Study reveals Mansfield has seen most new pubs and bars open in UK in last five years

The simple pub is one of the most recognisable places on the streets of Britain.

In addition to being an essential component of British culture, pubs are also well-known worldwide for their popularity. The UK offers charming buildings that have stood the test of time, and there is nothing that Brits love more than a trip down to their ‘local’ for a catch-up over a pint with friends.

However, it has been the case for some time now that the traditional British pub is in decline with more than 400 closing in England and Wales last year.

However, a new study from SumUp, a provider of POS systems, has identified the UK towns cities where pubs and bars are seeing the largest increase, to prove that the high street is not dying but, in fact, changing.

Despite the research revealing a 2.6 per cent decrease in pubs and bars across the UK, when taking a closer look, the numbers reveal that in some towns and cities, pub culture is thriving.

And nowhere is that more the case than Mansfield with the number of new pubs and bars in the town increasing by 62.5 per cent between 2020 and 2024.

A study spokesperson said: “Mansfield is officially home to most new pubs and bars between the years 2020 and 2024,.

"An impressive 25 new establishments have opened over the last five years.

“The demand for pubs in the area is also evident in Mansfield with searches for ‘pubs near me’ and 'open pubs near me’ up by 200 per cent.”

Mansfield also has reason smile in the retail sector too with the town in the top 10 nationally for high street retail growth in the last five years with the figures revealing a 30.4 per cent increase.

In a joint statement, Coun Stuart Richardson (Lab), Mansfield Council portfolio holder for regeneration and growth, and Jay Rowlinson, chief executive of Mansfield BID, said: “Obviously we welcome the news that Mansfield seems to be emerging positively after the massive setback created by the Covid pandemic.

“These latest figures come on the back of other statistics, which show footfall in the town centre is increasing and approaching pre-pandemic levels, and encouraging tourism data which demonstrates that the number of visitors to Mansfield is also on the up.

“We know there are still economic challenges here and there is still more work needed to continue this upward trend, but we can only welcome yet more evidence that Mansfield’s fortunes are in recovery and we would encourage people to support their local economy by thinking twice before buying online and consider the wider benefits of buying from local suppliers and outlets.”

Council initiatives to encourage growth and inward investment include:

• Grants available for enterprises seeking to open a vacant shop and to improve shops fronts.
• Mansfield Townscape Heritage Project supported by £849,000 from The National Lottery Heritage Fund
• Mansfield Connect, a scheme to repurpose the former Beales department store into a community and civic hub.
• The £16.5m White Hart Street development to transform a derelict area of the town centre into mixed-use affordable homes and new commercial spaces.