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The Federation of Retail Licensed Trade (FLRT) have announced that 7% of Northern Ireland’s pubs have closed since the smoking ban became law two years ago, although trade is improving for some pubs.

Chief executive of the FLRT, Stephen Kelly, said that the smoking ban has “accelerated the decline in the on-trade and increased the shift to the off-trade. The much anticipated rush of non-smokers coming out to pubs has failed to materialise.”

Mr Kelly admitted that a number of pubs that had planned for the smoking ban had enjoyed increases in trade, up to 30% in some cases, saying: “they were lucky. It was like they had won the lottery because they had the space to provide for smokers.”

“Premises that planned well, put on good quality food and entertainment have made it a success,” said Mr Kelly.