LAST ORDERS
Beloved pub with ‘huge’ beer garden to throw massive party before closing for good after Christmas
The landlords have said the building will be converted for residential use
A BELOVED pub with a 'huge' beer garden is to throw a massive farewell party before it closes its doors for good in the new year.
The Sarah Moore sports pub in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, will be turned into a residential property after it closes its doors, to the devastation of locals.
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The pub's landlords shared the sad news on Facebook after being told the lease on the building would come to an end.
Fans have described the closure as the 'end of an era' and said 'there's no other pub like it' in the town.
In a social media post the landlords said: "The building has been up for sale for some time with the intentions of it being turned into a residential property."
The pub said January 4 would be its last evening of trading.
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It will host a 'Sarah no more party' to mark the occasion with live music from Pete Lacey and Ska N Mash.
The pub bosses added: "We would like to thank all our staff and the amazing customers over the years that we have been here, we appreciate everyone and have had some really good laughs.
"We plan to see out the next nine weeks with a bang and have plenty of events arranged. But please all pop down on January 4 for the last night of trade - we want the pub to end in style."
The pub's fans shared their disappointment that it would close.
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One said: "Omg that's a real shame cant believe this is happening, had so many great nights in there especially watching Redonizm play."
Another said: "This is such sad news - have been going to the Sarah Moore for years - love the pub! Awful to hear it's being turned into flats - there's no other pub like it in Leigh."
Major UK pub chain announces sweeping closures & job losses
A third added: "End of an Era. Had some of my best moments watching the football and boxing over the years!"
As well as showing live sport the Marston's pub had pool tables and darts boards.
What is happening to the hospitality industry?
Many food and drink chains have been struggling in recently as the cost of living has led to fewer people spending on eating out.
Businesses had been struggling to bounce back after the pandemic, only to be hit with soaring energy bills and inflation.
Multiple chains have been affected, resulting in big-name brands like Wetherspoons and Frankie & Benny's closing branches.
Some chains have not survived, Byron Burger fell into administration last year, with owners saying it would result in the loss of over 200 jobs.
Pizza giant, Papa Johns is shutting down 43 of its stores soon.
Tasty, the owner of Wildwood, said it will shut sites as part of major restructuring plans.
The brand plans to close 20 loss-making restaurants after a “challenging” start to the year.
Stonegate, has raised fears about its survival as it races to plug its debts.
And Revolution Bars Group is also carrying out a string of closures.
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The company plans to close 25 locations across the UK is part of a restructuring plan granted approval by the High Court.
Pubs had feared a further blow after news leaked that the government was planning to ban smoking in pub gardens, however this policy is set to be dropped.
Why are retailers closing stores?
RETAILERS have been feeling the squeeze since the pandemic, while shoppers are cutting back on spending due to the soaring cost of living crisis.
High energy costs and a move to shopping online after the pandemic are also taking a toll, and many high street shops have struggled to keep going.
The high street has seen a whole raft of closures over the past year, and more are coming.
The number of jobs lost in British retail dropped last year, but 120,000 people still lost their employment, figures have suggested.
Figures from the Centre for Retail Research revealed that 10,494 shops closed for the last time during 2023, and 119,405 jobs were lost in the sector.
It was fewer shops than had been lost for several years, and a reduction from 151,641 jobs lost in 2022.
The centre's director, Professor Joshua Bamfield, said the improvement is "less bad" than good.
Although there were some big-name losses from the high street, including Wilko, many large companies had already gone bust before 2022, the centre said, such as Topshop owner Arcadia, Jessops and Debenhams.
"The cost-of-living crisis, inflation and increases in interest rates have led many consumers to tighten their belts, reducing retail spend," Prof Bamfield said.
"Retailers themselves have suffered increasing energy and occupancy costs, staff shortages and falling demand that have made rebuilding profits after extensive store closures during the pandemic exceptionally difficult."
Alongside Wilko, which employed around 12,000 people when it collapsed, 2023's biggest failures included Paperchase, Cath Kidston, Planet Organic and Tile Giant.
The Centre for Retail Research said most stores were closed because companies were trying to reorganise and cut costs rather than the business failing.
However, experts have warned there will likely be more failures this year as consumers keep their belts tight and borrowing costs soar for businesses.
The Body Shop and Ted Baker are the biggest names to have already collapsed into administration this year.
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