Last orders for pubs as coffee shops become new ‘local’

COFFEE shops are becoming the “new local” as they grow to outnumber pubs by 2030, research suggests.

Britons are increasingly cutting down on alcohol, with more people favouring coffee shops as a “sober hangout” where they can escape from social pressure to drink alcohol, a study by research firm Allegra Strategies found.

It predicted that there will be more than 32,000 coffee shops in Britain by 2025, with a turnover of £16 billion.

The number of pubs in Britain, at around 50,000, will halve and eventually be overtaken by coffee shops, the study said. The number of coffee shops grew by around 12pc in 2016, it said.

“Coffee shops are increasingly viewed as the local of choice by British consumers, and are set to outnumber pubs in the UK by 2030,” the study said.

The drinks industry rejected the claims, saying pubs offered a service that cannot be easily replicated.

“Coffee shops are certainly doing well, but there are still 50,000 pubs,” a spokesman for the British Beer and Pub Association said. “Many pubs are also serving great coffee, opening in the mornings and serving breakfast, so there is competition for market share.

“Pubs are always evolving – as well as becoming more family friendly, they have a unique role at the heart of local communities that can’t easily be replaced by any other type of business.”

Miles Beale, of the Wine and Spirit Trade Association, told the Morning Advertiser: “People who go to the pub are after a totally different experience.

“Pubs are a part of the social fabric of communities and are places to spend time with family and friends enjoying a glass of wine or gin and tonic.” He added: “People who drop into a coffee shop will not stay as long as a pub goer.”