Coronavirus and its impact on pubs
The Forum of Private business has some real concerns for our members in the Hospitality industries who will need help if people are being told not to use them. Following the prime ministers briefing last night and his call not to visit pubs, restaurants and bars, many small pubs, particularly tenanted pubs will be put under extreme pressure and in some cases go out of business. We have been warning the government over the past 4 years, through the Forums, Protect your Pub campaign, about the perilous state of the tenanted pub sector, particularly those under the management of the 6 big pub companies and we believe that many will end up closing in some cases permanently.
Yesterday we called on the big six pub companies to give their tenants a rent holiday to help them through the crisis, as yet we have received no response. This needs quick action from the big six who have been taking far more from their tenanted estates than they have put in for years. The lack of positive action from the big six, the government and the Pubs code adjudicator are the reasons the tenanted pub sector is in such a perilous state and its time that all three did something to help these small businesses in this time of crisis.