Barely a day goes by when a UK pub isn’t closing but one Nottinghamshire town is bucking the trend. According to research, Mansfield is leading the way with a 62.5 per cent increase in new pub and bar openings between 2020 and 2024.
New arrivals in the town include late night bar and club, Playground, which opened in Leeming Street in February 2024, Stella Taps, in Stella Street, a micropub that welcomed its first customers in the summer of 2021, and Sins and Spirits which descended upon Toothill Lane in November 2023.
The data, collected by payments solutions provider SumUp shows Mansfield at the top of the table in a report entitled High Street Retail Trends 2024. The study looks at growth in sectors including the high street, the fastest growing industries in retail, takeaways, hairdressing and beauty, and pubs and bars.
The report states: “Public houses and bars have faced significant challenges in recent years. The pandemic strained the industry as restrictions kept people from gathering at their local spots, and with more commuters now working from home, the traditional after-work drink became less common.
“Rising taxes and a dip in disposable income added to these pressures. Yet despite a -2.6 percent decrease in pubs and bars across the UK, some cities oppose this trend and are seeing a surge in industry openings.
“Leading the way is Mansfield, with a remarkable 62.5 per cent increase in new pub and bar openings since 2020, closely followed by Chatham with a 50 per cent rise. The new study has identified the UK cities where pubs and bars are seeing the largest increase to prove that the high street is not dying, but in fact, changing.”