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In writing my review of Boak & Bailey’s 20th Century Pub the other day, the thought occurred to me that a strong parallel could be drawn between pubs and print newspapers. I didn’t include it there as it seemed like a sidetrack, but the idea is worth developing further.
  • Both have experienced a steady, long-drawn-out decline in custom spanning several decades
  • In each case, the number of outlets/titles has declined more slowly than total sales
  • Independent regional operators have been snapped up by national and international chains, and frequently closed down
  • There is concern over the domination of the industry by a small number of major players
  • Different brands or titles have very distinct images in the eyes of the general public. Sun=Wetherspoon’s, anyone?
  • Their customers, on average, tend to be older than the population as a whole
  • Both are widely written off as old-fashioned and a thing of the past
  • The people who use or buy them often have a strong attachment to particular brands
    A growing proportion of the population never have any involvement with them whatsoever

Obviously it doesn’t apply in every respect, but interesting food for thought nonetheless.


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