The Drinks Business 25 January 2021 By db_staff Is coronavirus killing the British pub? On 16 March 2020 Boris Johnson advised the public to “avoid” them and since then we have faced three national lockdowns when patrons had no choice but to follow the Prime Minister’s stricture. As a result data last week from CGA and AlixPartners showed that almost 10,000 licensed premises had closed permanently in 2020. Twice as many venues (including restaurants, hotels and bars) were shut as new ventures opened despite a raft of government initiatives, grants and subsidies to keep the sector afloat. While the VAT cut to 5% on food and soft drinks was widely welcomed, as was August’s “Eat Out To Help Out” discount scheme, other attempts to buoy the sector have been widely criticised as being too little and too late.