Coronation weekend 'a tale of two halves' for hospitality

Anecdotal indicators have suggested that the long bank holiday weekend to celebrate the Coronation of King Charles III may not have provided the boost in sales hospitality operators had hoped for.

Licensing hours for pubs, clubs and bars across England and Wales were extended from 11pm to 1am across the Coronation weekend and an additional bank holiday was held on 8 May. UKHospitality previously said the long weekend was estimated to give the sector a £350m boost.

Essex publican Adam Brooks posted on Twitter that it was "certainly no boost for most pubs" due to the bad weather in some areas and people staying at home to watch the event. He added that one of his pubs had experienced its quietest Saturday this year.

James Allcock, owner of the Pig and Whistle in Beverley, Yorkshire, replied that it was the "worst week I've had in 18 months" with "beyond record-breakingly low numbers".

City Pub Group executive chairman Clive Watson told the BBC that Saturday had been "a washout" due to the bad weather, however Sunday sales were "really, really strong".

As rising household bills continue to bite, only 8% of consumers said ahead of the event that they were planning to spend money on drinks out at bars and pubs to toast the Coronation.

Preliminary data last month by STR suggested that hotels were going to be the big winners from the Coronation weekend, with occupancy on the books for London hotels of 67.7% on Friday 5 May and 66.8% on Saturday 6 May, ahead of 2022.

At the time, STR senior director Thomas Emanuel said he expected the figures to increase further closer to the event.

UKHospitality chief executive Kate Nicholls said: "Communities across the country were clearly in the Coronation spirit over the weekend, as street parties and celebrations were in full force, with local hospitality venues often at the centre.

"Overall, the weekend was a tale of two halves. The poor weather on Saturday may have impacted expected footfall but the much improved weather on Sunday and Monday more than made up for it and we're still positive that the celebrations this weekend will deliver a £350m boost for the sector."

Photo: Loredana Sangiuliano/Shutterstock