CHEFS (Culture, Health, Environment, Food and Society) Session

The CHEFS (Culture, Health, Environment, Food and Society) research group at Sheffield Hallam University is delighted to host a series of online research talks.  Talks are open to all – local and global, students and staff, practitioners and public.

Next paired paper session:  Pubs, Alcohol and The Pandemic  

Presenters: Joanna Reynolds (Sheffield Hallam University); Pallavi Singh (Sheffield Hallam University)

This session will feature two talks:

Paper 1: “Pub-ageddon”! Risk, responsibility and alcohol licensing in England during COVID-19 pandemic
Presenter: Joanna Reynolds (Sheffield Hallam University)
Abstract: In response to the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020, restrictions were placed in the UK (and elsewhere) on outlets selling alcohol, to help curb virus transmission. While shops and off-licences were deemed ‘essential’, multiple restrictions were imposed on on-premises outlets such as pubs and bars. In this presentation I will examine media reporting of these restrictions and the discursive framings of problems relating to alcohol licensing changes in news media in England. These intersecting, and sometimes conflicting framings highlighted a range of risks and responsibilities arising from licensing restrictions and changes. These issues were attributed first to licence premises and their owners, and ‘problematic’ drinking practices, and then latterly to problematic policy responses, leading to a ‘victimisation’ of licensed premises. Social disorder, rather than direct harms to health, was commonly presented as a key risk of alcohol provision during the pandemic, reflecting long-standing traditions of media reporting on alcohol in the UK. Building on this analysis, I will also introduce developing research exploring at the impacts of COVID-19 changes on policies that shape the local alcohol environment, in England and Wales.

Paper 2: Sustainability in the beer and pub industry during the COVID-19 period: An emerging new normal
Presenter: Pallavi Singh (Sheffield Hallam University)
Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic created significant challenges for the British pub industry, due to the uncertain conditions caused by the virus, changes in consumption patterns and government measures. Studies recommend that organisations adopt innovative and flexible business models to generate added value for customers and other stakeholders as a survival and growth strategy. However, such measures require business ecosystems which encourage co-creative engagement. This qualitative study extends the concept of value co-creation beyond its current boundary as a customer-driven experiential paradigm, reconceptualising it as a driver for societal benefits. Over the period March – December 2020, we carried out in-depth interviews with pub and brewery owners, managers, and customers, combined with netnographic and offline observations of pubs’ engagement with customers. We uncovered three stages of strategies and innovation during this period, which we term ‘survive’, ‘secure’, and ‘sustain’. We demonstrate how multiple stakeholders benefit from the innovations of pubs and breweries negotiating each stage, advancing current scholarship on sustainable value co-creation.

To attend the session, please use the joining link here; if you’d like to receive a calendar invite, please email j.smith1@shu.ac.uk