The problem pubs are facing is so manifold because since Covid, every single thing — cost of goods, cost of labour, consumer confidence and now rates — is squeezing us like a vice from every direction, which makes it very, very difficult to operate. In 2023, the rateable value for our Soho pub the Blue Posts was £88,000. The 2026 figure is £214,000, a rise of £126,000.
At the Blue Posts site, we don’t just have the pub: downstairs there’s Evelyn’s Table, our restaurant, and upstairs there’s the Mulwray, our wine bar, and the three share the one building. But if it was solely the Blue Posts, solely the pub, it wouldn’t be able to operate.
