Pub closures blamed on consumer shift to ‘continental eating’

A new café or restaurant will open for every pub or bar that closes over the next three years, as consumers adopt a more ‘European’ lifestyle.​

According to independent market analyst Datamonitor, around 300 cafes and 1,900 restaurants are set to open by 2013, while the number of pubs and bars will diminish by 2,000.

The analyst believes the shift will come as a result of Britons adopting a more continental way of eating and drinking.

Kaustav Ray, managing director at Datamonitor, said: “Whilst it is well documented that pubs and bars are closing at an alarming rate, the increase in venues perceived to be more cultured for socialising and eating with friends has been ignored.”

European lifestyles​

However, Ray added that the UK is still a long way off matching the lifestyle of its European counterparts.
 
“There’s still a massive gap when you look across the channel so it may be too soon to claim that we’ve moved to a European lifestyle – we have nearly 10 times more pubs and bars in the UK than in France, yet only a third the number of full service restaurants and cafes.”

Despite the falling number of pubs and bars in the UK, Datamonitor predicts the sector will take $4bn in sales, compared to $580m in France.