Tobacco.org

• Ban on smoking leaves many pubs with a monster hangover  

One year ago, the smoking ban - a law some said would devastate Britain's pubs - came into place. The big landlords have endured a tough 12 months, but critics say they have hardly helped themselves. The industry has been slow to adapt to consumer demands, failed to lure in different customers at different times of the day with a diverse range of offers - decent coffee, free Wi-Fi and complementary copies of the Evening Standard - to go with beer and proper food in the evening.

Steven Moore, analyst at Growth Equities & Company Research, said: "A key differentiator looks to have been the swiftness and ability of companies to respond with the provision of outside spaces with covering, lighting and heaters.

"Although the climate the companies now find themselves in is undeniably challenging, there is some encouragement. The evidence from Scotland, where the smoking ban came in earlier, is that customers are drifting back as they get used to the ban."

Which pub groups are still sparkling and which are suffering from a major hangover?

Jump to full article »