15 years ago: 2010
December 2010 was marked by debate about the drink driving limit, when the Transport Select Committee rejected proposals to reduce the limit from 80 to 50mg per 100ml of blood.
Coca-Cola attempted to support the issue, teaming up with the Department of Transport to offer free soft drinks for designated drivers at over 8,000 venues. And Pernod Ricard partnered with the AA on a marketing campaign to encourage drivers to ‘accept responsibility’ for drink driving.
The month began with major changes to licensing laws starting their passage through Parliament, with the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Bill being laid.
The Bill, unveiled by Home Secretary Theresa May, included a range of measures designed to give local communities a greater say on licensing issues, such as allowing authorities to impose taxes on late opening venues and doubling fines for venues that persistently sell to the underage.
The debate on supermarkets’ sale of cheap alcohol continued, with the Co-op branded irresponsible for selling a pack of four cans of its own-brand, mid-strength lager for 79p...leading to MPs from all three main parties calling for action on the matter.
Several MPs stressed the need for greater regulation of supermarkets and how they sell alcohol during a debate on proposed changes to the Licensing Act as part of the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Bill.
In other news, Young’s bought 26-strong pub group Geronimo Inns for £60m and Diageo confirmed Guinness price hikes of 5%.
10 years ago: 2015
In the period that cheesecake was named the UK’s favourite out-of-home dessert, The George in Stockton-on-Tees claimed to have broken the world record for the biggest Christmas dinner, after creating a massive £70, 23lb eating challenge featuring a turkey crown and all the trimmings.
In more serious news, JD Wetherspoon apologised after hackers stole personal info of up to 657k customers, with some credit and debit card details stolen.
Calls for a heavy tax on high-sugar foods and drinks were debated, with industry leaders blasting the potential levy, stating that the trade could be left millions of pounds out of pocket if such a duty was enforced. While industry leaders did not deny the UK is in the midst of an obesity crisis, they disagreed that a tax on sugar is the solution.
In positive news, the period saw the numbers of pubs, bars and restaurants rising or staying the same in nearly two in three British towns. Milton Keynes emerged as the fastest growing town, with cities like Coventry, Bristol, Cardiff, Exeter and Bristol all continued to attract new openings.
The report said that the figures “were evidence that the licensed trade is back in growth after years of steady decline”.
The period also saw the British Institute of Innkeeping announce the departure of CEO Tim Hulme, while ABInBev bought Camden Town Brewery for around £85m.
The sale drew immediate reaction from BrewDog’s then CEO James Watt who said “we will no longer be selling any Camden Brewery in our bars. We don’t stock ABInBev beers.”
Finally, pubs in Hackney began using a special paint on their walls to bounce urine back onto people who wee on pubs, named “peeback time”.
5 years ago: 2020
December 2020 marked one of the most turbulent periods for hospitality as the Government reintroduced a tiered system immediately after England’s second national lockdown.
London entered the month in Tier 2, which allowed pubs and restaurants to open only if alcohol was served with a substantial meal. The BBPA predicted that only 27% of pubs in the UK would open at the beginning of December, as many publicans felt it would not be viable to operate under the new tiers and restrictions.
Rising infection rates quickly shifted the picture, and, on 16 December, the capital was escalated to Tier 3, forcing all pubs and restaurants to close except for takeaway.
Pubs in London, parts of Essex and Hertfordshire had to close as the areas were placed in the toughest band of coronavirus measures.
20,465 of England’s pubs were in tier three, alongside more than 16,000 in tier two, leaving fewer than 1,000 in the lowest tier, according to analysis from real estate adviser Altus Group.
Just three days later the Government created an emergency Tier 4 in response to the fast-spreading Alpha variant. London moved into Tier 4 immediately, joining large parts of the South East and East of England.
All hospitality venues were required to shut, household mixing was banned and previously announced Christmas relaxations were withdrawn.
Research from Fourth, shared in December 2020, found that around 650k hospitality jobs were lost during the year, and the second lockdown (5 November – 2 December 2020) resulted in pubs and bars seeing a drop of 56.7% in spend compared to the year-ago period.
More reflections on the tough year were shared, with BBPA chief executive Emma McClarkin stating that about 2,500 pubs had been permanently closed during 2020.
The UK’s hospitality sector saw sales figures plummet by more than £53bn in 2020 – not including the collapsed Christmas trading period – research from CGA found.
Christmas 2020 was set to be the quietest on record for pubs with 39m fewer pints and 5m fewer Christmas dinners to be served amid the coronavirus restrictions across the nation.
