on smoking and we knew it was coming – it might cause problems in the short term, but in the long term it will benefit both us and our customers,” said Wetherspoons spokesman Eddie Gershon.
“We can offer an experience for the whole family, serving a wide range of food and coffee as well as hundreds of different drinks that you won’t see elsewhere. As for cheap booze sold by supermarkets, there’s not a lot we can do so there’s no point worrying.”
”The credit crunch is an issue, but I don’t think people will ever stop going out completely because of it.”
“It’s not just about the drinks – it’s about the range and atmosphere we can offer, all at great value for money. You can’t really replicate that at home.”
Aside from business however, the smoking ban has had some serious health benefits for the nation. Figures from Cancer Research UK suggest that since the ban, there has been a four per cent rise in people giving up and overall, the health problems associated with smoking have calmed.
Dame Helena Shovelton, British Lung Foundation chief executive, said: "The smoking ban has helped to save the lives of people with breathing problems by cutting down on their exposure to passive smoke."
Other reports suggested that cigarette sales had fallen significantly over the past year, with 1.93 billion fewer sold in England.
Tobacco control pressure group ASH, said that its own survey suggested that a majority of the public were now in favour of legislation to cut down on smoking, such as a ban on smoking in cars with children, and removal of unmonitored cigarette vending machines.
The Government see the ban as a success, and say that the large numbers of people quitting smoking is a main reason for this.
but the Department for Health aims to have under 15 per cent of the population smoking within the next 10 years.
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Weather for Gainsborough
Thursday 24 May 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 11 C to 23 C
Wind Speed: 14 mph
Wind direction: North east
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 10 C to 20 C
Wind Speed: 24 mph
Wind direction: East
