UK Pub ownership 1974 - 2024

I spent yesterday afternoon scanning the BBPA Statistical Handbook 2025. Providing me with lots of fresh, juicy numbers. With which I'll be boring you over the coming days.

Kicking off with pub ownership. Which has been transformed since I started drinking. When the vast majority of pubs were owned by breweries.

I was going to say that it's a shame the numbers don't go back a little further. Then realised I did have some for the 1970s. Which confirm what I suspected: that brewery ownership of pubs peaked in the 1970s.

You can see that from 72% in 1974, brewery ownership fell to just 17% in 2024. While pubcos, which peaked with owning 55% of pubs in 2003, subsequently also saw it share fall, down to 33% in 2024. Which means the "independents", i.e. free houses, have increased from 28% to 50% between 1974 and 2024.

Though I'd take those independent figures with a pinch of salt. In the 1970s, quite a lot of "free houses" were effectively tied to brewers by loan ties or other agreements. Scottish & Newcastle, in particular, were keen on this sort of tie. Which, in Scotland, was a commoner sort of arrangement than outright ownership. 

Not sure how common alternative ties are currently. But I doubt all of those "independent" outlets are really free to buy beer from any brewery they fancy.

I sort of miss the days when every brewer's estate had its own particular livery and character. Unlike those of large pubcos. Though it wasn't quite so much fun when one brewer owned almost all the pubs. As was the case in my hometown of Newark. 

UK Pub ownership 1974 - 2024
Year	brewery owned		pubco		Independent		Total
	no.	%	no.	%	no.	%	no.
1974	52,131	72.00%	0	0.00%	20,273	28.00%	72,404
1980	49,000	71.01%	0	0.00%	20,000	28.99%	69,000
1990	43,500	68.50%	0	0.00%	20,000	31.50%	63,500
1991	29,500	47.43%	12,700	20.42%	20,000	32.15%	62,200
1992	25,700	41.72%	15,900	25.81%	20,000	32.47%	61,600
1993	26,200	42.95%	14,800	24.26%	20,000	32.79%	61,000
1994	26,000	42.83%	14,700	24.22%	20,000	32.95%	60,700
1995	22,200	36.39%	18,800	30.82%	20,000	32.79%	61,000
1996	22,300	36.68%	18,500	30.43%	20,000	32.89%	60,800
1997	21,900	36.14%	18,900	31.19%	19,800	32.67%	60,600
1998	19,700	32.30%	21,700	35.57%	19,600	32.13%	61,000
1999	20,400	33.17%	21,700	35.28%	19,400	31.54%	61,500
2000	11,200	18.42%	30,400	50.00%	19,200	31.58%	60,800
2001	10,100	16.64%	31,600	52.06%	19,000	31.30%	60,700
2002	9,800	16.31%	31,500	52.41%	18,800	31.28%	60,100
2003	8,300	13.97%	32,500	54.71%	18,600	31.31%	59,400
2004	8,900	15.08%	31,700	53.73%	18,400	31.19%	59,000
2005	9,400	16.04%	31,000	52.90%	18,200	31.06%	58,600
2006	9,400	16.15%	30,400	52.23%	18,400	31.62%	58,200
2007	9,400	16.35%	30,000	52.17%	18,100	31.48%	57,500
2008	9,100	15.99%	28,900	50.79%	18,900	33.22%	56,900
2009	8,900	15.92%	28,400	50.81%	18,600	33.27%	55,900
2010	8,700	15.70%	24,200	43.68%	22,500	40.61%	55,400
2011	8,500	15.54%	22,800	41.68%	23,400	42.78%	54,700
2012	9,300	17.29%	19,800	36.80%	24,700	45.91%	53,800
2013	9,300	17.71%	19,000	36.19%	24,200	46.10%	52,500
2014	9,800	18.88%	17,500	33.72%	24,600	47.40%	51,900
2015	9,400	18.50%	16,900	33.27%	24,500	48.23%	50,800
2016	9,400	18.69%	16,900	33.60%	24,000	47.71%	50,300
2017	11,000	22.75%	14,700	30.40%	22,650	46.85%	48,350
2018	10,600	22.27%	14,200	29.83%	22,800	47.90%	47,600
2019	9,900	20.97%	13,900	29.45%	23,400	49.58%	47,200
2020	8,100	17.31%	15,600	33.33%	23,100	49.36%	46,800
2021	8,100	17.48%	15,300	33.01%	22,950	49.51%	46,350
2022	7,950	17.34%	15,250	33.26%	22,650	49.40%	45,850
2023	7,750	17.09%	14,950	32.97%	22,650	49.94%	45,350
2024	7,750	17.22%	14,700	32.67%	22,550	50.11%	45,000
Sources:
BBPA Statistical Handbook 2025, page 69.
“The Brewing Industry, a Guide to Historical Records” by Lesley Hammons & Alison Turton.