Community pubs and shops adapt to survive Covid-19

Community-owned pubs and shops have shown great resilience in the face of the pandemic, according to two new reports.

The reports by the Plunkett Foundation examine how both community and pubs have fared over the last 12 months and the new restrictions, which have been imposed.

According to the report on community shops, many reported ‘significantly increased uptake’ from local residents as supermarket delivery services struggled to cope with the increase in demand at the start of the lockdown in March and April.

The report adds the sales turnover ‘soared’ for many as people were confined to their villages.

‘We’ve heard stories of diversification, ingenuity and determination,’ the report states.

‘From bulk-buying flour with volunteers bagging it up for individual sale, to sourcing new suppliers to find the goods for their customers, the people behind the shops did everything they could to keep serving their communities.’

The report on community pubs notes the impact that closing pubs in the Spring had on the sector, as well as the 10pm curfew, which was introduced in England in September.

But it also adds there has been ‘plenty of entrepreneurial spirit’, which has been rewarded with community support.

‘The lockdown led to new services and an important community role for some pubs,’ it adds.

Both reports also contain details of a survey, which was carried out before the pandemic hit.

The survey found the community pub sector grew by 19% last year, with 19 new pubs opening in 2019.

It also found that no community pubs ceased trading or were transferred out of community control in 2019 and the average cost of purchasing a community pub was £306,000.

And 12 new community shops opened last year, which meant a total of 372 were trading by the end of 2019.

These shops had an average turnover of £156,000 each a year, with the sector generating a total of £58m.

‘The dramatic challenges of a global pandemic were not in any of our minds this time last year, and yet they changed everything and touched every life and every business,’ said Plunkett Foundation chair, Stephen Nicol.

‘Despite these challenges community shops have shown positivity and optimism – swelling their volunteer numbers, diversifying the services they offer and in many cases boosting their sales.’

Photo Credit – MabelAmber (Pixabay)