UK: Cost of the smoking ban could reach 200 million pints

Beer sales in the UK could fall by 200 million pints as a direct result of the smoking ban, an industry expert warns, according to The Publican, September 14.

Sales of spirits will also be hit, says Graham Page, a consultant at market researchers AC Nielsen, but there maybe some cause for optimism based on recent Scottish opinion polls.

"The British Institute of Innkeeping says there’s a strong likelihood of there being 5,000 fewer pubs in the next two years as a result of the ban," Page will tell delegates at this month’s National Licensed Business Show.

His keynote address will reveal mixed news from north of the border: "Six months after the ban, there was a sharp jump in the number who say they are more likely to visit a pub if it was non-smoking than in the previous year, though sadly this had yet to reflect itself in more visits."

14 September, 2007