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One in five nightclubs closed in the last three years, new figures show
Many more venues face closure this year as prices continue to rise
One fifth of the UK’s nightclubs permanently closed in the last three years, damning new figures have shown today.
According to the data, released by the Night Time Industries Association (NTIA), there are only 1,130 venues left standing across the country.
However, many of these also face closure thanks to a combination of pandemic debt, workforce challenges, rising energy bills, product cost increases and landlord pressures all slowing ticket sales and visitor frequency, the NTIA warned.
It also warned that the true impact of cost inflation on businesses was yet to be seen, with more than 53.8% of respondents still to renew energy contracts.
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NTIA chief executive Michael Kill said it was time the government recognised the economic, cultural and community value of nightclubs.
He said, as per the Guardian: “Late-night economy businesses were one of the quickest sectors to rebound during the financial crash many years ago, harbouring an abundance of resilience and entrepreneurial spirit.
“It’s without a doubt that these businesses, particularly nightclubs, have a huge part to play in the regeneration of high streets in towns and cities across the UK.
“Beyond the generation of footfall through trade, domestic and international visitors to clubs support the local economy in secondary and tertiary purchases through accommodation, travel and retail.”
The NTIA’s calls for government support have been backed by Labour’s Shadow Levelling Up Secretary Lisa Nandy, who said that reopening once-loved nightclubs in struggling towns and city centres could help to revive high streets and boost the economy.
She said: “Every single town has a lost nightclub they feel very strongly about, that was part of our history and our heritage.”
Just last month, Manchester’s iconic South Nightclub permanently closed its doors, citing the city centre’s growing population and building redevelopment as a cause.
The club’s owner Aaron Mellor said: “We’ve become landlocked by residential development.
“It’s sad because South has been a pivotal club on the Manchester underground music scene, but it has become significantly harder to run it. The problems we’ve got are bigger than the solution.”