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Curfew will ‘significantly’ cut on-trade visits
Mandatory 10pm closures in Britain will “significantly reduce” visits to pubs, bars and restaurants, and cause drinkers to head home to continue socialising after the curfew, a new survey suggests.
40% of drinkers said they will go out less often as a result of the curfew
According to the CGA Consumer Pulse Survey, which polled 1,000 British consumers following the announcement of a 10pm curfew on bars in England, 40% of respondents said they will go out less often as a result of the enforced closures.
Just 14% of those polled said the measures would encourage them to go out more frequently.
After venues close their doors at 10pm, a third of British adults said they would be likely to invite friends back to their house and 30% said they would seek out alternative venues to continue socialising.
Among people who said they often go out to bars and pubs, 43% said they would now visit the on-trade for a shorter length of time and 34% said they are likely to stay away completely due to the new measures.
Of those who typically visit city centres, 48% said they are now less likely to visit venues while 29% of respondents in rural areas said they were less likely to visit pubs, bars and restaurants.
CGA’s research and insight director, Charlie Mitchell, said: “Our survey shows that having been encouraged out to restaurants, pubs and bars in August, large numbers of consumers are now likely to retreat. The new restrictions deal a major blow to operators who had got back on their feet after lockdown, and to city centre and late-night operators in particular.
“With so many people signalling they will simply switch their socialising elsewhere, rather than in the hygienic environments that operators have worked so hard to create, these measures may not even have much beneficial impact. Businesses have responded nimbly to all the restrictions that have been placed on them so far, and will now be finding more innovative ways to sustain trade without compromising guests’ safety.”