Lockdown: St Austell Brewery calls for long-term financial support

The business wants to see more help for the hospitality sector

Author: Sarah YeomanPublished 3rd Nov 2020

St Austell Brewery is calling on the government to provide more long-term financial support for the hospitality sector.

All pubs will have to close from Thursday 5th November as England enters a second national lockdown. They will only be allowed to remain open for takeaways.

But some businesses want to know what help will be in place beyond the planned one-month shut down.

Bosses at St Austell Brewery say the extension of the furlough scheme will help to safeguard jobs.

Responding to Saturday’s government announcement, Kevin Georgel, Chief Executive, said:

“We are, of course, devastated to have to close our pubs once again but we recognise the seriousness of the situation and why the government has made this decision.

“Our absolute priority between now and Thursday is to provide full support for our teams and tenants, while looking after our guests, as we work to safely close down our pubs.

“We welcome the fact that the furlough scheme has been extended until December, which will enable us to safeguard jobs while our pubs are shut. However, we would urge the government to provide the hospitality sector with a longer-term financial support plan that reaches further beyond this lockdown period.

“We’d like to thank everybody who has bought one of our beers or visited our pubs in recent weeks, for their ongoing support during these challenging times. Stay safe and we look forward to welcoming you back as soon as we’re able to.”

Kevin Georgel, St Austell Brewery