Pub market defies Brexit fears

The figures revealed Britain’s managed pub and restaurant groups saw collective like-for-like sales grow 0.3% in July against the same month last year, with London operators seeing a 2.9% like-for-like sales uplift against July 2015. 

Accompanying the news is an announcement that Davis Coffer Lyons, together with investment arm Coffer Corporate Leisure, has completed more than 60 property deals in the UK since the EU referendum vote in June 2016, demonstrating the pub property market's unwavering appeal.

Director of agency and leasing at Davis Coffer Lyons, Rob Meadows, commented: "Our experience is that most operators are as hungry as ever to snap up sites for expansion, or deliver innovative new concepts to the market for the first time. It’s still a very competitive landscape and almost every property receives several bids.  

"While some operators are wary of increased costs resulting from economic and political pressures, to others a weaker pound is helping to offset these fears by attracting tourists to London and other mainstream tourist centres. Generally, our experience of talking to a large variety of operators is that consumer confidence is still there.” 

A Davis Coffer Lyons spokesperson added that the pub property market remains one of the most resistant to political factors. "Quality pubs are often held on long leases, providing investors with the security of long-term income and the flexibility of underlying property value.

"We have advised on seven pub portfolios in the past 18 months and we expect the market to see further transactional activity in this sector regardless of the political uncertainty," the spokesperson said.