I haven’t been writing for InterGame for very long, but the amount of times I’ve waxed lyrical about change, evolution and progress within the industry must be approaching triple figures.
Now I’m no entrepreneur, but it would appear that to stay profitable and successful in our industry (and probably most others too) then you have to not only react to change and follow trends, but perhaps more importantly, try to stay ahead of the curve and be at the forefront of fresh ideas, initiatives and demands. If you don’t, you’re going to suffer.
A recent survey by the Local Data Company has shown that 747 pubs and inns closed down in the UK last year, which was the largest net decrease of any type of commercial entity.
The same survey showed that among the biggest risers were restaurants and bars, with 174 opening their doors, rather than chaining them up and whitewashing the windows. In addition, 94 dedicated bars sprung up.
To me, these figures speak for themselves. I’ll explain my reasoning.
The traditional British pub has been a common sight (and home to the AWP, amusement with prize machines) in UK villages, towns and cities for centuries, in some cases a focal point and social hub for communities. But times have changed and I would argue that many establishments haven’t changed with them.
Most areas of the UK have hostelries that for the most days of the week are largely empty. These tend to be your average, down-at-heel venues that haven’t seen much investment for decades: uninspiring drinks choices, poor hygiene, lack of atmosphere, dated décor. You know the kind of places. These are the ones that are struggling.
Conversely, the regularly busy pubs are generally those which have embraced change, and met demand. Contemporary venues with contemporary F&B options. Of course there will always be a place for a basic, spit and sawdust pub too. But for many of those in between, the end is nigh.
There are now 2,000 breweries in the UK – the highest number on record since the 1930s – and most of them are brewing craft ale, sales of which have gone through the roof in recent years. Gin sales In the year ending March 31, 2018, rose by 28 per cent in volume and by 33 per cent in value to reach £1.5bn, meaning that sales have more than doubled in value in five years, with 49 new distilleries opening in 2017 bringing the total to 315. Impressive numbers.
Despite the popularity of supermarket alcohol sales (they recently overtook pub sales for the first time ever) people will still want go out and drink if the proposition is attractive enough.
And this is my whole point. Pubs are on the wane, but bars are spreading. Arcades are few in number but FECs and leisure complexes are expanding. Arcade bars are springing up more frequently, VR is taking off, experiential, themed attractions are booming. If you give people what they want they will reward you with patronage. Give them something Instagrammable, give them a Snapchat filter, give them decent food and drinks and exceptional service and make them want to come back.
As an old gaffer of mine once said, “if you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got,” and as much as he was generally a pretty unlikeable individual, he got that one just right.
Now then, whose round is it?
