15 years ago: 2011
September 2011 saw BrewDog launch Ghost Deer, a 28% ABV beer it claimed was the “world’s strongest” produced using fermentation alone, served from a taxidermy stag’s head at its Edinburgh bar for £9.99 a pint.
The same month, the Good Food Guide announced it would stop using the term “gastropub”, arguing the label had become diluted by chains and supermarket products.
Pressure on pubs remained a major theme. BBPA figures showed the on trade accounted for 50.9% of beer sales by volume, down from 67.4% a decade earlier, with the trade body warning it was “only a matter of time” before shops overtook pubs.
Meanwhile, Leicester nightclubs came under fire for selling drinks for as little as £1, while 40 MPs pledged to work shifts behind the bar to better understand pressures facing publicans, including high rents, business rates and utility costs.
Brewers were also preparing for new duty rules, with JW Lees and Greene King launching 2.8% ABV beers ahead of a 50% duty reduction for lower strength products from October.
Elsewhere, Sir Ian McKellen agreed to buy the leasehold of the 300 year old Grapes in Limehouse, in Dover, a licensee’s plan for “topless” bar staff ran into licensing rules, and Eliot’s unveiled a new spicy cider.
10 years ago: 2016
September 2016 saw Nottingham’s Peacock pub go completely vegan, while a Bridlington pub was fined after council officers discovered the Gordon’s being served behind the bar was not actually Gordon’s gin.
London’s night time economy suffered a major blow when Islington Council revoked Fabric’s licence following two drug related deaths. Almost 150,000 people had signed a petition calling for the nightclub to remain open.
Pub deal activity continued, with Stonegate acquiring 10 JD Wetherspoon (JDW) pubs, taking its estate to 664 sites. JDW continued its disposal programme later in the month, putting another five pubs on the market.
Changing drinking habits were also becoming increasingly clear. Spirits and wine accounted for 49% of drinks sales by value in pubs, bars and restaurants opened between 2013 and 2015, while UK gin sales passed £1bn.
More significantly, shops overtook the on trade for beer sales for the first time on record. The off trade accounted for 51% of beer consumed in 2015, compared with just 12.3% in 1980.
Elsewhere, Marston’s invested £10m in a new Wolverhampton headquarters, while the Government faced continued pressure over pubs code adjudicator Paul Newby amid claims of a conflict of interest.
5 years ago: 2021
September 2021 began with JDW running short of Carling and Coors at some pubs because of delivery disruption, before the chain was hit by another shortage days later, this time of bread for breakfast dishes.
The problems reflected wider supply chain disruption, with the industry facing a shortage of around 100,000 HGV drivers and more than one in five accommodation and foodservice businesses reporting difficulties getting goods or services.
Further pressure emerged from a CO2 shortage caused by soaring gas prices and the closure of fertiliser plants. The Government stepped in with financial support to restart production and protect supplies.
The pandemic was still weighing heavily on the trade, with almost 260,000 hospitality jobs remaining on furlough at the end of July, just weeks before the scheme closed. Figures also showed 89 pubs had permanently disappeared in England and Wales since May.
There were signs of changing consumer habits, however, with managed pub and restaurant delivery and takeaway sales in August 176% above 2019 levels. Average eating out spend was also rising as restrictions eased.
The Government scrapped plans to introduce mandatory vaccine passports for nightclubs and large events in England, while also consulting on retaining relaxed rules that had allowed pubs to make greater use of marquees and outdoor structures.
Deal activity continued, with Urban Pubs & Bars securing new investment to accelerate expansion and Red Oak Taverns agreeing to acquire nine Hall & Woodhouse pubs, taking its estate to 197 sites.
And despite shortages of beer, bread, drivers and CO2, the month ended on a more optimistic note, with Barclays forecasting hospitality and leisure sales would contribute £3.5bn more to the UK economy between April and December than during the equivalent period in 2019.
