Editor’s Viewpoint: Thank Goodness for Sports Tournaments
By Peter Adams, Editor, CLH News
If ever we needed a reminder of the vital role the great British pub plays in national life, the Guinness Six Nations has provided it in spectacular fashion this year. And frankly, thank goodness for it.
The British Beer & Pub Association has estimated that the tournament will generate close to £60 million in additional revenue for the sector compared with a typical February or March weekend and that is not a figure to be sniffed at in an environment where many operators are fighting for survival week to week.
Data from last year’s tournament showed that pubs broadcasting the matches saw revenue rise by an average of 17% compared with weekends where no games were shown, with blockbuster fixtures such as Wales versus Ireland and England versus Scotland delivering uplifts of 40% and 29% respectively.
Meanwhile, the second weekend of this year’s tournament saw an estimated 11.5 million pints of draught beer and cider sold across UK pubs, with the average pub serving 351 pints across the Saturday and Sunday and generating approximately £1,817 in draught revenue per venue.
Encouragingly, footfall increased across all location types, Sunday visits rose 19.1% year-on-year, and average dwell time climbed to 163 minutes per visit — up 2.5% on the same weekend last year. Operators showing live sport did best of all, retaining customers for 19 minutes longer on average than non-TV venues.
These are compelling numbers. But here is the rub — and it is an important one.
Rate of sale actually declined by 6.4% versus a typical weekend benchmark, suggesting that even with the Six Nations pulling punters through the door, operators are not converting that footfall into the spend levels the sector truly needs.
The appetite is clearly there. The public loves its pubs. What is holding things back is not consumer enthusiasm — it is the crushing weight of the operating environment bearing down on every landlord in the land.
Which brings us neatly to a story that has been building quietly but is now impossible to ignore.
A grassroots movement born in the Forest of Dean and led by a local publican has been gaining remarkable national momentum under the banner of the ‘Hands Off Our Pubs’ (HOOP) campaign.
Launched just weeks ago following a meeting of landlords grappling with mounting financial pressures, the initiative has already attracted backing from more than 500 hospitality businesses across the UK.
That is an extraordinary level of support in a very short space of time, and it tells you everything about the depth of feeling across the sector right now.
Campaign leader Terry Lush articulated the frustration many operators share when he spoke of a widening gap between government policy and the day-to-day realities of running licensed premises.
That phrase resonates deeply. It is, to my mind, a precise and accurate description of the complete disconnect that exists between those making the decisions in Westminster and the men and women getting up at the crack of dawn, working 80-hour weeks, and watching their margins evaporate.
This of course follows the high-profile campaign that saw many outlets banning Labour MPs — a dramatic move, but one that reflected genuine desperation rather than mere political point-scoring.
The BBPA has pointed out that UK beer drinkers pay beer duty at a rate three times higher than in France or Italy, and twelve times higher than in Germany or Spain — and that duty increased this February, the first rise for pubs since 2017.
How, in all conscience, can that be considered a fair operating environment? The Six Nations demonstrates year after year that the pub is where the nation wants to be when the big occasions come around. Government should be nurturing that, not taxing it into the ground.
On a lighter note, new research has found that one in three Brits — some 31% — have come up with either a business or website idea whilst sitting in the pub. Hardly surprising, is it?
There is something about the warmth, the conversation, and the gentle hum of a good local that gets the creative juices flowing.
One suspects a great many of those ideas never made it past closing time, but the pub as an incubator of inspiration is a rather charming notion — and yet another reminder of what these places mean to communities beyond simply selling drinks.
And finally, a very well-deserved congratulations to Stonegate Group, who have raised an impressive £10,000 in the very first week of their new charity partnership with Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM).
The outpouring of support from colleagues across their head office, pub teams and guests nationwide speaks volumes about the character of the people in this industry. It is a wonderful cause, and one we very much look forward to following as the partnership develops.
The Six Nations will end, as all tournaments do. But the pressures facing our sector will not disappear with the final whistle. The public has shown, once again, that it loves the pub. Now it is time for government to show that it does too.
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