{"id":45497,"date":"2026-01-15T13:24:05","date_gmt":"2026-01-15T13:24:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.simplybusiness.co.uk\/?post_type=knowledge&p=45497"},"modified":"2026-01-15T16:05:19","modified_gmt":"2026-01-15T16:05:19","slug":"dry-january-costs-for-pubs","status":"publish","type":"knowledge","link":"https:\/\/www.simplybusiness.co.uk\/knowledge\/hospitality\/dry-january-costs-for-pubs\/","title":{"rendered":"UK pubs face a \u00a359m dip as younger generations lead the way for Dry January"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

January is traditionally one of the toughest months of the year for pubs. But new research from Simply Business suggests that 2026 could be particularly challenging, with UK pubs potentially missing out on \u00a359 million in revenue as millions of adults take part in Dry January.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With rising costs, changing customer habits, and uncertainty around business rates \u2013 many pub landlords are asking the same question: how do you stay resilient during a quieter start to the year?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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13m<\/p>\n\n\n\n

people taking part in Dry January<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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43%<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

of millennials plan to take part<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

How many people are taking part in Dry January?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Our survey of 2,000 UK adults found that almost one in four people plan to give up alcohol this January. That equates to around 13 million people nationwide choosing sobriety for the month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While that\u2019s a significant shift in consumer behaviour, opinion is split. Nearly half of respondents said they won\u2019t be taking part at all, highlighting that January trading isn\u2019t disappearing \u2013 it\u2019s changing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Younger generations are driving the trend<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The research revealed a clear generational divide when it comes to Dry January:<\/p>\n\n\n\n