UK pub giant to sell bars in advance of smoking ban

The UK’s biggest pubs group Punch Taverns may put as many as 1,000 of its pubs up for sale ahead of the forthcoming smoking ban, it was reported today.

Punch declined to comment, but a report in The Times said the company was looking to offload many of its smaller pubs that could see trading hit hard when the smoking ban comes in, such as those without gardens and the more traditional drink-led pubs that do not have a strong food-based focus. The company has around 9,300 sites.