How WFH ‘is killing off our thirst for pints’

Working from home is killing demand for the traditional British pint, says the boss of pub chain Wetherspoons.

Tim Martin says the recovery in sales of draught ales, lagers and ciders following the pandemic is lagging behind other drinks in his 861 pubs.

He blames the slump on Britain’s continuing reliance on home working, which means fewer drinkers are enjoying pints over lunch or after work.

Across the group, sales of spirits are 4.4 per cent higher than before the pandemic, food is 2.1 per cent up and cocktails by 18.1 per cent.

But sales of beer and cider, historically the biggest element in pub takings, are still 8 per cent below the same time in 2019, while more health- conscious younger drinkers are switching to cocktails. Mr Martin, who founded the Wetherspoons chain with one London pub in 1979, said the postCovid bounceback was lagging far behind expectations.

He said: ‘Many people predicted a boom in pub sales when lockdowns and restrictions ended, due to pent-up demand, but recovery for many companies has been slower and more laborious than was anticipated.’ in another sign of the impact of working from home, he said London was struggling more than other cities.

Mr Martin added: ‘Contrary to expectations, sales in major city centres, apart from London, have been stronger than suburban locations or smaller towns.’

Wetherspoons said pubs were also suffering from a hangover effect of ‘fear factor’ messaging at the height of the pandemic.

Mr Martin said the measures used to encourage compliance had left behind ‘lingering aftereffects’ and lots of people were still cautious about going out.

He also said many people been driven into early retirement, shrinking the workforce.

Uk Hospitality chief executive kate nicholls said working patterns had changed and it was ‘quite clear’ that town and city centres were recovering more slowly. She added: ‘People are coming back to offices, but they are not coming back full time and that means lower footfall.’

official figures this week showed 9.9 million people were working from home at least one day a week in January, more than double the 4.7 million total in 2019.

it also found that ‘half of those who worked from home as a result of the pandemic were spending less as a result’.

WETHERSPooNS shares crashed after it warned its post- Covid recovery was ‘slower and more laborious’ than expected as demand for beer fell flat.

In a bleak update, the company expects losses of £30m this year, having previously predicted it would break even. The shares fell 8.3pc, or 52.5p, to 577.5p yesterday.

The 861- strong pub chain has been hit by soaring staff costs as well as heavy marketing and repair bills after its reopening. And, worryingly for the business, founder and chairman Tim Martin said sales of draught ales, lagers and ciders were weak.

While sales of cocktails are 18.6pc above pre-pandemic levels and spirits 4..4pc higher, beer and cider sales are still down 8pc.

The pub boss blamed a mix of young people turning to cocktails and the prevalence of working from home, which means fewer people going for boozy lunches and drinks after a day in the office. overall sales in the past 11 weeks were 0.4pc below pre-pandemic levels. In the previous quarter they were down 4pc.

Martin said the company and economy were still feeling the effects of Covid lockdowns.

He said: ‘Large numbers of people have left the workforce, mainly through early retirement. Many people now work from home, rather than from offices, which has had a significant impact on transport and hospitality businesses.

‘The fear factor used by governments to encourage compliance with lockdowns and restrictions has also had lingering after-effects, with many people remaining cautious about leaving their homes.’

÷ BAR chain Loungers posted record results. Sales tripled last year to £237.3m while profits were up nearly fourfold to £53.6m. It has 200 bars, cafes and restaurants.