Nearly 800 pub and bar businesses ceased trading in 2025, due to a perfect storm of inflation, increased taxation, and shifting consumer behaviour.
According to the accountancy group UHY Hacker Young, 789 operators in England, Scotland, and Wales fell into insolvency in 12 months to December 2025 - a 2.6% increase on the previous year and more than double the 367 recorded in 2020.
The firm added that the sharp increase was largely driven by a 33% rise in the number of pubs closing in Scotland, where the number of failures rose to 40 to 53 last year.
Among the most high-profile casualties in 2025 were cricket-themed chain Sixes and pub and hotel operator Oakman Inns. Meanwhile, this year has already seen the collapse of Revolution Bars Group owner The Revel Collective, alongside significant closures linked to BrewDog's bar estate.
