Easter trading was a mixed bag this year as the trade braces for the impact of National Insurance increases.
That was the message from operators contacted by SLTN, who reported mixed fortunes over the Easter bank holiday weekend.
In Glasgow, Matthew Collins of The Iron Duke said the holiday brought ‘a decent boost’ with “strong trading on Good Friday and Easter Sunday in particular—better than we expected for the time of year”.
However, on the opposite side of the M8, Mike Smith of Bow Bar reported that, although Easter was busy for the pub, it didn’t quite match some previous years.
“Our street is getting busier and busier with tourists, so we saw more people in town,” he said. “We had a good Easter thanks to more visitors, but I’ve seen busier Easter weekends in here.”
The news was less positive in Aberdeen, with Adrian Gomes of The Tippling House and Ninety-Nine Bar & Kitchen saying Easter trading was ‘fairly below average’ for both units – even if the year so far has been solid for both venues.
“The reasons would possibly be a mix of good weather (neither unit would be considered sunny day venues), Aberdeen City & Shire school holidays falling out-with the actual Easter weekend, and city-centre construction putting off some of the Shire residents,” said Gomes.
“Overall though, both units are trading well this year in general so Easter was a blip.”
SLTN columnist Neil Morrison of Rocks Leisure Group, which operates Macgochans on Mull, The Lochside on Islay, the Ben Nevis in Fort William and The French Horn in Glasgow, said trading so far this year has been “around the same in some areas and down in others as I think people are being more cautious”.
“However ferries have not helped me so this is hard to quantify,” he said.
Easter came at a time when the trade will have wanted business to have picked up, as changes to National Insurance employer contributions and the minimum wage took effect.
Collins at The Iron Duke said the changes have ‘definitely had an impact’: “It’s added pressure to already tight margins and makes staffing decisions more difficult,” he said.
“Any additional cost right now feels like another hurdle, especially as we try to plan for the busier summer period.”
Smith, at Bow Bar, said he had ‘definitely seen a spike in our wages, but we were prepared for it’.
“It’s too soon to say if we have seen an impact,” he added.
Morrison, at Rocks Leisure Group, said the changes are likely to have a broad impact on the trade as a whole: “Speaking to people in this trade, they are feeling the changes to NI and wages are crippling their businesses and will need to reduce staff to even keep on an even keel with last year,” he said.
“I can see a wave of unemployment and closures coming due to these changes from the powers that be.”
