Look at it!

sucker punch?

My local shuts down and I'm homeless ... this aint funny.

54p and pubs are closing. People prefer to drink at home now.

my local is a Punch Inn and last year the landlord won a local Camra award which is something.

fine except it doesn't pay the rent

What surprises me is the huge/regular rise in sp ( see graph above), until Dec. 2006.
This at a time when supermarkets are selling cheap beer/lager and Pubs charge more and more.
Add-in the restrictions on smoking ( fresh air at last!) which probably affect drinikers more than average citizens....and this on top of drink-drive activity which tends to make folk stay at home...there being little viable alternative. I for one, do not want any local taxi-firm to know I'm going out, leaving the house empty!
Pub closures are already significant, so I'm not surprised [PUB] sp is falling. Some new ideas are needed....let's retain the character of our old pubs as places to meet; before Olde England is destroyed by accountants. If people don't want to drink there, some other use needs to be found . . . local-TV studios?

my local the landlord John paid to have building work carried out of his own pocket he is a great guy but he is not keen on Punch.

Our locals area manager told him today if he wants to buy the odd barrel in from elsewhere he'll turn a blind eye !

Anything to keep them open now goes as so many are folding.

My local in Reading is a delightful old-fashioned pub which will die when the tenants retire, I suspect, as they make the place. Good food at a sensible price, and reasonable drinks prices. It's a Wadworth pub. Our company has a permanent lunch time table reserved for whoever turns up.

Only thing keeping them going MM , good food .

Dil, a few years ago (5??) it used to be packed at lunchtimes (it's small, so that wasn't too hard). That's why the landlady used to reserve the largest table in her lounge bar for us, who were regulars. Now, it's really quiet many lunchtimes. The reason? The demise of many of the small office-based businesses in the area over the last few years who used the pub as their office canteen.

New small companies don't need offices -- they work from home over the Internet. The commercial property market is a dead duck, too. It's never going to come back.

it's such a cumulative effect on pubs generally, from the advent of tighter drink/driving laws to sky tv at home and now even social networking such as Facebook - we just don't need as much entertaining as we used to. It's sad. There is still nothing like a good night out in your ten locals with friends! :-))

Profits as bad as can be expected and the sp down 15% ..its a sad day.

Edit down 20%.

More and more are shutting round here , not suprised the results were crap.

I hope my pub stays open even if the village have to buy it from Punch.. now thats a great idea.

Yes, and who knows, the village could do a good deal in this environment mitzy. Perhaps they will pay you to take it away. If you don't ask you will not get.

I believe it happened at the Red Lion at Preston (Herts, not Lancs) many years ago and the pub has thrived.

I know Hertford well but I have never heard of Preston I may pay them a visit.. thanks.

Sunday papers say sell.

quite right .... yet another robt tchenguez (or however he spells it) company to go to the glue-makers