Nottingham pubs face pressure as closures rise across UK
Three Nottinghamshire venues are among those at risk as industry figures show nearly two pubs closing each day in early 2026, with rising costs, redevelopment plans and company restructures all contributing to a challenging outlook for the sector.
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Three more pubs and restaurants have joined the list of at-risk venues across Nottinghamshire. In the UK, around two pubs per day have closed in the first three months of the year.
Whitbread, the owner of Premier Inn, said it plans to replace its remaining 197 branded restaurants with integrated hotel restaurants. Trade reports have identified those brands as including Brewers Fayre and Beefeater. Across the county, that is Millers Barn near Broxtowe, Roman Way in Newark, and The Dukes in Worksop all of which have heard the concerning news about their venues, but have been left in none the wiser about what that means for their future.
During 2025 government statistics show that there were 366 pubs that closed their doors for good, being demolished or redeveloped for other uses. The British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) estimated the losses to be around 5,600 jobs.
Emma McClarkin, CEO of the BBPA, said: "When a pub closes it puts people out of a job, deprives communities of their heart and soul, and hurts the local economy."
This week, the BBPA released figures for this year. Between January and March 161 pubs have closed already, 26% more than the same time period last year. In Nottinghamshire in the past year pubs like The Golden Fleece, BrewDog Nottingham, The Wheatsheaf, The Emerald of Wilford, and The Mill in Basford have closed.
McClarkin puts much of the blame at the feet of the government, saying that pubs are trading well but their profits are swallowed up by large tax burdens and regulatory costs. The government responded to this line of concern in April by cutting business rates by 15% for two years, cutting duty on draught pints, and capping corporation tax at the current rate.
However, a review of the closing reasons for some of the above mentioned pubs shows wider reasons than just government squeezing.
The Golden Fleece mentioned difficulties working with their landlord as well as "unsustainable" utility costs.
William Robertson, a previous regular of The Wheatsheaf, told the Nottingham Post that repeat changing of management led to the pub "having the heart ripped out of it". The pub had a large "cash only" sign outside.
BrewDog Nottingham closed overnight after the parent company had failed to make a profit in recent years, according to their administrators. This could well have been to do with the economy and the impact of duties. BrewDog did have some issues internally with staff complaining of "miserable" conditions, complaints which eventually lead to them losing their B Corporation status.
Not all pubs are struggling in the same way. Castle Rock pubs are a staple of Nottingham, with many of them dotted around. The company behind them reporting pre-tax profit of £452,520 for the year to March 2025. This is slightly lower than the previous years pre-tax profit, which managing director Colin Wilde said was "particularly pleasing" at the time.
