Pubs report mixed trading over Jubilee weekend

By Adam Pescod

- Last updated on GMT

Related tags Sunday London

Floating pub the Tattershall Castle, on Victoria Embankment, provided an ideal vantage point to watch the Diamond Jubilee Pageant on Sunday
Floating pub the Tattershall Castle, on Victoria Embankment, provided an ideal vantage point to watch the Diamond Jubilee Pageant on Sunday
Pubs experienced mixed trading throughout the Jubilee weekend as a result of the wet weather, although pubs in central London appeared to fare best as people poured into the capital to catch a glimpse of the Queen.

Managed pub and bar group TCG had a particularly strong weekend of trading at its London venues, whilst the weather had an impact at some of its other sites across the country.

Chief operating officer Nigel Wright said: “Trading in London was very strong right across the weekend, but the busiest periods depended on the location of the venue.

“Our floating pub the Tattershall Castle went into the weekend on the back of an all-time record trading performance the previous week, with takings of c. £125k. It was the ideal location to watch the Thames Pageant on Sunday, and even with the poor weather, the Tattershall Castle had a stunning day’s trading, equivalent to a busy New Year’s Eve.

“Elsewhere, it was a mixed bag over the weekend. Sunday and Monday nights were very good in the younger market generally, and there were plenty of people in our venues in the coastal resorts of Newquay and Weymouth. Rendezvous in Weymouth took £60k over Sunday and Monday thanks to a quayside Jubilee music festival which drove very strong sales.

“Shoppers were out in droves in Portsmouth Gunwharf Quays, which meant Bar 38 in Portsmouth had a record week for the second week in succession.

“In other parts of country, trading was steady, but unexciting. There was loads of activity, such as fetes, and parties, which helped local trade in many venues, but overall the weather seems to  have dampened the numbers that were out generally.”

Ed Turner, commercial director for Young's and Geronimo, said their London pubs did "remarkably well" over the Jubilee considering the weather.

However, another London pub operator, who did not wish to be named, told the PMA he was "very disappointed" with trade throughout the weekend.

He said: "The consensus has been that people have either gone out of the city to take advantage of the day's holiday, or head into central London for the Jubilee. But even our central pubs didn't do that well. We often find that on Bank Holiday weekends, London does turn a bit quieter."

There were some pubs outside London that didn’t suffer as a result of the weather, most notably the Coach & Horses in Kibworth, Leicestershire, which was transformed into a boat for the Diamond Jubilee.

Landlord Andrew Southerden said over 1,500 people had turned out for the special ‘Kibworth Regatta’, which has enjoyed national and global press coverage.

“It was a very damp success,” said Southerden. “The weather was absolutely relentless, and could have put us off, but it didn’t. People came in their hundreds.

“With the tenacity and energy of all our staff and volunteers, we turned what could have been a disaster into a huge success. We have been contacted by people from all over the world and you just can’t buy that sort of stuff.”
 
However, other pubs outside the city found additional trade hard to come by, as the wet weather dampened their Jubilee weekend.
Phil Davison, licensee of the Sun in the Wood, in Ashmore Green, Berkshire, held an afternoon tea for his customers yesterday as part of the Jubilee celebrations, but said the weather and pub’s proximity to London prevented any real upturn in trade.

“I think the weather was a big bearing factor,” said Davison. “We were packed inside but had to cancel the bouncy castles for the garden.”
He added: “To be honest Bank Holidays are a bit quiet for us as our customers tend to go away. A lot people in this area went into London (for the Jubilee) or watched it at home on TV.”
Jamie King of the Anchor Inn pub in Walton Manor, Oxfordshire, added: “We took less money than we did the week before. Sunday was a wash out which was a real shame.
“It was slightly quieter than a normal bank holiday weekend. We couldn’t use the garden and had water pouring into the kitchen so we are pleased its over really.”

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