15 years ago: 2011
In April 2011, the UK was gearing up for the Royal Wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton, with pubs across the UK seizing the opportunity to drive footfall through themed offers, extended hours and special drinks.
Marston’s secured a royal seal of approval for its commemorative ale, with the Duke of Kent visiting its Burton brewery to help start the first brew of “Perfect Union”.
Operators nationwide rolled out Royal Wedding menus, parties and screenings, while suppliers and industry figures urged pubs to capitalise on what was described as a major commercial opportunity for the on trade.
The Government also relaxed licensing hours, allowing pubs to open until 1am during the celebrations, with industry bodies suggesting the move could set a precedent for future major events including the Olympics.
Elsewhere, BrewDog continued its expansion, announcing plans to open multiple new bars and involving customers directly in site selection as part of its “Great BrewDog Bar Hunt”.
At the same time, Diageo pushed ahead with a £7m rebrand of Morgan’s Spiced, repositioning it with the well known name that remains today - Captain Morgan’s Spiced - with a renewed focus on the on trade and younger consumers.
M&A activity also featured, with Greene King acquiring London based Realpubs for £53.1m as part of a wider strategy to grow its premium urban estate and strengthen its presence in the capital ahead of the 2012 Olympics.
The month, however, ended on a more unconventional note, with BrewDog once again grabbing headlines by launching a £10 “Viagra-laced” Royal Wedding beer, Royal Virility Performance, in what it described as an attempt to “undermine” the growing number of commemorative ales.
10 years ago: 2016
In the month a community rallied to save a pub rumoured to have inspired EastEnders’ Queen Vic, enforcement around sports broadcasting also came into focus, with a pub company fined more than £120k for illegally screening Sky Sports.
The month also saw a vegan pub launched by a former BrewDog employee close after just 11 weeks despite strong trade.
Innovation continued, with Budweiser introducing twist-off bottle caps to the UK on-trade in a move designed to improve speed of service, while a London gastropub experimented with an unusual menu item, squirrel and bacon croquettes.
Safety and customer welfare also emerged as a theme. A St Albans pub went viral after introducing a discreet system to help customers exit uncomfortable situations, a concept that would later evolve into wider industry initiatives (Ask for Angela).
At the same time, research showed cleanliness remained a critical factor for consumers, with the majority unwilling to return to venues with poor hygiene standards.
The month ended with Greene King launching its “Purple Reign” beer to mark the Queen’s 90th birthday, unfortunately coinciding with the death of musician Prince on the same day.
5 years ago: 2021
In the month the sector mourned the death of Prince Philip, operators were navigating one of the most challenging periods in recent years as Covid-19 lockdown restrictions continued to shape trading.
With pubs closed for a second Easter, the British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA) warned venues would miss out on 85m pints, equating to £325m in lost beer sales.
Attention quickly turned to the Government’s roadmap, with pubs in England permitted to reopen for outdoor trading from 12 April under strict conditions.
Operators were required to collect contact details from all customers via NHS Test and Trace, adhere to the rule of six, and operate table service, while guidance around QR codes, face coverings and social distancing added further operational complexity.
Despite strong consumer demand, reopening remained limited. Data from CGA and AlixPartners showed just 23.2% of licensed premises were trading by mid-April, with many sites unable to operate viably outdoors alone.
The scale of the crisis was laid bare by UKHospitality data, which estimated £80.8bn had been wiped from sector sales over the previous 12 months, with around 12,000 licensed venues lost and hundreds of thousands of jobs impacted.
Alongside Covid restrictions, wider cost pressures continued, with the national living wage increasing to £8.91 per hour, prompting warnings from industry leaders about rising fixed costs at a time of minimal revenue.
Elsewhere, the month saw corporate movement, with Hawthorn announcing plans to expand its estate to at least double its size, before completing the acquisition of 14 pubs from Everards during lockdown. The group was later acquired by Admiral Taverns in July 2021.
