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Last orders for Sevenoaks pubs? |
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Page 1 of 7 Despite widespread doom and gloom over pub closures, John Morrison finds traditional landlords in Sevenoaks who are determined to buck the trend. But they tell him it’s not going to be easy
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Farewell, local boozer, it’s been nice knowing you. Me? I’m off round
the corner for a chicken yakisoba washed down with a nice latte. In
Sevenoaks, as everywhere else, the traditional pub is under threat from
a combination of social change, competition and government policy.
According to the British Beer and Pub Association, pub closures are
accelerating towards 30 a week, compared to two a week as recently as
2005. Beer sales, which are the backbone of the pub trade, peaked in
1979 and have been in decline ever since. While the nation frets over
binge drinking, alcohol sales in pubs are down by around 6 per cent in
the last 12 months.
The reasons are well known. Driving under the influence is increasingly
unacceptable, smoking is banned and the budget in March put up taxes.
Supermarkets can sell cheap lager at less than half the price of beer
in pubs, while changes in the licensing laws mean that every corner
shop and garage now sells Foster’s and Jacob’s Creek.
Rising incomes,
particularly in southeast England, have cushioned some of these blows,
but if consumer spending declines in 2008, pubs will be badly affected.
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 30 April 2008 )
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