Historically, it was overwhelmingly in pubs. Before WW II, When the number of standalone off-licences was relatively small, even beer for home consumption was often purchased in pubs. Sometimes in bottled form, but often draught beer filled into jugs.
Children were often sent to fetch the beer, despite being underage. This was allowed as long as a seal was put on the jug to prevent illicit sipping on the way home. My mother did this as a girl, fetching a pint of Old and Mild for her mum. But I digress.
After 1960, the number of off-licences increase rapidly, doubling by 2000. While, at the same time, the number of pubs has decreased. Which has shifted the balance between on- and off-licences considerably. S you can see in the first table.
As recently as 1980, not far short of 90% of beer sales were in pubs. That's been in decline ever since. But it was only in 2015 that a majority of sales were in offies.
Obviously, there was a big drop in pub sales during the pandemic years of 2020 and 2021. Since when pub sales have increased a bit. The latest figure of 42% pub sales is still quite impressive compared to most other countries. Where a far higher percentage of beer is sold in shops rather than bars.
| Pubs and off licences 1905 - 2000 | |||||
| Date | Total Pubs | Off Licences | total | % pubs | % off licences |
| 1905 | 99,478 | 25,405 | 124,883 | 79.66% | 20.34% |
| 1910 | 92,484 | 24,438 | 116,922 | 79.10% | 20.90% |
| 1920 | 83,432 | 22,198 | 105,630 | 78.99% | 21.01% |
| 1930 | 77,605 | 22,125 | 99,730 | 77.82% | 22.18% |
| 1940 | 73,365 | 21,884 | 95,249 | 77.02% | 22.98% |
| 1950 | 73,483 | 23,532 | 97,015 | 75.74% | 24.26% |
| 1960 | 69,184 | 23,670 | 92,854 | 74.51% | 25.49% |
| 1970 | 64,702 | 27,910 | 92,612 | 69.86% | 30.14% |
| 1980 | 67,091 | 37,252 | 104,343 | 64.30% | 35.70% |
| 1991 | 74,299 | 47,944 | 122,243 | 60.78% | 39.22% |
| 2000 | 77,876 | 45,450 | 123,326 | 63.15% | 36.85% |
| Sources: | |||||
| 1924 – 1972: The Brewers' Society Statistical handbook 1973”, page 50. | |||||
| 1973 - 2010 2011 Statistical Handbook of the BBPA, page 74 | |||||
| "Brewers' Almanack 1971", page 83. | |||||
| Location of UK beer sales (%) | ||
| Year | on sales | off sales |
| 1980 | 87.7 | 12.3 |
| 1985 | 83.0 | 17.0 |
| 1986 | 81.6 | 18.4 |
| 1987 | 80.7 | 19.3 |
| 1988 | 80.1 | 19.9 |
| 1989 | 79.6 | 20.4 |
| 1990 | 79.6 | 20.4 |
| 1990 | 78.5 | 21.5 |
| 1991 | 77.7 | 22.3 |
| 1992 | 76.7 | 23.3 |
| 1993 | 75.4 | 24.6 |
| 1994 | 74.5 | 25.5 |
| 1995 | 72.6 | 27.5 |
| 1996 | 72.0 | 28.0 |
| 1999 | 68.1 | 31.9 |
| 2000 | 67.6 | 32.4 |
| 2001 | 65.7 | 34.3 |
| 2002 | 63.6 | 36.4 |
| 2003 | 61.7 | 38.3 |
| 2004 | 60.4 | 39.6 |
| 2005 | 59.4 | 40.6 |
| 2006 | 57.9 | 42.1 |
| 2007 | 56.5 | 43.5 |
| 2008 | 54.2 | 45.8 |
| 2009 | 53.8 | 46.2 |
| 2010 | 51.9 | 48.1 |
| 2011 | 52.4 | 47.6 |
| 2012 | 52.4 | 47.6 |
| 2013 | 50.7 | 49.3 |
| 2014 | 50.0 | 50.0 |
| 2015 | 49.1 | 50.9 |
| 2016 | 48.4 | 51.6 |
| 2017 | 46.9 | 53.1 |
| 2018 | 46.0 | 54.0 |
| 2019 | 45.0 | 55.0 |
| 2020 | 23.6 | 76.4 |
| 2021 | 30.7 | 69.3 |
| 2022 | 41.3 | 58.7 |
| 2023 | 41.9 | 58.1 |
| 2024 | 42.1 | 57.9 |
| Source: | ||
| BBPA Statistical Handbook 2025, page 14. | ||
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6 comments:
Back in the 80s there was a local chain of off-licences - Legendary Lancashire Heroes - which specialised in cask beer to take away (they'd also sell you a reusable container). I don't know whose beer it was, or if they had a tie to a single brewery or just got them in individually. I assume in their case it was a post-CAMRA innovation (and it didn't last very long) - but it's not that different from filling a jug in a pub, so I assume it's also something offies used to do.
In Leeds in the 1970s and early 1980s there were a few old-fashioned off-licences that had handpulled Tetleys.
I'm not sure why pubs don't push off sales now. They obviously had to throughout the COVID pandemic when they were forced to shut and started selling draught and bottled beer from the premises or delivering it to people's homes.
My grandmother grew up and eventually worked as a barmaid in a Threlfall's pub run by her auntie and uncle in Wigan in the twenties then moved to another in Manchester where she met my grandfather in the late thirties. Off sales were a regular part of the trade in both. You can still see unused outdoor departments and hatches in a few pubs locally. There was one at the now demolished pub built in the fifties on the south Manchester council estate that my mum's family were rehoused to from an inner city terraced street that was pulled down in slum clearances. She bought bottled Guinness from it regularly in the sixties.
Decanting cask beer into a plastic jug really doesn't do it any favours. I'm not surprised it never really took off.
I'm amazed the proportion of beer sold in pubs is still so high, to be honest, considering how expensive pubs have become.
Our village pub (co Durham, John Smiths back when this was an indication of quality) used to do guest ales and also sold draught beer in waxed cardboard 2 pint containers, sealed with a metal clip. I used to get these to take home and share with my then wife. Top class, no taint to the beer whatever.
Most people treated these as single use, but I went back again and again with mine. It got quite famous, there would be a little song `one Chrissie Pickles` each time I showed up cardboard carton in hand.
On a practical basis , where else can you buy freshly pulled cask ale ? Yes , bottled and cans are cheap in supermarkets but nowhere near as giod as a well kept bub pint.
And of course , in a pub you get a richer environment than at home.
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