Almost one-and-a-half billion fewer pints were sold in British pubs in 2021 than in 2019, says new data
The BBPA said pub beer sales were down 38% in 2021 and there was an on-trade loss of £5.7 billion from beer sales alone – equivalent to 1.4 billion pints.
In 2020, trading was down 55% compared to pre-pandemic levels.
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Hide AdBBPA chief executive Emma McClarkin said: “Every unsold pint is a stark reminder of the dislocating effect Covid restrictions had on our sector and the communities our pubs sit at the heart of.”
The BBPA also said there had been a shift in consumer consumption patterns.
Between March 2020 and October 2021, beer receipts dropped 11% while receipts for wine and spirits rose 8% and 13%.
The BBPA attributes the shift to long periods of restriction in pub trading, where beer is the most popular drink, and a rise in at-home drinking.
Ms McClarkin said the BBPA backed planned reforms to the alcohol duty system to “incentivise lower-strength products” and “differentiate beer from stronger wine and spirits”.
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