Hospitality industry is still in crisis, warns brewery boss

Reaction from local businesses to the Budget often speaks to our hearts. Stroud Brewery boss, Greg Pilley, has outlined by why he thinks it failed his business – and and the whole pub sector too.

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Disappointment and frustration is how Greg Pilley, founder and managing director of Stroud Brewery, reacted to what he sees as a lack of support for the pub and brewing trade by Jeremy Hunt’s Spring Budget. 

The Chancellor froze alcohol duty for another year, but Pilley said this won’t make any difference to the large economic pressures that pubs are currently labouring under. 

According to his figures those pressures have led to 508 pubs around the UK shutting in 2023 with the loss of over 6,000 jobs. 

Pilley said: “It’s been a perfect storm for publicans during the past year.