It's time to diversify before we lose the British pub industry, says Black Country pub owner

It comes as bosses of six of the UK's biggest pub and brewing companies have signed an open letter to the Government urging it to act in order to avoid "real and serious irreversible" damage to the sector.

Peter Towler, who has owned Tipton based Mad O’Rourke’s Pie Factory since 2000, expanded the business during lockdown with the launch of Mad Pies Online – a home delivery service that delivers the pub's famous pies across the country.

Not only did the business pivot allow for the firm to continue even when the pub and restaurant were forced to close during the pandemic, it has also alleviated some of the pressures of the current economic climate, says Peter.

He said: “We originally launched Mad Pies to give us a way to make sure that customers could still enjoy our products and to keep our brand on everyone’s radar even when lockdown forced us to close the restaurant.

"It’s a concept that’s proven to be very successful for us and something that we had always intended to continue once we were able to reopen.

“We, just like establishments up and down the UK are facing a monumental challenge in the form of rising energy costs and now more than ever, any way to bring extra income into the business is vital.

"Government support is urgently needed across the hospitality industry but as we have seen with our own business pivot, diversification could offer a welcome safety net that could help to save the pub industry.”

Rising energy bills have come at a time when the number of pubs in England and Wales has fallen dramatically, with analysis in June estimated that numbers are at an all time low with just 39,970 pubs remaining – down 7,000 from 2012.

“The great British pub is an integral part of our culture and we’re already losing establishments at a rate of knots,” Peter said.

“For centuries, pubs have been so much more than just somewhere to grab a drink, they are the heart of our communities and as pub owners, we need to lean into that philosophy before we see even more forced to close their doors.

“Whether that is using existing facilities to offer a take-away service, taking the business online as we have or offering a delivery service of some of your most popular items, playing to your strengths and creating multiple points of entry offers more opportunities to generate income.

“This isn’t a silver bullet and it’s something that may not be possible for businesses which we know are already under huge amounts of pressure, but for those that are able to expand into other areas, now is the time to branch out before we find ourselves in an even worse situation.”