Ales & Sales

• 15,000 pubs hope to pull 15 million pints  • Shops get ready for a £4.5bn spree

- Ruki Sayid

Publicans and shopkeepers across England are preparing for a rush when they reopen on Monday, praying for a sales bonanza after three months of lockdown.

Bargain hunters are being tempted back to in-store shopping with discounts of as much as 70%.

Figures from the Centre for Retail Research and VoucherCodes show millions of people fed up with online shopping plan a £4.54billion spree in the first six days after nonessential shops reopen. And 15,000 pubs with beer gardens are rolling out the barrels ready to pull 15 million pints in the first week with gardens and terraces hosting drinking outdoors.

The British Beer and Pub Association said sales would still only be 25% of those expected in a normal April week, but that first pint would be “a special moment”.

BBPA chief executive Emma McClarkin said: “We welcome the great news that our pubs can reopen once more for outdoor service from April 12.”

She said: “People across the country have been looking forward to it for months.”