Women set to save the British pub, survey claims
Women could help save the British pubs, but only if those pubs serve better food and provide better seating, a survey has found.
An ICM poll of 2,000 women for the Bittersweet Partnership found that one in three women (32%) visit a pub at least once a fortnight, with nearly three quarters (72%) opting for their local rather than a high-street chain.
Excellent food (46%) and a great atmosphere (46%) topped the list of reasons to why women loved local pubs, whilst good value prices (42%) and entertainment (27%) also scored highly.
But despite the encouraging news for the sector, which is seeing 39 pubs close every week, licensees have more work to do if they want to benefit from more female trade.
Major bugbears which prevented women from visiting pubs more often include: a lack of seating (18%), an un-friendly and often unwelcoming environment (26%), cleanliness (16%) and poor music choice (21%).
Other changes women would like to see include:
- Better quality food (31%)
- Entertainment (16%)
- Table service (13%)
- Less televised sport (11%)
- More stylish decor (7%)
- Mixed clientele (6%)
But there was positive news for beer. One in five women (20%) said they chose to enjoy a beer at the pub and nearly one in ten (8%) like the broad selection of beers to choose from.
Kirsty Derry, managing director, BitterSweet Partnership said; "We know the majority of women still prefer drinking wine and visiting wine bars, but it's encouraging to see there are an increasing number of women heading down to their local pub to sample the great beer on offer. There's still a huge job to do in terms of getting women to view beer as an acceptable drink option but it's great to see women being offered real choice."
The Bittersweet Partnership was launched a year ago to encourage more women to enjoy beer. It is owned by brewer Molson Coors.
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](http://www.caterersearch.com/Articles/2009/10/27/330592/New-city-bar-from-Nick-House-and-Piers-Adam-will-target.htm)*By Neil Gerrard*
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