A PUB owner has revealed he has lost a staggering £9m in sales since the start of the “punishing” Covid-19 pandemic, illustrating the devastating impact on the economy.

Steve Haslam, who runs the Bread and Cheese pub in Benfleet, Urban Fresh and the White Horse in Ramsden Heath, was forced to shut other venues as well as being hit by a drop in customers.

Southend seafront trader, Paul Thompson, also lost 40 per cent of business during the first year of the pandemic, while other businesses raised concerns about the lasting impact.

Mr Haslam said: “We lost about nine million sales and about 50 per cent of our trade since the start of pandemic which has been pretty punishing, and we lost four of our businesses too.

“It’s about £9million in trade and £2million profit that we have lost. There’s no doubt about it and the first lockdown from March 2020 was when we saw the most damage done.

“We opened and shut over and over, and for a small independent family-run businesses it’s not good. We’ve now got to live with this for next five years to try and get anywhere near back to things before the pandemic.”

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Liz Frazer, co-owner of Mixtures accessory shop in Southend’s Victoria Shopping Centre, fears shopping trends have changed, with more people shopping online instead of heading to the town centre.

She said: “Business has gone down and Covid has caused more people to shop online. We’ve seen about a 20 per cent drop in business and sales.

“I’ve run the businesses for more than 30 years and it’s now just a way to get a wage which we are just doing at the moment. I don’t think there’s enough for shoppers to come into the town centre - it’s just phone shops and hairdressers now.

“We do still have some loyal customers and we’ve not had rent rises and these are both some relief to us.”

Mr Thompson, owner of Pebbles One Cafe on the seafront, added: “The first year was very tough trading and there were car parks shut which didn’t help much.

“The first year I saw a drop of about 40 per cent and then last year it was better at about 15 per cent but it’s still hard and there’s unknowns. I hope the future is looking a bit brighter.”

They spoke as figures showed retail sales volumes fell last month as the spread of Omicron kept shoppers away from stores, although they remain around pre-pandemic levels, according to official figures.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said sales fell 3.7 per cent in December – the biggest monthly fall since January 2021 – compared to a rise of 1 per cent in November.

Officials also suggested the fall was due to shoppers getting their gift-buying done earlier in November to avoid disappointment due to supply chain disruption.

There was also a 4.7 per cent drop in fuel sales last month, as restrictions saw a return to work-from-home and fewer people travelled as Omicron prompted large numbers of households to self-isolate.

Food stores sales also fell by 1%, although they remained 2% above pre-pandemic levels.

ONS deputy director for surveys and economic indicators Heather Bovill said: “After strong pre-Christmas trading in November, retail sales fell across the board in December, with feedback from retailers suggesting Omicron impacted on footfall.

“As Plan B restrictions in England meant more people working from home, there was a notable fall for fuel sales.

“However, despite the fall in December, retail sales are still stronger than before the pandemic, with over a quarter of sales now made online.”

Helen Dickinson, chief executive of the British Retail Consortium (BRC), said: “The spread of Omicron may have slowed Christmas spending, but the perseverance of retailers helped deliver a successful Christmas for consumers.”