UK hospitality businesses that fail to plan now for the new smoking ban risk closure and hardship, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP.
In its briefing paper ‘Preparing for the impact of the smoking ban,’ PricewaterhouseCoopers said businesses need to assess the smoking prevalence amongst customers and how smokers might change their behaviour following the ban.
David Trunkfield, head of leisure, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP Strategy said: “We have seen smoking prevalence ranging from 20% of customers to over 50%. But the big issue is how those smokers might alter their behaviour after the ban and the knock-on effect that might have on revenues and profit.
“The experience of existing smoking bans in other countries shows that some industries have seen revenues drop dramatically and have taken several years to recover to pre-ban levels. In fact, some individual businesses may never recover and may face closure.”
The smoking ban will be implemented in Wales on April 2, Northern Ireland on April 30 and England on July 1.
By Bev Fearis
