Wetherspoons ‘Super-Pub’: Are chains killing the independent?

Are chain pubs killing the beloved independent?

Transcript

00:00Is the British independent pub dying?

00:04Reports have found that in 1980 there were 69,000 pubs in the UK.

00:09The Campaign for Real Ale has said the number open today sits at around the 46,800 mark.

00:15It was found that the 2007 smoke and ban put a real dip in the figures.

00:20Following the pandemic, mixed with the impacts of Brexit, the cards seem stacked against

00:25the quintessentially British independent pub.

00:27Across the UK at the moment, there are thought to be over 800 Wetherspoons branches.

00:32As chains monopolise the pub industry, and as Wetherspoons has plans to launch its first

00:37ever super pub in Basildon at the expense of around £3.6 million, how does the British

00:43independent compete?

00:45With fewer competitors in the industry, it's thought pub chains and corporations can more

00:49freely raise prices and lower quality of their product.

00:53Meanwhile, independent branches and the hospitality sector continue to navigate stress of high

01:00energy bills, the cost of living crisis and post-Covid impacts.