Over 900 UK pubs shut down in 2018
Almost 1,000 pubs closed down in the UK in 2018 as the industry was affected by the rising cost pressures and business rate increases.
A total of 914 pubs disappeared last year according to data from company Altus Group in its annual review.
About 76 pubs vanished each month during the year, following a trend which has resulted in the number of pubs slumping from more than 54,000 to 43,000 between 2010 and 2017.
Pubs face taxes from the high Beer Duty, VAT and business rates which are rising and are making some of them unsustainable.
Industry group the Campaign for Real Ale said: "Pubs currently pay 2.8% of the business rates bill but only account for 0.5% of total business turnover, which is an overpayment of around £500m by the sector each year."
The chief executive of UK Hospitality, Kate Nicholls, said: “Pubs are being hit with a myriad of cost pressures at a time of unprecedented political uncertainty and unstable consumer confidence. Unless positive action is taken by the government to address crippling costs, more pubs will be forced out of business.”
The president of Altus Group, Alex Probyn, said: “The increase in the thresholds at which businesses, such as pubs, pay business rates coupled with the pubs discount during the last two financial years has helped ease the decline.
“The new retail discount, which slashed rates bills by a third for high street firms with a rateable value less than £51,000 from 1 April, will help independent licensees in small premises and hopefully will stem the decline even further.”