Cash-strapped pubs call time on business
Paisley area has lost a quarter of its boozers since 2001
Renfrewshire has lost almost a quarter of its pubs in the last two decades.
Bosses have called last orders at 30 different boozers since the turn of the millennium.
Larger bars were worst affected, with most shutting employing more than 10 workers.
Jason Smith, who runs Gantry in Paisley’s New Street and sits on the board of the town’s Pubwatch safety scheme, said: “Everybody finds it difficult.
“Supermarkets are a big issue because they are able to offer alcohol at such a cheap price.
“People would rather stay in or delay coming out because they can take advantage of deals in the shops.
“In my opinion, the chains don’t help because they are able to influence pricing.
“They have so many outlets, they are able to dictate costs to the supplier.
“The smaller and independent places just don’t have the power to do that.
“Our customers come to us because they want a different type of experience.
“There should be a place for everybody.
“And we pride ourselves on being able to offer a unique atmosphere and an experience that will attract customers back.
“Paisley is improving though, things are getting better.
“There’s a different atmosphere heading through the town centre now than there was even just a few years ago.”
An Office for National Statistics report revealed the scale of closures across the region.
Experts say pub numbers have plummeted from 130 since 2001.
Around a quarter of boozers closed over that period – with only 100 still trading.
Bigger bars were among those hit hardest.
Bosses employing 10 or more staff were most likely to have closed.
There were 55 larger businesses at the start of the period.
But this has dropped by aorund 45 per cent to just 30.
Regulars have kept smaller pubs in business.
Only five bars with fewer than 10 workers closed in the last two decades.
Boozer numbers increased by the mid-noughties – up to 135 by 2006.
But the economic crash slowed down expansion just two years later.
Firms have been closing steadily ever since.
Among those forced out of business in Paisley are The Croft Bar, Stanley Firs, The Alamo, Rafferty’s, the Turf Tavern and The Wallace Bar.
Tom Stainer, campaigns and communications officer for CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale), a consumer organisation, said: “These shocking new figures show the huge loss that has been felt by communities up and down the country as beloved locals have closed down.
“By focusing on the stability of turnover from pubs and bars since the recession, this study fails to measure the loss of the benefits that pubs bring to their communities.
“Pubs play a unique role in offering a social environment to enjoy a drink with friends, they help combat isolation and loneliness and help people feel connected to their community.
“With a quarter of pubs closing in the last two decades, we need the Government to act now to save our pubs from extinction.”
Across Scotland, more than 740 pubs and bars have closed since the turn of the century.
The number has fallen from 3,590 to 2,845.
Unlike in Renfrewshire, smaller businesses have been worst hit – down almost a third from 2,625 to 1,805.
Big pubs and bars have increased in number, up from 965 to 1,040.
East Renfewshire has been hit hardest in Scotland with 40 per cent of firms going bust.
The region had 25 traders at the start of the period, with just 15 left.
Brigid Simmonds, the chief executive of the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA),
She said: “Unless more is done to help alleviate the cost pressures pubs face, they will continue to close and jobs will be lost.”