A bumper May with two bank holidays and VE Day will see an estimated 14m extra pints sold in pubs compared to a month without them, the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) has estimated.
VE Day itself is estimated to have brought in up to a million extra pints sold in pubs thanks in part to the licensing hours extension which allowed them to stay open until 1am.
The additional pints mean the sector could deliver an extra £69m in sales for the economy and generate £11.5m in VAT and £6.5m in beer duty compared to a month with no bank or other holidays.
The boost comes as the sector wrestles with a barrage of extra tax and fees following the April cliff edge which is costing the industry an extra £853m, the BBPA said.
The new statistics come after the BBPA revealed the average price of a pint has broken the £5 barrier for the first time, partly due to rising costs placed upon the sector.
BBPA chief executive Emma McClarkin (pictured) said: "Many of us chose our local pub, a home away from home, as the perfect location to spend the sunny long weekends and to celebrate VE Day.
“These figures demonstrate how vital such occasions are to our sector, which is battling new costs including higher business rates bills, unfair and chaotic packaging fees, and soaring new employment costs.
“Following the avalanche of new fees in April which saw new costs hit the industry, the BBPA is calling on the government to ease the burdens placed upon the sector.
“We urge the government to support our sector by reforming business rates, reviewing punishing EPR costs, and mitigating new employment fees so that it can continue to drive the UK economy’s growth and supporting local jobs.”
The BBPA is urging the government to do this by permanently rebalancing the business rate system, reviewing EPR costs, mitigating new employment fees, and ensuring the Employment Rights Bill doesn’t remove flexibility for the sector.
