Coffee shops as the new pubs

Britain has a caffeine problem. Well, it’s not such a problem if you’re among the gazillion clever people who had the brainwave of opening a local coffee shop. But it’s a full-blown dilemma if you’re the landlord of a pub, or indeed are partial to drinking in one.

According to a survey by the Allegra Group consultancy, 1,215 coffee shops opened in the UK last year, a mixture of independents and big chains. Such is the exponential growth of the industry that, should its current rate continue, coffee shops will outnumber pubs by 2030. While you can’t walk more than three metres in urban Britain without passing at least six branches of Starbucks and a cute little indie café where a friendly bearded hipster is serving flat whites, our boozers are vanishing at an alarming rate. The British

Beer & Pub Association says the decline was 17per cent between 2000 and 2016 – a figure that’s been attributed to high alcohol taxes, the smoking ban, business rate rises and – crucially – our shifting cultural habits. Where once we would have popped out for a “swift one”, “a cheeky pint” or a full-blown “session”, we now “grab a coffee” when we want to see friends. I love coffee; couldn’t live without it. But with the decline of the local pub comes the loss of a way of life. Without wanting to sound too jingoistic, the Lamb and Flag, White Hart, Royal Oak, Dog and Duck et al have been integral to British culture for centuries – and we will mourn their demise.

Yes, we should all be drinking less. But no one lingers over a latte in quite the same way they nurse a pint. Enjoy your coffee responsibly – but spare a thought for the poor old pub, too.