
London’s independent pub owners have been joining forces to offer punters a discount and incentive scheme similar to the Tastecard scheme offered by the restaurant industry.
It comes as latest Government figures show 50 pubs a month in England and Wales closed their doors for good in the first six months of 2024, with the total number of pubs falling from 39,401 in December 2023 to 39,096 in the six months to 30 June. In London specifically, 25 pubs closed in the period.
CityStack has compiled a list of the top concerns facing independent pub owners as they await Wednesday’s Budget announcement with bated breath.
The CityStack scheme encourages punters to visit and discover independent pubs they might not have thought of going to, by providing packs of beer mats offering £100 in savings for food and drinks, as well as a discovery map to help pub lovers create their own bar crawl adventures and explore watering holes in parts of London they have not yet visited.
Almost 60 independent pubs are already part of the scheme, with more pubs requesting to join each week. CityStack’s purpose is to support the independent pub industry, which is already facing soaring beer prices and utility bills, on top of rising business rates.
Alison Boutoille, founder of CityStack commented: "Our independent pub owner members are extremely concerned about tomorrow's Budget, particularly about additional business rate hikes and the threat of higher property taxes. "The decrease in revenues due to the cost of living crisis, which has led to lower footfalls and people budgeting less towards going out, added to soaring bills, has led to a critical challenge for the survival of pubs all over the country. "While big chains may be well equipped to weather the current economic situation, it’s much harder for independent businesses to keep themselves afloat, which is why we created this initiative. We urge people to go back to independent pubs before it's too late."
Top ranking concerns facing independent pub owners

CityStack has compiled a list of the top concerns facing the independent pub owners in our scheme (members are available to interview, on request).
The top concerns are:
● Soaring beer prices
● Rising property rents
● Business rates hikes
● Pay television sports channels subscription fee hikes
● Mortgage interest rate rises
● Energy bill hikes
● Beer garden smoking ban plans
Independent pub owners are nervously awaiting Wednesday’s Budget, which could see property tax rises and additional business rate hikes announced.
Currently, they are benefiting from a 75% property discount scheme, but if that were to end, in April 2025 pubs could face a 2.2% rise to their bills, in line with the headline rate of inflation.
Egil Johansen, owner of the Kenton pub in Hackney, commented: “Our next rent review is in five years, and if it increases by the same amount (around 25%), that will definitely be the end for us. The massive increase in utility bills has been hard to swallow; that’s why we closed our kitchen in 2022.
“We are also suffering from rising mortgage interest rates and increasing beer prices. Even Sky Sports and TNT Sports are dramatically raising their subscription fees, which means we might have to stop showing football because of that.”
Gaurav Khanna, co-owner of the Gladstone Arms pub in Borough, commented: "Not only have we been hit by rent increases, energy costs, and rising beer prices, but the alcohol duty has also affected our margins, as we haven’t been able to increase prices at the same rate.”
Sarah Holgate, owner of the Good Mixer pub in Camden, commented: “We already have to deal with the council regarding outdoor seating. Since we are on a market road, we can only get a tables and chairs license on a six-month basis. Outdoor seating is crucial to ensuring the business makes money in the summer months. The smoking ban project is not going to help our business at all.”
About CityStack

The CityStack scheme was created by marketing executive Alison Boutoille, 34, a French national who moved to London in 2020, with the aim of helping independent pubs combat declining footfall and the lingering effects of the pandemic on the UK hospitality industry.
As part of the initiative, Alison has started the successful “Support an Independent Pub Day” and an “Indie Pub Tour”. She passionately continues to champion independent pubs, which she believes are essential to the core of British culture, and has been featured on Metro, Daily Mail Online, Morning Advertiser, France 24, Los Angeles Times, MyLondon, Southwark News and Beer Today.
For more information, visit: https://www.citystack.co/
CityStack and several independent pub owners are available at short notice for interviews and to provide commentary about the current situation for independent pubs.
Photos of Alison Boutoille and Egil Johansen attached. Media kit available on request.