Pub beer sales drop 88m pints

BEER sales in pubs slumped by 88 million pints last year, the biggest fall in four years and a drop of 2.4% during 2017.

It was blamed on a combination of pub closures and higher prices.

Last March the price of a pint was hit by a 3.9% tax increase, while pubs are shutting due to higher operating costs and weakened consumer confidence. The British Beer & Pub Association found that overall beer sales, including those in supermarkets, were largely stable.

Brigid Simmonds, of the BBPA, said: “Cutting beer duty is hugely important to community pubs where, on average, 70% of alcohol sold is beer.”