When Boris Johnson announced England’s second confinement, effective since Thursday, November 5 and scheduled until December 2, Tim Martin’s priority was first to sell his stock of beer. ” The real ale [bière brune peu gazeuse qui se boit tiède] do not keep “, he recalls. The owner of Wetherspoon, a chain of nearly 900 pubs, immediately sold off his pints at the broken price of 99 pence (1.10 euros), two to three times cheaper than usual. “On Wednesday evening, we managed to sell everything, while in March we had to throw away thousands of liters. “
The anecdote sums up the permanent difficulties of pubs in the United Kingdom since the start of the pandemic. For three and a half months, from the end of March to the beginning of July, these true British cultural institutions closed, undoubtedly a historic first. “Then it was a real roller coaster ride, with rules that kept changing”annoys Mr. Martin, an earthy character who built this empire from a facility opened in 1979 in north London.
Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales and England each have different health rules
Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales and England each have different health rules. Within these four nations, the restrictions were more or less harsh depending on the region, depending on the local progress of the epidemic. Sometimes the authorities have pushed for consumption, as was the case in August with the 50% reduction on the price of meals offered by the British government. Sometimes the reverse has happened: curfew from 10 p.m., ban on ordering at the bar, restriction to six customers per table …
“Of course social distancing is understandable, but we have to put in place rules that don’t change all the time”, explains Mr. Martin. He recalls that his business lost money in October, following the tightening of restrictions, then will lose money in November with the containment and probably in December if the reopening is slow. “Then January and February are traditionally the two worst months of the year. “ Mr. Martin says he is in favor of the Swedish approach to the pandemic, where strict containment has never been imposed.
“Of course social distancing is understandable, but you have to put in place rules that don’t change all the time”, Tim Martin, owner of the Wetherspoon channel
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