Over €60 million worth of stock, including beer and food, has been written off by drinks and hospitality businesses, as a result of the Government's 'stop-start’ approach to reopening the sector so far, according to industry figures supplied by the Drinks Industry Group of Ireland.
Analysis by DIGI shows that pubs and bars have endured the longest lockdown in the EU. On three occasions, the Government signalled a date on which so called ‘wet’ pubs and pubs serving food may be permitted to reopen after the extended lockdown.
On each occasion, these were false-starts and very short notice was given that businesses were indeed not permitted to reopen, leaving many with extensive stocks of beer and food purchased from suppliers, while