Pubs in Scotland are having to shut their doors early to save money as they find it hard to keep going with trade down making it difficult to stay afloat.
He said: "Why would you stay open and pay staff and spiralling electricity costs when you've no customers? Some pubs aren't just closing early they're not opening at all on quieter days." "We all want to pay that but the money has to come from somewhere and customers don't want to pay increased prices. As well as closing early some nights, many pubs are staying closed on a Monday and Tuesday because there's no point in opening if there's no customers."He said: "The situation is even worse in Scotland because we are unequal with the rest of Great Britain as far as the issue of business rates is concerned.
"But it won't be until there's no hospitality premises left on our high streets except for big corporate companies that they'll realise they've messed up. Because of rates and other things like the cost of parking in Glasgow, potential investors from England are looking at Scotland as a no-go area."We want to keep our small bars and restaurants because as soon as one shuts in a small village, it will never open again.
Nik Antona, who leads the Campaign for Real Ale , said: "Pubs are swimming upstream against a monsoon of challenges. To survive being drowned by the perfect storm of multiple economic crises, many pubs have taken the decision to close earlier than initially advertised in order to save costs."