Sales of gazebos and marquees soar as pubs sidestep Tiers 2 and 3

PUBS and restaurants claim marquees and tents count as outdoor space in a bid to get around Tier 2 and 3 restrictions.

Under government guidance people cannot meet outside their household or support bubble in any indoor setting, whether at home or in a public place, if they are in Tier 2. In Tier 3 pubs must be closed if coronavirus rates are high.

However, many organisations have found a loophole using gazebos.

Kate Nicholls, chief executive of UK Hospitality, said businesses are thinking laterally to accommodate customers under the strict rules. She said: “Making good use of outdoor space can be key to optimising revenue, so marquees or gazebos can be a great solution, particularly with the weather worsening.

“Some local authorities have already relaxed rules to let businesses utilise outdoor spaces. We hope more follow.”

It is understood that Cheshire West and Chester are among authorities to have relaxed the rules in an effort to promote use of outdoor space. Ukhospitality

said it was often asked if gazebos constituted an outdoor space and explained that, for the new tier regulations, indoor space was defined in the same way as the regulations for smoking, which state a place is indoors if it is deemed to be enclosed. It said: “So a marquee or any similar structure must not be wholly enclosed, or substantially enclosed to be ‘outdoors’.” It clarified that this meant it must not have sides that enclosed more than half of the shelter. Craig Pannozzo, owner of family wholesaler Gazeboshop, said there had been a “massive uptake in gazebos” since the second coronavirus wave.

“We received a phone call in midaugust from Wetherspoons deciding they wanted a thousand units mainly for outdoor hospitality so they can still work within regulations, as well as smaller pubs,” he said.

Nick Mead, managing director of Eden Caterers, which supplies offices and venues in London, said: “I’ve seen an increase in pubs utilising outdoor space, using marquees, tents and gazebos. It’s inventive thinking by publicans, who are doing everything they can to bring in revenue in this very bleak winter.”