Reading pubs blame ban for downturn
Pubs in Reading say profits have gone up in smoke since the ban was introduced.
According to the Reading Evening Post, some of the town’s independent establishments – especially those without gardens - have reported losses of “tens of thousands of pounds” since July 1.
Paul Foster, landlord of the Brewery Tap in Castle Street, told the paper: “We have had a bad summer in terms of weather, but the smoking ban has caused this hit on profits.
“Lots of people haven’t been out for months – they stay at home with a bottle of wine instead.”
The Rising Sun’s Iain Hilton, said: “We noticed a significant drop in daytime drinkers and we haven’t had the promised influx of non-smokers that the Government talked about.
“The small businesses suffer the most from the ban because big chain pubs have spare money to cope.”
However, the picture was different for those pubs which were able to provide decent outdoor facilities for smokers.
Steve Green, manager of the Allied Arms said: “We have had a rise of about 10 per cent in profits compared with last year.
“We are a garden-orientated pub, so more people are coming because they can smoke.
"It is lucky we have the garden space, but everyone is going to take a hit over the winter.”
The licensee of the local Wetherspoon’s pub – which went no smoking in 2005 – said he was “confident pubs would recover” given time.
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