LOYAL punters are “absolutely gutted” after learning their beloved pub will be pulling its last pint imminently.
The Old Chainyard in Bilston, West Mids., sadly announced its upcoming closure much to the disappointment of locals.
It comes after Red Oak Taverns, which owns the pub along with over 200 sites, reportedly decided to sell up.
Hailed as “the most welcoming landlady about”, Amanda Fisher confirmed the devastating update on Facebook.
Amanda, who has run the boozer for nearly a decade, wrote: “It is with a heavy heart that I announce the closure of the The Old Chainyards pub.
“Unfortunately the rumours are true. Red Oak has sold The Old Chainyards.
“When the planning permission is accepted I will have three months notice to leave.
“It is hard to put into words how I feel, apart from saying, my customers are not just customers, but part of my family
“We have had so many celebrations, laughs, some tears and plenty of love and support from each other over the last eight years.
“We have so many memories that cannot be erased, themed discos, parties, charity events, Christmas markets.”
She added: “If you would like, put some photos of the amazing times we have had on this post and show what a family pub is.”
Heartbroken customers shared their disappointment.
On commented: “Mand, you can hold your head up high and feel proud of your achievements.
“You had a vision of what you wanted and with hard work and determination you more than succeeded.”
“I’m so sorry Amanda, you’ve always kept a good pub and pint. One of the most welcoming landlady’s around,” said another.
A third loyal supporter wrote: “Hugely disappointed to hear your news and a very sad time for the village to lose another drinking house, in my 20 years of running pubs the Chainyards was my favourite and like you I can cherish many happy memories x.”
Someone else in disbelief fumed: “I can’t believe it.”
“Absolutely gutted to hear this, the pub is a real community asset, such a shame,” agreed another local.
One customer cried: “So sad must you are the most welcoming landlady around it’ll be a sad day when it closes.”
It comes after customers were left crying its a “sad sign of the times” as another major bar chain, with 1,400 venues, is set to close a “breathtaking” venue in days.
The Pitcher and Piano has confirmed it is set to shut its Richmond, London, site next Saturday, June 15.
Plus, Whitbread – the UK hospitality giant – plans to close over 200 of its branded restaurants and cut around 1,500 jobs as part of a restructuring strategy.
This move includes the conversion of some restaurants into hotel extensions and aims to optimize Whitbread’s food and drink offerings while increasing operational efficiency.
Affected brands include Premier Inn and Beefeater.
Why are retailers closing shops?
EMPTY shops have become an eyesore on many British high streets and are often symbolic of a town centre’s decline.
The Sun’s business editor Ashley Armstrong explains why so many retailers are shutting their doors.
In many cases, retailers are shutting stores because they are no longer the money-makers they once were because of the rise of online shopping.
Falling store sales and rising staff costs have made it even more expensive for shops to stay open. In some cases, retailers are shutting a store and reopening a new shop at the other end of a high street to reflect how a town has changed.
The problem is that when a big shop closes, footfall falls across the local high street, which puts more shops at risk of closing.
Retail parks are increasingly popular with shoppers, who want to be able to get easy, free parking at a time when local councils have hiked parking charges in towns.
Many retailers including Next and Marks & Spencer have been shutting stores on the high street and taking bigger stores in better-performing retail parks instead.
Boss Stuart Machin recently said that when it relocated a tired store in Chesterfield to a new big store in a retail park half a mile away, its sales in the area rose by 103 per cent.
In some cases, stores have been shut when a retailer goes bust, as in the case of Wilko, Debenhams Topshop, Dorothy Perkins and Paperchase to name a few.
What’s increasingly common is when a chain goes bust a rival retailer or private equity firm snaps up the intellectual property rights so they can own the brand and sell it online.
They may go on to open a handful of stores if there is customer demand, but there are rarely ever as many stores or in the same places.
