CR Consulting (2011)

The British Smoking Bans: Stubbing out the urban pubs is a study using an authoritative database produced by CGA Strategy, a specialist independent consultancy that provides detailed statistics on the number of public houses and restaurants in the UK.

Using this data, CR Consulting determined the potential impact on the smoking bans in Scotland (March 2006,) Wales (April 2007) and England (July 2007,) and compared closure rates in each area down to ward level (approx 5,000 people.)

Prior to the study, there was speculation on the reasons for the decline of pub numbers:

• The economic recession
• Changing tastes
• PubCo's overcharging their tennants/leaseholders
• Supermarket pricing
• Rising duties
• And, of course, the smoking bans.

The study concluded there was a strong correlation between the dates

CR Consulting - Decline in pub numbers pre/post smoking ban

of the smoking ban in the various countries and a noticably sharper decline in the number of pubs remaining open. In the diagram shown, (from page 3 of the study,) 'B' represents the month that the smoking ban came into force in their respective countries.

Authors

• Unlisted