Wet summer weather dampens pub profits

Licensees all over the country are struggling because poor summer weather is continuing to hit sales.

Pubs are feeling the pinch as rain continues to fall and the sun refuses to come out from behind the clouds.

While some pubs haven't been too badly affected, others are desperately hoping for a late summer to materialise, so that customers will flock to their beer gardens to enjoy a drink.

Corney and Barrow, which runs 12 wine bars in central London's financial district, has insured against temperatures not reaching 24C (75F) on Thursdays and Fridays from June to September.

Managing director Sarah Heward, said that when the sun shines, City workers loiter longer and drink more. The company will receive a pay-out of up to £100,000 if the British summer fails to materialise.

The Oxygen bar in London's Leicester Square has seen business drop as both tourists and Londoners stay away because of the rain.

The Alhambra Bar in Edinburgh has also suffered. "It's been quieter than usual for the last few weeks," a spokesman said. "But I've heard that the weather could get better now. I certainly hope so."

Some licensees, though, haven't been affected by the poor weather. Richard Marshall-Duffield who runs the F3K pub in London's West Kensington said because he didn't have a beer garden, business had been as good as usual.

And the fact that the World Cup tournament boosted sales towards the early part of the summer has helped to soften the blow for many. The British Beer & Pub Association's Mark Hastings said that as yet it was too early to say whether the summer had been disappointing for licensees.

"We won't really know until the end of August. The World Cup proved good for licensees and lifted business but the last few weeks may have been a bit disappointing. We have the Commonwealth Games coming up which could also be good news, especially for licensees in Manchester and the Lancashire area," he added.