Pubs Advisory Service

13/10/2026

🍺 How are UK pubs holding up amidst shifting consumer habits?The latest data from the Barclays UK Consumer Spend Report shows Bars, Pubs & Clubs grew 2.7% year-on-year, proving social venues still benefit from staycations and warm-weather socialising. However, with consumer spending staying below inflation rates and patrons remaining heavily value-conscious, what does this mean for bottom lines moving forward? The breakdown from RH&L looks closely at the numbers behind the bar and what operators need to watch out for.👉 Read the full analysis here: https://rhandl.co.uk/2026/10/13/uk-consumer-spend-report/ Are you seeing a steady flow of trade, or are customers tightening their belts on drinks? Add your comments! 👇

Pubs are outperforming wider consumer spending, but are customers buying more or simply paying more? RH&L looks behind the latest figures.

13/10/2026

⏳ TIME IS RUNNING OUT FOR PUBLICANS! 🚨

If you want a fairer system for your pub’s business rates, you need to act now the deadline for the government's review is this Friday, 16 October 2026!

The Treasury has launched an independent review into pub and hotel business rates valuations, led by Jerry Schurder. This is a rare, direct chance for landlords, publicans, and brewers to shape how our venues are valued and stop the unfair financial squeeze.

Here’s how to make your voice heard before time runs out:

👉 Submit your evidence: Send your feedback directly to [email protected]
👉 Strict Deadline: Friday, 16 October 2026
👉 What’s on the line: A chance to reform unfair valuation rules ahead of the next revaluation, alongside the promised 20% cut in business rates bills coming in April 2027.

Don't let the government decide your rateable values without hearing from real trade operators. Get your response in today!

Have you submitted your evidence yet, or are current rateable values hitting your bottom line? Let us know in the comments below! 👇

Get rating support and help on

Many businesses in the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors believe the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) approach to assessing rateable values is flawed, often resulting in valuations that are…

24/09/2026

Football fans could soon be allowed to drink alcohol while watching matches.

That's potentially good news for supporters.

But what about the pubs outside the ground?

If matchday spending shifts into stadiums, some pubs could experience a significant loss of trade. That could have important business rates consequences and may justify a review of their Rateable Value.

Our latest article explains why pub operators should start paying attention now.

Read it here: https://rhandl.co.uk/2026/09/24/pubs-near-football-grounds-could-be-entitled-to-lower-business-rates/

If your pub is near a football ground, read the blog.

Pubs near football grounds may be facing a major trading change. A pub or bar business could qualify for a business rates reduction.

16/09/2026

The Welsh Government has announced a permanent 30% business rates reduction for many hospitality and leisure properties from April 2027.

For qualifying pubs, bars, restaurants and hotels, this is a significant development and a clear recognition of the pressures facing the sector.

While the announcement will be welcomed across Wales, the reality is that business rates remain a major concern for operators throughout the UK. Understanding your assessment, checking your valuation and ensuring you're receiving all available reliefs is becoming increasingly important.

We've taken a closer look at the announcement, who qualifies and what it could mean for the hospitality sector.

Read the full article here: https://rhandl.co.uk/2026/09/16/pubs-hotels-and-gyms-to-get-a-permanent-30-rates-cut-in-wales/

Pubs Advisory Service clients looking for support with business rates reviews, appeals or reliefs can now access specialist rating services through RH&L.

In a landmark move aimed at bolstering local economies, the Welsh Government has announced a permanent 30% reduction in business rates for eligible hospitality and leisure businesses across Wales.

12/08/2026

🚨 Why the UK Pub Market is Broken (And Why the CMA Needs to Step In) 🚨

Think pub rent disputes are just a private row between a landlord and a tenant, and if publicans just negotiated a bit harder, it would be resolved? Think again: this behavior is not an isolated landlord-tenant dispute but a textbook consumer-and-business-market failure driven by corporate consolidation, information asymmetry, and regulatory blind spots.

Here is what is happening behind closed doors:

🍺 Manipulated Rent Models ("The Russian Dolls"): Pub-owning businesses use opaque "shadow profit and loss" accounts to inflate rents. By fiddling with product sales mixes, underestimating b**r wastage, and ignoring realistic operating costs, they squeeze every last drop of profit out of hard-working publicans.

🍺 Local Microbreweries Shut Out: When tied publicans try to go free-of-tie, PubCos respond with blanket Gross Profit targets. Because small, local craft brewers can't match the massive discounts of global corporate brewers, this pricing model effectively forces pubs to keep selling multinational brands, killing off local choice for pub-goers long after the tie was broken.

🍺 Regulatory Blind Spots: The current regulatory setup leaves massive corporate "dry brokers" completely unmonitored and free to indulge in macro-level market distortion. It is time for the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to step up, launch a formal market investigation, and fix a broken system that is damaging our pub culture and local independent breweries.

👉 Read our full technical breakdown: "Pub Rent Setting – Russian Dolls" on our website (this is the most-read article we have ever published on our website!) see how these valuation methods operate in practice! Please share this post. &L

Latest info from The Pubs Advisory Service Ltd.

03/08/2026

Pubs that have lost land to development might be in line for a rates reduction. Watch the reel and see the link in the comments.

23/07/2026

Breaking news, more rates relief coming in 2027 for pubs. Details to follow. Regards

The cut will take effect from April, saving the average pub about £1,100 in tax next year, No 10 says.

16/07/2026

Update on PCA investigation into Stonegate - tied gaming machines also in the spotlight. See our blog post and guide on the link below.
https://pubs.expert/is-stonegate-playing-fair-the-pcas-investigation-how-to-fight-back/

16/07/2026

🚨 UPDATE: PCA INVESTIGATION EXPANDED 🚨

Yesterday we challenged the Pubs Code Adjudicator on why Regulation 47 gaming machines had not been included in the new Stonegate investigation.

Today the PCA confirmed that evidence concerning Regulation 47 and gaming machines can now be submitted for consideration as part of the investigation process.

For years we've argued that there is no gaming machine exemption or waiver in the Pubs Code, yet gaming machines continue to appear in new tied agreements offered by Regulated Pub Companies since they were outlawed in 2016.
If you're a Stonegate tenant with evidence, now is the time to come forward.
Sometimes asking the question matters. You can get a copy of our guide on the investigation and how to engage with it via our latest blog post.

Latest info from The Pubs Advisory Service Ltd.

15/07/2026

A short reel about submitting evidence to the PCA investigation- this is about how you can use "business plans" as evidence. Regards Chris