Smoking Ban: British business feels the heat

Just over six months on from the introduction of the smoking ban, latest research from MINTEL finds that the ban can claim some success amongst smokers. But the likes of British bingo and the good old drinking man’s pub could now be seriously under threat.MINTEL’s exclusive consumer research shows that as far as the government’s plans to reduce smoking rates are concerned, the ban has things moving in the right direction. Indeed, one in three (33%) regular smokers now smoke less when they are out. But despite this, one in five (22%) smokers feel that the ban has disrupted their socialising and 16%, or some 2 million adults, say that they are now actually going out less.