Myth: It will be bad for pubs
Pro smoking groups claimed that the smokefree legislation would be bad for business and would lead to many pubs closing down. The evidence to date from notable pub groups is that the smoking ban has had 'little impact' upon their sales. Capital Pubs announced profits and that the 'smoking ban has had no material impact on business'. Greene King said like-for-like sales were up by 2% in managed houses and 1% in tenanted pubs. Punch Tavern shares rose by 2.3% and announced the smoking ban as having 'little impact upon sales'. Mitchells & Butler announced that the smoking ban has not affected UK sales with like-for-like sales increasing by 2.6 per cent. Furthermore a recent YouGov survey commissioned by ASH found that 20% of non-smokers reported that they visited pubs more often since the smoking ban. Source of the claim: Freedom2choose: http://www.freedom2choose.org.uk/
I think the recession in 2008 did for more pubs than the smoking ban , and if managed properly a good pub will attract custom.
What's really doing for pubs are the "Pubcos" which are essentially financial groups who have leveraged as much cash out of their pubs as they can (private equity) and are now leeching on the poor landlords and ladies. The rents are sky-high and they have to buy all their drinks from the pubco that owns them. It's horrible really. That's also why a lot of the smaller urban pubs are now Tesco Metros etc, because the profit margins had become so (intentionally) squeezed that the only way for the pubco to make money from them was to run them down, "prove" that they'd failed and get planning permission to sell them off for housing. A total disgrace.
Our lad gets by because he's the only pub in the centre of the village, he works very hard, knows his trade and keeps in with the village (helps out at functions, lends the spare room for events etc), and serves decent food. We'd be lost if our pub went, it's one of the great hubs of the community.
It also often has quite a lot of cyclists outside it at weekends!
