Spending in pubs rises 4% after Budget

Spending in pubs on credit and debit cards has increased by 4% since the March Budget.

Barclaycard conducted research looking at spending in pubs in the two weeks preceding the 1p cut to beer duty, and the two weeks following.

It said that after taking the usual seasonal fluctuations in pub spending into account, as the weather improves, that the duty cut appeared to have given pubs a 4% spending boost.

The trend was positive across most of the country, although there were regional variations, with Wales seeing an increase of 11.8%, the North East by 6.9% and the East Midlands by 5.4%. But London and Scotland both saw pub spending fall with decreases of 2.1% and 3.5% respectively.

A Barclaycard spokesperson said: "This modest increase in pub spending will be a welcome sign for an industry that has faced many challenges over recent years".

A table to show regional spend at pubs, during the two weeks following the beer duty cut:

Region Spending in pubs on credit and debit cards

Wales +11.8%
North East +6.9%
East Midlands +5.4%
Yorkshire Humber +4.4%
West Midlands +4.3%
North West +3.4%
South East +3.3%
East of England +1.9%
South West -0.1%
London -2.1%
Scotland -3.5%
Northern Ireland -9.1%